Climate and Ag in the news
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Earlier this week I posted a story about rebuilding in Mexico Beach, FL, after Hurricane Michael in 2018. Here is a similar story from Yahoo News about what homeowners in Fort Myers Beach, FL, are likely to have to face after Hurricane Ian. Many of the workers who serve in restaurants or run tourist companies…
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Assessments of the impacts of Hurricane Ian on agriculture in the Southeast continue to come in. Here are some more stories I have seen recently that document some of the problems caused by the storm. Yahoo News: After Hurricane Ian, Florida citrus and agriculture struggle Southeast AgNet: Florida Commissioner Nikki Fried on UF/IFAS Preliminary Agricultural Damage…
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What happens after a hurricane comes through and flattens your community? First you rescue what you can, then you start to determine how to recover and move on. But for those who remain at the devastated location, they often have to rebuild under updated building codes that are much more expensive to engineer, and many…
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A cold front moving through the region this week has brought rain and cooler temperatures to the Southeast the past few days. A second, stronger cold front is expected this weekend, and that will usher in even colder and drier air by Tuesday morning. As the cold air settles in, it could get even colder…
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While Hurricane Ian had devastating impacts along the southwest coast of Florida, another big impact that got less attention was the tremendous rainfall that occurred inland as Ian crossed the Florida peninsula. Most of the people that live in those areas do not have flood insurance, and only a small percentage of their losses will…
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I am attending the EDEN (Extension Disaster Education Network) annual meeting up in Grand Rapids, MI, this week (my hometown!). I have been enjoying all of the colors of the trees, especially the sugar maples that are fiery red/orange at peak color. Here is a story from EarthSky explaining why the leaves change color. In…
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In spite of the dry conditions that we have seen in parts of the Southeast over the last month, some blueberry producers are noticing problems with root rot in their fields. Dr. Jonathan Oliver, blueberry specialist at UGA, discusses how fungal diseases like root rot occur and how excess irrigation may be the cause of…