Crops
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The unusually warm fall has had quite a few agricultural impacts. The Packer noted today that Florida strawberry volumes have really been set back by the warmth (link). The season started early, but the heat is stressing the plants, which causes a reduction in the number of berries set. I’ve also had some calls from…
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AgFax printed a story from UGA scientist Lenny Wells on the impacts of microclimate on pecan production. You can read the article here. The impacts of the site on which the trees are planted is important in how likely the trees are to be affected by scab, which can seriously impair the trees’ ability to…
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I’ve worked with farmers in southern Georgia who are expanding into new crops that can be sold in markets as “local” produce if they are grown in-state. These crops include olives and satsumas, both which have been grown in different climate regions in the past but now are starting to be produced in Georgia. The…
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AgWeb published an article earlier this week discussing the reduction in wheat production this year compared to last year in the South, particularly in the article’s focus area of Louisiana. They say “Too much rain, low prices and a disease called headscab have created a perfect storm driving farmers who often plant wheat not to…
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An article from Yale Climate Connections this week shows that real Christmas trees grown in North Carolina and other places are being subjected to increased risks from insect and fungal diseases, drought and extremes in weather. These risks are increasing due to changes in climate over time. Foresters work on a longer timeline than crop…
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Food and Wine‘s latest blog entry discusses the move by Champagne producer Taittinger to bring sparkling wine production to the United Kingdom. The blog post says “The Champagne house is planting vineyards of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier in Kent, to be used in a line of high-end English sparkling wines marketed under the…
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Rome Ethredge of Seminole Crop E News pointed out a great blog posting on the South Carolina floods of October 2015 from Extension agent Justin Ballew. In the blog post, Justin provides a video which describes the devastation that the floods caused to SC farms and farmers and provides a link to a Clemson website…