Crops
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The 7-day rainfall we’ve seen in the Southeast shows that it was feast or famine for many areas. The map below details the percent of normal each area received based on radar estimates. It shows that southeast Georgia received the heaviest rain from the remains of Erika, with some areas receiving more than 500 percent…
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As I was driving home from the airport today, I heard this interesting story about attempts to grow rice in Wisconsin on National Public Radio. You can listen to the story here. A Marquette University professor is trying to grow rice in the climate of Wisconsin to see if he can get it to produce…
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The Southeast Farm Press had an excellent article about producing high-quality hay this week. It describes the importance of weather conditions and taking advantage of dry spells while using equipment to help the hay dry down more quickly. You can read the article here.
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I ran across this article today on the impacts of warming climate on the wine-making industry in Quebec, Canada. It starts with one of the best lines I have ever read in a climate change article. “Crops are drying out, cattle are too hot to have sex, and the gelato industry is slowly melting away.…
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Here is a recent article I wrote for Georgia Organics. You can also read it at https://georgiaorganics.org/2015/08/what-does-the-godzilla-el-nino-mean-for-georgia-farmers/. There’s been a lot of hype in the popular news this month about the prospects for a very strong El Nino, which is developing in the eastern Pacific Ocean and is expected to peak this winter. El Nino…
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Capital Public Radio posted a story today about one impact of the California drought on local fruit. Because less water is getting to each tree, the sugars in the fruit are more highly concentrated than usual. The fruit is also smaller because abnormally warm temperatures have helped the fruit mature faster, leading to less days…
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Estimates of the agricultural losses in Puerto Rico continue to rise following the passage of Tropical Storm Erika a few days ago. The current estimates are for losses in excess of $20 million. Caribbean Business reported here that the most damaged crops, particularly due to Erika’s winds, are plantains and bananas, while losses have also been…