Crops
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The Packer noted earlier this week that Chile has suffered some unseasonably cold weather, which has caused damage to blueberries as well as potentially to their other crops of apples, kiwifruit and cherries. However, the extent of the damage is uncertain, since reports have come in from only a few growers so far. The Packer…
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On Tuesday the USDA announced a new Farm Bill initiative to assist agricultural producers with losses from severe weather, including drought, according to Growing Georgia. They report “The Actual Production History (APH) Yield Exclusion, available nationwide for farmers of select crops starting next spring, allows eligible producers who have been hit with severe weather to…
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Bloomberg Businessweek had an interesting article in the past few days about the reduction in wild apple forests in Kazakhstan due to illegal development of vacation homes as well as drought and increased disease pressure linked in part to changing climate. Kazakhstan is home to what some consider the birthplace of many modern crops like…
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Since it is fall, it is not surprising that stories about this year’s harvest are filling agricultural newsletters. Many of those stories link this year’s harvest conditions to the climate of the past growing season. Rome Ethredge noted in his Seminole Crop News blog that cotton harvest is well underway. The crop looks pretty good…
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The pawpaw is a fruit that is native to the Southeast along with other areas of hardiness zones 6a to 8a. It grows on a shrub in shady conditions but can also do well in full sun. Very few people have ever tasted a pawpaw (myself included) because they have a very short shelf life…
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A recent study published by the University of Florida shows that soils in the warm and moist conditions of Florida and the Southeast can sequester extra carbon from the atmosphere, helping to reduce greenhouse gases. Carbon is pulled out of the air by crops, mesic upland forests, pine lands and areas converted from pine forests…
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Bloomburg Businessweek published a map this week that caught my attention. It shows the results of a recent research project by German scientists which predict changes in suitability for agriculture in the period 2071-2100 compared to the present under modeled changes in climate. The map shows that the Southeast is an area which is predicted…