Crops
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The Georgia Department of Agriculture and the Vidalia Onion Committee announced that the official start of the Vidalia onion season this year will be on April 20 at 8 am. This compares to last year’s start on April 12 and 2016’s start on April 25. This year’s winter has been somewhat warmer than 2016 but…
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This time of year farmers are chomping at the bit to get out into the fields and start planting their crops for the season. I’ve seen a number of comments online that planting of corn is well underway in southern Georgia already. But this article from AgWeb points out that planting when the soil is…
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The Packer noted this week that due to almost ideal weather conditions in February, Florida tomatoes are looking very good and should provide a bountiful harvest this year. Weather problems earlier in the winter reduced production but the warm weather in recent weeks has caused them to ripen quickly. You can read the article here.
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Drovers’ Newletter posted an interesting story today about the impacts of severe weather on forage quality and quantity. Flooding, drought, and high humidity all played a role in affecting forage production in 2017. This is a timely topic for me since I spoke today at a short course on forage and hay in Burke County,…
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The National Phenology Network (NPN) provides information about the progress of physical events like budbreak, appearance of some insects and specific pests, and ice-off dates on lakes (in cold areas of the country). A recent article using their phenology map shows that this year we are running about 22 days ahead of average conditions for…
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The National Weather Service office in Peachtree City GA announced today that due to the very warm temperatures in February leading to an early onset of the growing season, they are starting their spring frost/freeze warning program to help producers plan for frost protection. Here is what they said: Frost and/or Freeze-related Watches and Warnings…
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Here is a nice article from Farm Journal’s PORK newsletter which discusses the impacts of weather on grains for swine feed. It includes a discussion of the effects of weather on planting, pollination and crop yield as well as storage and other factors. You can read it here.