Drought
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According to a story posted this week in The Packer, “Drought, rain and hail in different parts of the country may take their toll on pumpkin supplies as Halloween nears.” The Northeast is the most likely to see shortages with a drought that has blanketed the region for most of the summer, reducing yields by…
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A small area of D4 exceptional drought was introduced to Georgia in this week’s Drought Monitor in the far northwest part of the state. This is the first time that anywhere in Georgia has seen exceptional drought since February 5, 2013 (although that was in central Georgia). Severe drought expanded in Alabama, including a region…
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AgWeb reported this week that the costs of orange juice and coffee are both climbing due to extreme weather in Brazil. Drought conditions are driving up the costs of coffee beans in the coffee production areas while heavy rains in the citrus belt are hampering production of orange juice. Even the cost of sugar is…
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As I’ve posted in previous entries, parts of the Southeast have been suffering from a shortage of hay as drought stopped the growth of pasture and forage plants, especially in northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama. Armyworms have taken advantage of the weakened plants and have attacked in larger than usual numbers, further reducing the amount…
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The University of Florida/IFAS has announced the development of a new irrigation scheduling model for sesame production in the Southeast. According to an article in the Panhandle Ag E-News, “sesame is known to be a relatively low input crop, able to reach good yields with 60 lbs/ac of nitrogen fertilizer. It is also, and more…
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This November NOAA will launch their most advanced weather satellite yet, the first GOES-R series. If the launch is successful, this satellite will allow us unparalleled opportunities to improve our knowledge of weather and also to improve our ability to forecast the weather, since the majority of data that goes into weather forecasting models is…
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The Southeast Farm Press reported this week that the peanut harvest in South Carolina is underway and that yields this year have been affected by pests and weather. Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus has been more prevalent this year than in previous years, and SC extension agents attribute that in part to the relatively mild winter…