Fruit
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Blueberry farmers in Georgia have been hit by the third big frost in the last six years. The frost of March 13 destroyed many blueberries around the state due to temperatures that were too cold for too long for frost protection to work. The Southeast Farm Press noted some farmers thought the loss was 75…
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With the swings in temperature we have seen this past winter, fruit farmers have experienced a lot of ups and downs in thinking about their crop this year too. A cold November was followed by a very warm December, leading to fewer than average chill hours. Then January and February were cooler again, allowing chill…
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I am pleased to announce that there is a new tool for fruit growers worried about the occurrence of anthracnose on their berries. It was previously available to folks in Florida but has recently been expanded to southern Georgia as well. You can find it at AgroClimate – Blueberry Advisory System. This allows you to…
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The latest freeze on March 13 caused a lot of problems for fruit and vegetable growers in Georgia, as I described a couple of days ago. This story from Southeast Farm Press describes similar conditions in South Carolina. Of course, farmers are still assessing the damage, which varied quite a bit across the state. You…
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This week farmers and extension agents were hard at work across Georgia and other Southeastern states assessing the damage from the frost on Sunday, March 13. Here is a brief summary of the comments I have received from my colleagues and friends on what they have seen. Keep in mind that some frost damage, particularly…
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Florida watermelon farmers are still assessing the impacts of the January 30 freeze that affected many parts of the state. At this point, producers are still determining how much damage to the plants has occurred, and it does not appear that the overall damage was devastating, but some production could be set back by cold…
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In spite of the cold temperatures that occurred as far south as central Florida on January 30, most fruit growers experienced less severe conditions than they expected. Here is a story about Florida strawberry growers and how they weathered the cold conditions at ‘Resilient’ Strawberry Growers Continue Season Following Freeze – Specialty Crop Industry.