Fruit
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The rainy and cloudy weather this summer has reduced the yield of pecans according to this article in Vegetable and Specialty Crop News. Pollination and early development was delayed due to spring weather and cloudy weather during the nut-filling season reduced the development of the kernels, leading to light yields compared to sunnier years. Producers…
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Popular Science: ‘Fugitive dust’ seems to have caused last summer’s salmonella outbreak from peaches
I just ran across this June 2021 story from Popular Science on the impacts of wind on tainted peaches. An outbreak of salmonella on California peaches came up with a surprising source of the contamination–dust from nearby chicken and cattle farms. Fortunately, in this case no one died although 28 people were hospitalized. But it…
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Growing Produce posted a story this week about a survey of blueberry growers in Florida and what their plans are for next year and the future. In the slide show it discussed some of the methods that producers are using to help with their production. They listed smart irrigation, weather stations, and soil monitoring as…
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A new study out of the University of California, Davis, discussed earlier in September in Fruit Growers News shows that California grape growers in coastal areas can use less water during times of drought and cut irrigation levels without affecting crop yields or quality. According to FGN, “The findings, published Sept. 1 in the journal…
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An article by Brad Haire in today’s Southeast Farm Press described the limited improvements that irrigation made this year to crop yields because of the very wet conditions. In general, fields with sandier soil did better this year because the excess water was able to drain away more quickly. Impacts on corn, cotton, and peanuts…
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The temperature at the Seattle-Tacoma airport hit 100 F today. Tomorrow and Monday are supposed to be even hotter. The heat wave out west has the potential to break all-time record high temperatures at many places in the northwestern US. Understandably, farmers are worried about the consequences of the heat on their crops. Cherries in…
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The watermelon season is upon us, and according to Clint Thompson in Vegetable and Specialty Crop News, it looks like it will be a sweet and delicious year! The climate conditions for developing high-brix (sugar) watermelons have been almost perfect, with high temperatures, little rain, and lots of sunshine. You can read more at https://vscnews.com/watermelon-quality-brix-georgia-florida/.…