Fruit
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We grow a lot of pecans here in the Southeast, and farmers are always looking for new markets for pecan products. Modern Farmer posted a story this week about the potential for pecan milk, joining the ranks of other plant-based beverages like almond, soy, coconut, and other nut milks. The story discusses the benefits of…
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One of the fastest spreading new crops in Georgia is cold-hardy citrus. It has been expanding rapidly in southern parts of the state in spite of some recent challenges from frost. Here is an update on the status of cold-hardy citrus in the Southeast and how it has been impacted by recent weather and climate…
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While I’ve been on the road quite a bit in the last few weeks, I have seen a few stories you might be interested in. Washington Post: Cherry blossoms have bloomed longer than usual and aren’t done yet National Geographic: Did you enjoy the cherry blossoms’ early peak bloom? It was a warning sign. Indiana…
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While the weather lately has been fairly mild, there has been enough cold weather over the winter that most fruit trees have received sufficient chill hours to be ready to bloom once we get warm for long enough. In fact, some very early varieties have already started to blossom, according to reports from some South…
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Chill hours are generally low in Florida because it is so far south that it does not often experience temperatures below 45 F. But in the past few years, the chill accumulation has been even lower than average, resulting in challenges to peach producers there. That does not mean they can’t be grown, but the…
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I’ve been getting a few emails asking about the current warm weather and if it is likely to continue since growers are concerned about bud break if the warm weather continues. I put a thermograph of daily temperatures for Blairsville below to show how temperatures have changed over time. On the thermograph, the green band…
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A combination of bad weather and insects has made the price of orange juice skyrocket for a second year. Citrus greening has been a problem in Florida for a number of years and up to 90% of orchards in Florida have been affected by the disease, leading to reductions in yield. Farmers in Georgia and…