Fruit
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One of the issues that this wetter weather has had on crops in the Southeast is an increase in fungal diseases of both leaves and roots. This article from Growing Produce shows the consequences of wet soils on young apple trees, which grow in cooler areas of the Southeast like the Appalachians although it is…
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I’ve been busy this week attending meetings of nut and fruit growers in Tifton and near Young Harris, GA. In Tifton I sat in on the annual meeting of the Northern Nut Growers Association and listened to talks on chestnuts, walnuts, and hazelnuts as well as olives, mulberries, persimmons, and other potential new crops for…
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Clint Thompson of the University of Georgia published a report this week on the impacts of heavy rain in June on watermelon production. According to the story, “Georgia farmers had fewer opportunities to effectively harvest watermelons in June thanks to an increase in rain, but disease pressure is what truly led to lower yields in…
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Here is a very interesting article about how the percentage of land in agriculture across the world has changed over time. If you look at the changes in cropland in the Southeast, you can see decreases in the coastal plains and increases in other areas. Not too surprising, since forested land is not considered to…
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Food & Wine produced a story earlier this week about how the weather in the wine-growing regions of Italy this year has caused serious decreases in the yield of the wine grapes. According to the story, “Coldiretti (the Italian farmers association) blames the low yields on what it called “bizarre” weather, with many areas experiencing…
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The Southeast Farm Press had a short article this week which said that many South Carolina watermelon farmers are reporting crops that are twice their usual size this year. Watermelons cover 8,000 acres of the state and are produced in every county, although they are concentrated in the Low Country and the Sand Hills region. …
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Have the past two winters of warm weather in Florida provided a look ahead to what conditions might look like in the future? An AP report published in AgWeb today discuss how the warm temperatures impacted strawberry production in Florida and what it might mean for future production of the fruit in a warmer climate.…