Fruit
-
The Packer reported this week that Florida strawberries are doing much better than a year ago, when extremely high temperatures hurt production levels. This year, while still warm, is closer to normal values, and the strawberries are producing much better. Market prices are still being hurt by competition from Mexico and California, however, so farmers…
-
Vegetable Growers News reported this week that early reports of Florida strawberry production this year look favorable. Wish Farms, a national produce grower and supplier, noted that the cooler temperatures during the planting season has conditioned the strawberry plants to produce more consistent blooms than they experienced last year. You can read more about it…
-
I read a story this morning in Growing Georgia reminding producers that the deadline for purchasing crop insurance for fruit is coming on November 20. I thought I would take a minute to discuss what the current weak La Niña means for spring frost. In general, neither El Niño nor La Niña are particularly indicative…
-
Several articles out this week described continuing efforts by farmers in southeast Georgia and eastern North Carolina to determine the damage caused by the wind and flooding rain from Hurricane Matthew a few weeks ago. In North Carolina, Modern Farmer reported here that while livestock farmers are starting to compost dead chickens and deal with 3300…
-
Haaretz reported this week that scientists in Israel have produced a heat-resistant variety of apricot that does well in hotter conditions. This is expected to do well in future warmer climates. You can read the article at https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/science/1.746880. One interesting twist to the story is described here: “Support for their work came from South Carolina, where…
-
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…
-
Growing Georgia posted a story today on the state of Georgia’s upcoming pecan harvest. After Hurricane Hermine tracked through the southeastern part of the state, producers found many damaged trees and reductions in the number of nuts on the trees due to the winds from the storm. But University of Georgia Cooperative Extension pecan specialist Lenny…