Fruit

  • The Packer reported back in August that the heat this summer had a variety of impacts on the fruit crops there.  Hot conditions have made some citrus fruit more sweet but smaller in size.  Other crops have had their harvest times affected by the string of hot days they experienced there this summer.  You can…

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  • AgWeb reported that fears about damage to the citrus industry from Hurricane Hermine caused futures prices of orange juice to rise in advance of the storm’s landfall.  Florida is the second biggest orange juice production region after Brazil.  Cotton futures also rose as flooding was expected in areas with significant cotton production.  You can read…

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  • Brad Haire of the Southeast Farm Press has a story today about the impacts of Hermine on the pecan harvest in Georgia.  The worst part of the state’s damage was in the lower southeast part of the state; fortunately, winds were less damaging in other areas, so the state’s total production will not be as…

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  • WNCN.com, a CBS affiliate in North Carolina, reported this week that the cold snap that affected North Carolina in late April has effectively destroyed the blueberry crop at some farms in their state.  The Whitted Bowers Farm in Orange County reported that they have lost $21,000 due to the freezing temperatures, leaving them little crop left…

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  • Growing Georgia reported that the Georgia Farm Bureau is expecting a bumper crop of peaches this year.  Even though December was very warm, cold temperatures in January and late February brought enough chill hours to get the peach trees ready to bloom, and a feared late frost did not materialize, leading to good production for…

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  • Growing Georgia had an interesting video this week on the current harvest of blueberries that is underway now in the southeast part of the state, centered on Alma.  The featured grower noted that damage from wind and hail in a recent severe storm damaged about one percent of his crop due to blemished fruit.  But…

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  • Eastern Washington State is one of the premier growing regions for sweet cherries in the world, possessing both good soils and climate.  But cherries have weather vulnerabilities that can cause severe loss of fruit.  While frost is not an issue this year, rain just before harvest begins can cause a degradation in the fruit, causing…

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