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Vegetable and Specialty Crop News posted a story this week about all of the natural disasters that have affected Georgia blueberry growers over the past few years. In previous years it has been late frosts and tropical storms; this year it was severe weather in the form of heavy hail that wiped out crops at…
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The latest global climate statistics are now available from NOAA. The new summary for April 2020 shows that the global monthly temperature was the second warmest on record, falling a tenth of a degree below April 2016, which was an El Nino year. Unlike a lot of the world, the Southeast was in a relatively…
Posted in: Climate summaries -
The National Hurricane Center’s map of 5-day potential tropical activity shows a wide region off the Atlantic Coast with a 70 percent chance of developing into a tropical system, although the chance in the next 48 hours is near zero. If this does develop into a tropical storm, it would be named Arthur, and would…
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Watermelon supplies have been somewhat limited this year because of poor weather in Mexico and a hot and dry March and April which affected pollination in southern Florida where many melons are grown. But prices are good because of the lower yields, and demand is up now that more stores and supply chains are opening…
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I am participating in the monthly Southeast Climate webinar this month. The webinar will include: Climate Overview: Sandra Rayne | Southeast Regional Climate Center Water Resources Overview: SE Regional Forecast Center Agricultural Impacts and Outlook: Pam Knox | University of Georgia Product Spotlight: Hurricane Manuals for Agriculture Steve McNulty | USDA Climate Hub I’ll be…
Posted in: Events -
As the temperature and humidity in the Southeast increase over the next few decades under the influence of global warming, heat stress on agricultural workers working outdoors is expected to nearly double by 2050, according to a recent article in Modern Farmer. This will mean that workers need to switch to lighter clothing, be given…
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In the last two weeks I have received a couple of emails asking me about a new hurricane insurance program that is being offered to producers which will help cover agricultural losses in case of a hurricane passing over their farm. I can’t give you advice on whether or not it would be worth it,…