UF/IFAS photo shows a strawberry infected with Neopestalotiopsis disease. Strawberry diseases are devastating Georgia’s strawberry crop, which could lead to one of the worst production years ever, according to Phil Brannen, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension fruit disease specialist. “Many strawberry sites are now suffering substantial plant mortality as the season progresses. Losses are not uniform, and some sites look pretty good. But unfortunately, many do not,” Brannen wrote in the UGA Strawberry Blog. “However, I hope that producers can still pull out some profits.” Diseases inst ..read more

By Clint Thompson Georgia Vidalia onion producers are in the midst of harvest season. One industry expert is optimistic with this year’s crop. Chris Tyson, University of Georgia (UGA) Extension area onion agent, said his growers have avoided extreme weather events this season which helped production. “We did have some big rains earlier before harvest, but that really didn’t create any issues. Overall, the temperatures have been fairly mild, and we haven’t seen a lot of extremes. El Niño, La Niña, for us, did we run into some type of extreme that would cause an issue? This year we really didn ..read more

By Clint Thompson Two straight seasons of spring freeze events has one Alabama blueberry farmer ready to modify how he manages his blueberry crop. Jimmy Ferguson said this year’s late-season freeze impacted between 30% and 40% of his rabbiteye crop and about 20% of his highbush. That followed the freeze in 2023 that completely wiped out his 25-acre farm. “We’ve been doing fairly well over the years, but the last two years, this weather has given us fits. We’re not prepared for it,” Ferguson said. “I was going to have a big year last year. They were loaded until that big freeze came; two night ..read more

By Clint Thompson Florida blueberry growers have enjoyed a prosperous season so far, though that prosperity could come to a halt once neighboring states start harvesting their crop. That could soon be the case, explains Doug Phillips, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) blueberry Extension coordinator. “I think it’s been good production. A number of folks I’ve talked to have gotten a good bit of their fruit off. I have heard that Georgia is going to be coming to the market maybe starting this week or next; after which point, of course, prices historical ..read more

Southeast strawberry growers continue to be threatened by fresh strawberry imports from other countries, mainly Mexico. According to U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service Situation and Outlook Report, fresh strawberry import volume increased 4% in 2023, from 564 million pounds to 589 million pounds. It marked the fifth straight year that import volumes have increased. The nominal value of imports also increased, from $1.08 billion to $1.18 billion. It marked the third year that fresh strawberry imports were valued at more than $1 billion. About 11.5% of fresh strawberry imp ..read more

By Clint Thompson El Niño flexed its muscle during the winter and early spring. Cold, wet conditions have been prevalent across the Southeast. But how much longer will it last and what exactly are neutral conditions that weather experts project El Niño to transition into? Pam Knox, University of Georgia (UGA) Extension agricultural climatologist, provides an answer. “Think of it like a see-saw. It swings back and forth. When it’s flat, then that’s what you call neutral conditions, so it’s not leaning one way or the other,” Knox said. “It’s tied specifically to the ocean temperature in the eas ..read more

Highbush-type blueberries are coming off right now and will be coming off in heavy volumes this week. (Z. Snipes)Weekly Field Update Clemson Extension agents provide updates in South Carolina Grower this week about the status of various crops being produced throughout the state. Statewide Jhessye Moore-Thomas As the end of first year of the Climate-Smart Grown in South Carolina program is approaching, leafy greens growers are preparing for verification visits. Enrollment in the leafy greens program is currently full, but interested growers are encouraged to visit the Climate-Smart website and ..read more

Blueberry import volumes dropped in 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service Situation and Outlook Report. Fresh blueberry import volumes decreased 15%, down to 559 million pounds in 2023 from 657 million pounds in 2022. It marks the first decline in volumes since 2017. Import volumes in the latter half of last year were down 29% compared to the same timeframe in 2022. Approximately 65% of the fresh blueberries available for consumption in the U.S. are imported every year. It is a major increase from 45% in the 2000s and a reason Georgia and Florida prod ..read more

By Clint Thompson Florida’s peach crop was about 80% this year. It was also earlier than normal, explains Jose Chaparro, associate professor in the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). Jose Chaparro “The people that thinned on time are going to do well. I think we’ve had people picking since March. In north-central Florida, there’s been people picking since March, I would say third week of March or so. It’s going to be an early end because everything is moving so quickly,” Chaparro said. “We were approximately two weeks ahead of normal here on (the Gaine ..read more

Photo submitted by Bob Hochmuth/Shows bacterial leaf spot disease of watermelon. Disease detection picked up over the previous week in North Florida watermelons. As observations of bacterial leaf spot and Alternaria leaf spot have been confirmed, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is advising growers to scout fields more closely as a result. “Based on field visits last week, I see the greater concern and recommendation to be on the lookout for bacterial leaf spot,” said Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Regi ..read more