Georgia’s pecan season has closed, and numbers are not looking good for growers. Whether it was market prices or hurricane damage, this is looking to be the “worst year we’ve had, by far…” according to Lenny Wells, University of Georgia Extension pecan specialist. Wells said, “I know a lot of growers out there that are
Florida Farm Bureau Federation (FFBF), Agriculture Education Services & Technology, Inc. (AEST), and Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association (FNGLA) put on LINC Conference for the third year in Daytona Beach Shores, FL. LINC stands for “Linking the Industry Network through Certifications”. The conference had over 100 attendees and held workshops with topics ranging from
Living in Florida, we are no strangers to a hurricane. We are used to see impacts from these storms such as closed schools, empty gas stations, and empty grocery stores, but what most of us don’t see are the impacts that these storms have on farmers and ranchers. Wind damage, flooding, infrastructure damage, long-term impacts
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) has discovered that muscadine grapes can detach from the vine more easily, leading to the possibility of mechanical harvesting instead of paying for manual labor to harvest the grapes by hand. The grapes detach at the pedicel, the stalk holding the fruit to the
A webinar titled “Communicating With Farmers Under Stress” is going to be held on August 6, 2024 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET and is lead by Penn State University Extension Service. As mental health concerns are on the rise for farmers and ranchers, it is more important than ever to start having conversations
With peaches coming into season, let’s explore how to pick the perfect peach! Firstly, there are over 300 different varieties of peaches grown in the US including clingstone and freestone. Clingstone peaches are difficult to remove from the pit, but they are juicier and sweeter than freestone which easily come apart from the pit, but
The three types of flies that plague cattle daily are horn, face, and stable flies. Some of these types can impact the cattle’s health and even cause weight loss. “Extension livestock specialist Karl Hoppe advises ranchers to offer feed additives at least 30 days before fly emergence in late June or early July. Continuous use of
In early spring to summer, a white to grayish-white powder may start to appear on your azalea, blueberry, and squash plants. This could be powdery mildew and it is fairly harmless to your plants unless severe. It thrives in warm, humid conditions, and there are some non-chemical practices to avoid this pesky powder such as spacing your plants appropriately, regularly pruning branches, and making sure your plants
The Florida Teacher Institute (FTI) is a week-long program geared towards non-agricultural elementary, middle and high school teachers in Florida. This program is $450 and participants will visit UF/IFAS CALS locations, and find one standard/benchmark that they wish to teach. Applications are now open and can be found here: https://cpet.ufl.edu/teachers/summer-programs/florida-teacher-institute/
As citrus greening has moved into our state and made some drastic impacts on our citrus industry, some farmers are looking to planting peaches, like our northern neighbor, Georgia. Peaches are a difficult crop to grow here in Florida as these trees require periods of time where the temperature stays at 45 degrees or below.