Georgia Citrus Association (GCA) President Lindy Savelle provided information on the association during the recent Georgia Citrus Update webinar, presented by Fort Valley State University.
According to Savelle, the fifth annual GCA Conference is still scheduled for Feb. 22 at the University of Georgia (UGA) Tifton Campus Conference Center. The association’s board of directors will meet later this month to determine whether to move forward with the in-person event.
“We are certainly hopeful that we can have it in-person,” Savelle says. “The UGA Conference Center has assured us that the facility is large enough to support having 300 to 400 attendees, along with 50 vendors, and be in compliance with the CDC social distancing requirements.”
If the board of directors decides to not move forward with the in-person event, a virtual conference is a possibility.
GCA has received funding through the Specialty Crop Block Grant, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Georgia Department of Agriculture. Through this funding, the association is working with UGA Extension to distribute psyllid traps across the state.
These sticky psyllid traps are available to place in groves to monitor for psyllids. Savelle recommends growers reach out to their local Extension agents to get some of the traps for their groves.
Additionally, GCA purchased a sprayer for the Lowndes County Extension office. The sprayer was purchased for Jake Price, UGA Extension agent, who manages many of the test plots and trials for Georgia citrus.
“We felt it was a good thing to make sure Jake had a proper sprayer to adequately take care of his trees,” Savelle says.
Furthermore, GCA is looking for additional board members and committee members to serve the association. If you are interested or know someone who may be interested, email GeorgiaCitrusAssociation@gmail.com.
Ashley Robinson, AgNet Media communications intern, wrote this article.