Vegetable and Specialty Crop News

• Georgia Strawberry Diseases Widespread, Devastating
  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, […]
• Vidalia Onion Extension Agent: I’m Optimistic We’re Going to Have a Good Crop
  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, […]
• Alabama Blueberry Farmer Discusses Current Crop, Spring Freeze Events
  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 […]
• Florida Blueberry Producers Enjoying ‘Good Production’
  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 […]