From Start to Finish: Chilli Thrips Remain a Season-Long Concern for Florida Strawberry Growers

Jim Rogers Florida, Pests, Strawberry

By Clint Thompson Strawberry planting season is just around the corner for South Florida producers. One part of production that growers will have to be ready for is managing chilli thrips. Sriyanka Lahiri, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) assistant professor of entomology and nematology at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, discussed chilli thrips …

Florida Strawberry Update: Hillsborough County Land Running Low for Farmers

Jim Rogers Florida, Strawberry

By Clint Thompson Hillsborough County, Florida’s winter strawberry capital of the United States, could soon be in danger. Matt Parke, farm manager of Parkesdale Farms in Plant City, Florida, believes the influx of people moving into the area means there is less and less land to use for agriculture. That will slowly impact the county’s production of strawberries over time. …

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Central Alabama Strawberry Season: Better Than Average

Jim Rogers Alabama, Strawberry

By Clint Thompson Strawberry season was a success for growers in central Alabama. Weather conditions the last few months allowed for producers to maintain their season longer than normal, said David Lawrence, regional Extension agent in central Alabama. “We finished two or three weeks ago, which is, if you can get into June with strawberries, you’ve done good. We had …

Combining UV light, Predatory Mites Could Help Manage Strawberry Pest

Jim Rogers Florida, Research, Strawberry

Strawberry growers can use ultraviolet light and predatory mites to help control a devastating, but new University of Florida research adds a cautionary note. This integrated approach to managing twospotted spider mites comes as helpful information for growers in Florida’s $400 million-a-year strawberry industry. Sriyanka Lahiri, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) entomologist, first found …

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California Floods Impacting Florida’s Strawberry Harvests

Jim Rogers Strawberry

By Clint Thompson The current weather crisis in California is impacting Florida’s strawberry harvests. One producer said he is picking additional fruit this time of year amid the floods out west. “I go until April normally with some of them, but we’re going a little longer than normal because California is in disarray with all the weather they’ve been getting. …

Diversification: Secret to Specialty Crop Success

Jim Rogers Georgia, Peaches, Pumpkins, Strawberry

By Clint Thompson Drew Echols attributes his success to not putting all of his eggs in one basket. The fifth-generation farmer who co-owns production on more than 600 acres in northeast Georgia is not afraid to adjust his farming practices to fit the current needs of specialty crop production. INCREASING ACRES, CROPS AND MARKETS“I looked at a lot of these …