by Matthew Orwat | Aug 19, 2013
Florida Pecan Field Day and Florida Pecan Growers’ Association Annual Meeting
Jefferson County Extension Office 2729 West Washington Street
Monticello, Florida 8:30 AM, EDT
Thursday September 5th
Harvest time is coming for Florida pecan growers. Demand is up, irrigation needs are down, and fungus pressure has been a serious problem over the entire Southeast.
Producers will meet in Monticello on Thursday, September 5 for the annual field day and Pecan Growers’ Association meeting. If you’re a pecan grower, or just considering it, the morning’s topics and speakers will be a great opportunity to learn more about the pecan business.
The agenda is below. For more information, contact Jed Dillard at 850-342-0187
or dillardjed@ufl.edu. Please make a lunch reservation by noon Tuesday, September 3.
Agenda-
- 8:30 Registration
- 9:00 Welcome……… Mark Brown, President Florida Pecan Growers Association and Jed Dillard, Jefferson County Extension Agent
- 9:10-9:45 “Florida Water Policy and Its Impending Effects on Pecan Production” ……. Carlos Herd, Director Division of Water Supply, Suwannee River Water Management District
- 9:45-10:15 “Management strategies and tactics for suppression of pecan arthropod pests: chemicals, trap crops and everything in between.”
- Dr. Russ Mizell, University of Florida Entomologist, Quincy
- 10:05-10:35 “Controlling scab and other pecan diseases” Dr. Tim Brenneman University of Georgia Department of Plant Pathology
- 10:35-10:55 Break
- 10:55-11:25 “Tree Spacing, Alternate Tree Pruning and Removal, and Tree Transplanting”. Dr. Lenny Wells, UGA Extension Pecan Specialist, Tifton
- 11:25- Noon “Direct Marketing of Pecans – What do I need to Know?”…………..Elena Toro, Suwannee County Extension Agent
- Noon…………… Sponsored Lunch
- 1PM Annual Meeting Florida Pecan Growers’ Association
- 1:15 Tour (Tentative)
- CEU’s: two half ceu’s for ag row crop, tree nut, private applicator and demonstration categories
by Matthew Orwat | Aug 19, 2013
Cercospora in Pepper
Image Credit Matthew Orwat
This summer’s rainy and humid weather has created a perfect environment for the proliferation of a variety of fungal diseases. In particular, Cercospora is a genus of fungus of which there are over 1,200 different species. Because there are so many species of this fungus, many different plant species are affected including many garden vegetables and ornamentals.
Cercospora leaf spot in Pepper
Image Credit Matthew Orwat
Cercospora causes purple, brown or black spots on a variety of garden vegetables and ornamental shrubs. The spots usually include a grey dead area in the center and a yellow “halo” or “ring” surrounding the entire spot. This disease usually starts at the base and interior of the plant, where there is more moisture and less air circulation, and moves outward.
Severe Cercospora infections have the ability to defoliate entire plants within a season and kill garden annuals, such as pepper, within a season. On shrubs, turf and perennials, Cercospora ranges from minor annoyance to major disease depending on the resistance of the cultivar or species. Serious infections can kill some ornamentals, such as Indian Hawthorn or Rose, in three years.
Several methods exist to limit the spread and severity of Cercospora outbreaks. It is a good practice to remove all dead plants and leaf litter from the garden. If Cercosproa infection occurs, remove and dispose of dead plants and pick up all leaf litter from the garden immediately upon drop. This will limit the fungal spore’s ability to reproduce. Another preventative strategy is to reduce water splash on leaves. Splashing water spreads Cercospora spores and allows them to take hold on a leaf. Irrigate the vegetable garden or landscape with drip irrigation to avoid wet leaves. Additionally, irrigate in the morning, so plants will not remain wet overnight. Cercospora requires 16 hours of moisture to reproduce. Specifically, infection of Indian Hawthorn has proven to be reduced by switching from overhead to drip irrigation.
Cercospora Infection on Rose
Image Credit U-Scout (Mathews Paret)
If fungicides must be used, be sure to follow label directions since some products labeled for the home ornamental garden, such as Chlorothalonil, are not labeled for turf. Be sure to use fungicides with more than one mode of action, since resistance may develop if only one type of fungicide is used.
For more information, please consult the following UF / IFAS publications regarding Cercospora:
Also, contact your County Extension Office for additional assistance.
by Matthew Orwat | Aug 5, 2013
Question of the Week. What are these structures??? They are attached to a Red Bottlebrush Plant Callistemon citrinus. Please post your comments below. The answer will be revealed next week ! Comments will not be made public until the end of the week.
by Matthew Orwat | Jul 29, 2013
Announcing… an exciting local workshop coordinated and hosted by the FAMU State-Wide Small Farm Programs in collaboration with the Ekanlaunee Seed Exchange, Leon County Extension, and local small farmers
The 2013 Seed Workshop: Saving Seed, Saving Farms, Enabling Sustainability
Sunday, August 11, 2013 from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM (EDT)
FAMU VITICULTURE & SMALL FRUIT RESEARCH CENTER
6505 Mahan Drive
Tallahassee, FL 32308
Sponsored by:
The 2013 Seed Workshop: Information Directly from FAMU
After 10 years of trying to work it out, FAMU is thrilled to be bringing the internationally-known US seed saving pioneer Ira Wallace of Southern Exposure Seed Exchange to Tallahassee to facilitate this capacity building workshop.
Image Credit: FAMU
The workshop will cover all kinds of seeds grown in the southeast region including greens, lettuce, eggplant, peppers, okra, peas, corn, cucumbers, melons, squash, herbs, beets, carrots, onions, parsnips, cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, etc.
During FAMU’s hands-on workshop with Ira on “The Seed” you will learn:
What Is Seed?
Why Seed Saving Matters
Getting Started with Seed Saving
Fundamentals of Good Seed Saving (crossers and selfers, how to promote good seed set, how to maintain your crop’s genetics, isolation, population size and roguing, etc.)
Controlling Pests and Diseases
Dry and Wet Fermentation Seed Processing
Simple Seed Cleaning Techniques
Storage Techniques
The Business of Growing Seed for Farm and Sale
If you have seed you are trying to save that’s not listed, let us know and we will try to cover it too.
Register by credit card or check at: http://theseedworkshop2013.eventbrite.com/
Registration includes an organic lunch. To reserve a lunch with your workshop seat, please register by 11:55 PM Wednesday 7 AUG. Late registrations will be accepted as space permits — through Eventbrite until 11:55 Friday 9 AUG, and at the door on Sunday 11 AUG — but lunch cannot be guaranteed.
For questions about the workshop or registration, contact: Dr Jennifer Taylor, FAMU StateWide Small Farm Programs/Cooperative Extension, at FAMU.Register@gmail.com
by Matthew Orwat | Jul 29, 2013
Short Course North 2013 “From Beaches to Woodlands”
- Date: August 8-9, 2013
- Daily Hours: 8 a.m.-4p.m.
- Sponsored by:
Friends of the Gardens of NW FL
Florida Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc.,
- University of Florida, IFAS
- For more info: Ttuttle1954@gmail.com
- Location: Santa Rosa County Extension Office 6263 Dogwood Drive, Milton, FL 32570
Topics of Study and hands-on activities will include:
- Snakes and Reptiles Scrub Habitat
- Gardening in Sandy Soil Coastal Concerns
- Florida’s Endangered Plant Advisory Council Long-leaf Pines
- Wildflower Research Invasive Plants and Exotics
- Using Native Plants in Designs Boondoggling
Come Learn, Come Buy, Come Win: Vendors, Plant/tool Sales, Auctions, Door Prizes, Raffle Baskets, Freebies!
Harvest time is coming for Florida pecan growers. Demand is up, irrigation needs are down, and fungus pressure has been a serious problem over the entire Southeast.
