A total of 87 people came out for this year’s Panhandle Row Crop Short Course.
The 2019 Panhandle Row Crop Short Course was Thursday, March 7, 2019. Extension Specialists from Florida and Georgia spoke to attendees providing production recommendations and various management tips for row crops farmers. Continuing education units (CEUs) were offered at the event for those with a restricted use pesticide license (Florida and Georgia), as well as for Certified Crop Advisors. Following Hurricane Michael, overall attendance was down this year, but we still had a successful turnout of 87 people. Attendees represented ten Florida counties, three Georgia counties, and 1 Alabama county. The event featured eight presentations and a trade show of 20 vendors and organizations that provide products and services to the industry.
The focus of the Short Course was peanut and cotton production, but other crops were also addressed during some of the presentations. Speaker topics included an update from the Florida Peanut Producers Association, information regarding peanut and cotton varieties, dicamba updates, pest management (insect, disease, nematode), and the market outlook. The following recap provides a short summary of what was discussed by each speaker, as well as direct links to download PDF (printable) versions of the presentations given at the event.
Industry Update
Ken Barton, Executive Director of the Florida Peanut Producers Association (FPPA) provided an update on the current status of the peanut industry, along with the goals of the FPPA. He also addressed the fact that generic base will no longer exist for the 2018 crop year.
Presentation link: Barton – Florida Peanut Producers Update
Peanut Variety Selection
Dr. Barry Tillman, UF/IFAS Peanut Breeder, provided variety data from trials across several states demonstrating trends in performance. Hypothetical production situations were used to illustrate management decisions based on factors such as planting date, disease pressure, and risk. He also discussed seed availability for different varieties.
Presentation link: Tillman- Peanut Variety Performance
Cotton Variety Performance
On behalf of Dr. David Wright, Ethan Carter, UF/IFAS Regional Crop IPM Extension Agent, presented cotton performance and varieties. Information shared included both data from research stations and on-farm trials across Florida, Georgia and Alabama. Variety performance data from several different trial locations were shown to illustrate consistency of variety performance in low, mid, and high yielding environments. A comparison of early maturing and full season varieties was also discussed.
Presentation link: Wright- Cotton Variety Performance
Dicamba Updates: Cotton and Soybean
Dr. Pratap Devkota, UF/IFAS Weed Specialist, discussed updates to the dicamba products registered for over-the-top use in cotton and soybean (XtendiMax, FeXapan, and Engenia). The 2019 crop season will see new restrictions regarding these products pertaining to application windows, frequency, buffer zones, and more. A mandatory state-wide dicamba training will be broadcast to participating Extension Offices on March 20. All applicators who want the option of applying these new products in cotton or soybean are required to attend. Also, new for the 2019 growing season, all applicators using these new products on dicamba tolerant crops are now required to have their own pesticide license, there will be no supervision of unlicensed applicators, like in 2018.
Presentation link: Devkota – Dicamba Updates: Cotton and Soybean
Crop Disease Management
Dr. Nicholas Dufault, UF/IFAS Crop Pathologist, discussed disease management in several crops, with a focus on peanut. Applications timing, product performance, and modes of action were discussed.
Presentation link: Dufault- Crop Disease Management
Implementing BMPs: Technical and Financial Assistance for Producers
Dr. Andrea Albertin, UF/IFAS Regional Water Agent, provided an update on the three basin Managment Action Plans (BMAPs) in the Panhandle and different financial assistance opportunities available to producers currently implementing best management practices.
Presentation link: Albertin- Implementing BMPs: Technical and Financial Assistance for Producers
Insect Management in Peanut
Dr. Mark Abney, UGA Peanut Entomologist, discussed various soil pests of peanuts. He specifically addressed burrower bugs, lesser cornstalk borers, and wireworms among others.
Presentation Link: Abney – Insect Management in Peanut
Update on the Market
Dr. Adam Rabinowitz, UGA Economist, provided an analysis of the commodity crop markets. He covered several commodities, their utilization within the market and inputs. Understanding what factors drive the market and the projected revenues and costs associated with growing different crops will allow producers to make informed decisions. Based on this year’s cost and revenue projections, it is more important than ever to farm efficiently.
Presentation link: Rabinowitz- Update on the Market
Sponsors and Trade Show Exhibitors
These 20 companies and organizations took part in the Trade Show and made lunch possible for not only this event, but also the upcoming Peanut Field Day scheduled for August 15th.
Upcoming Events
Several upcoming educational events pertaining to production agriculture are taking place across the Florida Panhandle. Watch the newsletter for promotional materials regarding these and other events, or call the UF/IFAS Extension Office in your county for more information.
- Cotton Foliar Diseases Are Here: To Spray or Not To Spray? - August 23, 2024
- 2024 UF/IFAS Peanut Field Day – August 8 - July 16, 2024
- Changes Coming to Florida Pesticide Applicator Exam Format and Testing Sites - June 28, 2024