Southern Rust Identified in Corn – Be Vigilant & Scout
Ethan Carter, Regional Crop IPM Agent, Ian Small, UF/IFAS NFREC Plant Pathologist, and Nick Dufault, UF/IFAS Extension Pathologist Many of the Panhandle’s March planted corn fields are now well into tassel stage (VT), while others are rapidly approaching that...
Blackberry Production Potential in North Florida
Looking for a crop with great potential in the Panhandle? The University of Florida has done in-depth research on the best cultivars for our area, weed management, and how many chill hours blackberries require. Blackberry breeders have developed thornless cultivars...
Be Careful of Residual Herbicides When Selling Hay/Straw for Vegetable Mulch or Compost
I recently met with a home gardener who brought in tomato plants showing strange symptoms on the leaves. Together we puzzled over the odd leaf-curling symptoms that were affecting their tomato beds, but not other areas of the garden. Upon further investigation it was...
May 2022 Weather Summary and Summer Outlook
Rainfall May is normally one of the driest months of the year, with an average of 3.5" of rain in Marianna. May 2022 was definitely not normal or uniform across the Florida Panhandle, with much of the rain coming in the final full week. The map above to the left...
2022 Watermelon Update #12 – May 30
Bob Hochmuth with input from Suwannee Valley Extension Agents: Mark Warren (Levy), Tyler Pittman (Gilchrist), Tatiana Sanchez (Alachua), Luke Harlow (Union), Jay Capasso (Columbia), Dan Fenneman (Madison), Keith Wynn (Hamilton), Danielle Sprague (Jefferson), Emily...
Friday Feature: How to Calibrate a Boom Sprayer – 1/128 of an Acre Method
With so much rain recently, farmers and ranchers will be using their sprayers soon for fungicide and herbicide applications. At some point every season, it is recommended to recalibrate your sprayer to ensure that you know how much water per acre the sprayer applies...
Producing or Buying Hay in 2022 – Considerations Going Forward
Just in case you had not noticed, fertilizer prices are ridiculously high. The dramatic year over year increase in the cost of nutrients is impacting all segments of the agricultural industry – hay production is no different. The consensus among the folks I’ve...
What Happened to Asian Citrus Psyllids after a Freezing Event or After a Storm?
Xavier Martini, UF/IFAS Entomologist, NFREC Quincy, Carlos Antolinez, Postdoc, Cornell University Monique Rivera, Assistant Professor at Cornell University Asian citrus syllid has been one of the most devastating pests the citrus industry has faced in the last decade....
May Update on the Cotton Nitrogen Rate Research Project
Libbie Johnson, Santa Rosa County Extension and Ethan Carter, Regional Row Crop IPM Agent Great news for all of our Florida cotton producers: the nitrogen (N) rate project has started! The UF/IFAS cotton recommendation is 60 units of nitrogen, which has been argued by...
2022 Watermelon Update #10 – May 16
Bob Hochmuth with input from Suwannee Valley Extension Agents: Mark Warren (Levy), Tyler Pittman (Gilchrist), Tatiana Sanchez (Alachua), Luke Harlow (Union), Jay Capasso (Columbia), Dan Fenneman (Madison), Keith Wynn (Hamilton), Danielle Sprague (Jefferson), Emily...