Good, Bad, and Ugly…..Local Peanut Crop Conditions

We have been struggling with declining crop conditions locally. Here are some pre-harvest pictures I or my colleagues have taken in Columbia, Suwannee, Hamilton, Madison, Gilchrist, Alachua, and Levy Counties over the last few days. These are in no particular order, nor do I know what is wrong/went wrong in most circumstances. However it has been …

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Peanut Harvesting, Falling Behind

Peanut harvest in our part of North Florida started in the second half of August; with the digging of peanuts planted in the first days of April. Rainfall and more recently, Hurricane Irma, have put a dent in our progress. We have had measurable rain in the county 31 of the previous 40 days from this writing. …

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Peanut Maturity, the Three Pile Method

County Agents are known throughout the peanut belt for their willingness to “pod blast” peanuts and assist peanut farmers with digging recommendations. This process involves using a small electric pressure washer with a turbo nozzle. As peanuts mature, the mesocarp color changes from white, to yellow, orange, brown, and finally black. Although the yellow and …

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Upcoming Peanut Twilight Tour

I.C. Terry Farm and UF/IFAS Extension Columbia County are making preparations for the Columbia County Peanut Twilight Tour to be held at the I.C. Terry Farm on August 10th, 2017 at 5:30 PM. The educational event will include Extension specialists from University of Florida/IFAS as well as other speakers from the peanut industry. The field …

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Whitefly Scouting

Whiteflies can cause economic damage to plants in several ways. Heavy infestations of adults and their progeny can cause reduction in vigor and yield of older plants, due to sap removal. When adult and immature whiteflies feed, they also excrete honeydew, a sticky waste that is composed of plant sugars. Sooty mold will grow on honeydew-covered substrates, …

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Whiteflies……What Now?

We knew to be on the lookout for whiteflies in our cotton, soybeans and peanuts based on high populations early in the season. I have had several discussions with Extension Entomologists to learn more about this insect and the implications in our Florida crops. To me, cotton is the simplest; we have scouting thresholds and …

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Precision Agriculture Field Day June 29th

I encourage you to join us at a Precision Agriculture Field Day at 10:30 AM  on June 29th at the Bar D Ranch near Columbia City.  This will be a brief program highlighting many of the technologies used in our local PA project. Technologies displayed include: Veris mapping, grid soil sampling, UAV and satellite imagery, elevation mapping, landscape suitability …

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Should I Replant my Ugly Peanut Fields

  Peanuts were planted into tough conditions this Spring in north Florida. Many fields now have skippy stands, and we have questions about replanting. However, until only recently we were not offered the rainfall and improved planting conditions, and what has become weeks of rainfall has kept us out of the fields. Some farmers have questioned whether seed …

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Small Grains Harvest in Columbia County

Small grains harvest is underway in North Florida. This includes rye, wheat, and oats.  There are not any local milling operations that use wheat for flour, thus the wheat crop is typically delivered to a local elevator and used for a feed ingredient.  Rye and oats are usually saved for bagging and subsequent seed sales in the Fall. …

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