After a wet September in North Florida, area farmers were treated to a dry October with near perfect harvesting conditions. Many have gone out of their way to remind me I thought we could expect a cooler, wetter fall because of the conditions climatologists have called “Super El Nino.” I’ve heard enough jokes about guys …
In a year dominated by clouds and rainfall, local peanut fields have been inundated with plant diseases. Peanut farmers utilize fungicides to protect the leaves and the pods developing below ground. However, too much rainfall, while improving growing conditions for fungus, can also reduce the effectiveness of agri-chemicals. Researchers from the University of Florida were recently …
Continue reading ‘Researchers Study Genetic Diversity of Peanut Disease’ »
Almost 100 farmers and Agribusiness leaders recently met at the Columbia County Peanut Twilight Tour hosted at I.C. Terry Farms. Tyron Spearman, Executive Director of the Peanut Buying Points Association was on-hand to talk about this peanut crop, and those peanuts already in storage. He told guests that there are several “piles of peanuts” that we must systematically …
I was recently out with a peanut farmer struggling along with others in North Florida to harvest what has the potential to be a very good crop. Somewhat despaired by rainfall 7 of the last 9 days, he commented, “Is this El Niño?” This followed our previous conversations about being prepared for a high likelihood of above average precipitation …
Please join us for a North Florida tradition at the I.C. Terry Farm as we prepare for a safe and bountiful peanut harvest. Dr. Barry Tillman, Peanut Breeder from University of Florida will discuss peanut cultivars, and Tyron Spearman, of the National Peanut Buying Points Association will give a Peanut Market Update. University of Georgia Faculty …
Continue reading ‘Twilight Tour August 27th and FL Peanut Crop’ »
Much like one of my favorite songs, it looks like we “blew the doors off” the peanut market this year. Farm Service Agency has released the planted acres summary, and there aren’t any positive surprises, from a peanut pricing standpoint. I also suspect the old saying “Big Crops Get Bigger” is in order as well. …
Continue reading ‘Blow Their Doors Off, Stroker (Peanut Market)’ »
Inundated=Overwhelmed with things to deal with. We have been hard hit by caterpillars the last 2+ weeks. Starting with Soybean loopers about 14 days ago, and continuing with Velvetbean caterpillar (VBC) the last week. We are well above threshold levels in many peanut and soybean fields locally. Knowing the difference is very important. Control measures required can range from …
Judging by the condition of area peanut fields I’ve seen this week I would wager that everybody has some, either that they know about, or that they don’t know about. Although climatologists were expecting a warmer, drier summer in the Southeast, locally rainfall has been frequent and abundant. Diverse reports have been coming in: one …
One of the most important decisions farmers can make is selecting the appropriate variety for their conditions. “Conditions” is a broad way of saying soil type, fertility, irrigation, cultural practices, and weather. Farmers in Columbia County have long been leaders in sharing their farms with UF/IFAS Extension to install variety trials. In these trials, many …
The USDA National Agriculture Statistics Service released their 2015 Planting Intentions Report this week. There is always room for debate about reliability, and this report certainly has the web buzzing. I don’t have much to add beyond what is in print, but wanted to share the highlights as they might relate to our markets. You …