There is a rich history of tobacco production in Columbia County. In the 1950s, there was over 20,000 acres of tobacco grown in the state of Florida. That is reduced to just a handful of growers on a small number of acres today. However, several local growers are optimistic that organic tobacco production will offer an opportunity …
Tobacco has been transplanted in Columbia County and has started growing in good conditions. Although we are not seeing any issues locally, Dr. J. Michael Moore, UGA Extension Agronomist, wanted to get the word out about possible blue mold moving from greenhouses to fields on transplants. Blue mold was identified in 6 greenhouses in Georgia over …
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 …
I have been working with the Roosevelt & Travis Dicks Farm here in Columbia County to get their tobacco out of the field and they are helping me to collect yield and quality data for a dozen released varieties. Things are going well on the farm and they are harvesting a high quality crop. However, I am hearing and …
Participants from throughout the Southeast were recently welcomed to the Roosevelt and Travis Dicks Farm in Lake City. The tour was led by Dr. Jay Michael Moore, Extension Agronomist from University of Georgia. After stops in Georgia, the group looked at crops and research plots in Hamilton, Suwannee, and Columbia counties. UF/IFAS Columbia County Agronomy …
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We went to look at the tobacco variety trial planted on the R&T Dicks Farm in Lake City. They said the season had a rough start after the transplants were set on March 22. The area had 3-4 inches of rain on March 23 and 24. That was followed by lows of 30 degrees the …