The official start of spring isn’t until March 20, but USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says you may already be hearing the term meteorological spring.
The forecast making the rounds among south Florida growers this morning from the Natoinal Weather Service: URGENT – WEATHER MESSAGE…CORRECTED FOR HEADLINES NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL – 415 AM EST THU MAR 4 2010 – …FREEZING TEMPERATURES POSSIBLE TOWARDS DAWN FRIDAY… Read the rest of this entry »
USDA Meteorologist Brad Rippey predicts cooler than normal weather for much of the country, and wet conditions in the South during the period from March 9 to 15.
Producers are all to well aware of the effects of the early January freeze, but economist Gary Lucier, says USDA has now put some number estimates to the cuts in vegetable production.
Producer Losses
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Consumer Prices
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Even though Florida’s vegetable farmers have begun rebounding from the prolonged cold snap back in early January, buyers should still expect significant supply gaps.
A 52-billion dollar bipartisan jobs bill has been introduced in the Senate, and includes disaster assistance to farmers as well as funds to assist specialty crop producers.
Overview
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Specialty Crops
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The proposed National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration Climate Service could help producers with irrigation issues.
A reorganization of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has been proposed in order to feature a new climate service that would provide information on how global warming will affect everything from drought to sea levels.
From THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA – By MICHAEL PELTIER
THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, Feb. 4, 2009…Florida growers may soon see federal assistance for the freeze that devastated winter crops as far south as Homestead. Farmworkers, however, are waiting for similar relief.
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Tom Rooney (R-Fla.) released the following statement regarding the federal disaster declaration announced last week by Agriculture Secretary Vilsack:
“Florida growers were hit extremely hard by the freeze last month and I am glad to see to see Secretary Vilsack declare a federal disaster so growers can receive much needed assistance. All eight counties in the 16th Congressional district were included in this declaration. I have seen the damage caused by the freeze first hand and spoken with several growers who need help and I can tell you this is welcome relief for Florida’s farmers. Read the rest of this entry »
Experts say that those fighting off the chill with energy-efficient home heating fires should be using the right kind of firewood.
Alabama Farmers Federation’s new executive director, Paul Pinyan is now officially on the job and says he is looking forward to continuing the tradition of being the voice of agriculture in Alabama.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 29, 2010 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated 60 counties in Florida as primary natural disaster areas caused by cold weather and freezing conditions that occurred in January 2010.
The 60 counties are:
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Set to expire Monday January 25, 2010 at midnight, Florida Governor Charlie Crist has again extended his order easing trucking restrictions,this time until February 1, 2010. CLICK HERE to find a printable pdf copy of the order, and remember, all haulers should keep a copy of the executive order in the truck when transporting fruit and produce.
Commissioner of Agriculture Charles Bronson took a tour of crops damaged by this month’s freeze and says that some growers may have a tough time recouping their investment.
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles H. Bronson has requested and received from the Governor an Executive Order extending for an additional seven days a state of emergency to assist farmers dealing with crop damage from the freeze. The order directs the state Department of Transportation to extend the lifting of weight, height, length and width restrictions for commercial vehicles transporting vulnerable crops to processing sites.
CLICK HERE for a printable copy of the order
One of the commodities hard-hit by our cold weather streak was the tropical fish industry and Dr. Craig Watson with the University of Florida’s Aquaculture Lab says unfortunately some growers may not be able to recoup their losses.
Congressman Adam Putnam has toured Florida’s freeze damaged crops and says the work now is to be focused on ensuring that farmers receive compensation.
In order to get a better picture of the overall impact of the freeze, Hendry County Extension Director Gene McAvoy, is asking specialty crop growers for details of their losses.
This year’s cotton harvest was a struggle for many and Cotton Board chairwoman and Cortland, Alabama producer Larkin Martin says she saw first hand the challenges the wet weather created.
A word of caution for growers who have recently fumigated but not yet planted. Hendry County Extension director, Gene McAvoy, says the recent cold weather could increase the time needed to prepare the soil.
CLICK HERE to see the letter from Florida Governor Charlie Crist to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, requesting a disaster declaration for the entire State of Florida due to extreme cold weather conditions. Included with the letter was the initial request from Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson.
This just in from Congressman Adam Putnam as he tours freeze damaged areas of Florida agriculture late this week and early next…
South Bay, Fla. — Congressman Adam Putnam, in the midst of an inspection tour of freeze damage in the Glades agricultural area, today thanked Gov. Charlie Crist for requesting federal disaster assistance.
“The extent of damage is worse than many people appreciate. This truly was an historic weather event for Florida with a tremendous impact on jobs and our economy. . I know all of the farmers I have met appreciate the Governor’s prompt action. It’s important to note that this is only a first step and we will need to work together to help all of Florida’s agriculture — which is a nearly $100 billion component of Florida’s economy — to recover.”
Southeast AgNet joined Central Florida Congressman Adam Putnam at the start of a multi-day tour of Florida agriculture’s freeze damage statewide, visiting citrus groves in Lake County Thursday. At the same time in Tallahassee, disaster declarations were being drafted by the Florida Dept of Agriculture, and forwarded to the governor that will include every county in Florida. The Governor is expected to sign the declaration this Friday in Haines City. In this first audio cut, Putnam (left in photo) offers initial reactions to what he is witnessing in the field.
In this next cut, citrus grower Rick Freeman (right in photo) discusses what growers can expect in the coming couple of weeks if the weather stays warm.
and in this next cut, Freeman describes the process many growers will be undertaking in the coming weeks based on past experience.
Stay tuned to this website for further coverage as more impacts from the early January freeze become apparent.
The big news now is the cold weather the southeast has been experiencing recently, but December’s wet weather also wreaked havoc for many farmers. And state conservation engineer with AL NRCS, Perry Oaks, says they were pleased that a recently updated channel excavation project withstood the pressure of the heavy rainfall.
As we continue our coverage on the effects of the freeze, Florida Farm Bureau’s assistant director of Ag Policy, Scot Eubanks, says the tropical fish industry has been devastated by the record low temperatures.
As the Southeast continues to thaw out, many growers are starting to fully access the damages to their crops and Mike Moore of USDA’s Risk Management Agency gives us some details about USDA backed federal crop insurance and disaster assistance.
The affect of the freeze in Florida on specialty crops has been garnering a lot of attention, but vegetable grower Bill Brim of Tifton, Georgia says they are suffering as well.
This week’s cotton report showed that our adverse weather conditions has taken their toll on cotton yields and World Outlook Board Chair, Gerry Bange, says that the decrease will have an effect on prices as well.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Adam Putnam will inspect damage to crops, foliage and aquaculture in Central and South Florida that have been hit hard by record cold temperatures this month.
Earlier this week, Putnam led a bipartisan appeal from the Florida Congressional delegation to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to be prepared to respond quickly to an anticipated request from the Governor for disaster relief.
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