Peanut Acreage Expected to Increase

Clint Thompson Florida, Georgia, Peanuts

USDA’s 2020 Planting Intentions Report indicates more acres will be going to peanuts this year than what we saw in 2019. Tyron Spearman has look at those numbers, along with an update on some other crops. According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), corn planted area for all purposes in 2020 is estimated at 97.0 million acres, up 8% …

Planting Intentions Indicate Slightly Less Cotton in 2020

Clint Thompson Alabama, Cotton, Florida, Georgia

USDA released its 2020 Planting Intentions Report today, and according to the numbers, there will be slightly less acres of cotton this year compared to last year. Chris Singh with USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has the details. Cotton growers intend to plant 13.7 million acres in 2020, down less than 1% from last year. Upland area is expected …

Educating Florida Students About the Beef Industry

Clint Thompson Beef, Florida

The Masters of Beef Advocacy (MBA) program is designed to be a strong advocate for the beef community. And the free, self-guided online course is now helping to provide Florida agricultural educators with material for their students taking classes at home. Florida Beef Council (FBC) Director of Education & Promotion, DeAnne Maples, says this is just a way to help …

Helping Georgia Consumers Prepare Beef at Home

Clint Thompson Beef, Georgia

We’ve all been hearing the stories of how consumers have shown that beef is their comfort food of choice during the Covid 19 crisis, and how various cuts of beef have been flying off of the grocery store shelves. Georgia Beef Board (GCA) Executive Vice President, Dale Sandlin, wants producers to know that the Beef Checkoff program is working to …

ACA Working for Cattle Producers in the State

Clint Thompson Alabama, Cattle

We’ve talked before how, due to Covid-19, many in agriculture are seeing changes to various aspects of daily life and how it is affecting cattle producers, not only here in the southeast, but across the country. Alabama Cattlemen’s Association(ACA) Executive Director, Erin Beasley, says it’s been a tough year all around. For questions or concerns, contact Beasley at the Alabama …

Drought Developing in Parts of the Southeast

Clint Thompson Drought

There is growing concern among many landowners across the Southeast, especially in parts of Florida, with a potential drought expanding. USDA Meteorologist Brad Rippey explains. Rippey shares how increasing drought development is impacting both municipalities and agriculture in Florida. But Rippey says Florida is not the only part of the Deep South experiencing drought development in recent days. Sponsored ContentFlorida …

Planter Adjustment key to Maximizing Plant Stands

Clint Thompson Corn, Cotton, Field Crops, Peanuts, Soybeans

By Clint Thompson As farmers begin planting crops this spring, planter adjustment is a key strategy that they need to utilize to maximize plant stands. Planting errors that are attributed to improper setup and maintenance can lead to costly emergence penalties that will significantly impact yield, according to Simer Virk, University of Georgia research engineer. He said UGA research has …

Coronavirus Pandemic Impacting UGA Ag Research

Clint Thompson Georgia, Research

By Clint Thompson The coronavirus pandemic has cancelled sports, schools and large gatherings for the near future and is impacting agricultural research at the University of Georgia (UGA) College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES). According to UGA CAES Associate Dean for Research Allen Moore, the plan that’s been implemented for researchers within the college is don’t start any new …

Lack of Rainfall Impacting Florida Agriculture

Clint Thompson Drought, Florida, Weather

By Clint Thompson Lack of rainfall in March in Florida could have major implications for Florida agriculture. David Zierden, a state climatologist at Florida State University’s Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies, said most of the state is currently experiencing conditions that are drier than normal. “With these very warm temperatures we’ve seen in the month of March and only fractions …

Cover Crops Helped Alabama Growers During Rainy Winter

Clint Thompson Alabama, Environment, Weather

By Clint Thompson Alabama farmers who utilized cover crops this winter protected their soil during times of excessive rainfall, according to Audrey Gamble, an assistant professor and Extension specialist at Auburn University. “I think it’s very obvious to see that we’ve had record rainfalls across the state, and that in fields where we had cover crops, it helped with preventing …