How to tell if a watermelon is ripe. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. When picking a watermelon at the market the first way to tell if it’s ripe is by looking at its belly. This spot on a ripe watermelon will be yellowish and not white, which indicates an unripe melon. Using your knuckles, rap on the …
First Virtual Georgia Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training
The Georgia Department of Agriculture Produce Safety Team is offering a virtual two-day Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training via Zoom on Oct. 21 and Oct. 22 from 8 a.m.-noon. Any produce grower who grows, packs, harvests and/or holds covered produce, makes more than $25,000 in annual produce sales (on average, based on the past three years of sales), and does …
Ways to Tell if You’re Tomatoes are Ripe if You’re Color Blind
The ways to tell if you’re tomatoes are ripe if you’re red-green color blind. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. When it comes to fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, color is one of the key visual hints when determining ripeness. If harvested too early, the fruits may not ripen properly. In contrast, if left on the stem for …
Time to Start Growing Beets for Your Fall Garden
It’s time to start growing beets for your Fall garden. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Beets are easy to grow and help to feed the soil. If you have animals, you can grow beets to feed your animals, as well. As part of the spinach family, you can put beets anywhere you might place similar leafy greens. …
Preventing Rabbits from Making a Meal of Your Garden
How to catch rabbits in the act before they can make a meal for themselves in your garden. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Even though you may have planted things in your garden that you know rabbits won’t touch, they may still be getting around those flowers, plants, and herbs to still help themselves to the other …
Best Late Season Tomato Varieties to Grow
The best late season tomato varieties to grow in your garden. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Growing tomatoes later in the season ensures you still have something to look forward to at the end of the summer. Late season varieties are those that produce a harvest 80 to 100 days after planting. They provide a nice bit …
Georgia Produce Safety Program Still Helping Growers
Due to travel restrictions from COVID-19, the Georgia Department of Agriculture Produce Safety Program suspended its Grower Training Classes for now. But it is still available to help growers with a variety of information. Produce Safety Education and Outreach Coordinator, Maggie Brown, told Southeast AgNet’s Randall Weiseman they are doing inspections and have started offering their On Farm Readiness Reviews …
Georgia Produce Safety Program Inspections Underway Again
During COVID-19, the Georgia Produce Safety Program, through the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA), suspended many of its normal activities. But according to Education and Outreach Associate, Elizabeth Danforth, some of those have started back up again. In following Governor Kemp’s guidelines, Danforth said that as of last week they started doing inspections again. And Elizabeth notes they’ve also started …
USDA to Host Webinar for Producers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and Farm Service Agency (FSA) will host a webinar on Thursday, May 14, 2020, at 1 p.m. ET, for farmers, ranchers and other producers interested in applying for direct payments through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). This webinar is an opportunity for producers to learn about the general application …
Georgia Produce Safety Questions Still Being Answered
During this time of COVID-19, the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) wants growers to know while they are not providing On Farm Readiness Reviews (OFRR) right now, they can still help. Produce Safety Education and Outreach Coordinator Maggie Brown told Southeast AgNet’s Randall Weiseman they are available to answer any questions. Maggie noted that while we are all still at …