Crops
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While I’ve been on the road quite a bit in the last few weeks, I have seen a few stories you might be interested in. Washington Post: Cherry blossoms have bloomed longer than usual and aren’t done yet National Geographic: Did you enjoy the cherry blossoms’ early peak bloom? It was a warning sign. Indiana…
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Here is an interesting story about planting soybeans from Farm Progress. In the story, it points out that planting soybeans too early does not give an advantage to plants but actually results in shorter plants with less leaf area. That results in lower yields than soybeans that are planted a little later that grow taller.…
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The wet spring in 2023 and the hot, dry conditions in many parts of the peanut-growing region last year caused yield reductions in many fields, even those that were irrigated, according to this story in Delta Farm Progress. The wet spring delayed planting, resulting in younger plants that were less able to withstand the effects…
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One way that farmers in the Southeast are adapting to our changing climate is by planting new crops to replace those that either don’t do so well in the warmer Southeast or are not economically viable anymore. Some of the farmers I work with are planting things like satsuma and other citrus, olives, and pomegranates.…
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Even though the Atlantic basin had an active season this year, we had very little impact in the Southeast other than Hurricanes Idalia and Ophelia. The lack of tropical rain was a benefit to Vidalia onion growers who are growing their seedbeds for next year. Since the seedbeds are under irrigation, they don’t want additional…
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The yield of this year’s cotton has been all over the place depending on the timing and amount of rain that fell on the fields. According to this article in Southeast Farm Press, spring conditions were so wet in some places that the cotton was slow to develop a top crop. Later, dry conditions reduced…
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I don’t think anyone would argue that access to water is one of the most important factors that determine what you can grow and whether you can make a living farming. Here in the Southeast, we get on average 50 inches of precipitation, mostly rain, each year, with moisture streaming in from the Gulf of…