We hope everyone had a great Christmas! As another year comes to a close, here is a look back at some of the most notable events and articles from 2024. Have a happy New Year! We look forward to seeing you back in 2025.
Weather
The weather in 2024 made for a tough year for South Carolina farmers. Most of the state experienced significant drought conditions throughout the summer and the fall and two tropical weather systems only added insult to injury. Weather related disasters caused an estimated $621 million in losses to South Carolina’s ag industry in 2024.
- Tropical Storm Debby primarily impacted the Coastal and Pee Dee regions, while other parts of the state just received a little rain. There was flooding that damaged some crops, though many farms were largely in between the summer and fall seasons.
- Hurricane Helene was the worst storm to hit inland SC since Hurricane Hugo in 1989. The Midlands (west of Columbia) and the Upstate suffered significant damage, flooding, and prolonged power outages. Parts of Western North Carolina were devastated.
SC Farm Bureau established the Agricultural Aid Foundation in 2018 to provide relief to farmers that experience loss from natural disasters. SCFB is now accepting applications from farmers that experienced such losses in 2024.
Neopestalotiopsis
Neopest was big news for strawberry growers in 2024. In August, growers began recieving letters from nurseries in Canada informing them of massive Neopest infections that may affect the supply of transplants in the fall. A massive scramble for clean plants ensued and West Coast nurseries picked up a lot of southern orders this year. Upon planting this fall, Neopest showed up in some places almost immediately. Catch up on the situation in the articles below and tune in to the Weekly Field Updates in 2025 as agents continue to assess the strawberry crop.
Pesticide News
- Dacthal – On October 22, 2024, the EPA announced the cancellation of all products containing Dacthal (DCPA). Dacthal was first suspended in April of 2022 following the manufacturer’s repeated failure to submit requested data. Once the data was submitted, the suspension was lifted, though the EPA eventually concluded that Dacthal presented too great a risk to the health of unborn babies. Read more about the decision to cancel Dacthal here.
- Chlorpyrifos – On February 5, 2024, the EPA issued a Federal Register notice to reflect the November 2, 2023 Court of Appeals ruling that reinstated all previously revoked food tolerances. In December 2024, the EPA announced a proposed rule that would again revoke tolerances, this time for all but 11 food and feed crops (alfalfa, apple, asparagus, tart cherry, citrus, cotton, peach, soybean, strawberry, sugar beet, and spring and winter wheat). Read more about the on-going chlorpyrifos situation here.
FarmGate
A new Clemson website was constructed to house crop acerage, yield, and value stats. Stats from the 2023 season are available now. 2024 stats have been collected and are being analyzed now, and will be available in 2025. Access FarmGate stats here.
Periodical Cicadas
Parts of South Carolina experienced a periodical cicada emergence. While we have species of cicadas that emerge each year, this species of periodical cicada emerges just once each 13 years. This was a special year, as there was also a brood of 17 year cicadas emerging around the same time (though not in SC). Look back at the article below for more info and photos.
Most Popular QotW
Our most popular Question of the Week in 2024 came from Zack Snipes in Charleston. This article about a possible latrine dating back to the War of 1812 generated a ton of interest, even from other news outlets. In addition to the original article below, here is an article from the Charlotte Observer that provides a little more information on the find.
Most Popular SC Grower Exchange Podcast Episode
Our most popular SC Grower Exchange episode in 2024 was the Deep Dive on Irrigation with Gilbert Miller from the Edisto REC in Blackville, SC. If you missed it, catch up below.
New Agents in 2024
We had two new agents join the Clemson Extension Fruit and Vegetable Team in 2024: Anna Sara Hill in the Coastal Region and Christiana Huss in the Pee Dee. Read about their background and access their contact info here.
The South Carolina Grower 