Author: Justin Ballew
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Weekly Field Update – 11/21/22
We hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving this week! Pick up some local collard greens and sweet potatoes to celebrate the holiday! Please take a minute to help us evaluate the SC Grower. We would love to hear your likes, dislikes, and suggestions on how to make the site better. The survey linked below should…
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Question of the Week – Predatory Stink Bug
This week, the question was: What is going on here? This is a Florida predatory stink bug (Euthyrhynchus floridanus) feeding on a species of plant-feeding stink bug. The photo shows the predator’s piercing/sucking mouthparts inserted into its prey. Predatory stink bugs have much more robust mouthparts than their plant-feeding counterparts because they must be strong…
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Weekly Field Update – 11/14/22
Over the next few weeks, we will be evaluating the SC Grower site to determine any updates or upgrades that are necessary to better serve our viewers. To help with this, we would love to have your feedback. This quick survey should take about 5 to 10 minutes to complete and is completely anonymous. Please…
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Question of the Week – Glyphosate Injury
This week, the question was: What happened to these beets? Only the last 6′ of 6 beds are affected. These beets were injured by glyphosate overspray. The applicator was spraying the row middles and forgot to turn off the sprayer while turning around at the end of the row. The most heavily sprayed plants have…
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Weekly Field Update – 11/7/22
Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom to see this week’s Question of the Week, and check back on Thursday for the answer! Coastal Region Rob Last reports, “Strawberry plants have arrived in the last two weeks and are in the ground. Overall, plantings look good. One thing to consider is using…
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Question of the Week – Imperial Moth
This week, the question was: What will this giant caterpillar become when it grows up? This is the caterpillar of the imperial moth (Eacles imperialis). This is one of our largest moths in the Southeast. The caterpillars feed on the foliage of pines, oaks, maples, sweetgum, and sassafras as they develop. When they are ready…
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Weekly Field Update – 10/31/22
Happy Halloween! Don’t forget to check out the Women in Ag Conference coming up this weekend (11/4-11/5) in Clemson. It will start Friday with tours of Clemson’s research farms and continue Saturday with a variety of educational sessions. Register here. Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom to see this week’s Question…
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Question of the Week – Autonomous Laser Weeder
This week, the question was: What is this contraption? This is a fully autonomous robotic laser weeder. The weeder creeps through the field without a human driver, using GPS, Lidar, and multiple sensors. The machine detects weeds in the planted crop. When a weed is detected, a laser zaps the weed, leaving the crop safely behind.…
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Weekly Field Update – 10/24/22
Check out the new rainfall calculator on the Clemson Weather website. This feature calculates the amount of rainfall received in a particular location over a specified time. Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom to see this week’s Question of the Week, and check back on Thursday for the answer! Midlands Justin…
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Question of the Week – Cutleaf Evening-primrose
This week, the question was: What is this cool-season weed coming up in the row middles of a fall kale field? This is cutleaf evening-primrose. This weed germinates and starts appearing in the fall and grows through the winter and spring until the weather gets hot. It starts out in a rosette with smooth leaf…
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