Author: Justin Ballew
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USDA to Provide Additional Direct Assistance to Farmers and Ranchers Impacted by the Coronavirus
The following statement is a press release from the USDA. Questions regarding the USDA’s coronavirus assistance can be directed to FPAC.BC.Press@usda.gov or see the links in the release below. Expansion of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program Begins Sept. 21 WASHINGTON, Sept. 18, 2020 – President Donald J. Trump and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue…
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Weekly Field Update – 9/8/20
Statewide Dr. Matt Cutulle reports, “With all the rain we had in August the weed seed bank is starting to pop. Nutsedge pressure can be really tough in September. For fall cole crop plantings, it is important to initiate the stale seed bed technique (allow weeds to come up and burn them down multiple times…
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Weekly Field Update – 8/31/20
Coastal Zack Snipes reports, “We had between 4-6 inches of rain last week with daily thunderstorms. Growers are working the fields getting ready for the fall crops to go in. If it happens to rain on Wednesday night, then you should tune in to our Strawberry 101 class from 6-8PM. We will be discussing economics,…
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COVID Ag Impact Survey
Clemson Cooperative Extension is inviting you to participate in a research study. The purpose of this research is to collect information on the impacts of COVID-19 on the agricultural industry and understand the effects (positive and negative) on specialty crop and direct marketing farms in South Carolina. The South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA) is a…
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Weekly Field Update 8/24/20
Statewide Dr. Tony Keinath reports, “For the past few years, Orondis Opti on cucumber and cantaloupe and Orondis Ultra on pumpkin and watermelon have been the best fungicides to manage downy mildew. Based on results from a spring 2020 cucumber experiment at Coastal REC, Orondis is no longer the “silver bullet” it was 2 years…
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Weekly Field Update – 8/17/20
Statewide Dr. Tony Keinath with a word on crop rotation. “To keep the soil on your farm productive over the long term, do not replant the same vegetable, or a related crop, in the same field “too often.” How often is “too” often depends on the crop and the pathogens present in the soil. Almost…
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Weekly Field Update – 8/10/20
Coastal Rob Last reports, “Across the area fall plantings are growing on and developing well. Scouting for pests and diseases will remain critical to ensure timely applications are made where necessary. For those with out fall planted crops thoughts are turning to next year with soil sampling. One key thing to consider at this point…
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Weekly Field Update – 8/3/20
Statewide Dr. Matt Cutulle reports, “Hurricanes or tropical storms can lead to increased seed dispersal from seeds that can be transported by wind and water. Two notorious weeds that come to mind when planning for hurricanes are Horseweed (Conyza canadenis), which due to lightweight seeds and plant architecture can be dispersed for miles during wind…
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If You Receive Seeds in the Mail that You Didn’t Order, Don’t Open Them!
Small packages of seeds have started showing up in the mail around the country, including in SC, and no one is sure why. The packages appear to be from China and that’s about all we know at this time. The SCDA and Clemson’s Department of Plant Industry are investigating, as is the USDA. Since we…
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Field Update – 7/27/20
Coastal Zack Snipes reports, “It has been a hot week in the Lowcountry. Most spring and summer crops have finished up. Ground is being prepared and planted for fall crops. I have received a few texts from growers that have yellow dots on their zucchini plants, which is downy mildew. Even in this heat downy…
The South Carolina Grower 