The Week in Florida Agriculture
January 28 - February 3, 2008
Panhandle and northern areas, pasture condition is very poor to good with most in poor condition. Hay supply very low in parts Soil moisture is adequate Condition of cattle is very poor to good with most in fair condition. Supply of hay is very low Cabbage, broccoli, collard, and kale harvested in the tri-county area. Pasture condition improved following recent rain. Many locations are still very dry. The condition of cattle is very poor to good with most in fair condition. Potato planting steady in central Florida Demand for strawberries continued to be good in Plant City. Harvesting continued in Fort Myers of collards, peppers, cabbage, kale, and Swiss chard. Central and S. Florida topsoil moisture is very short to short; subsoil is adequate. Fishery of 520-312 lbs commercial run-around gillnet Gulf group king mackerel is closed in the Southern FL west coast subzone, effective Feb.5/08 thru Jan.19/09 quota has been met. The king mackerel commercial gillnet fishery in the Gulf of Mexico is closed from 26o19.8’ N. latitude (a line directly west from the Lee/Collier, Florida, county line) to 25o20.4’ N. latitude (a line directly east of the Monroe/Miami-Dade, Florida, county line). FREEZE UPDATE: Freeze damage caused a decline in the volume and quality of the remaining winter crop in southern Florida. Strawberry production down more than 30% compared to last yr, costing growers more than $15 million. Freeze didn’t destroy any plants, thus growers are expecting a big strawberry crop after Valentine’s Day. VEGETABLES: Vegetables that moved through the market: beans, cucumbers, cabbage, celery, endive, escarole, eggplant, squash, sweet corn, tomatoes, and radishes. DROUGHT UPDATE: A few inches of rain were spotted in the Panhandle. Jackson and Santa Rosa counties received between one and three inches last, respectively. Other areas of the Panhandle received less than half and inch. CITRUS: Overall, trees and fruit are in good condition with good fruit sets. Reports show fresh grapefruit sizes relatively small compared to past seasons. Across the citrus industry, growers and researchers are looking for the best way to address the greening situation. Aggressive production practices, scouting techniques, and removal of abandoned groves is being used to control greening. Navel orange, Sunburst tangerine, and Orlando tangelo harvest is almost over for the season. Early and midseason orange harvest reached its peak level at over six million boxes a week. Varieties being harvested included early, midseason, Navel, and Temple oranges; grapefruit; Sunburst and Honey tangerines; and tangelos.
