The Week in Florida Agriculture
August 18-24, 2008
Peanut pegging is 99 percent complete, compared with 91 percent this time last year and a 98 percent five-year average. Peanut condition is rated 20 percent fair, 52 percent good, and 28 percent excellent. Cotton, corn and soybean crops are reported in good condition. Vegetables: Land preparation and plastic laying for vegetables is proceeding on schedule with first transplants of the season in the ground. Okra continues to be marketed. Livestock and Pastures: In the Panhandle and northern areas, pasture and cattle are in fair to excellent condition; most pasture is in good condition. In the central areas, pasture condition ranges from poor to excellent with most in fair condition; a small portion of pasture is in poor condition due to drought. The cattle condition is mostly fair, with the rest good to excellent. In the southwest, pasture condition is very poor to excellent, with most in good condition; pasture is in poor condition due to drought. Cattle condition is poor to excellent with most in good condition. Statewide, the cattle condition is mostly fair to good. Citrus: Several days of short, spotty showers have produced various amounts of rainfall throughout the citrus-producing area. The heaviest rain, just over 2 inches, fell on the eastern coastal city of Fort Pierce, while Balm, on the west coast, received an inch and a half. Daily high temperatures were in the upper 80s to the lower 90s most of the week. A high of 94 degrees was recorded in Immokalee. Growers continue to apply summer oil and copper spray. Much attention is being given to psyllid control in all areas. Other activities include mowing, irrigating and fertilizing. The crop is progressing nicely in well-tended groves. Oranges are as large as baseballs, while grapefruit are typically larger. Some color break is being observed on interior grapefruit in younger groves. Overall, conditions are good in well-managed groves and the outlook is good for the next season.
