The Week in Florida Agriculture
November 16-22, 2009
Wet conditions in the Panhandle continue to hinder cotton harvest. The quality and yield of the unharvested crop continues to decline. Peanut harvesting is 96 percent complete, compared to 99 percent at this time last year and a five-year average of 99 percent. Cabbage planting continues. Fields are being prepared for potato planting. Light volumes of strawberries are being picked in the Plant City area. In the southern Peninsula, cucumbers, eggplant, green beans, herbs, oriental vegetables, peppers, tomatoes, sweet corn and watermelons are being harvested. Sugarcane harvest is active in the Everglades region. Weather Summary: Average temperatures statewide. Dry in the south. Forestry: Landowners are preparing for winter tree planting and prescribed burning. Seafood: Red and black grouper, scamp, stone crab, mullet, triggerfish, red snapper, yellowfin tuna and oysters are plentiful. Vegetables: Volumes are light and growers report below-average yields. Livestock and Pastures: Pasture condition has decreased slightly. Cattle condition is poor to excellent with most fair to good. Citrus: Most packinghouses are open and shipping fruit. Shipment of fresh fruit is slow but expected to increase slightly with fundraising programs starting. Varieties being packed include early oranges (Navels and Hamlin), white and colored grapefruit, and early tangerines (mostly Sunburst and a few Fallglo). Six more processing plants are expected to open this season. The majority of fruit being processes is early and midseason oranges and grapefruit. Hazardous Materials Disposal Program: Farmers, businesses and other commercial sites have an opportunity in December to safely and legally dispose of outdated pesticides or pesticides packed in deteriorating containers under a 10-year-old state program called “Operation Cleansweep.” Call 1-877-851-5285 to make an appointment for a state vendor to come to your site to package and haul away the materials. When calling, be prepared to provide information about the amount and types of hazardous material, and whether it is a solid or a liquid. The signup form can be downloaded from www.flaes.org/pdf/Flyer.pdf
