Hurricane Idalia Damage Assesment

Hurricane Idalia struck the Florida panhandle as a Category 3 storm causing severe flooding due to storm surge.  Some crops were also severely damaged due to the high winds and rain.  Speaking with growers in our area of the state, it seems that we got off fairly easily in terms of damage to crops and infrastructure.  

UF/IFAS is working on a damage assessment of the agricultural industry.  Please fill out this form to report any loss or damages sustained from Hurricane Idalia.  Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management Thank you for your input and for helping UF/IFAS gauge this storm's impact.

Hurricane Nursery Preparation and Recovery Guide.

Living and working in Florida can be a beautiful thing, however, it also comes with weather risks like tropical storms and hurricanes.  Dr. Tom Yeager (retired) with the University of Florida developed a guide to assist and remind growers of some things they can do to make sure they are ready and check off the list when big storms approach.  Please take a look at this guide from USDA Forest Service Office of Sustainability and Climate and make sure you have everything covered.

Hurricane Preparation and Recovery in the Southeastern United States—Commercial Nursery Guide (usda.gov)

Freeze Damage to Agriculture?

WAS YOUR AGRICULTURE BUSINESS DAMAGED BY FREEZING TEMPERATURES? 

Damages may include the loss of real property, equipment, inventory, or working capital OR the inability to pay normal expenses, such as rent, utilities, or fixed debt payments. 

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) and State Emergency Response Team (SERT) have activated the Business Damage Assessment Survey in response to the freezing weather that occurred during the weekend of January 28-30, 2022. The survey will gather information from agriculture businesses affected by the freezing weather and share the results with various local, state and federal agencies to implement appropriate disaster relief programs.

TAKE THE SURVEY TODAY AT 

 www.FloridaDisaster.biz/BusinessDamageAssessments

 Contact For additional assistance, contact 850-245-7112 or esf18@em.myflorida.co

When Lightning Strikes--Lightning Fact Sheet for Agriculture Producers

Florida agriculture has many challenges, some of which are managing our particular environmental conditions.  Managing these challenges successfully can advance our family's or business' interests.  One environmental challenge that producers face during the summer rainy season is the workplace danger of lightning.  Protecting employees and yourself from the dangers of lightning is extremely important living in the "Lightning Alley" corridor of Florida.  In fact, Florida leads as the number one state for lightning fatalities.
I have received questions like:  "When do I need to pull workers from the field?" "When can my employees return to work after a storm?" "What do I need to do for OSHA in terms of lightning?" and "Can my workers wait in a greenhouse until the storm passes?" A fact sheet was created for agricultural operations to answer these questions and other information on the dangers of lightning, types of lightning and how injury can occur, how to protect oneself from this danger, how agricultural operations are required to protect employees, and a lightning safety plan.  To read more about lightning related to agriculture here is a link to the fact sheet.   http://hillsborough.ifas.ufl.edu/documents/pdf/ornamental_production/A-Z_pubs/17_Hillsborough_Lightning_Safety_FS_EMAIL.pdf

El Nino Summarized

Here is a great presentation of what a strong El Nino event means for the possible near-term Florida weather.  Click on the link below and then scroll down on the left hand side to see more information.  In summary a cooler and wetter period should be ahead of us.  Another good thing is that generally there is a less active tropical storm season.  However, usually we experience higher than normal severe weather in the winter with events like tornadoes.  Make sure you have a plan for your operation and your family!  https://noaa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/?appid=f57f90ea438b4fb18bb982e568ac9950

Hurricane Season 2012 Predictions

The latest hurricane prediction information is now out from Drs. Klotzbach and Gray from Colorado State University's Department of Atmospheric Science. For Florida, it looks like the team is predicting a relatively mild hurricane season. A few factors such as a cooler Atlantic Ocean temperature and a possible El Niño event occurring this fall seemed to be aligning for minimum hurricane pressure for Florida.  They are predicting 10 named storms and two major hurricanes for the Atlantic basin.  For detailed information regarding this report here is a link for you to check out.  http://tropical.atmos.colostate.edu/forecasts/2012/apr2012/apr2012.pdf

Weather or Not You Sell Your Plants

Weather has a big impact on many item sales in the economy. In fact the US GDP is also impacted by factors such as temperature, precipitation, and sunlight.  But do they impact floriculture sales?   In a study published in HortScience  (Vol 47 (1): 71-73), authors Bridget Behe, Kristin Getter, and Chengyan Yue looked at horticultural sales from 42 retail garden centers in the US Midwest over 3 years and how they are influenced by different factors such as weather, month, and day of the week on spring herbaceous plant sales.  Some of their findings were that precipitation had no effect on sales. Increasing units of sunshine lowered sales by 1%. Lower minimum air temperature reduced sales, and higher maximum air temperature increased sales. The highest amount of sales occurred on Saturday. They also found that day of the week and month had a greater impact on sales than did any weather parameter.  I would speculate that some of these parameters may hold true in the Florida market, but I'm not sure that they all hold true.  I’ll let you read the abstract of the article for yourself and let me know what you think.  http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/47/1/71.abstract

Incredible Texas Tree Deaths

This report from the Nursery Management (12/28/11) just astounds me with the magnitude of the numbers of tree deaths.  I've copied some of the article here.  To read the entire report click here.  http://www.nurserymanagementonline.com/drought-kills-up-to-10-percent-of-texas-trees.aspx?

"As many as 500 million trees scattered across the Lone Star State have died this year as a result of the unrelenting drought, according to preliminary estimates from Texas Forest Service.
The numbers were derived by Texas Forest Service foresters, who canvassed local forestry professionals, gathering information from them on the drought and its effect on trees in their respective communities.
Each forestry expert estimated the percentage of trees in their region that have died as a result of the 2011 drought. That percentage was applied to the estimated number of trees in the region, a figure determined by the agency’s Forest Inventory & Analysis (FIA) program.
Using this approach, an estimated 100 million to 500 million trees with a diameter of 5 inches or larger on forestland were estimated to have succumbed to the drought. That range is equivalent to 2 to 10 percent of the state’s 4.9 billion trees.
“In 2011, Texas experienced an exceptional drought, prolonged high winds and record-setting temperatures. Together, those conditions took a severe toll on trees across the state,” said Burl Carraway, Sustainable Forestry department head. “Large numbers of trees in both urban communities and rural forests have died or are struggling to survive. The impacts are numerous and widespread.”
The preliminary estimates indicate three multi-county areas appear to be the hardest hit. The area including Sutton, Crockett, western Kimble and eastern Pecos counties saw extensive mortality among Ashe junipers.
The area including Harris, Montgomery, Grimes, Madison and Leon counties saw extensive mortality among loblolly pines. Western Bastrop and eastern Caldwell counties, as well as surrounding areas, saw extensive mortality among cedars and post oaks.
Additionally, localized pockets of heavy mortality were reported for many other areas.
Texas Forest Service foresters plan to use aerial imagery to conduct a more in-depth analysis in the spring, which is when trees that may have gone into early dormancy — an act of self-preservation — could begin to make a comeback."

2012 Starts with a Chill

Three days into the new year and we are expecting a hard freeze for our area.  Both Dover and Balm Florida Automated Weather Network sites are forecasting a low of 23 degrees F with temperatures falling below freezing somewhere between 9 -11:00 pm.  Watch the weather and protect the plants!

La Nina at Play this Fall and Winter

The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) climate scientists are predicting that the La Nina that we had last year will continue to be a multi-year phenomena and may increase in strength this fall.  The current La Nina is not as strong as it was last September but one half the models predict it will strengthen this fall and winter.  This will place our overall winter weather as drier and warmer than usual.  This doesn't mean that we might not get a cold freezing blast but it means that for the most part the overall seasonal weather will be averaged to be warmer and dryer.
For detailed information about the La Nina Report click on this link and go the the Climate Prediction Center of NOAA.  http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/

NWS Frost and Freeze Criteria

This in from the National Weather Service in Ruskin...

The National Weather Service in Ruskin, FL will be conducting a conference call on September 22 at 1 PM EDT for customer and partner feedback regarding our current criteria for issuing frost and freeze products across west central and southwest Florida.

Attached is a copy of our current frost/freeze criteria, including the temperatures required as well as the durations required to meet these criteria.
Our question is: What do you think of the current criteria for frost and freeze products issued by the National Weather Service in Ruskin?

You're invited to participate in our conference call, and we'd really appreciate your feedback about our products. Conference Call: 866-231-8384 
Passcode: 8136452323
We look forward to hearing from you and actively incorporating your feedback to improve the quality and relevance of the products we issue.

Logan Johnson and Todd Barron

National Weather Service Ruskin
Frost and Freeze Products Service Improvement Team

Frost and Freeze Products Current Criteria

• Frost: Temperatures expected to fall to between 33-36 degrees with light winds and clear skies with frost expected to form.
• Freeze: Temperatures expected to fall to between 28-32 degrees for at least 3 hours consecutively.
• Hard Freeze: Temperatures expected to fall below 27 degrees for at least 3 hours consecutively.
• These products will be issued any and every time these conditions are expected to occur throughout the entire year.

Stormy Clouds on the Horizon...

If the economic turmoil is not enough for you, here is a report from Colorado State U. about the forecasted hurricane season.  In summary, Dr. Gray and his team are predicting a more active season than usual this year.  Their estimation is for activity to be 175% of  the normal hurricane season.  They also report about a 50-50 chance for a direct hit on the east coast of the US including Florida.  His team is predicting 16 named storms for this season including 9 hurricanes and 5 major storms (category 3-4-5 storms) for this season. A typical or "normal" season averages about 10 named storms, 6 hurricanes, and 2.3 major storms per year going back 50 years.  If you would like to peruse the actual report here is the link.  http://tiny.cc/cys8i

With this in mind make sure that you have a hurricane plan in place.  The season starts June 1, 2011.  Remember that hurricanes don't care when the start date of the season begins.  Check your generators, and your back ups, take inventory of equipment, chemicals, and nursery stock.  Print out your customer, employee, and accounting information prior to a storm and keep it in a safe place. 

La Nina

It looks like we are in the La Nina climate cycle of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) this winter and predictions are that it will extend into the spring. This means that we are generally going to experience a warmer and drier than average winter. What does that mean for my neck of the woods and what does that mean for my production of plants? How will my operation be affected? Well here are some things to think about.

Here are some graphs that will better explain the averages. Remember that these are averages!

This graph shows the La Nina years and how that compares to the normal average.

This graph shows higher than usual temperatures during the winter for the Tampa area when looking at the averages of the La Nina years.

I find that this is an interesting graph as it shows that we might have more freezes than usual depending upon whether or not the La Nina is strong or weak even though overall winter temperatures may be warmer.

How does this affect production? If you are scheduling plants for a particular week remember the growing degree days will be higher and therefore development of plants will be more rapid. It means that you will probably use more water as water loss from the plants is a function of temperature. That might mean that your costs might be slightly higher for production. It means that you will more rapidly use fertilizer if you are using controlled release fertilizers. It means that spring sales will probably start a little earlier and you should have your labor lined up for production, shipping, and delivery. It means pests may stick around longer and start earlier and you will need to be vigilant. It means you shouldn't think that freezes wont be a problem this winter. They might and you will need to keep an ear to the forecast. I'm sure that you can probably think of a few other ways that this climate phenomenon will affect production. If you like please share with the other readers of this blog and post a comment!

For more economic analysis on climate data refer to my previous post about climate by clicking on the label heading called "climate" on the side bar of this blog.

A Bright Idea for Lightning Protection

I came across Dr. Richard Beeson's field research site while taking a class called Plant Water Relations. I spoke with him about lightning protection at his site with all his solenoids and data collection devices going out to his field. He explained he uses a small device that is wired from any wires or controllers coming from the field. The component is called a varistor. It is similar to a fuse and is wired to a grounding strip. If a lightning bolt is nearby and there is a voltage spike traveling back from the field the voltage spike will encounter the varistor. If the voltage spike is higher than the rating on the varistor it will automatically shunt the power to the grounding strip. In a direct lightning strike it probably will not protect you. Lightning is so unpredictable. But from a nearby lightening strike and power surge it would probably do the job of protecting your equipment. For more information than you probably care to know, here is a link about varistors and their use http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varistor they cost about $0.05-$0.10 each and you will need one for each wire coming back from the solenoids in your field. 

In order to show a better picture of what I'm talking about I've included a short video of the setup. Here's the link to click to watch the video: http://hillsborough.extension.ufl.edu/Ag/AgOrnProd/Video/LightningVideo.html

If you happen to watch this video, post a comment on what you think about this new format for learning about new things from Extension.

Lightning

When I got back from the National Association of County Agriculture Agents National Conference, I was greeted at the airport by my wife and bad news. After greeting me she proceeded to tell me that lightning had struck our irrigation clock and our valves. The lightning caused our pipe to burst at the valve. I believe it struck the solenoid at the valve and traveled back to the clock. The charge then proceeded to blow apart the clock and traveled back to the power strip and blow that apart. The charge then tripped the breaker. The charge also fried the brains of another clock nearby and charred the wall where they were mounted. So instead of catching up with my family I spent the evening repairing the damage.

With this event fresh in mind, I figured it would be a good time to do a blog post on lightning and its effects. Florida is the lightning capital of the U.S. and it's probably good to refresh ourselves on the hazards of working outdoors in the rainy season in Florida. Here's a link to an IFAS document on lightning. http://solutionsforyourlife.ufl.edu/hot_topics/families_and_consumers/lightning_safety.html

This page has some basic information on lightning. It also has a section on what to do in emergencies where someone has been struck. This might be a good read considering the amount of time that nursery producers and fieldworkers spend in the outdoors.

I learned one lesson from this event. Make sure not to store any flammable material near a potential route for lightning to travel. I am glad that I did not have anything that could have caught fire next to where the clocks were. I could see from the char marks on the wall that if there was something flammable nearby it definitely would've caught. Below is a picture of the powerstrip that got blown in half. I am still looking for the remaining parts of the irrigation controller.

Hurricane Season Predictions

This year is seemingly being predicted as an "very active" hurricane season. Dr. Gray's team at Colorado State University is predicting 18 named storms, 10 hurricanes and 5 major hurricanes (Category 3-5 intensity). What exactly does that mean? Well, His research is stating that this season is having similar conditions to the 2005 hurricane season which was one of the most active ever, causing the most loss of property and one of the deadliest seasons on record. This is the same year that Dennis, Katrina, Rita and Wilma hit the US. If this is an early indicator of the season coming up I hope that you prepare for it. It is much easier to clean out ditches and pick up possible debris before you have a deadline to get it done in the face of an approaching storm. It would be a good idea to clean out ditches at the beginning of the rainy season anyway. Also check on insurance, generators, equipment, etc. early so there are no surprises. And have a preparedness plan!!!

For more information on Dr. Gray's report here is a link http://tropical.atmos.colostate.edu/forecasts/2010/june2010/jun2010.pdf (it is very technical but has some interesting information).

Also, here is an excellent recap of the 2005 hurricane season from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Atlantic_hurricane_season

FAWN Meeting at Extension Office

This is from Rick Lusher who will be conducting a meeting here at the extension office about using information from the Florida Automated Weather Network (FAWN) for scheduling irrigation.

On May 13, 2010, the University of Florida Florida
Automated Weather Network (FAWN) will host an irrigation school at the Hillsborough
Extension Service from 9 am until 1 pm, with lunch included. This seminar is free and is
being funded by by the Alafia River, Coastal Rivers, Hillsborough River, Manasota,
Northwest Hillsborough, Peace River, Pinellas-Anclote River, and Withlacoochee River
Basin Boards, and the Southwest Florida Water Management District.
Topics covered will include urban water use, estimating evapotranspiration (ET) rates
and how ET affects plant water supply, using ET-based irrigation controllers, using the
FAWN Urban Irrigation Scheduler, agricultural irrigation, and citrus irrigation scheduling.
FAWN is a program of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural
Science (UF/IFAS), and provides weather data and weather-related services to a wide
variety of users in Florida.
The Hillsborough Extension Service is located at 5339 County Road 579 Seffner, FL,
33584.

Check out the FAWN site http://fawn.ifas.ufl.edu/ and look through the various FAWN Tools. These are handy when dealing with freezes and how much irrigation to run.

To register contact Rick Lusher at 352-392-0429, or rlusher@ufl.edu.

Plam Production Classes

For those of you who may have had some damage with the freezes to traditionally cold tolerant palms, you may want to pull the damaged spear leaf from the top of the palm to expose and dry out the apical bud. You should also follow up with a copper fungicide spray to eliminate the possibility of pathogens from infecting the exposed growing point.

Here is an IFAS publication about treating cold damaged palms: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg318

There is also an opportunity to learn more about palm production from the experts at UF/IFAS. There will be a two day course on the production of palms.

Here is the link to Dr. Elliot's class at Leu Gardens.

http://cfextension.ifas.ufl.edu/documents/PalmManagementTraining-March2010_2_.pdf

Some of the topics are:

Topics: (classroom presentations and field trip to palm gardens on site)
􀁹 Diagnosing Palm Problems 􀁹 Palm Insects
􀁹 Palm Anatomy and Growth 􀁹 Palm Diseases
􀁹 Physiological Disorders 􀁹 Normal Abnormalities
􀁹 Nutrient Deficiencies 􀁹 Fertilizer Formulations & Techniques
􀁹 Transplant Issues 􀁹 Pruning Palms

Freeze Protection Refresher

Most of the growers I have surveyed have fared pretty well during these last couple weeks of freezes. I thought that I would put a few links of information related to cold protection from UF/IFAS researchers that growers could brush up on. Most growers are already dong a great job of protecting their crops but I thought that I might add a publication on freeze cloth as an alternative to pumping large quantities of water.

Here are the links:
This one is titled Row Covers for Commercial Vegetable Culture in Florida http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/cv201
The information is fairly applicable for ornamental growers.

This one is about ornamental freeze protecting: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/MG/MG02500.pdf

Remember to make sure the ice that is forming is clear and forms icicles. If the ice is milky water may not be applied in adequate amounts.

Also remember to turn water off after the wet bulb temperature rises above freezing if it is windy or dry to avoid evaporative cooling.

More Freeze Warnings

These last few weeks of pumping water for our freeze protection are taking their toll. Not just with a lack of sleep but with a drawdown of the water table in our area from all the agricultural pumping. There are some wells running dry and sinkholes forming as well as some accidents attributed from icy roads from sprinklers.

It looks like the majority of the growers I have talked with in our area are making it through with minimal damage. We will need to see how the plants look in a few weeks to see if they made it through.

Here is another letter from Hugh Gramling about the issues surrounding the water pumping and what growers of the TBWG should do.

I hope you survived the freeze(s) and are finally planning on a good night’s sleep. You deserve it.

We now are entering the aftermath of the extended cold period. SWFWMD has had over 70 complaints yesterday of dry wells caused by agricultural pumping. Water use permit holders are responsible for any damages which occur to their neighbors and their wells. If you are notified of a neighbor’s complaint, please do the following:

1) Immediately respond to SWFWMD that you will look into the complaint.
2) Within 36 hours contact the person who filed the complaint and let them know you are looking into it. Don’t agree you caused the problem unless you are ready to assume the financial responsibility.
3) To the best of your ability, make sure you were pumping during the periods involved and there is no one closer than you to the neighbor.
4) SWFWMD will help you identify wells in your area.
5) Call me if you need to check any items and don’t get the responses you need.

If you caused the damage (or might have), be a good neighbor and take care of it promptly.

Another issue which came up during the last few nights of the freeze is unintended consequences of pumping. There were at least two accidents caused by ice building up on the road outside an agricultural operation. The farmer will be liable for such actions.

I know you are busy during freezes but please make sure you don’t have irrigation drift onto road, you don’t have sprinklers which hit road surfaces and the runoff of your property is not filling ditches and getting on the roads.

Let's hope that it warms up soon!