July/August 2024 - 4

EDITOR'S LETTER
Growers benefit from
new apps, spraying tech
N
ew University of Florida research
shows how strawberry growers can
use fewer pesticides to control a
destructive pest.
As they say in real estate, it's location,
location, location. The study discovered chilli
thrips prefer to aggregate in a 330-foot radius
outside the center of strawberry fields. That
field-border area provides the invasive pest a
staging area close to adjacent woods, where
they can easily live during the summer and reinfest during the next
strawberry season.
Growers can save money and time by spraying lower volumes of
insecticides in smaller portions of their fields. The more efficient
spraying can protect beneficial insects in and around their fields, which
in turn will assist with maintaining healthier strawberry plants.
In this issue of Fruit Growers News, we take a look at how
advancements in spraying and other AgTech can reduce grower costs.
Read about how new spraying technology can help control pests and
diseases on page 6.
The fall FIRA-USA is a great opportunity for growers to view the latest
in ag automation and robotic technology. As previous shows were in the
Central and Salinas valleys, this year's will be in northern California and
growers get free admission. See what this year's will offer on page 10.
In a special report conducted by Fruit Growers News and Vegetable
Growers news, we query growers on their experiences in battling labor
shortage. Read the report on page 12.
To see how a Vidalia onion grower incorporates tech into his growing
operation, we profile A&M Farms. Aries Haygood, a former Vidalia Onion
Committee head, has trialed laser weeding automation. Read the profile
on page 16.
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JULY/AUGUST 2024 | VOLUME 58 | ISSUE 6
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4 | JULY/AUGUST 2024
-Doug
July/August 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July/August 2024
