Southeast

Mr. Peach, labor advocate recognized

Lawton Pearson, owner of Pearson Farm in Fort Valley, Georgia, was honored as 2024’s Mr. Peach at a Jan. 6 awards breakfast at the Southeast Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference in Savannah, Georgia. Pearson’s ancestors... more »

U.S. Sen. Ossoff presses USDA for H-2A wage info

U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is launching an inquiry into how the USDA conducts its Farm Labor Survey in Georgia. Ossoff, D-Georgia, launched an inquiry with USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) asking for more transparency... more »

Berry marketer Somerfield Farms adds Brian Deese

Berry marketer Somerfield Farms, Wilmington, North Carolina, has hired Brian Deese as director of procurement and grower relations. Deese has an extensive background in the agricultural industry and brings a wealth of experience to his... more »

UGA Extension agent new Vidalia director

Shane Curry, a University of Georgia Extension county agent, has become executive director of the Vidalia Onion Committee (VOC). Curry was Appling County Extension agriculture agent in Baxley, Georgia,... more »

Venture capital effort to help southwest Florida ag

In a move heralded as a first of its kind, a venture capital initiative launched in southwest Florida plans to focus on agricultural and AgTech investments. “Cap Table Nation” is a group of a dozen... more »

Vive Crop Protection makes appointments

Vive Crop Protection has named a new Eastern U.S. sales manager, director of sustainability and stakeholder relations, and vice president of finance. With more than 25 years of experience in agriculture, Greg Esco brings a... more »

University of Florida names interim IFAS dean

John Davis will take over as interim dean for University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Research and as the director of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station. “John is the person UF/IFAS... more »

Leger & Son avoids ‘unforced errors’ in growing watermelons

Before Leger & Son can harvest a single watermelon, there are many considerations: soil health, pests and disease challenges and water availability. Nearly six decades after the family began farming watermelons, the third-generation company grows... more »