Zack Snipes

Assistant Program Team Leader- Horticulture
Area Horticulture Agent
Horticulture Program Team, Beaufort County Cooperative Extension Office, Charleston County Cooperative Extension Office

Office: Charleston SC
Phone: 843-722-5940

Email: ZBSNIPE@clemson.edu

Educational Background

M.S. Plant & Environmental Sciences
Clemson University 2013

B.S. Biology
Presbyterian College 2010

Profile

Zack is a Horticulture Extension Agent who focuses on commercial vegetable and small fruit production in the Lowcountry. His program involves providing technical assistance to growers with a strong emphasis on integrated pest management (IPM). Zack works closely with researchers at Clemson's Coastal Research and Education Center as well as the United States Department of Agriculture Vegetable Lab to help solve current and emerging issues in the field. Zack loves getting out in the field with growers to help them with their production needs.

Research Interests

I love doing on-farm research with growers. Any ideas or projects that I can bring to a farm that will ultimately benefit the grower with sustainable practice change, really drives me.

Below are a few recent projects:

Broccoli Varieties Suitable for SC
Southern Blight Management on Tomato
Efficacy of Miticides and Resistance Monitoring of Two-Spotted Spider Mites in Tomato
Grafted Tomato Variety Trials
Spotted Wing Drosophila Sampling and Monitoring
Processing Lettuce, Collard, Kale, and Cabbage Variety Trials
Bacterial Spot Management on Tomato
Efficacy Trials for Lepidopteran Pests on Greens

Extension and Outreach

Currently, Zack is working with growers on:

Predictive forecasting models with weather stations for strawberry disease management
Deer management techniques
Deer damage yield loss studies
Field bio-assays for resistance monitoring on Lepidopteran pests
Orchard varieties suitable for Coastal SC production (blueberry, fig, citrus, native, & niche fruit)
Gullah Grower's Cooperative
Small, New, Beginning, Niche, & Specialty Farm Management


Zack hosts annual events such as the Pre-plant Growers Meeting, CREC Field Days, Statewide Strawberry Growers Meetings, and the Strawberry Session at the Southeast Fruit and Vegetable Conference in Savannah. He also has responsibilities pertaining to Private Pesticide Applicator Trainings and pesticide safety in the Lowcountry.

Additional programs that Zack is involved in are the School Gardens for SC Educators Program, Sprayer Calibration and Pesticide Safety Workshop Series, and the Master Gardener Program.

Publications

Snipes, Zachary, "Managing Fusarium Wilt in Watermelon Production" (2013) All Theses. 1809. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2809&context=all_theses

Snipes, Z.S., Keinath, A.P., and DuBose, V.B. 2013. Field Evaluation of Two Rootstocks to Manage Fusarium Wilt in Watermelon, 2013. Plant Dis. Manag. Rep. 8:V237. Online publication. https://www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/pub/trial/pdmr/volume8/abstracts/v237.asp

Snipes, Z.B. , Keinath, A.P. 2020. Evaluation of Three Spray Programs for the Management of Bacterial Spot on Tomato, 2017. Plant Dis. Manag. Rep. 14:V144. Online Publication. https://www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/pub/trial/pdmr/volume14/abstracts/v144.asp

Dabbs, A and Snipes, Z.B. 2016. Seasonal Planting Guide and Calendar for School Gardens-Lowcountry Region.

Dabbs, A and Snipes, Z.B. 2016. Seasonal Planting Guide and Calendar for School Gardens-Upstate Region.

Snipes Z. Managing Deer Damage Using a Two-Tiered Fence System. Clemson (SC): Clemson Cooperative Extension, Land-Grant Press by Clemson Extension; 2019. LGP 1013. http://lgpress.clemson.edu/publication/managing-deer-damage-using-a-two-tiered-fence-system/.

Snipes, Z. (2019). Deer Management for Home Gardeners Using a Two-Tiered Fencing System (HGIC 2902).https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/deer-management-for-home-gardeners-using-a-two-tiered-fence-system/

Smith, J.P; Doubrava, N. and Snipes, Z.B. (2020). Broccoli (HGIC 1301). Fact Sheet Revision. https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/broccoli/

Griffin, R.P.; Williamson, J.; and Snipes, Z.B. (2020). Cabbage, Broccoli, and other Cole Crop Insect Pests (HGIC 2203). Fact Sheet Revision. https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/cabbage-broccoli-other-cole-crop-insect-pests/

Smith, J.P.; Polomski, B.P; Shaughnessy, D. and Snipes, Z.B. (2020). Okra (HGIC 1313). Fact Sheet Revision. https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/okra/

Polomski, B.P; Shaughnessy, D. and Snipes, Z.B. (2020). Starting Seeds Indoors (HGIC 1259) Fact Sheet Revision. https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/starting-seeds-indoors/

HGIC Blogs and Hot Topics:
3 Cool Tools to Add to your Garden Toolbox for Weed Management This Year
A Few More Cool Tools to Add to your Garden Toolbox
Invest in a "Transplant Producing Machine"
Now is the Time to Support your Local Farmers!
Get More Bang for your Buck by Ratooning your Spring Vegetables
Planning For Fall Gardening Success...NOW

Links

Clemson University Extension Service-Charleston and Beaufort Counties
SC Grower
Southern Region Small Fruit Consortium
Southeastern Vegetable Crop Handbook
Clemson Extension Horticulture Facebook Page