Hipcamp is a popular app for discovering and booking unique outdoor stays including tent camping, RV parks, cabins, treehouses and glamping. They partner with landowners in all 50 states, Canada, Australia and the UK. Hipcamp likes to call their service camping-based tourism. According to Cassandra ...

The debate of artificial vs. real Christmas tree is still going strong, but two business professors are getting to the bottom of it. Dr. Lauren Hearit and Dr. Kevin Chastagner, associate professors of management at Hope College in Holland, MI, recently discussed the results of a two-year grant funde...

Tradition, tradition, tradition. Mt. Anthony Tree Farm spans two towns in Vermont. The farm was started in Bennington by Fritz and Bena Horst in 1897. The Horsts arrived in Vermont from Germany in 1891, worked hard and saved up to buy the farm. “It was a mixed-use farm,” said Fritz’s namesake, Fritz...

At a presentation sponsored by the National Agricultural Law Center , lawyer Audry Thompson from the Penn State Center for Agricultural & Shale Law discussed the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) regulations for minors employed on farms. Passed in 1938, the FLSA established federal minimum standards f...

Strong teams grow from strong communication, but communication is about far more than simply speaking the same language. Claudio Pasián, associate professor emeritus at Ohio State University, challenges growers and greenhouse managers to think beyond vocabulary lists and translation apps. His messag...

Trivia nights, wine and flower arranging, “Sunset Sips & Sounds,” a Winery Weekend Music Series and Sangria Weekends are just part of the lineup at Terhune Orchards Vineyard & Winery. “There are events all year long inside and outside. Enjoy seasonal specials – in the summer, wine slush and sangria,...

“One thing I’m not going to tell you today is that as a founder or as a producer that you need to start recording more videos and being on social media more. I recognize that everyone’s busy," said Mallory Seargeant, a marketing strategist and founder of Ramper Creative . Rather, Seargeant emphasize...

Dr. Kelly Hamby, associate professor and Extension specialist, University of Maryland, is determined to help growers of brambles and other soft fruits understand and manage spotted wing drosophila (SWD). Measures such as cooling fruit as soon as possible after harvest to prevent SWD larvae from deve...

On a hot mid-July afternoon, the crowd was hopping at Running Brook Vineyards in North Dartmouth, MA. It’s market day. Food trucks, music and wine tastings invigorated the crowd. The grapevines growing across the winery’s 16 acres benefit from the hot weather, according to Justin Seney, who became m...

Keeping post-harvest water clean is one of the quiet challenges of commercial apple packing. Flumes and dump tanks help move fruit quickly and efficiently but they can also become highways for harmful microbes if water quality slips. That balancing act was the focus of a presentation from Laura K. S...

Most who own forested land have never dealt with trespassers who willingly go onto private property and cut trees, but it happens often enough that states have strict laws to handle the problem. Ross Pifer, professor of law and director of Penn State’s Center for Ag & Shale Law, recently presented i...

Hiring seasonal employees challenges many farm operators as many aspects of the hiring process and other human resources matters differ from that of non-seasonal employees. Farm consultant Erica Leubner recently presented a “Seasonal Employees” webinar, hosted by Cornell as part of New York’s Annie’...

Employees gather for yet another safety talk, anticipating boredom. Safety talks can be sleeper events, but when there’s injury or death on the farm, safety suddenly becomes the main conversation – for a short time. Incidents can be prevented by familiarizing employees and family members with farm s...

Growscape’s “From Concept to Compost” presentation at Cultivate revealed a promising pathway for horticulture as innovation and sustainability converged in a compelling conversation about the future of growing. Tom Marting, director of sustainable solutions at Growscape, joined Bates Marshall, CEO a...

More farmers than ever are interested in and practicing regenerative agriculture these days. They are focused on putting more back into their land and their animals so that more (and better) may be produced. But what about the concept of regenerative agritourism? On the surface, tourism seems like a...