Farmers are used to waking up early. So Cranston’s Christmas Tree Farm owners Cynthia and Tom Cranston weren’t too surprised when a friend called them at 6:30 a.m. in September. But they were surprised when the friend informed them they had aced the Triple Crown of Christmas trees at the Eastern Sta...

Pennsylvania state agricultural officials announced on Nov. 5 that a colorful flying insect has prompted quarantine in five of the 44 townships in Berks County. Officials described the discovery of the Spotted Lanternfly during a webinar featuring several Penn State Extension Service experts. At thi...

When it comes to buying plants and produce, Ben Campbell, assistant professor and Extension economist from University of Connecticut, is interested in learning, “How do people think and how do we change it” so they buy more. He discussed this topic during his “Perceptions and Misperceptions of Label...

It’s a common refrain I hear while on the road, interviewing farmer after farmer: young people don’t support my business. Millennials aren’t part of my customer demographic. No one under 40 hires my services. The Millennial demographic, sometimes called Generation Y, refers to people born roughly be...

When Pooh and Anne Sprague purchased a 170-acre farm in Plainfield, NH on the banks of the Connecticut River, they were buying a bit of agricultural history. Edgewater Farm had been owned and operated by one family since 1835, until the Spragues purchased it in 1974. At the suggestion of their count...

Paul Arnold and his wife continuously seek equipment and growing techniques that minimize work and maximize profits. In the past eight years, the Arnolds have built three large high tunnels. Their tunnels are 30 or 34 feet wide and 144 feet long. They recommend a minimum width of 30 feet for winter ...

A customer walks up to a convenience store clerk with two items — a hot pizza and a cold salad. What will the clerk do? Bag them together, or ask the customer if he would prefer two separate bags? Smiling, the clerk recognizes the challenge and suggests two separate bags — one for the hot, one for t...

Less than a mile from the bustling think tank of the University of Massachusetts lies 47 acres of fertile riverbottom land that comprises King Creek/Queen’s Greens, owned by Matthew Biskup and his partner, Danya Teitelbaum. Teitelbaum started her business, Queen’s Greens, as a winter green growing o...

There are many benefits to farming in urban areas. Most urban farmers enjoy being close to their markets and customers. They also spend less time and money transporting goods to customers than rural growers. Urban sites generally offer easy access to potable water. Most urban farmers have fewer wild...

Grower Lawrie Nickerson is fighting a battle — the same as many others who grow soft-skinned fruits. The battle is against the spotted wing drosophila (SWD), an Asian invasive that quickly spread to the East Coast. Although Nickerson is vigilant about watching for signs of the insect, her challenge ...

AFTON, VA — A retail nursery supplying perennial plants, bushes and trees to buyers across the nation, Edible Landscaping has in the past quarter century seen a transformation in how it reaches its customer base. “We built this place on mail-order,” said the nursery’s founder and owner Michael McCon...

In a 1,700-square foot orchard, hidden away in what used to be a junkyard for the sculpture department at Syracuse University, is the remarkable Tree of 40 Fruit. Initially, the Tree of 40 Fruit sounds like something from a fairy tale. But it’s not. It’s real — and it’s important. The Tree of 40 Fru...

Attendees of Cultivate ‘14 saw countless booths displaying a vast array of plants and featuring some of the latest developments in horticulture products and accessories. But upstairs, on the Retail Terrace, one booth stood out from the crowd – one bearing the bold, blue emblem of the Federal Bureau ...

You can grow culinary herbs in your greenhouse for the holidays and beyond, and have your herb crop harvested in time to start growing spring plugs for bedding plants. These herbs may make a good alternative for poinsettia growers. “Poinsettia sales are pretty much flat,” noted Dr. Christopher Curre...

What do consumers want — what will consumers buy? We are all aware that large amounts of dollars go into researching the buying habits of food shoppers. While studies show the local food movement (direct sales) is still trending upward, one consumer watch group identifies a mega-shift toward healthy...