Although Frank Vleck studied business, finance and accounting in college, his eventual career as a grower started as a high school hobby. This year, Vleck is celebrating 30 years of growing at his Wakefield Valley Nursery in Carroll County, Maryland. “Everything I learned about landscaping and growi...

“Forks belong on your dinner table, not in your orchard.” Jon Clements, UMass Extension Educator shared his witty rules for pruning fruit trees, especially apples and peaches. Clements led a hands-on pruning demonstration at Sweet Berry Farm in Middletown, RI. Apples For a Central Leader style orcha...

The Rhode Island Nursery & Landscape Association (RINLA) held its two day Annual Winter Meeting at the University of Rhode Island (URI) in January. Experienced landscapers, nursery growers, Extension professionals, University researchers and industry representatives shared their experience. Speakers...

“We’re riding the wave of the local food movement,” said Bevan Linsley, Farmers Market manager and conference organizer. This conference focused on tools market managers could use to improve food safety for a long and prosperous season. Janet Coit, RI DEM director and Ken Ayars, RI Division of Agric...

They’re farmers. They’re growers. They’re businesspeople. They’re entertainers. When your job includes doing everything, often the vocabulary at your disposal is limiting. So now, they’re writers as well, having coined a new term to describe what they do. “We’re trying to train ourselves to say ‘ent...

“The core group of customers who will pay the most for your locally grown produce are those who value local food; want to support the local economy; are looking for the health benefits of buying local; and value their relationship with you, the grower,” according to Dr. Tim Woods, who spoke recently...

Earlier this year, Maine’s governor signed a law making The Pine Tree State the second state in the country (after Connecticut) to require food producers to label foods which contain GMO ingredients. Those laws only take effect, however, when five other surrounding states also pass similar legislati...

CHINA GROVE, NC — “We saw the writing on the wall,” Doug Patterson said. It was 2005, and as growers of 350 acres of tomatoes, Patterson Farm — a partnership between Doug and Randall Patterson and their wives Michelle and Nora — was being buffeted by a changing marketplace. Input costs were increasi...

When most people see a greenhouse or high tunnel, they assume it is there to stay. In the case of Mike Roberts’ greenhouses (high tunnels) at Roots Farm in Tiverton, RI, that is not the case. Nearly 50 workshop volunteers moved two 50 by 30 ft. greenhouses in under 10 minutes during a hands-on NOFA/...

Savvy businesspeople know that happy customers return and spend more money. Smart farmers ask loyal CSA, farmers market and restaurant customers what they liked. Smart businesspeople seek customer suggestions for the future. Engaged customers are loyal customers. Always greet your customers personal...

Visitors to farm-based food stores, cafes or restaurants tend to stay longer and spend more money according to Eric Nusbaum, Ph.D. of Wheelwright Consultants in Greenfield, MA, who led a workshop at the 2013 Harvest New England Ag Marketing Conference & Trade Show. However, growers considering addin...

The bane of phytophthora root rot is familiar to Fraser fir growers. It’s familiar to producers of non-Christmas tree woody ornamental trees and shrubs, as the soil-borne water mold can affect a variety plants including azalea, dogwood, rhododendron, and boxwood. In fact, the phytophthora genus is h...

LOVINGSTON, VA — Everyone in the commercial apple market has had to contend with the rise of China. Drumheller’s Orchard has responded the way many other small growers have — by retrenching and repositioning. For decades, Drumheller’s was one of many small Virginia producers that grew and packed app...

The long driveway leading up to Bug Hill Farm’s Farm Store, attached to the edge of the main farmhouse in Ashfield, MA is lined with huge black-eyed Susans, delphiniums, echinacea, indigenous flowers and greenhouses. At the end of the driveway is a row of cars owned by people who have come to pick r...

With winter upon us, it’s time to plan for the upcoming year. If you’re so inclined (and aren’t already doing so already) consider using the colder months to extend your growing and harvesting season — even aim for year-round production. Consumer hunger for locally grown produce doesn’t go away duri...