It’s very common in family farms with multiple children to have one or more of the children become involved with the operation while other children choose to move away and work off farm. The farming children may jointly own machinery with their parents, have discounted purchase options through the p...

Audry Thompson, staff attorney with the Penn State Center for Agricultural & Shale Law, recently reviewed the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), enacted in 1938, which sets minimum wage, overtime, recordkeeping and child labor standards. Thompson explained that FLSA requires an employment relationship...

The University of Maine had a large presence at the 2024 Maine Ag Trades Show , not only through their exhibiting booths but also through their leadership in the educational sessions. One of their presentations focused on the plant diseases that were discovered at the UMaine Plant Disease Diagnostic...

Rodent control on the farm is an essential aspect of both biosecurity and property damage. Ron Forquer, eastern business manager for Motomco , addressed the topic recently at the Penn State Dairy Nutrition Conference. Rodents carry 45 diseases, 35 of which can be directly or indirectly transmitted t...

Micro Mama’s , located in Weare, NH, is a successful producer of lacto-fermented vegetables. They are passionate about paving the way for the future of agriculture. On Dec. 19, Stephanie Zydenbos, owner of Micro Mama’s, hosted a special event featuring Xochitl Torres Small, the Deputy Secretary of U...

I first got to know broccoli up close and personal in 1981, when I was an Extension Vegetable Specialist working with county agents and growers conducting broccoli variety trials throughout North Carolina. Back then, Takii and Sakata were the primary purveyors of varieties. I remember Green Comet, G...

• Webinar on Organic Management of SWD This webinar will report on national project to develop organic approaches for management of spotted-wing drosophila (SWD). It is scheduled for Feb. 7 from 2 – 3:30 p.m. Register online at oregonstate.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_efBnBYi8QDSzu2NOGopQBg#/registra...

For years, the idea of purchasing a farm has been to many prospective buyers a daunting prospect. It involved hunting for quality land that was for sale, driving there to see it in person, speaking with other farmers in the area and researching USDA records. An interested party then had to scrape to...

Extending your growing season is not only important for the success of your farm, but also for increasing production for your customers. High tunnels are a perfect way to extend your season, and Chris Lent, an agricultural specialist for the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), recentl...

For four years now (2016, 2018, 2020 and 2023), representatives from the universities of Maine (UMaine), New Hampshire (UNH) and Vermont (UVM) have hosted the High Tunnel Production Conference for high tunnel growers in New England and the Northeast at large to attend. The 2023 conference at the beg...

Commercial growers just might want to take a good look at saffron. Kaitlin Aasen, a greenhouse grower for Cornell’s Agricultural Experiment Station, said that the potential for profit makes the spice a spectacular prospect. Saffron is from the plant Crocus sativus , an autumn-blooming crocus. It is ...

REIDSVILLE, NC – Bill Cline is North Carolina’s blueberry Extension horticulturalist as well as an NC Extension plant pathologist who specializes in the diseases of small fruit crops. Recently, Cline discussed blueberry diseases found in North Carolina. Exobasidium – This is a fungus which causes bl...

Most farmers want their land to stay in agriculture, but very few have plans in place that dictate how the land, business and other assets will be divided among their heirs. Over 30% of farmers in New England have reached retirement age. The majority of this population has not named a successor. Wit...

When it comes to growing produce, food safety must be considered when making any decision in the process. At the Northeast Greenhouse Conference in November, Shirley Micallef from the University of Maryland led an educational session titled “Food Safety Issues When Growing Greenhouse/CEA Leafy Green...

How can we preserve biodiversity while meeting consumer demand for natural products? That’s a question many growers ruminate on, including those who raise and sell herbs. Tackling that topic is Susan Leopold, Ph.D., executive director of United Plant Savers . United Plant Savers is a nonprofit that ...