Per a very educational poster presentation at the last Great Lakes Expo , grape berry moth (GBM) remains a major pest management challenge for grape growers across eastern North America, causing economic losses and driving many of the insecticide applications in the region’s vineyards. There is an u...

I believe that the early researchers, Extension and industry personnel and growers involved with plastics were visionaries, though they didn’t really comprehend at that time that they created “The Agricultural Plastic Revolution” or the tremendous impact that plastics would have on agriculture – par...

Perhaps you have been invited to market your product through a specifically orientated program or a socially responsible product aggregator. Now you must decide if this marketing opportunity will align with your mission and vision statements and the goals you have set for the future of your business...

In a decade-long look, from 2007 to 2017, researchers at Penn State found more and more farmers are participating in agritourism – but overall, fewer than 1.5% of farmers are involvedin the enterprise today. Claudia Schmidt, assistant professor of agricultural economics at Penn State, spoke about ag...

After several career changes, Christine and Seth Terramane started farming together about 10 years ago. Prior to working together, Seth realized that his educational degrees weren’t sparking joy and he found a seasonal farm job. Christine had already started farming through a community farm. “We had...

If you’re going to farm lavender, what is your end goal? This was the central question Wendy Jochems, co-owner of Hope Hill Lavender Farm in Pottsville, PA, posed during her presentation, “Adding Lavender to your Farm.” Jochems, alongside Michele Capron from Lavender Essentials in Derby, VT, spoke o...

In 2019, the Pennsylvania Agricultural Business Development Center (ABDC) was created by the commonwealth’s legislature. The ABDC’s goal is to safeguard the long-term vitality of Pennsylvania farms by focusing on providing support for sound business planning, efficient transitions of farm ownership,...

The most recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that the agricultural sector is still the most dangerous in America, so you may sometimes be concerned about traumatic injuries that could affect your mobility. As a farmer, many of those injuries can come from years of repetitive mo...

Running a successful farm is hard work. But what many people don’t realize is that a lot of the work required to keep a farm running smoothly doesn’t take place in the fields, but behind a desk. According to Taylor Mendell, proper recordkeeping can be just as important as proper crop management. Her...

Karen Paulus, who owns Mt. Airy Orchards in Dillsburg, PA, with her husband Dan, believes the employees who are the face of the business should be happy and pleasant, willing to be silly and work hard. At the recent Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Conference , Paulus explained her unique hiring pro...

Prior to the annual Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention , the Young Grower Alliance hosted a pruning workshop at the Penn State Fruit Research and Extension Center in Biglerville, PA. The event featured Dr. Jim Schupp, Penn State professor of pomology. Growers observed the pruning process in...

Koinonia Organic Farm is the oldest certified organic farm in Maryland. Started in 1951, the farm currently supplies culinary herbs to Whole Foods Market, Giant and Graul’s Market. Located on the 45-acre estate of the prestigious Gramercy Mansion Bed & Breakfast in Stevenson, MD, they also supply he...

If you’ve ever wanted to feel a tiny bit like Dr. Victor Frankenstein, and you grow plants for a living, you could try your hand at grafting. Plant grafting is the vegetative propagation technique that connects two severed plant segments together. The resulting chimera, consisting of the scion and t...

In addition to being a vegetable farmer, Trevor Hardy is an irrigation expert. During the Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention , Hardy shared his expertise on how to get water to plants in a timely manner. He said a good irrigation designer partners with the grower to provide a comprehensive ...

BEALLESVILLE, MD – Forty years ago Pete Driscoll was a young landscape contractor in Montgomery County, MD, outside of Washington, D.C., looking for new headquarters. He found a 23-acre parcel and named it Dogwood Hill, after the native dogwoods populating the rolling terrain. “It was more land than...