Farmers are now being asked to present virtually by organizations and conference committees in lieu of face-to-face meeting venues. Opportunities abound in reaching a worldwide audience from your living room or farmstead. Are you ready to share your knowledge through the tiny video portal on your co...

Typical pesticide sprayer applications don’t often result in even, targeted coverage throughout the canopy. Sprayer calibration is crucial, and drift is a concern. Without adequate coverage on undersides of leaves, all sides of the tree and in the lower, upper and middle canopy, spray programs just ...

Let’s dive into today’s biggest online platform: Facebook. Since its inception in 2004, Facebook has evolved and grown far from its original intent of simply connecting college students. According to Statista, Facebook touts over 2.7 billion monthly active users (as of the second quarter of 2020). B...

When I think about the 2021 growing season, many different thoughts come to mind. Ordering seeds that will be used to start cool and warm season vegetable transplants or used to direct seed other crops is indeed a high priority. Vegetable seeds that are purchased should have a high percentage of ger...

The two-spotted spider mite, found throughout temperate and subtropical regions, thrives in both greenhouses and fruit trees (much to the chagrin of growers). The typical life cycle of these mites starts when eggs, attached to fine silk webbing, hatch after approximately three days. Under optimum co...

Bewildered about future planning amidst a pandemic? Most business owners are wary of marketing and planning for a quarter ahead, let alone a year in advance. Three initial steps will help you begin the process with more confidence, however. Here is how it works. Identify the major concerns about you...

An innovative enterprise aiming to bring together local farmers with visiting out-of-towners recently received a boost in its funding. North Carolina State University’s Vacationer Supported Agriculture (VSA) initiativewas awarded a $60,000 grant from the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission ...

by Nicholas P. Skinner, John D. Bullough and Mark S. Rea, Lighting Research Center, RPI Numerous crops are impacted by powdery and downy mildew, fungi that have had large impacts on growth and pest management by growers throughout the country. Powdery mildew is estimated to account for nearly three-...

Not every young man knows exactly what he wants to do before he finishes high school, but Scott Rosenbaum did. “I’ve always been interested in landscaping,” he said. “I started working for a landscaper when I was 14. I started my own landscaping business when I was in high school and continued after...

“I just continually bring myself into the farmer’s shoes,” said Dr. Lily Calderwood, UMaine Cooperative Extension wild blueberry specialist. “I think ‘Okay, if I were in the field, what’s going to make sense to me? I need quick, very accurate, very clear information. I don’t have time for a whole bu...

If you saw our story about the autumn meeting of the New York Nut Growers Association (NYNGA) in the December 2020 issue of Country Folks Grower, you know that English walnuts are being developed into a potentially profitable crop in the Northeast. However, that’s not the only nut being considered. ...

Despite stay-at-home orders that stymied some travel in 2020, a lot of traffic still crisscrossed the Northeast and the upper Midwest. Families on road trips and the transportation of goods resulted in certain hitchhikers finding their ways to new areas. Spotted lanternflies (SLF), first reported in...

Like any product that’s worthwhile, organic growing media has been increasing in quality and popularity over the past few years. Finding the right media for you requires a bit of knowledge. Many factors may impact a grower’s media selection – the tray size, the crop, the watering method/timing/volum...

A recent webinar hosted by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County aimed to help both landowners and farmers protect themselves when entering lease agreements. “Learn How to Put Together a Lease That Makes Sense” was the latest in the “Accessing Farmland” series of interactive online workshop...

A sale is a sale, right? It’s always positive when you have money coming in to your farm, but it’s even better when you can command loyalty – and repeat sales – from customers. How to do that can be the tricky part. Fortunately, those with success in this area are willing to share their experiences....