Earlier this year, farmers who were directly negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic were offered a helping hand via the USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). Those producing commodities including non-specialty crops, dairy, aquaculture, wool, eggs, livestock, nursery crops, cut fl...

Brad Edwards and Travis Birdsell, North Carolina Research and Extension, want to help Christmas tree growers create a welcoming environment for guests, and part of that effort involves eliminating weeds from the fields. Edwards and Birdsell presented an engaging session on weed management at the Pen...

Sometimes it seems as if growers are fighting the same crop issues, year after year, perhaps opting for new disease-resistant cultivars to try to get ahead of the problem. But there are innovations in natural vegetable disease control that have shown promise. One of those developments is the study a...

In many of the fruit and vegetable meetings I’ve conducted and attended over the years, the topic that growers can’t seem to get enough of is marketing, or “How do I sell?” Learning how to grow the crop can be easy but knowing what to do with it after harvest takes a lot of research before the crop ...

If only it were as simple as counting days to maturity! But apple growers know that the optimal development of apple flavor can’t be properly determined by counting days after full bloom to harvest alone. Beyond the obvious – you don’t want your customers to eat hard, small, undeveloped apples, nor ...

Research during the pandemic has shown customers want to link with their familiar retail outlets while seeking consistency in messaging about present and future opportunities and operation. The ironic twist is that most retailers struggle with a consistent message because of the evolving situation. ...

Due to COVID-19 concerns, ongoing restrictions on large indoor gatherings and unforeseen unavailability at the Baltimore Convention Center, the Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show (MANTS) announced that the 2021 show, initially scheduled for Jan. 6 – 8, is unable to take place as an in-person event. MAN...

Amber Weaver began her post-high school education with a plan: attend North Carolina State University and eventually become a veterinarian . That changed when she decided the size of the university wasn’t a good fit. Amber’s involvement in agriculture started when she was in FFA in high school, serv...

Earlier this year, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture put out the call for farmers and prospective farmers to apply for a round of Farm Vitality Planning Grants. The program helps fund professional services for those planning the future of a farm – and farmers responded. One million dollars ...

Penn State has been hosting tours of its Trial Gardens since 1933. Usually there are several hundred people on hand the day of the tour , with Sinclair Adam, the project’s director, leading a group through the serpentine SEAREC path in Lancaster County, PA. The advantage of the virtual tour this yea...

More than 500 New York Farm Bureau members participated in a survey in mid-June that asked how the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent shutdown of the New York economy affected both their bottom lines and their mental health. The survey found that 65% of the respondents’ farms and businesses wer...

ARARAT, VA – As the summer apple season commences, Harry Harold reflected on the rhythm of life in the orchard. “For each stage, you’re anxious to get started,” he said. “By the end of it, you’re glad it’s done.” The Harold family has been growing fruit trees in this scenic, steeply sloped part of s...

Dr. Jill Sidebottom, North Carolina State University has seen a lot of changes in Christmas tree production over the years, and said in changes yet to come, IPM will be more critical than ever. According to Sidebottom, the number one issue in growing Christmas trees in North America is that the majo...

Michael Grantz and his wife Arden Jones combine youthful idealism and exuberance, tech savvy and reverence for the land at Great Day Gardens in Forest, VA, named for a grandparent’s favorite proclamation: “Great day!”The old Virginia saying declares surprise, awe or simply a good time for getting in...

Raspberry and blackberry growers are challenged both by disease and insect concerns. The primary insect of concern for bramble growers (but not the only one) is spotted wing drosophila (SWD) , particularly for those in the Northeast. This insect is problematic in summer- and autumn-bearing fruits, b...