Direct marketing of agricultural products and services has become a billion dollar industry across the U.S., the success of which centers on making a meaningful connection between producer and consumer. For many direct marketers, planning and executing a successful advertising and promotion program ...

Plants in the Brassicaceae family – cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and mustard – contain glucosinolates, sulfur-containing compounds that give those vegetables their unique flavor and smell. Some studies have shown that glucosinolates may also be beneficial in preventing cancer and cardiovascular di...

The year 2020 ushers in a new century for the Coene family of Windmill Farms LLC of Ontario, NY, where five generations have diligently worked to keep their apple production expanding and changing to meet new markets and consumers’ new demands. Fifth generation apple farmer Tom Coene, a recent gradu...

The celebrated Empire State Producers Expo (ESPE) returned to the Oncenter in Syracuse, NY, this year , bringing with it three full days of important trade show connections and illuminating educational sessions. This year’s expo, organized by the Trade Show Division of Lee Newspapers Inc., took plac...

The Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show (MANTS) celebrated the show’s 50th anniversary in Baltimore, MD, from Jan. 8 – 10. The milestone year was marked with record attendance numbers, the highest in the past 12 years. MANTS welcomed over 12,000 attendees and exhibitors from 44 states and 15 countries. ...

Is growing grapes an art or a science? To the Italian in Jim Verde, it’s absolutely an art. But to the biologist in him, it is most certainly a science. “On the one hand,” Verde said, describing his grapes in a way far more paternal than professorial, “these plants all have such different personalit...

SYRACUSE, NY – Roughly 1,000 farmers, home gardeners and buyers came together on Jan. 17 for the start of this year’s NOFA-NY Annual Winter Conference. After a long stint of taking place in Saratoga Springs, this year the conference moved to the Oncenter in Syracuse and combined with the ninth annua...

Dr. Jim Schupp, researcher at Penn State’s Fruit Research and Education Center in Biglerville, PA, said pear production outside of the Northwest U.S. is not as extensive as it could be, and part of the reason is fire blight.Schupp has been involved in a project that offers options for combining fire...

It’s about so much more than just the final product in farming. Before there is a gallon of milk or a colorful display of vegetables on a farm stand, there are major inputs – the most important being time, money and energy. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce energy consumption, which in turn can ...

There is a glimmer of hope for New York farmers still looking for clarification and expansion of a key part of the Farm Laborers Fair Practices Act. Thanks to a 30-day extension of a legal stay, the definitions for farm laborers will continue to be refined until at least Feb. 28. Brian Reeves of Ree...

Whether a farmer or not, aches and pains creep up on us all. Very often, those maladies manifest as knee pain – and trying to work while one (or two) of your most important joints isn’t working correctly can cause serious problems. Ned Stoller, with Michigan AgrAbility and founder of Disability Work...

Nearly everyone who employs workers in an agricultural enterprise is prepared for changes to overtime rules in 2020. Attorney Christopher Schulte, who has extensive experience in agricultural employment and immigration law, explained the generalities of the new law regarding overtime for AmericanHor...

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Farm Workforce Modernization Act on Dec. 11, 2019. The bill now heads to the Senate, where proponents are hopeful that the bipartisan support the bill received in the House will be replicated. The bill, designed to stabilize today’s agricultural workforce...

Blueberries are probably the most widely distributed fruit in the world. The blueberry thrives only on organic, acidic soils, doing best at a pH of 4.5 – 5.0. The fruit of at least seven species is harvested on a fairly large scale, including Vaccinium angustifolium , the lowbush blueberry. The high...

It isn’t enough that plant pathogenic fungi, bacteria, viruses, viroids, phytoplasmas and nematodes can attack vegetable crops and cause diseases, and that parasitic plants such as dodder can do the same. Growers also have to worry about insects and pests that cause direct crop damage and increase p...