Fruit trees are long term investments. Protecting those investments has grown more difficult as the vagrancies of changing weather patterns have caused problems. Soggy soils, severe hail, drought, extreme heat, changes in winter temperatures causing problems with chilling requirements, early breakin...

Bridging the ending calendar year and crossing over into a new season prompts the usual business analysis – how did we do? Did we make a profit? What challenges did we overcome? What do we need to change? Performance standards give us the answers, but is there more information out there as well? Gai...

Bugs are bad, right? They can carry diseases from plant to plant. They can eat your crops. They can be very difficult to get rid of. But what if bugs biting into leaves could actually help you? A team from Texas A&M AgriLife Research has recently discovered that some insect leaf-wounding in fruit an...

GREENLAND, NH – Based on many years of experience, insurance agent Andy Robertson, senior advisor, NFP Property & Casualty in Bedford, NH, offered a wealth of tips and warnings for those considering opening their farms up to agritourism at the 11th annual New Hampshire Direct Marketing Conference sp...

On Dec. 10, the USDA released the results of its 2017 Census of Agriculture on specialty crops – the third time its NASS division summarized census data for this are of agriculture. The U.S. defines specialty crops as “fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits and horticulture and nursery crops...

Right about now, the demand for local food in states with cold winters typically leaves consumers searching for farms selling their own winter storage crops, those with greenhouse or high tunnel production – or the supermarket for greens from intensive indoor agricultural operations, where the contr...

EDIT, FEB. 27: Kate Evans and Bruce Barritt (Washington State University breeders of the Cosmic Crisp apple) would like to clarify that no funding from the USDA-ARS NIFA RosBREED projects was used for the development of the apple variety. The WSU apple breeding program was funded with university and...

The tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum ) that we know today embarked on a long journey from being discovered and traveling through several countries before coming to the U.S. It originated in the Peru-Ecuador-Bolivia area of the Andes. It was unknown as a food in the U.S. until 1820. It was thought to...

This is the final column in the series breaking down some of the most relevant reports from the Southern Nursery Association’s 2019 Research Conference Proceedings. The scientists, students and researchers who experimented and studied the topics previously covered brought important information to gr...

To capture a five-star review with every transaction equals business bliss, but even the most accomplished fulfillment company cannot count on such ethereal contentment. Why even try, you ask? Customer satisfaction translates into sales, but above and beyond the obvious financial consideration is th...

What do farmers need to know about search engine optimization (SEO)? Plenty, according to Mike Vysocka. He recently presented a webinar, “SEO 101: Building Digital Impact for Your Business,” hosted by the Business of Food & Farming. Vysocka is a business and technology application specialist in Exte...

Let’s get this out of the way – Mark Twain is indeed his favorite author. Lamentably, his best friend is not named Huckleberry.And while he has never been on the Mississippi River, it is most definitely on his bucket list. “Fortunately, I was always one of the biggest kids on the playground as a kid...

Rainfrost Nursery, located in historic New London, VA, has successfully met a number of challenges above and beyond the usual commercial and residential market competition. First came a devastating boxwood blight that destroyed much of the American and British boxwood stock in central Virginia, some...

MEBANE, NC – Last year, Susan Hayward bought Mebane Shrubbery, making it a woman-owned business. Its location – situated on a busy thoroughfare on the northern side of North Carolina’s Piedmont, in between the growing localities of the greater Greensboro region and the Raleigh-Durham Triangle – is i...

Tradition, tribe and the troops – commitment to these ideals have made Fleming’s Christmas Tree Farm not just a successful business but a highly valued member of its community. Founded in 1945, and located in Indiana, PA, Fleming’s has been thriving in the very heart of Christmas tree country. Penns...