Last summer, Michelle Piacente and her fiancé Erich Smith were struck with the inspiration to open a new coffee shop/farmers market inside Copia Home and Garden, serving Westchester and Fairfield counties in downstate New York. They had had plans to open on March 19 since January. “The day we opened...

FREEHOLD, NJ – Bill and Lauren Errickson discussed new ideas for direct marketing to a packed house of vegetable and fruit growers as part of the Central New Jersey Vegetable Growers’ Association’s annual meeting. Bill is the newly-appointed Rutgers Cooperative Extension Agent for Monmouth County. L...

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ – Many farmers offering produce in ethnically diverse states are experiencing growing consumer demand for vegetables like amaranth, roselle (a type of hibiscus), habanero peppers, okra and chufa (yellow nutsedge or tiger nuts). At the Northeast Organic Farmers Association (NOFA-NJ)...

Retired environmental engineer Bill Muzychko developed a passion for growing figs about 16 years ago. With no background in farming but a little knowledge of what makes for good soil, he turned his backyard in Flemington, NJ, into a prolific fig tree-growing operation. He even hosts an annual, priva...

Dr. Lynn Sosnoskie, assistant professor of horticulture at Cornell, focuses her work on biology-based research, crop injury and weed management. She’s worked in California, Washington, Wisconsin, Ohio, Georgia, Pennsylvania and most recently New York. Having seen the danger they pose in the West, sh...

As the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic continues to take its toll on businesses of every stripe, entrepreneurs in the horticultural world are making every effort to keep both their employees and customers safe while continuing to serve their communities and keep their businesses afloat. “It’s been very ...

The greenhouses of Andrew’s Greenhouse are full of the smell of spring: moist soil, violas, pansies, begonias, geraniums yet to blossom and herbs. “First, people want violas and pansies, then hardy annuals, then perennials and hardy herbs,” said owner Andrew Cowles, running for 45 years the green th...

DEEP GAP, NC – Forty years ago Chuck Lieberman moved from Central Florida to the High Country of North Carolina. “I have a master’s degree in ag,” Lieberman said. “I was a nursery inspector in Gainesville. There’s not much to do here in in my field except grow Christmas trees.” This part of North Ca...

Although COVID-19 is not thought to be transmitted as a foodborne illness, it is transmittable via contaminated surfaces, including produce packaging, tools and equipment, tables, bins, coolers and other surfaces part of the food supply chain. If food safety is a priority for your farm operation, CO...