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...

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...