Small farms can always use new ways to improve the bottom line. The sharing economy business concept, sometimes referred to as collaborative consumption, is the idea that lending or borrowing goods, trading, bartering for or sharing labor is a way to reduce expenses and strengthen community friendsh...

by Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension Professor, University of Vermont With poinsettias being the most popular flowering holiday plant in much of the world, most may not stop to think just how they got to be so popular. Their history begins in Mexico, in the early 1800’s. Poinsettias actually were around ...

Like tree fruit orchards, large commercial nut orchards tend to grow a single crop species, in rows, with alleys between them. The traditional orchard practice of herbicide strips within rows, and bare ground or perhaps a sod alley — often disced or chemically killed during the growing season, remai...

Part one: Overview of the WPS and changes in training and record-keeping Dr. Mary Ann Rose, director of Pesticide Safety Education Program for Ohio State University extension, says that the Worker Protection Standard (WPS) was established to reduce the risk of pesticide related injuries to workers a...

“If I bought everything new,” Mock said, “I’d only be able to put up three houses, instead of 10.” Over the years Mock has sourced his used houses and equipment from sellers in a number of states, including North Carolina, Kentucky, Virginia, Iowa, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. “I compare it to an...

by Heather Bryant, Regional Field Specialist, Food and Agriculture Bright and early Thursday morning, Oct. 29, 126 people arrived in Whitefield for the annual North Country Fruit and Vegetable Seminar and Tradeshow. This was the sixth year we’ve run this program at the Mountain View Grand and as usu...

Growers who use greenhouses or tunnels strive to keep crops in them for as much of the year as possible. Whether a greenhouse is used for a continuous cropping cycle or to extend the season, sanitation is critical to minimizing disease and ensuring a healthy crop. Steve Bogash, Penn State University...

ROME, NY — When produce farmer, Ron Wagner got on TV and on social media asking for help to harvest a monumental crop of squash destined for local food banks, little did he realize he would inspire a community. “The epiphany for me was seeing the train of volunteers all working together for a common...

When you hear the words tobacco farm you might imagine the rolling fields of North Carolina or a plantation in tropical Havana, Cuba as the ideal setting. There is, however, a long-standing tobacco farm that sits in the temperate climate of Southwick, MA. “Tobacco farming has been in the Connecticut...