Earl Ray and his family, of Conestoga Nursery in Lancaster County, PA , have been in growing perennials, shrubs and trees for retail and wholesale for more than 40 years. Today, the third generation of the family is involved in the business, growing and helping with the retail segment. Ray shared wh...

The same way humans need vegetables to survive, growers need bees for their operations to thrive. In light of that, a team from Michigan State University Extension put together a Pollinator Stewardship Guide to help us help our six-legged friends. Ana Heck, Ron Goldy, Benjamin Philips and Benjamin W...

Since its arrival in 2008, spotted wing Drosophila (SWD) has spread and wreaked havoc on soft fruit. To provide organic growers with updates on ongoing studies on SWD management, several researchers recently discussed the NIFA-OREI funded project “On-Farm Integration of Organic Management of Spotted...

“Don’t let yourself be boxed in,” Brooke White of Don’s Dairy Supply closed her session at the 2025 Ag Solutions and Networking Expo at SUNY Cobleskill. The expo, hosted by the college, CCE Schoharie & Otsego, New York Farm Bureau and others, was focused on local and regional agricultural interests....

The dictionary definition of fate is “the development of events beyond a person’s control, regarded as determined by a supernatural power.” When it comes to determining how much of your crop actually receives the water you provide it, sometimes it can seem rather mysterious what goes where. Discussi...

Growers and landscapers are concerned about boxwood blight and are determined to prevent its spread. Dr. Nina Shiskoff, Foreign Disease Weed Science Research Unit , USDA-ARS, admitted managing boxwood blight is complicated. “The pathogen can be spread on tools, by water splash, wreaths, vehicles, bo...

There’s a reason Kari Peter, Ph.D., associate research professor of tree fruit pathology at Penn State, speaks quickly – she often has a lot of important information to share. This was true of her multiple presentations at the most recent Great Lakes Expo , including one regarding management refinem...

Flowers make people happy, and that’s one reason Dave Delbo enjoys growing and selling fresh flowers throughout summer, relying on the relationships he’s established in his local community and with florists. Delbo is owner and grower at Dave’s Flowers in Elysburg, PA . The primary outlet for the cut...

As young children, we learn plants need water. As we grow older and more experienced as growers, we learn how much water they need to thrive. The next level of education is learning how what is in that water affects plants and their growth. Looking beyond the basics – and specifically at dissolved o...