Maintaining a thriving crop is every grower’s top concern. According to Dr. Daniel Carr, an associate professor at UC-Davis, near the top of the list is whether or not birds are bringing foodborne diseases onto their crop fields. Back in 2006 there was a multi-state outbreak of E. coli . The strain ...

It isn’t just the little guys who can take a bite out of your fruit yield. Orchard growers are attuned to the lifecycles of the insects (aphids, leafhoppers, codling moths, apple maggots, mites, stink bugs, apple tree borers and others) which cause harm to trees or fruit. The myriad microbes which c...

What do we mean by “soil health” and how can we pursue that goal? When I was pursuing my degrees in the Vegetable Crops Department at Cornell my two minors were entomology and soils. I was always fascinated by different soils types and was lucky to experience a variety of soils during my career, fro...

Marketing plans are structured to target special audiences for the best profit potential.Both internal and external situations, however, have the influence or power to disrupt even the most well-developed plans.When situational changes occur, it is wise to revisit and revise, if necessary, your over...

In 1971, Steve Meyerhans moved northward from Connecticut to work at a Fairfield, Maine, orchard owned by local grower Royal Wentworth. Steve’s wife, Marilyn was in college, and soon joined him, picking apples for $1.50/hour. “We heard rumors that Royal was selling the orchard,” said Marilyn. “Steve...

Purchasing trees, plants and landscape materials is a personal experience, and most consumers devote a significant amount of time prior to making buying decisions (especially for big dollar items). Delivering the perfect tree involves more than a healthy specimen that thrives in its new environment ...

Long-time cut flower expert Dave Dowling said, “You aren’t going to make any money growing cut flowers – you make money selling cut flowers.” Dowling spoke at the Maryland Cut Flower Short Course held in cooperation with the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers on several farms in Woodbine, M...

The growing and harvesting season for farmers can only be extended so far. The entertainment season, however, can be year-round for those who are investing in agritourism ventures to expand their offerings. Perhaps you host a Halloween haunt or a winter wonderland, but not both. A professional event...

Ann Miller, Extension educator with Penn State Extension’s Energy, Business and Community Vitality Unit, said input costs have gone up for everyone and consumers are behaving differently. “If there was a weakness in your business, there’s a good chance it was brought to the forefront,” said Miller. ...