Many farms have enjoyed extra income from inviting the public onto their farms, especially those that feature autumn and Christmas activities. However, such enterprises come with risk. Jackie Schweichler, staff attorney at Penn State Law’s Center for Agricultural and Shale Law, discussed issues that...

The ongoing labor shortage in America is taking an especially hard toll on farmers. According to Cheyenne Protz, in addition to the recent dearth of job seekers in the marketplace, the temporary nature of agricultural labor keeps many potential applicants away. “Only 5% of our clients report having ...

How to dispose of fruit wastes without attracting the dreaded spotted wing drosophila? That is the question being tackled by researchers at Michigan State University – and their answers (so far) were divulged at the most recent Great Lakes Expo. Matthew Grieshop, who was associate professor of organ...

Organic farmers don’t always get the same attention as conventional farmers, but a recently completed national study helped determine the challenges and needs of those who farm organically. “We consider these surveys and the findings to be the most robust reporting of challenges faced by U.S. organi...

There are more than 100 different hosts for sooty blotch and flyspeck, two different diseases that commonly occur together on the same fruit. Their spores move by wind and rain, and thus, humid conditions favor sooty blotch and flyspeck (SBFS). SBFS causes a discoloration or blemish of near-mature f...

The initial question addressed was “How do I attract raptors as well as any other birds and wildlife to my farms?” The answer was presented by Matt Johnson from Cal Poly-Humboldt and Breanna Martinico from UC-Davis during a part of “The Role of Birds on the Farm” series. Johnson began by discussing ...

The U.S. has nearly 1,000 farms producing chestnuts on more than 3,700 acres, per USDA-NASS data. The top producing states are Michigan, Florida, California, Oregon and Virginia. Demand for fresh and processed chestnuts is high and likely to increase, both nationally and internationally. However, as...

The beating heart and soul of the vegetable industry (or any horticultural enterprise) are the growers that produce and market the product that consumers purchase. As I view the landscape and think of the growers that I have worked with over the years, they represent a tapestry of ages, experience, ...

We’ve all experienced the effects of supply chain disruption and product availability during the COVID-19 pandemic. Manufacturers have faced delays in receiving critical parts needed to keep their production lines in operation, impacting employment. The automobile industry pumped the brakes when the...