Holidays in American culture are complicated and most are not coordinated with my growing season in Upstate New York. People want to show their love according to the expected time table. To make our customers happy we must provide flowers when they want them, even if that’s the middle of February at...

Plant growth regulators (PGRs) can be used to control different growth patterns and characteristics of nursery-grown crops, allowing growers to influence factors such as stem elongation, foliage color, leaf bract size, amount of branching, bud set, bloom time and plant compaction. PGRs can also incr...

Having just celebrated a birthday in December, I started thinking that indeed I am growing older – like many in the farming population. To me, clean water and nutritious food are the two most important items as far as securing one’s survival. An aging farm population could have national security imp...

As you develop a marketing plan, consider three main components (and terms) which together form a strong platform for success. Advertising, promotion and branding represent a distinctive part of marketing designed to build customer loyalty and increase sales. Advertising informs customers about a pr...

In 2018, the New York State Department of Labor took a step toward what was considered better pay for hard work by establishing the 60-hour work week before overtime for the ag industry. With only a few years of seeing how this affected agriculture, on Jan. 28, the Farm Laborers Wage Board voted two...

The Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show (MANTS) returned to the Baltimore Convention Center Jan. 5 – 7 to jump-start the 2022 green industry trade show season bringing together horticulture industry leaders from around the country. MANTS 2022 welcomed more than 5,700 on-site attendees (including exhibit...

Rosemary Croizet enjoyed growing up on a farm, and farming is how she met her husband Gerard. This year, the couple are marking their 30th year in farming on Berry Creek Farm, the Westfield, VT, farm they purchased from Rosemary’s mother. “It was originally a dairy farm,” said Rosemary, describing t...

It’s been an interesting and challenging 24 months for the horticulture industry. In a recent AmericanHort webinar, “Vaccines, Plants and Dollars The Year in Review,” Dr. Charlie Hall, chief economist for AmericanHort, said there’s no question COVID had a strong influence on the horticulture industr...

In the first of a three-part webinar series sponsored by UVM Northwest Crops and Soils Program, Northeast Extension Risk Management Education and SARE, Rose Wilson discussed the basics of marketing hemp for those interested in entering the industry. Wilson, the former business manager for Harpoon Br...