Mating disruption keeps male and female codling moths from finding one another, preventing them from procreating and effectively reducing the codling moth population in the orchard. These pests of apples and pears emerge in early spring, after overwintering as full-grown larvae. Codling moth ( Cydia...

Last month we discussed some tricks to help you get in the mindset of your ideal customer and ways to get the most out of your Facebook Business Page. But what about reaching the customers that aren’t on social media? Your go-to strategy here: email marketing . Thanks to a variety of great tools, em...

Cornell University takes its horticultural protection duties very seriously. They consider every angle when it comes to helping growers, including scaring pests to lessen plant damage. “Pests are attacked by a lot of different predators,” noted Jennifer Thaler of Cornell’s Department of Entomology. ...

In past years, planning a marketing budget was a bit more formulaic. In reviewing your financials for the year, a more clear-cut percentage could be assigned to marketing. But in more recent times, and within a volatile environment, deciding on how much to assign to advertising and promotional effor...

In many ways, New Roots Cooperative Farm in Lewiston is like most small farms in Maine. Its CSA makes up the largest part of farm revenue, which also includes six farmers markets throughout Southern Maine and a few wholesale accounts. They grow a variety of vegetables and are working on getting thei...

Sometimes timing is everything. Andrew Rodgers had been successfully managing an organic farm, but that farm was slated for development. At about the same time, the owners of a Carlisle, MA, property asked for proposals to develop an organic vegetable farm. Out of 40 proposals, Rodgers’ plan for an ...

Pest management is an ongoing battle for all growers, but Christmas tree growers have their own war to wage. Fortunately, in New York State they have researchers at Cornell University and NYSIPM to back them up. Betsy Lamb and Brian Eshenaur of NYSIPM recently updated growers on what to be on the lo...

The University of Maine’s School of Biology and Ecology was recently endowed with a grant from the USDA to enable pomologists to research means of promoting blueberry cultivation in the State of Maine. The grant was awarded by the USDA’s Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI). SCRI grants fund th...

Organic farmers will say that weed management is one of their biggest challenges. A variety of weed management methods are acceptable for organic certification – some more effective than others. Many organic farmers use cover crops to add organic matter and keep weeds down, and if managed properly, ...