Articles

Timothy Weiser honored as top veggie grower in Pennslyvania

His family farm grew fruit, but in the 1970s Timothy Weiser saw an opportunity in vegetables. “We were in the fruit business, cherry business and plum business – several hundred acres of fruit,” said Weiser. The farm is based at York Springs... more

On-farm review a low-pressure FSMA approach

Small growers stressing out over pending formal inspections may benefit from some practice. On-Farm Readiness Reviews (OFRRs) offer something of a dry run or practice test for such growers. The program has been implemented nationwide, and is a ... more

Wet season challenges growers in eastern US

Growers from Wisconsin to Pennsylvania are hoping for sun this summer after rainy days during 2018 led to trouble with plant disease and lower yields. It was an above-average year for precipitation from the Great Plains to the Atlantic Coast, acco... more

Lights, steam tackle strawberry disease, pests

A machine that can be programmed to traverse through fields shines a light to help prevent powdery mildew from causing damage to strawberries. Natalia Peres, a professor of plant pathology at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultu... more

Winter hoop house production set by timing

Hoop houses extend the growing season, but planting date is key if one plans to grow vegetables through the winter. Base the planting date on the last day that has 10 hours of daylight as the days shorten before winter. Determine that date for the... more

Planting to harvest, advancements to dot vegetable farms

Cutting-edge growers, researchers and dreamers agree on one thing: Vegetable farming 20 years from now will be much different than it is today. Changes will likely come not just from robots, advancements in plant genetics, use of the Internet of ... more

Basics of building an on-farm market

Last month we looked at some things to consider before building your on-farm market or roadside stand. This time, we’ll assume you’ve done your SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis and looked at the zoning and various reg... more