Articles

Processed products, online sales spur success

The gentle curving of Lake Huron around the Thumb region of Michigan puts Port Austin on the tip of a peninsula, and summer tourism is big. “A lot of people from the metro Detroit area come up here in the summer,” said Nancy Empkie of Empkie�... more

Biodegradable mulch lessens labor pressure

Plastic mulch helps control weeds, conserve moisture and speed soil warmup – to name a few advantages – but biodegradable plastic mulch offers that and potentially even more. “Plastic mulch is a very common tool around the U.S. and around th... more

Carrot nitrate content could soar in late season

That last nitrogen fertilizer application before carrot harvest is thought to benefit yield, strengthen tops for harvest and possibly reduce susceptibility to foliar disease. It can also increase nitrate levels in the harvested carrots with potential... more

Harrell honored for commitment to Florida strawberries

For more than 40 years, Mark and Sue Harrell have been a fixture of the close-knit grower community of west Florida’s Plant City and Dover. For 25 years, that’s also meant volunteering time with the Florida Strawberry Growers Association (FSGA... more

Sykes launches organic brand for squash

The Sykes Co. of Rio Rico, Arizona, in November announced a new brand, Palo Alto Organics, for hard squashes grown by its grower-partners in Mexico. Spaghetti and butternut squashes will be among the first of its product offerings. The Sykes Co... more

Muck fields may attract bees to aid pollination

The causes of pollinator decline have been well-documented, but research at Ohio State University’s Muck Farm near Willard, Ohio, is trying a new approach of putting pollinator habitat in strips among the vegetable crops. “Can we see an increase... more

Michigan man honors family farming history by creating potato-based vodka

Chris Iott is not among the Iott brothers who have made a career out of running the family’s northern Michigan seed farm, but he has found a way to create a new niche for his family’s potato legacy. That would be North River Vodka, a new spir... more