Midwest
Farmer’s innovation guided Dale Marshall’s career
Dale Marshall, who received patents for harvesters and mechanical fruit and vegetable handling equipment as an engineer at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has died. Marshall, who retired in 1998, died on Dec. 8, at... more »
Tips for strawberry growers take center stage
After conducting more than 20 years of perennial strawberry soil health research, Marvin Pritts has identified strategies for growers who produce the finicky plants. Pritts, director of undergraduate studies for the SIPS Horticulture Section at... more »
Storytelling can end commodity farming
John Stanley believes the agriculture community must reveal itself to the marketplace in order to enhance its standing and make farms profitable. Stanley, a horticultural consultant based in Nanup, Australia, told attendees at his keynote... more »
Farm market bus tour shows what works, what doesn’t
The weather was cooperative, the doughnuts and cookies were fresh and amazing, and the cider was hard and delicious. The Great Lakes EXPO Farm Market Bus Tour featured six stops in the Grand Rapids area... more »
In the muck and weeds: Michigan veg experts honored
The Michigan Vegetable Council honored a family farm that has raised vegetables for nearly 100 years on muck soil and a Michigan State University professor who specializes in weed management. The awards ceremony at the... more »
Avoid spreading tomato disease when transplanting
When tomato growers call in the winter, it is often to review last year’s production. I’m a plant pathologist, so when last year’s production is reviewed, we discuss tomato diseases. The foliar diseases we most... more »
Meristem names new Midwest account manager
Caleb Miller, an experienced ag account professional and seed rep, has joined Meristem Crop Performance Group LLC. As an account manager for the crop input company, Miller will work... more »
Kansas school system to build vertical gardens
Public schools in Washington, Kansas, are participating in a project constructing vertical gardens. A $150,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institutes of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is funding a pilot education program... more »