"Happy" Memorial Day Weekend
"Happy" probably isn't the most appropriate greeting for this holiday, and many growers probably will be busy planting their crops while garden centers/retailers will be hopefully having a strong weekend supplying gardeners with plants. But it is appropriate that we recognize with gratitude the ultimate sacrifice thousands of our armed services have made throughout our history to secure the freedoms we as Americans enjoy.
Why Tomato Crops Today Are So Susceptible to Disease
Why are tomatoes so susceptible to disease? Of three possible answers — aggressive pathogens that specialize on tomato, the tomato plant itself, or the growing environment — it’s not the pathogens.
For example, early blight and late blight can be equally destructive on tomato and potato. Phytophthora blight and fruit rot is worse on pepper than tomato. Is there something about the tomato that makes it inherently susceptible, something medical doctors call a congenital defect? Or is it weather conditions during the growing season? The answer seems to be both. See more here.
USDA’s New Emergency Relief Program Kicks Off with $10 Billion
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency is mailing applications for the Emergency Relief Program (ERP), to help offset losses caused by wildfires, droughts, hurricanes and other natural disasters in 2020 and 2021. The new program includes $10 billion in emergency relief, through the Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act. May 25 marked the start of the first phase of the ERP, which is designed to be an easier program to access, according to a Farm Service Agency (FSA) release. The ERP uses existing government programs as the basis for calculating initial payments. See more here.
Ladino (White) Clover for Row Middles in Plasticulture
Researchers at Clemson University showed that the use of ladino clover can be an effective living row middle cover crop for row middles in plasticulture in organic production. We believe this system could be used in all plasticulture crops with some advance planning.
Ladino clover spreads via stolons and can fill in row middles over time, smothering out weeds and allowing for full cover of row middles. It will not creep up the sides of the plastic but will fill in up to the tucks. See more here.
Mid-Atlantic Farm Labor Statistics
There were 26,000 workers hired directly by farms during the week of April 10-16, 2022. All hired workers worked an average of 37.7 hours during the survey week. The average wage rate for all hired workers was $17.59 per hour. Field workers earned an average of $16.92 per hour and livestock workers averaged $15.08 per hour. Field & livestock workers combined earned an average of $16.37 per hour. See more here.
Is Regenerative Ag the New Organic?
As regenerative agriculture is reshaping the production of how food is grown, a panel of large-scale organic growers will discuss their involvement with this new method of growing and what it may mean for the future of organic fresh produce at the sixth annual Organic Produce Summit.
Regenerative Ag 101: Is Regenerative the "New" Organic? will feature experts from four of the most progressive specialty crop growers in the nation offering their insight on growing regenerative crops, the future of regenerative production, and how the retail community may manage and market these items to consumers. See more here.
Pick One of These 3 Growing Methods for Tomatoes That Is Right for You
Tomatoes can be grown any time of the year, regardless of your location. That’s a bold statement, and of course there may be some exceptions. But it’s only a matter of time before tomatoes will be grown even on the space station.
The three main systems for commercial tomato production are 1) field grown, 2) high tunnel, and 3) greenhouse. It’s up to the producer to determine which system, or combination of systems, is best for his or her business enterprise. See more here.
Prime Time Planters and Transplanters for Vegetable Growers
We recently asked several farm equipment suppliers to pick their best planters and transplanters for vegetable crops. See more here.
Vegetable Transplant Stunting 2022
Growers are reporting problems with stunted transplants. In some cases, plants appear to have abnormal growth with compressed internodes, “twisted” stems, or abnormally shaped leaves. In other cases, plants are not putting on any new growth. Transplant stunting can be caused by several factors during greenhouse production, during shipping and handling, during planting, and post planting. See more here.
How To Stop Colorado Potato Beetles From Sacking Your Spud
Colorado potato beetle (CPB) populations have an amazing ability to develop resistance to insecticides — including many of the carbamate, organophosphate, pyrethroid, spinosyn, and neonicotinoid insecticides that are used today.
CPB’s capacity to develop resistance is not surprising when you consider this pest had to adopt ways to tolerate high concentrations of toxic glycoalkaloids in their solanaceous hosts. In essence, these beetles are pre-equipped to deal with toxins. It may take only small changes to confer resistance to new toxins. See more here.
Unbounded: Government Claims Right of Access and Surveillance on All Private Land
Is private land a federal playground? The government claims a phenomenally powerful right—access and surveillance on every inch of privately held farmland, hunting ground, pasture, and recreational acre in the United States, without warrant or probable cause.
The federal assertion to total power over private land is a chilling prospect to a significant portion of Americans and the alarm begs a subsequent concern: What activities does Uncle Sam assume the right to engage in after entry onto private land and precisely which government officials get a perpetual pass? See more here.
Take a Look at These Less Common Melons
Browse this slideshow for more information on less common melon varieties you need to know about from the nation’s leading seed breeders and distributors. See more here.
USDA Raises 2022 Food Inflation Forecasts Again, Highest Grocery Food Price Hikes in 42 Years
USDA raised its estimated range of 6.5%-7.5% y/y increase from a range of 5%-6%, according to the May Food Price Outlook report, the highest forecast for all food prices and restaurant prices since 1981, and the highest grocery store price boosts since 1980. The biggest increase is eggs for the second month in a row, hiked to a 19.5%-20.5% range from a 6%-7% range. Just two months ago, USDA had egg inflation at 2.5%-3.5% y/y. Other categories with big increases: pork, poultry, fats and oils.
USDA only kept their price increases steady from April for beef and veal (6% to 7%), fresh vegetables (4% to 5%), processed fruits and vegetables (5.5% to 6.5%) and sugar and sweets (5.5% to 6.5%). See more here.
Pest Friends Set to Infest Family Game Nights
Actual farmers don’t plant lunar wheat, and they’ll never encounter fan bugs or bog beetles when they scout their fields. Despite the fictitious details, anyone who plays a new board game, Pest Friends, can count on learning real lessons in integrated pest management. The educational strategy game, which challenges two or more players to grow a profitable crop in the face of pressures from insects, was created by University of Idaho Extension educators Jason Thomas and Grant Loomis. See more here.
Welcome to Millsap Farm: A Classroom With Roots
While many worry about where we’ll find future growers, one Missouri farm is actively recruiting and training them. Springfield-based Millsap Farm’s Curtis and Sarah Millsap go beyond the usual school tours and invite or hire volunteers, apprentices, and interns to work and learn with them. See more here.
Sign Up to Be Counted in the 2022 Census of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is encouraging farmers to sign up to participate in the 2022 Census of Agriculture this summer. All farmers and ranchers – whether rural or urban – that grow fruit, vegetables or animals count if $1,000 or more of such products were raised and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the Census year. The Census of Agriculture, taken once every five years, looks at land use and ownership, operator characteristics, production practices income and expenditures for farmers. The last day to sign up for the 2022 Ag Census is June 30, 2022. If you have never received a census and are new to NASS surveys, you can sign up online at https://www.agcounts.usda.gov/static/get-counted.html.
The census will be mailed out in November of this year with a response deadline of February 2023. The results of the census will be revealed in the Spring or Summer of 2024.
Strawberry Flowering, Runner Formation and Heat
In our region, commercial strawberries are grouped in two classes based on their flowering habit: those that flower and fruit mostly once in the spring and those that continue to flower and fruit as long as temperatures are moderate. Strawberries thrive in cooler weather and production is affected when temperatures are hot.
Short day or June-bearing has been used to describe plants which start to bloom in late winter and produce one fruit crop per spring. Day-neutral, long day, or repeat blooming have all been used to describe plants which flower multiple times and produce multiple crops over the course of the spring, cooler parts of the summer and fall. See more here.
Announcing the 2022 Virtual Orchard Meetup Summer Series - Orchard Efficiency: Labor and Technology
Growers are invited to attend a bi-weekly, four-part series on Orchard Efficiency: Labor and Technology being hosted by Cornell, MSU, OMAFRA, Penn State, and WSU. This is a free series featuring both grower and specialist panels sharing their experience and advice, and is designed to be a completely interactive discussion among participants.
The first meetup is Thursday, June 2, at 7:00 PM EDT. Our panel features growers from across the country sharing their experiences managing international and domestic labor, including navigating the H-2A system to great success.
While this series is targeted to tree fruit producers, the open discussion of our first meetup will touch only lightly on orchard-specific concerns. Anyone who works with horticultural crops and manages a crew, particularly one composed of guest workers, will likely receive some useful advice!
Webinars will be conducted live on Thursdays at 4:00pm (PST)/7:00pm (EST), on June 2, 16, 30, and July 14. The format will be an open discussion in a very inclusive virtual format. Each webinar will last 90 minutes. The program is free of charge.
Register here or by following this link https://bit.ly/orchardmeetups.
- June 2 Labor – Grower Experiences
- June 16 Labor – Specialist Panel
- June 30 Technology – Grower Experiences
- July 14 Technology – Specialist Panel
This extension effort is being conducted across North America in close collaboration with the International Fruit Tree Association (IFTA), the AI Institute for Transforming Workforce & Decision Support AgAID, and the Cornell Institute for Digital Agriculture (CIDA).
Young Grower Alliance Summer Tour
June 1, 2 and 3, 2022 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Virginia
Join the Young Grower Alliance (YGA) for a summer tour to our neighbors in Virginia! The Young Grower Alliance Summer Tour will be financed by the Young Grower Alliance. We will be visiting several Virginia orchards and cideries. See more here.
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