Keeping produce safe and meeting buyers and regulatory expectations starts with strong cleaning and sanitation practices. Farms that implement proper procedures not only protect public health but also improve efficiency and build trust with customers. To help growers and farm workers strengthen these skills, we invite you to join us on September 8th from 1:00[Read More…]
Making the decision on when to harvest can be a very tricky and complicated issue. The longer you intend to store the fruit, the more precise your timing needs to be. For summer apples, most growers only intend to store fruit until their higher quality fall apples come on stream, so storage times beyond a[Read More…]
Written by: Devyn Raver, August 4, 2025 The Ag Climate Dashboard offers tools to help monitor extreme weather events in addition to crop growth, pest threats and climate anomalies. (Agricultural Communications) WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Midwestern Regional Climate Center (MRCC), with support from the United Soybean Board, has launched the Ag Climate Dashboard — a centralized digital hub[Read More…]
Submit your content ideas for the 2026 Indiana Horticulture and Small Farm Conference. Do you want to hear from someone in particular or about a specific topic at this year’s newly combined conference? If so, please scan the QR code or follow the link below to submit your suggestions. Feel free to submit yourself as[Read More…]
The spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) was first identified in Indiana in July 2021 in Switzerland County. Since then, populations have spreading rapidly across the state (Figure 1). This is the time of the year that the insects are in their most recognizable adult state (Figure 2). Early detection is crucial to stop the spread. [Read More…]
Recent cooler weather has provided relief from July. Despite optimum conditions for fungal and bacterial disease, fireblight pressure has fortunately waned as August progresses. Japanese Beetle numbers have also dropped off dramatically after a second insecticide applied in the second week of July. Blackberries continue to ripen, and will be joined by peaches, plums, early[Read More…]
The Purdue Small Farm Education Field Day proved that dedicated growers won’t let summer temperatures dampen their enthusiasm for learning. Despite the hot weather, 63 attendees gathered at the Purdue Student Farm yesterday to participate in comprehensive demonstrations and presentations focused on small-scale farming solutions. The event, co-hosted by the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture and[Read More…]
The University of Kentucky Center for Crop Diversification (UK CCD) and the Organic Association of Kentucky (OAK) are hosting the Mechanical Weed Control Field Day in partnership with Glacial Drift Enterprises at the University of Kentucky Horticulture Research Farm in Lexington, KY on September 23rd. Tickets are $55 and include lunch. For more information and[Read More…]
Participate in the 2025 Office of the Indiana State Chemist (OISC) Pesticide Clean Sweep Project, which is designed to collect and dispose of suspended, canceled, banned, usable, opened, unopened or just unwanted pesticides (herbicides, insecticides, rodenticides, fungicides, miticides, etc.). This is a great opportunity to legally dispose of unwanted products for free (up to 250[Read More…]
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