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Midwestern farmers have faced a buildup of pesticide resistance in pigweeds (waterhemp and Palmer amaranth), highlighting the importance of scouting to detect weeds early in their growth stages. Otherwise, weed escapes are a common issue as herbicides lose their efficacy when weeds are allowed to grow long enough into their growth cycle. The Midwestern Regional…Read more about Midwestern Regional Climate Center Launches New Experimental Weed Emergence Scouting Tool[Read More]


Hello! This is our third crop conditions update this season. The fruit trees are progressing well as things get up and going around the farm. Most everything has passed 1 or more stages of growth since the third week of this month. Monday the 28th marked our first fungicide application in the vineyard, with the…Read more about Crop conditions[Read More]


The Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center (SWPAC) is one of the eight Purdue Agricultural Centers located across Indiana. What makes SWPAC unique is its location in the heart of Indiana’s watermelon-growing region—home to one of the state’s most significant specialty crop industries. In addition to watermelon and cantaloupe, southern Indiana is known for its diverse fruit…Read more about Southwest Purdue Agriculture Center Field Day Set for June 26[Read More]


Interested in planting brambles? Here’s what you need to know! What are brambles? Bramble crops are from the genus Rubus and include blackberries and raspberries. Brambles are among the easiest fruit crops to grow, and the fruit is in high demand due to its exotic flavor and high nutritional value. Brambles can be planted in…Read more about Interested in Planting Brambles?[Read More]


Join Veterans in Farming and Purdue University for a Grape Planting Workshop followed by a wine tasting on June 3rd at The Rejoicing Vine Winery in Indianapolis, IN. Come see what it takes to cultivate grapes and operate a winery! Learn from Purdue viticulture specialist Miranda Purcell all about grape planting and growing techniques for…Read more about Veterans Grapevine Planting Workshop[Read More]


Introduction Ensuring the microbial safety of fresh produce is a critical step in preventing foodborne illnesses and safeguarding public health. Fresh produce is often exposed to contaminants during various stages of production, including growing and harvesting, where it can come into contact with soil, irrigation water, compost and wildlife (Dogan et al., 2023; Rock et…Read more about Understanding the Impact of Organic Matter on Free Available Chlorine (FAC) Concentration in Postharvest Water[Read More]


The summer field day of the Indiana Horticultural Society will be held July 9 at Chandler Orchard in Fillmore, IN just west of Indianapolis. More detail about the farm is on their website: https://www.chandlersorchard.com We’ll have more information on the field day later but for now put the date on your calendar and plan to…Read more about Indiana Hort Society Field Day[Read More]


Once flowers open in the spring, we’re hoping for warmer weather so the bees will transfer pollen and for rapid pollen tube growth. As we all know, apples require cross pollination, so for example Golden Delicious pollen will not fertilize Golden Delicious flowers. We rely on bees and other insects to transfer pollen from one…Read more about Pollination – a refresher[Read More]


The earlier and warmer spring temperatures we have been seeing the last few years in Indiana are continuing this year. See Figure 1. What we see is that for each year in the past 15 years temperatures have warmed up earlier than the long term average. Luckily only one year over this period was extremely…Read more about Indiana spring temperatures[Read More]


The 2023-2024 Midwest Fruit Pest Management Guide is still up-to-date with the addition of an addendum which can be found on the last pages of the pdf available for download below.  The addendum lists important updates to pesticide labels, pesticide trade names, and crop uses for small fruit and tree fruit. Download here: https://edustore.purdue.edu/id-465-w.html Download…Read more about 2025 Midwest Fruit Pest Management Guide Update[Read More]


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