Crop Management

USDA announces $5.2 million for nanotechnology research

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced an investment of more than $5.2 million to support nanotechnology research at 11 universities. The universities will research ways nanotechnology can be used to improve food safety, enhance renewable fuels,... more »

West Michigan degree days ahead of schedule

Degree day totals for the general west Michigan area jumped ahead of the normal average at the beginning of March, but have slowed recently, according to Amy Irish-Brown, Extension educator with Michigan State University. Irish-Brown... more »

Riveridge adds asparagus to produce offering

Riveridge Produce Marketing announced it will market and sell Michigan asparagus. Asparagus, like apples, is a crop that does very well in Michigan thanks to the climate provided in part by the proximity to Lake Michigan,... more »

Climate change may redraw map of where cold-sensitive crops grow

Oregon almonds and Louisiana oranges? It could be if future projections in hardiness zones come to fruition. A new study by University of Idaho (UI) researchers uses climate models to assess how the coldest temperature recorded... more »

Ground-nesting bees on farms grow smaller

According to a recent study, the size of a common ground-nesting bee — an important crop pollinator — has grown smaller in heavily farmed landscapes. The link between intensive agriculture and the size of Andrena nasonii... more »

CDFA expands fertilization guidelines for irrigated agriculture

The California Fertilization Guidelines on the Fertilizer Education and Research (FREP) website have been expanded to include recommendations for 18 crops, representing more than half of the irrigated agriculture in California. The recent additional recommendations... more »

Penn State announces scab period through March 17

Due to the presence of green tip on early varieties of apples combined with rain the last several days plus forecasted for the next two, we are in our first apple scab infection period for... more »

Alabama peach growers hope for cooler weather

Sunny, mild days with highs in the 60s and 70s are the last thing Alabama’s peach growers want. A peach expert with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System says growers would prefer cooler weather until bloom... more »