Midwest

Ag invention creator, Michigan farm operator Tennes dies

Bernard Robert Tennes, 81, of Charlotte, died peacefully surrounded by his family on Sunday morning, Aug. 25, 2019. The following statement was placed on the Country Mill's Facebook page: "For nearly 50 years, our farm... more »

Gavel passes to new USApple board chair

The U.S. Apple Association has named a new chair to lead its board of directors. Jeff Colombini, a third-generation California grower and tree fruit business owner, will serve the 2019-20 term. Colombini is president of... more »

Michigan apple growers expect average-sized harvest

The official crop estimate of 25.25 million bushels (1.06 billion pounds) of apples was announced today at the USApple Outlook meeting in Chicago. The 2019 crop estimate is on par with the average Michigan Apple... more »

Senators question USDA information technology

Two U.S. Senators – Michigan Democrats Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters – on Aug. 21 asked for an investigation into information technology changes at the USDA. Stabenow is the Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate... more »

Stress task force offering help to struggling Ohio farmers

The persistent spring rain created Ohio's worst planting year on record. So much is out of a farmer’s control. Weather. Commodity prices. A hike in international tariffs on American agricultural goods that has diminished demand... more »

Northwest Michigan reviews pre-harvest considerations, vineyard research update

The Northwest Michigan Horticulture Research Center’s research vineyard will be the site on Aug. 23, from 2-4 p.m. for a meeting on pre-harvest considerations and new developments for the center’s viticulture research and Extension. Specific topics... more »

Midwest farmland values reported down slightly in second quarter

AgLetter reports farmland values in the Seventh Federal Reserve District were down 1 percent in the second quarter of 2019 from a year earlier. Values for “good” agricultural land in the District were unchanged from... more »

Address American brown rot in sweet cherry orchard systems

American brown rot, Monilinia fructicola, caused significant economic damage in sweet cherry orchards in Michigan this season. While we spend time and effort every season discussing fungicide strategies, the difficult reality is that the American brown... more »