Midwest

New home for Wine & Viticulture Technology program opens in Michigan

The new Welch Center for Wine & Viticulture on the Benton Harbor, Michigan, Campus of Lake Michigan College (LMC) hosted a public grand opening and dedication ceremony on Aug. 27 The Welch Center is LMC’s... more »

Rotating cross-arm trellis lowers blackberry costs

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) horticulturist Fumiomi Takeda of the Appalachian Fruit Research Station in Kearneysville, West Virginia, developed arotating cross-arm (RCA) trellis and cane-training system for floricane-fruiting blackberry—blackberry plants that produce harvestable fruit after the... more »

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 »