Crop Management

Farmers learn social media to reach out to consumers

It wasn't discussions of sustainability, irrigation techniques or cattle breeds that had dozens of farmers busily scribbling notes in Davis on Saturday. The Sacramento BeeTo read more, click here. more »

Alliance prepares the way for FDA produce safety rule

A public-private organization will provide produce growers and packagers with fundamental, on-farm food safety knowledge in advance of a proposed produce safety regulation, according to FDA, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and Cornell University.According to... more »

SWD found in Michigan; team planning a response

The Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD), a pest of Asian origin that is already established in many of the main fruit-producing regions of the United States, has been found in Michigan, according to Michigan State University.... more »

Saskatoons an opportunity for Midwest growers

What do saskatoons and William Shatner have in common? They both originated in Canada. And like Shatner, saskatoons can be a very “enterprising” move for your farm. Will you boldly go where few growers have... more »

Bug raising a stink this year

On Sept. 22, nearly 14,000 people visited the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences’ website to learn about the brown marmorated stink bug. The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is relatively new to Pennsylvania and... more »

SWD found in Michigan

Wal-Mart to buy more local produce

Wal-Mart Stores announced a program on Thursday that would focus on sustainable agriculture among its suppliers, as the retail giant tries to expand its efforts to improve environmental efficiency among its suppliers. The New York... more »

Talkin’ Shop: Harvest

In this issue of Talkin' Shop we asked readers: What’s your harvest been like this year? This year was light to average for crop yield. Price was good – same as last year. No real... more »

What will apple industry look like a decade from now?

So, what will growing apples be like in the year 2020? Demand shouldn’t be a problem. Earth will contain 7.6 billion people by then; the United States 341 million. Lifestyles will continue to change. Obesity... more »

Reduction of overwintering inoculum in orchards with apple scab

George Sundin, Plant Pathology and Amy Irish-Brown, MSU Extension EducatorApple scab infection was prevalent this year, mostly due to three issues: (1) heavy inoculum carryover from 2009, which was a bad scab year; (2) large... more »