Equipment
Crop damage: Northern Michigan orchards are ‘devastated’
On Aug. 2 a storm swept through Northern Michigan leaving fruit crops “devastated.” Large hail and damaging winds have been reported throughout the area.Apple, grape and tart cherry crops were left in shambles — a... more »
The Future of Farming: Over-the-row cherry harvester
Farmers have the same goal: harvest the highest quality fruit in the most efficient way. When it comes to cherries, it’s not the easiest task, but the way the fruit is picked continues to evolve.Don... more »
BREAKING: Northwest Michigan assesses storm impact
Agricultural businesses were busy assessing storm damage Aug. 3 to orchards and packinghouses following strong thunderstorms overnight in the Grand Traverse region of northwestern Michigan.Tom Berg, director of marketing for the Shoreline Fruit cooperative of... more »
ReTain Plant Growth Regulator now registered with double application
Valent U.S.A. Corporation announced today that ReTain Plant Growth Regulator has been registered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with a new label use that allows pome fruit growers to make a second ReTain application... more »
Ground truthing technology utilizes sensors to determine crop trends
Agriculture today has transformed into a high-tech enterprise that most 20th century farmers might barely recognize. Alex Thomasson, professor of biological and agricultural engineering at Texas A&M University, said it was only 100 years ago... more »
Fruit Crop Guesstimate shows winter’s impact
Coming off back-to-back winters that challenged Michigan growers, industry leaders gathered June 24 to guess the size of 2015’s fruit crops. “We’ve experienced two harsh winters in a row and we’re also continuing to experience... more »
Marketing order approval could boost cranberry promotion
In light of considerable market turmoil in the U.S. cranberry industry in recent years, Michelle Hogan was a bit surprised when growers recently approved the continuance of the industry’s federal marketing order. Hogan, newly appointed... more »
Jolene Brown to keynote farm marketing program at Great Lakes EXPO
Jolene Brown will make the keynote presentation for the farm marketing program at the 2015 Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market EXPO, to be held Dec. 8-10 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.Brown is a farmer,... more »
Commentary: Rules govern union access to farms for ‘heat sweeps’
The United Farm Workers labor union has recently engaged in a flurry of activity. UFW public communications call these actions "heat sweeps during harvest,"meaning they may continue throughout the summer and fall. Key to this... more »
Tart cherry over the row harvest
Michigan State University Extension is inviting members of the northern tart cherry industry and affiliates to view a harvesting of tart cherries planted in a high density block research trial at the Northwest Michigan Horticulture... more »