Peaches
Acreage down, trees up for Michigan fruit growers
According to a census of apple varieties and acreage conducted by the Michigan office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, total acreage for Michigan has decreased since 2000, when the total was 47,500. In 2011,... more »
Consumers in the East want local berries
The buy-local movement is still boosting berry sales, especially for growers in the East. And despite all the growth in farm market, farmers’ market and CSA sales, there’s still room for more, according to sources.... more »
Fungicide expands label to fruit
Cheminova has announced additional crop registrations for TOPGUARD, a broad-spectrum triazole fungicide.TOPGUARD fungicide’s row crop registration has been expanded to include field corn, field corn grown for seed, popcorn, sugar beets and peanuts, in addition... more »
‘Extraordinary’ fruit crop loss hits farmers, migrant workers where it hurts
Farmers and fruit growers in West Michigan are concerned about the small crop coming up in the fall and the impact these dismal numbers will have when it comes to migrant workers, packagers and an... more »
Study finds organic food is no better on vitamins, nutrients
Patient after patient asked: Is eating organic food, which costs more, really better for me?Unsure, Stanford University doctors dug through reams of research to find out -- and concluded there's little evidence that going organic... more »
New tree fruit that is hybrid of peach, apricot and plum catching on in Calif.
According to an article in the Fresno Bee, a California grower/breeder is selling a new variety of tree fruit that's a hybrid of peach, apricot and plum at farmers' markets. The peacotum has been around... more »
Growers make the best of a bad year
Hilda Biersdorfer uses an analogy to describe what the growing season of 2012 has been like for herself and her family – fifth-generation fruit growers with 121 acres in Guilford, Ind. First came devastating spring... more »
Drought the latest worry for Midwest growers
With headlines dominated by early warmth and spring freezes, growers across parts of the Midwest have yet another concern: Precipitation – or the lack thereof. On July 5, the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) in... more »
Perpendicular V works for Ohio peach orchard
Ohio is a tough place to grow fruit, but a great place to sell it. So said Rich Eshleman, owner of Eshleman Fruit Farm in Clyde, Ohio. The “tough” part comes from Ohio’s large population.... more »
Farm markets scrambling to replace fruit
When the big freeze hit in late April, some farm marketers knew right away this would be a year unlike any they’ve experienced. For others, it took a while for reality to sink in, said... more »