On-farm research is a great tool for conducting agricultural studies under “real world” conditions. It is also a great way to engage farmers in the design, implementation, and interpretation of research. However, the success of on-farm studies depends on good communication with farm hosts. Here are some recommendations to achieve that. Initial contact should clearly …
Continue reading “Facilitating Positive Relationships with Farmers for On-Farm Research”
The use of plastics — to cover greenhouses and high tunnels, as row covers, and for soil mulches – has resulted in a horticultural revolution of sorts. Largely unheard of just two generations ago, it’s almost impossible now to find a farm that grows horticultural products without plastic. Taken together, the use of agricultural plastics …
Effective mechanical weed control requires compatibility among the crop, the soil, seedbed preparation technique and cultivation equipment. As you plant, so shall you cultivate: use row spacings that will accommodate your equipment with a minimum of adjustment. Cultivating in a timely fashion is important, but that can be a challenge because of weather or other …
Continue reading “Cultivation Equipment for Weed Control: Pros, Cons, and Sources”
Soil is at root of good crop production, but all too often, as the saying goes, it “can’t get no respect.” As vegetable growers, we push it around, drive all over it, leave it exposed to the elements, and feed it junk food. In other words, we treat it like dirt. Good soil deserves better. …
Potatoes are a pretty easy vegetable crop to grow, but they aren’t the easiest to grow using organic methods. That’s because they are prone to quite a few insect pests and diseases that can be a challenge to manage organically. They also require relatively high levels of available nutrients in order to obtain good yields. …
Soil organic matter makes up only a few percent of most soils, but it has a great deal of influence on soil properties, and in turn, agricultural productivity. What does it do? The list of soil properties affected by soil organic matter is long. It includes: aggregate stability (how well tiny clumps of soil hold together, …
Continue reading “Soil Organic Matter: The Living, the Dead, and the Very Dead”
Interseeding, or sowing cover crop into a standing cash crop, is a way get a jump on the traditional winter cover crop season. This can lead to an increase in cover crop biomass production, and presumably, better erosion control and soil organic matter enhancement. Earlier establishment also increases your choices of cover crops compared to …
Sweet corn is an important crop for many diversified vegetable farms. Not only does farm-fresh corn attract consumers, but corn is useful as a rotation crop, too, because it hosts few insects and diseases that affect other vegetables. Weeds, well that’s another matter. Sweet corn fields can get quite weedy, especially if timely cultivation is …
Growing high quality transplants helps get vegetable crops off to a strong start in the field, and it’s essential to customer satisfaction if you are selling transplants. At the recent New England Vegetable and Fruit conference I picked up many of the following tips on transplant production from presentations by Jan van der Heide of …
This 49-minute educational video features 14 farmers from 8 farms in the Northeast describing their marketing practices for fresh produce. The farmers explain their approaches to the use of: roadside stand, farmers’ market, large-scale Community Supported Agriculture, multiple markets, internet sales, pick-your-own, restaurant sales, and a wholesale marketing cooperative.
