We invite you to join us for our 8th Annual Hop Conference scheduled for Saturday, February 25, 2017. It will be held at the Sheraton Burlington Hotel in Burlington, VT, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. View our Conference flyer for details. This year’s conference will include both advanced and beginning sessions as well as hearing …
Continue reading “Mark Your Calendar: 8th Annual Hop Conference, February 25, 2017”
It’s almost harvest time, folks! With such a hot, dry year, be prepared for some varieties to be ready earlier than usual. Remember to check the labels on any pesticides you are using to allow the appropriate window between the last pesticide application and harvest. Have you seen our fact sheet on determining when hops …
WHAT: UVM Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Field Day WHEN: Thursday, July 28, 2016 TIME: 10 am to 3:30 pm WHERE: Borderview Farm, 146 Line Road, Alburgh, VT If you haven’t had a chance to sign up for our Annual Crops & Soils Field Day, register today, as it is just around the corner. Our …
Continue reading “See Hops at Upcoming Annual Field Day, July 28”
As we are approaching the hottest time of year, with temperatures projected for the 90’s midweek, it is a great time to remind you to be on the lookout for two spotted spider mites. These tiny cousins of spiders also produce webbing, though spider mites use it to protect themselves (from the elements, natural enemies …
Continue reading “Summertime and the Living is Easy…Especially if You’re a Two Spotted Spider Mite”
As we’ve transitioned from spring to the official start of summer on June 21, our hops have been going through all sorts of physiological changes. Technically speaking, hop plants go through a number of growth phases throughout the year, called “phenophases.” Back in 1995, German researcher Rossbauer and colleagues published an article, outlining specific phenological …
Continue reading “Hop Plant Growth Phases from Spring to Summer”
The three major pests of Northeastern hopyards—potato leafhoppers, two-spotted spider mites and hop aphids—can cause significant economic losses. For that reason, we keep a close eye on their populations in our research yard by scouting weekly. From time to time, other pests pop up in our hopyard, but because they don’t seem to affect yields, …
It is leafhopper season again and those pesky insects have been spotted at our research hopyard at Borderview Research Farm, in Alburgh, Vermont. This is a great time to start scouting for insects as well as for disease to ensure proper management of all hop pests. So far, this season has not been conducive for …
Things are now in full swing at our hop yard at the Borderview Research Farm! Last week, we sprayed Avenger, an organic herbicide (OMRI listed), to set back the weeds in preparation for mulch application. We will go back through and hand weed up close to the plants before applying the mulch near the end …
Our hop bines have finally made an appearance and we are now gearing up for training. Hops in the Northeast should be trained as early as possible. Keep in mind that it takes about 30 days after crowning for plants to be ready to train, so if you haven’t crowned by now, skip it! In …
Working closely with farmers, UVM Extension agricultural engineer Chris Callahan, UVM engineering students, and Heather Darby and the staff at the NWCS program have developed prototypes for small-scale hop-related equipment. The info for this equipment had been posted on a wiki site which was giving us (and many of you) some trouble. So, we’ve created …