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New 5-7-2020: COVID-19 response plan template and FAQ for fruit and vegetable farms from UMN; Guidelines to Exercise Essential Status for a Farmers’ Market; SBA Covid19 disaster loans for Indiana small business What is new? (5-7-2020) COVID-19 response plan template and FAQ for fruit and vegetable farms from UMN. https://blog-fruit-vegetable-ipm.extension.umn.edu/2020/04/covid-19-response-plan-template-and-faq.html This template can help you plan…Read more about COVID-19 Resources for Vegetable Growers (5/7)[Read More]


Employment of youth under the age of 16 to work in agriculture is regulated by Federal Wage and Hour Laws. Youth ages 14 and 15, specifically, can perform certain farm tasks, not classified as hazardous, provided the work does not interfere with school (including completing online schooling) and appropriate wages are paid. Some tasks are recognized as particularly hazardous for youth and either cannot be performed by youth under the age of 16 at any time, or only after having first received special training.


Current stay-at-home orders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic mean more children are currently on farms or more regularly working them. A silver lining of farming families spending more time together is the opportunity to educate children about the farm workplace and establish a culture of safety.


New 4-23-2020: Safety for Farm Children During COVID-19 Stay-at-Home Orders; Be Careful When Employing Youth to Do Farm Work This Spring – Know the Laws  What is new? (4-23-2020) Safety for Farm Children During COVID-19 Stay-at-Home Orders https://extension.purdue.edu/INPREPared/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/COVID-and-Farm-children.docx Be Careful When Employing Youth to Do Farm Work This Spring – Know the Laws https://extension.purdue.edu/INPREPared/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Be-Careful-When-Employing-Youth-to-do-Farm-Work-–-Know-the-Laws1.docx Here…Read more about COVID-19 Resources for Vegetable Growers (4-23)[Read More]


At Southwest Purdue Agriculture Center in Vincennes, IN. We are conducting trials to evaluate annual plasticulture strawberry production systems. Here are the updates of strawberries from different production systems. In a high tunnel, harvest of fall-planted strawberries started in early April. Cultivars Sensation, Radiance, Ruby June were early cultivars; followed by Beauty, Fronteras. So far,…Read more about Annual Plasticulture Strawberry Update at Southwest Purdue Agriculture Center[Read More]


USDA is open for business. Our team is continuing to provide the best customer service we can while also prioritizing the health of our employees, the health of our customers, and the health of our partners. USDA’s Service Centers are open in Indiana by phone appointment only. While our program delivery staff will continue to…Read more about USDA Service Centers are Open for Business by Phone Appointment Only[Read More]




This winter-spring has been my first excursion into growing strawberries in a high tunnel. It didn’t take much for our own Wenjing Guan to convince me to plant some; who doesn’t love to eat fresh strawberries? We planted them back in October and I just peeked at them every couple of weeks throughout the winter,…Read more about Strawberry Observations from an Entomologist[Read More]


Spring is here and with it comes the emergence of weeds- especially problematic perennials like Canada thistle (Figure 1). Below is some information about Canada thistle and methods to manage it. Keep in mind two things: 1) many of these strategies will work for other perennial weeds, and 2) management of perennial weeds often requires…Read more about Canada thistle[Read More]


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