Dear Valued VCH Readers,
Welcome to this week’s edition of the Vegetable Crops Hotline!
As hot and humid conditions persist across Indiana with heat indices soaring above 100°F this week, relief is on the horizon with cooler temperatures expected during the first week of August. While we navigate these challenging conditions, several critical issues demand immediate attention from vegetable growers.
Disease alerts are particularly urgent this week as cucurbit downy mildew has been confirmed in surrounding states—southwest Kentucky, northern Ohio, and Michigan—making early detection and scouting essential for Indiana growers. High tunnel tomato producers should also be vigilant for tomato pinworm, a small but potentially devastating pest that has become widespread in Indiana tunnel production and can cause significant crop failure.
This issue provides practical guidance for water management during these stressful conditions, highlighting how simple rain gauges can be your best low-cost tool for irrigation decisions and offering strategies for applying water at the right time and in the right amount. We also share insights from our latest Soil to Market research, which examines succession planning, family involvement, and business success across various farm types and sizes.
With insect trapping updates showing continued activity and the ongoing challenge of managing crops under heat stress, this week’s content focuses on the immediate, actionable information you need to protect your crops and optimize your resources during these demanding summer conditions.
New USDA Economic Research Service Report Examines Economics of Soil Health Practices
The USDA Economic Research Service recently released (6/25/2025) a comprehensive analysis of the economic outcomes of soil health and conservation practices on U.S. cropland. The June 2025 report reveals that while reducing tillage intensity can lower input costs, the profitability of practices like cover cropping often depends on financial assistance and varies significantly over time. Key findings indicate that the adoption of conservation tillage continues to grow, although cover crop persistence remains a challenge—less than half of the operations that used cover crops in one census period continued the practice in the next. Notably, farms combining no-till/strip-till with cover crops demonstrated greater technical efficiency than those using either practice alone. The report emphasizes that successful adoption depends on integrating multiple conservation practices within complete management systems rather than implementing individual practices in isolation. This report can provide valuable insights for vegetable growers considering soil health investments and highlights the importance of long-term planning and a comprehensive approach to adopting conservation practices.
The full report is available at https://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-details?pubid=112840
Growers and Purdue Extension Educators
Your input and expertise make this newsletter a truly useful resource. If you have hot topics you’d like us to cover, success stories to share, or questions for our Extension specialists, please get in touch with us at plangenh@purdue.edu or contact the specialist directly. We also welcome high-quality photos of pest issues, unusual symptoms, or innovative production practices you’ve implemented on your farm.
Website Links in Newsletter Articles
We frequently include links to websites or online publications. If you are unable to access these resources, please don’t hesitate to contact your local Purdue Extension office or us to request a hard copy of the information.
Midwest Vegetable Production Guide
The 2025 Midwest Vegetable Production guide is now available for growers to visit online at mwveguide.org, or you can download and print a guide from your computer at mwveguide.org/guide. The guide can also be purchased for $15 per copy. Contact your Extension Office or Stephen Meyers (slmeyeres@purdue.edu) directly to buy a copy.
Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports
Are you still considering purchasing vegetable seeds? The Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports feature many articles to help you make an informed decision. The resource also hosts research results related to production.
Best regards,
Petrus Langenhoven
Clinical Assistant Professor and Vegetable Extension Specialist
Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
Purdue University