If a buyer has asked you to get a third-party food safety audit, a new resource from Safe Produce Indiana can help you prepare. The four-part video series explains the USDA Harmonized GAP third-party audit step by step, using a real Indiana farm as the example. Check with your buyer first Third-party audits are voluntary,…Read more about New Video Series Walks Growers Through the USDA Harmonized GAP Audit[Read More]
Vegetable Crops - General
Wednesday, January 27, 2027, from 4:30-5:15 p.m. ET The Indiana Horticulture and Small Farm Conference runs from January 26-28, 2027, at the Hendricks County Fairgrounds. Share your project, research, program, innovation, or farming practice through a poster presentation. We welcome formal research and practical experiences that offer insights, spark discussion, and inspire others. The…Read more about Indiana Horticulture and Small Farm Conference 2027 – Poster Session[Read More]
TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2027 The Indiana Horticulture and Small Farm Conference runs from January 26-28, 2027, at the Hendricks County Fairgrounds. Think you make the best cider in Indiana? Bring it to the conference and find out! This year, our annual contest has expanded beyond cider to include other farm-derived products, so growers and producers…Read more about Indiana Horticulture and Small Farm Conference 2027 – Cider and Artisanal Product Contest[Read More]
What’s Inside This Issue As the growing season winds down, this issue covers both wrapping up this year and getting ready for next year. High tunnel growers will find two timely reads. Summer heat inside a tunnel can work against the beneficial insects you rely on, and soil-dwelling nematodes may offer a better fit for…Read more about From The Editor’s Desk[Read More]
Are you preparing your agribusiness for its next stage of growth? Finding the right capital is often one of the biggest hurdles to growth. A free virtual workshop later this month can help you sort through your options. The Indiana Small Business Development Center (ISBDC), in partnership with Purdue University’s Center for Regional Development and…Read more about Free Webinar: Financing Your Farm, Food & Agribusiness – October 28[Read More]
Temperature regulation is a cornerstone of protected agriculture production. High tunnels trap infrared rays from the sun, keeping temperatures sufficiently warm for production year-round. However, on hot, sunny, summer days, this very function can work against crops by disrupting the pest control services provided by natural enemies. Insect predators and parasitoids tend to be more…Read more about Too Hot to Handle? Entomopathogenic Nematodes for High Tunnel Biological Control[Read More]
Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training The Safe Produce Indiana team will host an in-person Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) Grower Training in January, the day prior to the Indiana Horticulture and Small Farms Conference. The program will be held on Monday, January 25, 2027, at the Hendricks County Fairgrounds. The cost of attendance is $10 and…Read more about Upcoming Produce Food Safety Programming Offered by Safe Produce Indiana[Read More]
A potentially historic El Niño is developing in the tropical Pacific as we head toward winter 2026–27. You may have heard the term “super El Niño” used to describe it. NOAA’s October 8 outlook gives a combined 97 percent chance of a strong or very strong El Niño during winter (December–February). These strength categories are…Read more about A Look Back at Strong and Very Strong El Niño Winters in Indiana[Read More]
Weed management can succeed or fail based on a number of factors. In the last issue of Vegetable Crops Hotline, we began assessing weed control and the effects of rainfall and soil moisture on weed management. In this article, we’ll take a deeper look into herbicide resistance and tolerance. Herbicide tolerance is the inherent ability…Read more about Take a Moment to Assess Your 2026 Weed Control – Part 2 – Resistance and Tolerance[Read More]
Dear Valued Vegetable Crops Hotline Readers, Welcome to issue 779 of the Vegetable Crops Hotline newsletter! Our mission remains steadfast: to deliver crucial updates on pest management, production practices, food safety, and marketing opportunities that directly impact your farming operations. What’s Inside This Issue Fall is here, and on many Indiana farms the season is…Read more about From The Editor’s Desk[Read More]