The recent passage of Indiana Senate Bill 28, along with provisions from the original Indiana water rights legislation, may raise concerns for landowners who utilize groundwater resources. If you have significant water usage due to irrigation or other agricultural activities, being prepared for challenges from your neighbors and community may help ensure that you can…Read more about Are You Ready for Challenges to Your Irrigation Water Use?[Read More]
Vegetable Crops - General
Dear Valued VCH Readers, Welcome to this week’s edition of the Vegetable Crops Hotline! As we approach the final chapter of Indiana’s vegetable growing season, this marks our penultimate newsletter issue for the year. While the calendar suggests we should be settling into typical late-season conditions, the 10-day forecast tells a different story—temperatures are trending…Read more about From The Editor’s Desk[Read More]
Common names: common waterhemp, tall waterhemp Latin name: Amaranthus tuberculatus Family: Amaranthaceae (pigweed family) General description and identification Waterhemp is an upright, tall, summer annual herbaceous plant. It is native to the United States and has historically been found in waterways and floodplains. Today, waterhemp is often found in disturbed habitats, such as agricultural fields….Read more about Weed Spotlight: Waterhemp[Read More]
If you have any stakes in agriculture, you may have noticed a fairly rapid drying trend as summer has come to a close. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor on September 2, 76 percent of Indiana is considered abnormally dry—up from just 26 percent one week earlier. Moderate drought conditions have also expanded from less…Read more about Abnormally Dry and Drought Conditions Are On The Rise[Read More]
Small and medium-sized vegetable farms face unique challenges balancing profitability with sustainable production practices and food safety requirements. To better understand how these farmers navigate complex decision-making processes, the Soil to Market Team—comprising Maria Marshall, Renee Wiatt, Petrus Langenhoven, Betty Feng, and Nathan Shoaf—conducted a comprehensive survey of 500 small and medium-sized farmers across the…Read more about Understanding Farm Decision-Making: Insights from the 2024-2025 Producer Survey[Read More]
Dear Valued VCH Readers, Welcome to this week’s edition of the Vegetable Crops Hotline! As we move deeper into September, two critical factors are shaping Indiana’s agricultural landscape: the rapid onset of drought conditions and the approaching pumpkin harvest season. The U.S. Drought Monitor reveals a dramatic shift in our state’s moisture status—from just 26%…Read more about From The Editor’s Desk[Read More]
Keeping produce safe and meeting buyers’ and regulatory expectations starts with strong cleaning and sanitation practices. Farms that implement proper procedures not only protect public health but also improve efficiency and build trust with customers. To help growers and farm workers strengthen these skills, we invite you to join us on September 8th from 1:00…Read more about Cleaning and Sanitation Workshop[Read More]
With brute and sudden force, the atmosphere is doing its job: acting like a fluid. Weather is not a precise science, which means the atmosphere is constantly shifting. There tends to be some sort of pattern shift come mid-late August, and it looks like it’s just about here. Temperatures are on their way down, as…Read more about Super cool & super dry for August’s end: How the weather tables have turned[Read More]
Dear Valued VCH Readers, Welcome to this week’s edition of the Vegetable Crops Hotline! What a difference a few days can make! After weeks of hot, humid weather that kept us busy managing disease pressure, we’re looking at a dramatic atmospheric shift that will bring much cooler temperatures to close out August. The National Weather…Read more about From The Editor’s Desk[Read More]