Dear Valued Vegetable Crops Hotline Readers,
Welcome to issue 772 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.
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 email Petrus langenhoven or reach out to the specialist directly. We also welcome high-quality photos of pest issues, unusual symptoms, or innovative production practices you’ve implemented on your farm.
What’s Inside This Issue
With the season in full swing, this issue is packed with timely news and practical guidance.
Mark your calendars for the Summer Field Tour – Fruits and Vegetables on July 9 at Garwood Orchards in LaPorte. This sixth-generation family operation farms over 600 acres of intensively managed fruits and vegetables, and the tour, free and open to all, offers a rare look at one of the Midwest’s premier operations. Vendors are also invited to exhibit; details inside. Looking further ahead, planning is underway for the 2027 Indiana Horticulture and Small Farm Conference (January 26–28 in Danville), and the planning committee wants your input on topics and speakers—surveys close at the end of June.
On the regulatory front, Stephen Meyers untangles the status of Rely® 280 herbicide, which is no longer in production. He explains what growers can do with existing stocks and what alternatives may be coming for cucurbits and fruiting vegetables.
Strawberry growers will find two in-depth articles from Wenjing Guan: one weighing plugs versus bare-root plants for establishing plasticulture plantings, and another on the practical considerations of harvesting runner tips to produce plugs on-farm. The cut flower team also shares mid-season observations on Dianthus and Centaurea from demonstration sites across the state.
Elsewhere in this issue, you’ll find an invitation to participate in focus groups on food traceability practices, important updates on Entomology Extension services for the summer, a survey from The Land Connection on a new food safety decision-making tool, and Beth Hall’s look at whether cooler, drier conditions lie ahead after a very wet stretch.
Subscription Information
Hard Copy Subscribers
If you need a hard-copy subscription form and don’t have internet access, please contact your nearest Purdue Extension office. Extension Educators, please download the hard-copy subscription form.
Digital Subscribers
If you receive the newsletter via email, you do not need to take any action. You will continue to receive the newsletter on the issue date.
New digital subscribers can now register their email address
In addition, digital subscribers receive emails with information about articles or announcements that need your immediate attention. These articles will be posted under Hot Topics on the VCH webpage and will be included in the next issue. All previous articles published in the VCH newsletter are available on the Vegetable Crops Hotline website.
Website Links in Newsletter Articles
We frequently include links to websites or online publications. If you can’t access these resources, 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 2026 Midwest Vegetable Production Guide is now available for growers, or you can download and print a guide from your computer. The guide is also available for $20 per copy. Contact your Extension Office or Stephen Meyers directly to buy a copy.
Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports
Are you still considering purchasing vegetable seeds? The Midwest Vegetable Trial Report features many articles to help you make an informed decision. The resource also hosts production-related research results.
As always, thank you for reading, and happy growing!
Petrus Langenhoven, Editor
Clinical Assistant Professor and Vegetable Extension Specialist
Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
Purdue University