It is time to renew your Indiana Vegetable Growers Association (IVGA) membership for 2020. Please use the form attached to this newsletter or download from ivga.org/renewal.pdf and send in with your membership dues. About IVGA IVGA was established in the early 1900’s to be the Voice for Vegetable Growers in Indiana and is dedicated to…Read more about Indiana Vegetable Grower Membership Renewal[Read More]
The 2019/2020 winter has not been very white so far, and as we move further into February, it is not looking like any snowfall records will be broken. Starting October 1, 2019, most of the state is 50-75 percent of normal through February 18, 2020. This translates to as much as 10 inches of snow…Read more about Rain has Dominated Snow this Winter Created Saturated Soils Across Indiana[Read More]
This article introduces a new soil test for high tunnel growers. Why is there a need for a new soil test for high tunnel production? Soil tests are valuable tools helping growers decide how much fertilizers and/or other soil amendments to apply for growing a specific vegetable crop. It also helps growers to detect soil…Read more about A New Soil Test for High Tunnel Growers[Read More]
Warm-season vegetables like tomato, cucumber, pepper etc. often receive premium prices if they were sold at farmers’ markets earlier in the season. The same happens on summer squash, with the different fruit shape and color, summer squash provides a great diversity to the market. High tunnels that are planted with warm-season vegetables are often closed…Read more about Summer Squash Cultivar Selection for High Tunnel Production[Read More]
Recent studies have suggested that on-farm food safety practices can have unexpected economic and ecological impacts. Despite the potential for negative consequences, limited data is available on the costs and benefits of implementing specific practices. Co-managing farms for food safety and sustainability is further complicated because farms are linked to adjacent environments so that management…Read more about New Survey to Shed Light on Trade-offs Between Food Safety and Conservation Practices on Produce Farms in the Eastern United States[Read More]
Vegetable growers in Northwest Indiana may want to take advantage of a March 17 Specialty Crop Irrigation Meeting in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Presenters Phil Ausra, Trickl-Eez Irrigation Inc., Dr. Younsuk Dong, MSU Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Irrigation, and Lyndon Kelley, MSU Extension/Purdue Extension Irrigation Educator will cover irrigation scheduling, irrigation design process, and…Read more about Specialty Crop Irrigation Meeting[Read More]
Southwest Indiana Melon and Vegetable Growers annual meeting will be held in French Lick, IN on March 13, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. Participants will learn from Purdue extension specialists about the newly searchable Midwest Vegetable Production Guide; new updates on food safety; watermelon grafting; impacts of pesticide use on pollinator health; weed management; lessons…Read more about Southwest Indiana Melon and Vegetable Growers Annual Meeting[Read More]
Thanks to the support from NC-SARE, we are going to continue the study of evaluating grafted cucumbers for early season production in greenhouses and high tunnels by collaborating with farmers in 2020. You can find our 2019 on-farm trials’ summary here: https://ag.purdue.edu/arge/swpap/Documents/Summary%20of%202019%20On-farm%20Grafted%20Cucumber%20Trials.pdf. The same as in previous years, we are going to supply grafted and…Read more about Call for Growers’ Participation of Grafted Cucumber Research[Read More]
Agricultural producers face a plethora of wildlife issues on the farm, from biosecurity in animal agriculture to food safety requirements for fresh produce farmers. Many wildlife species have social or economic value and may be regulated or protected, constraining timely mitigation strategies. Additionally, research and science-based management recommendations to help farmers address wildlife on the…Read more about Survey for Wildlife Damage[Read More]
The fungus Rhizoctonia can be a nuisance to many vegetable growers. Readers may recognize this unusual name as a cause of many diseases such as damping off and root rot in many different crops. This article is about Rhizoctonia as the cause of wirestem in broccoli. Rhizoctonia may affect several brassica crops such as broccoli,…Read more about Wirestem of Broccoli[Read More]
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