The latest Census of Agriculture reported that 244,974 U.S. farmers utilized more than 14 million acres to grow specialty crops in 2012. In Indiana 2,935 farmers grew specialty crops on 63,252 acres. Indiana’s specialty crop industry includes operations that grow fruit and vegetable, tree nut, dried fruit, horticulture, floriculture, and nursery crops. Specialty crops include…Read more about Is My Farm Profitable? The Drivers of Farm Profitability[Read More]
Found 1707 Articles
Developing and mixing your nutrient solution is one of several very important steps in the production process. Mistakes are easily made when fertilizers are mixed. Not only does this have a cost implication, but also it can have severe consequences on production and therefore revenue. In the previous article Taking Care of Plant Nutrition in…Read more about Taking Care of Plant Nutrition in Your High Tunnel – Fertilizer and Nutrient Solution Mixing Tips[Read More]
Populations of the overwintering generation of striped cucumber beetles are just about at their peak levels right now (Figure 1.). For muskmelons and cucumbers, this generation is the one that we worry the most about in terms of transmitting the pathogen that causes bacterial wilt. As a result, our spray threshold is relatively low, 1…Read more about Striped Cucumber Beetles[Read More]
Tomatoes growing in high tunnels are in the middle of or close to harvest. Developing and maturing fruit are under leaf canopies. On the top of the plants, many flowers are still blooming. These flowers will contribute to the second big harvest. Although tomatoes in June are most valuable, we certainly appreciate big, red and…Read more about Add Shade to High Tunnels[Read More]
White mold has a large host range including tomatoes (where it may be referred to as timber rot), cucumbers, lettuce and snap beans as well as many more. In this article, I will concentrate on white mold on tomatoes in a greenhouse situation. Although white mold will occur in a field situation, this disease is…Read more about White Mold of Vegetables[Read More]
Managing domestic animals in a direct market venue can be very challenging. While best practice is to exclude domestic animals from production and packing areas, produce may be exposed to domestic animals at the point of sale if selling at a produce auction or farmers market. When selling through a direct market venue, growers should…Read more about Service and Companion Animals at Direct-Market Venues[Read More]
Horticultural Business Webinar The webinar featuring Advanced Influence and Sales Strategies will be held on June 20, 2017, 11:00 am-12:00 pm EDT. For more information: https://ag.purdue.edu/hla/Extension/nle/Pages/Horticultural-Business-and-Marketing-Symposium.aspx. To register: https://purdue.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bae0QfPySyoUt0x Indiana Fruit & Vegetable Field Tour The tour will be held at Tuttle Orchards, 5717 North 300 West Greenfield IN 46140, June 28, 9:00 am -4:00 pm. On-site registration…Read more about Upcoming Events[Read More]
Every grower will have to do some basic calculations when mixing a nutrient solution. Understanding some of the calculations will help you to apply the correct concentration of a nutrient or determine the concentrations of a combination of nutrients applied. In the previous article Taking Care of Plant Nutrition in Your High Tunnel-Water Hardness and…Read more about Taking Care of Plant Nutrition in Your High Tunnel – Water Soluble Fertilizer Calculations[Read More]
It is essential, especially in hydroponics to start with a laboratory analysis of your source water. It is also important to do follow-up analysis throughout the year. Water quality can change especially where the water source is a well or a pond. In the article Taking Care of Plant Nutrition in Your High Tunnel-Water Alkalinity (Issue…Read more about Taking Care of Plant Nutrition in Your High Tunnel – Water Hardness and the Removal of Unwanted Ions[Read More]
Southwest Purdue Ag Center Field Day Southwest Purdue Ag Center Field Day will be held on June 29, 2017 at Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center, Vincennes, IN. The field day provides two choices of tours: Horticultural Crop Production and Agronomic Crop Production. The Horticultural Crop Production tour will feature Organic Tomato Production, High Tunnel Vegetable Production,…Read more about Upcoming Events[Read More]
Purdue University prohibits discrimination against any member of the University community on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, genetic information, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, or status as a veteran. This material may be available in alternative formats. 1-888-EXT-INFO Disclaimer: Reference to products in this publication is not intended to be an endorsement to the exclusion of others which may have similar uses. Any person using products listed in this publication assumes full responsibility for their use in accordance with current directions of the manufacturer.