Welcome to the Vegetable Crops Hotline (VCH), Purdue Extension’s exclusive newsletter for people in the business of growing vegetables. As things might change from year to year, so did the newsletter editorship. In December 2023, Wenjing Guan handed the role over to Petrus Langenhoven. “Wenjing, I think I am safe to say that on behalf[Read More…]
Farms and agribusinesses are not immune to a variety of shocks and business disruptions that can occur. In fact, it could be argued that farms and agribusinesses are more vulnerable than many other small businesses. If you and or your spouse were to develop a life-threatening illness tomorrow, would your farm business be at risk[Read More…]
“My guess is that almost all are still using a dashboard notebook of some sort in combination, of course, with the farm management information system,” says Dennis Buckmaster, Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at Purdue as well as a Dean’s Fellow for Digital Agriculture, “but some of those records that were handwritten or in[Read More…]
Grafted tomatoes show advantages, particularly for high tunnel production. A Purdue extension publication, Techniques for Tomato Grafting, and the video provide a step-by-step guideline for small growers to explore this technique. I am often asked. When should I start to plant the seeds to produce grafted plants? The chart below shows a general timeline and materials needed to produce[Read More…]
What is Optogen®? The active ingredient in Optogen® (Figure 1) is bicyclopyrone. Corn growers may recognize bicyclopyrone as one of the four ingredients in Acuron® herbicide. Bicyclopyrone is a Group 27 herbicide with pre- and post-emergence activity on select weed species. Group 27 herbicides inhibit an enzyme known as “HPPD”, resulting in an inhibition of[Read More…]
There are many traps available to help with monitoring insect populations. As you prepare for the 2023 growing season, I would like to review some of them in case you want to implement trapping on your own farm to help improve your pest management programs. Trap Design. Traps come in a variety of shapes, sizes,[Read More…]
Are you still thinking about varieties for the upcoming season? Purdue has been keeping a record of vegetable variety trials in the Midwest since 1999. The Midwest Vegetable Trial Report series includes reports of applied research relevant to vegetable and melon production in the Midwest. Here are some abstracts of the most recent reports. Visit[Read More…]
A common approach in winter production is to allow crops to reach maturity or harvestable size by the end of November. High tunnels are then used as a ‘living refrigerator’ from December to around the middle of February. Crops are harvested as needed in the darkest and coldest periods. This approach, however, did not work[Read More…]
The Cooperative Extension Service is one of the nation’s largest scientific research-based information and education providers. It’s a network of colleges, universities, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, serving communities and counties across America. Purdue Extension is a service tailored to meet the needs of Indiana, needs we know firsthand. Our educators, specialists, and volunteers[Read More…]
There are two important notices that you need to be aware of. Revisions to Indiana Pesticide Regulations – January 5, 2023 As you may already be aware, Indiana has recently made several changes to the state pesticide regulations. The Office of the Indiana State Chemist (OISC) and the Indiana Pesticide Review Board (IPRB) have been[Read More…]
It is the policy of the Purdue University that all persons have equal opportunity and access to its educational programs, services, activities, and facilities without regard to race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, disability or status as a veteran. Purdue is an Affirmative Action Institution. 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.