Dear Valued VCH Readers, Welcome to this week’s edition of the Vegetable Crops Hotline! August continues to deliver on its promise as the month of plenty! Here at the Meigs Horticulture facility in Lafayette, we’re harvesting abundant crops of eggplant (Figure 1) and bok choy (Figure 2), with watermelon harvests just around the corner. Harvest…Read more about From The Editor’s Desk[Read More]
Corn Earworm https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/veg/cornearworm/ We are nearing the end of fresh silk on the dent corn population throughout much of the state. This means that for those of you who have late plantings of sweetcorn that have yet to silk, your threshold will drop back down to 1 moth per night on average to trigger an…Read more about Insect Trapping Updates[Read More]
Over the last few weeks, we have received multiple tomato samples at the Purdue Plant and Pest Diagnostic Lab with buckeye rot of the fruit. This is likely due to the recent wet and humid weather we have been experiencing. Buckeye rot is a disease caused by three different Phytophthora species: P. capsici, P. drechsleri,…Read more about Buckeye Rot of Tomato[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]
Press release originally published HERE WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Midwestern Regional Climate Center (MRCC), with support from the United Soybean Board, has launched the Ag Climate Dashboard — a centralized digital hub offering streamlined access to integrated climate and agricultural data and decision-support tools for producers, advisors and researchers in the Midwest. Designed to support on-farm decision-making, the Ag…Read more about New Ag Climate Dashboard Makes Climate Resources More Accessible for Midwest Farmers[Read More]
Food safety education is most effective when it is customized to meet the unique needs of its intended audience. A one-size fits all approach is not appropriate, especially when working with distinct populations such as military veteran farmers, whose shared experiences and backgrounds shape how they learn and engage in agriculture. To better understand their…Read more about National Needs Assessment Offers Guidance to Tailor On-farm Food Safety Education for Military Veteran Farmers[Read More]
Mark your calendars for an exciting educational opportunity! The Southwest Purdue Ag Center invites you to join their Pumpkin Field Day on September 17, 2025, from 1:30-5:30 pm EDT at 4369 N. Purdue Road, Vincennes, IN 47591. This hands-on event provides participants with the opportunity to explore a diverse range of pumpkin and winter squash…Read more about Southwest Purdue Ag Center Hosts Pumpkin Field Day[Read More]
Veteran-grown food to Indiana schools Are you a Veteran farmer in Indiana? Help Us Bring Hoosier-grown, Veteran-grown food to Indiana schools! At Ease Orchard has received a planning grant to advance the Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program by focusing on one key question: How can more Indiana Veteran farmers take part? We’d love your input—no matter your…Read more about Indiana Food Systems News[Read More]
How many times have you watched as a potential buyer walks away from a fruit or vegetable they are unfamiliar with? On the flip side, have you noticed how a quick explanation about proper storage at home and recipe ideas—can turn hesitation into a sale? Imagine something that easily tells the customer about selecting, storing,…Read more about Boost Your Produce Sales with FoodLink: A Free Resource for Farmers[Read More]
I’m excited to share that the University of Kentucky Center for Crop Diversification (UK CCD) and the Organic Association of Kentucky (OAK) are partnering with Glacial Drift Enterprises to host a Mechanical Weed Control Field Day on September 23 at the University of Kentucky Horticulture Research Farm in Lexington. Like many of your states, Kentucky is home to a…Read more about Mechanical Weed Control Field Day at the University of Kentucky – September 23[Read More]
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