It’s around that time when your first crop of tender greens may be close to ready for first harvest! Growing kale, arugula, collard greens, and lettuce this year, I’ve been keeping a hawk’s eye out for signs of caterpillar activity. In the Lafayette area, I’m beginning to see signs of common caterpillar pests of these…Read more about Crucifer Caterpillars are (or will soon be) Active![Read More]
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The Colorado potato beetle (CPB) is one of the most devastating pests of potato crops and is something that you should be on the lookout for NOW! This pest overwinters as an adult in the soil or field margins surrounding last year’s crop. The soils have warmed, the adults came out and eggs are now…Read more about Time to Scout for Potato Beetles[Read More]
Abnormally dry conditions are still lingering in parts of Indiana (Figure 1) with interest growing on how much the warmer weather might exacerbate the situation. Fortunately, the climate outlooks for the next several weeks and through June are favoring above-normal precipitation (in addition to above-normal temperatures), so hopefully any dry periods will be short lived….Read more about Growing Degree-day Accumulations Still Lag While Dry Conditions Linger[Read More]
Whether the focal crops are vegetables, field corn, or soybeans, we’re hearing from growers that poor germination has been an issue this season. The cool, wet conditions we’ve had this spring have delayed seedling germination and growth, and this just happens to be the perfect scenario for seed and root maggots to do their worst…Read more about Vegetable Seedlings with Emergence Issues? Seed Corn Maggot may be to Blame.[Read More]
In early May, we had an extended cold period with daily average air temperatures in the 50s°F. Min temperatures are in the 40s°F, some nights even upper 30s°F. In most areas in southern Indiana, it is fortunate we did not encounter a frost with temperature dropped below 32°F, but the low temperature for the extended…Read more about Why do Watermelon and Melon Plants Wilt?[Read More]
Pumpkin planting is right around the corner. The recent Vegetable Beet Podcast produced by Great Lakes Vegetable Producers Network featured Brad Bergefurd from The Ohio State University and Nathan Johanning from University of Illinois talking about Pre-season Pumpkin Tips. They shared many of their insights in planting spacing, fertility management, weed control, no-till etc. A…Read more about Pumpkin Resources[Read More]
In a recent Hoosier Ag Today/CCSI Soil Health Podcast, Stephen Meyers of Purdue Horticulture and Dan Perkins of Perkins Good Earth Farm covered spring management of cover crops on vegetable farms. They discussed a variety of methods for terminating: flail mowing and tarping, roller-crimping, tillage, and killing with herbicide. They pointed out that decisions about…Read more about Cover Crops in May: Soil Health Podcast on Spring Management and Observations of Winter Rye at Pinney Purdue[Read More]
MELCAST is a weather-based disease-forecasting program that helps growers schedule foliar fungicides applications for watermelon and cantaloupe. MELCAST stands for MELon disease for CASTer. This program, designed by Dr. Rick Latin, Professor of Plant Pathology at Purdue University, keeps track of weather conditions so that cantaloupe and watermelon growers can apply foliar fungicides to their…Read more about MELCAST 2021[Read More]
Montana State University Extension Pondera County and Purdue Extension – Bartholomew County are teaming up to bring you a webinar series dedicated to helping you improve your agriculture communication skills. Adriane Good, from MSU Extension, and Cora Carter, from Purdue Extension, noticed that many agricultural producers want to engage with the public and share their…Read more about Communicating For the Farm Webinar Series[Read More]
It seems the weather pattern may have shifted toward wetter conditions. Over the past week, Indiana has received over an inch of rain and the 7-day forecast is predicting at least another inch (Figure 1) in the central and southern parts of the state. The northern counties of Indiana, that have been in the Abnormally…Read more about More Observers Needed to Monitor Precipitation Across Indiana[Read More]
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