• Air moving fans for improved air drainage

    Published on March 16, 2012
    Using ground-based fans to increase the movement of cold air past obstructions and constrictions in natural drainage paths can decrease the likelihood of freeze injury during spring freezes.

  • Analyzing and improving your farm's air drainage

    Published on March 16, 2012
    Improving your farm's air drainage can pay benefits when spring frosts come.

  • Moist, weed-free soil retains more heat

    Published on March 13, 2012
    Modifying the soil to capture and retain more heat is a way growers can reduce spring freeze injury. Weed-free soil retains more heat than freshly cultivated or unmowed sites and a few degrees may make a difference this spring.

  • Treat peach leaf curl now

    Published on March 13, 2012
    Before or during bud swell is the time to treat peach leaf curl, a fungal disease that deforms leaves and then defoliates peach trees.

  • Livestock may not mix with fruit and vegetable production

    Published on March 1, 2012
    Livestock in close proximity to produce-growing areas can pose a problem for growers seeking food safety certification. With proper mitigation strategies, the two can coexist. Without these strategies, passing an audit may be difficult.

  • Keep food safety in mind when buying equipment

    Published on March 1, 2012
    With auction and trade show season in full swing, an eye often turns to acquisition of new or refurbished produce washing, packing and grading equipment. When evaluating equipment, keep food safety in mind to avoid difficulties.

  • Weather and crop protection workshops scheduled for March 19 and 20

    Published on February 29, 2012
    Several workshops in March will allow fruit growers to anticipate the effects of weather on insect pests and plant diseases and adapt their control strategies accordingly.

  • Do you need a brush-up on pest management basics?

    Published on February 10, 2012
    MSU’s Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Academy is a quick, concentrated way to update your IPM skills. Join us on the MSU campus February 20-21.

  • Who is eating the produce that I grow?

    Published on February 3, 2012
    When adopting food safety practices on the farm, it’s important to remember why and for whom it is being done.

  • Dealing with water for irrigating

    Published on February 3, 2012
    The insurance of maintaining a produce crop with irrigation can be all but eliminated if the water being used contaminates the produce with food-borne illness. Here are a few considerations when implementing irrigation practices.