Country Folks Grower is a business to business publication offering coast to coast coverage through three regional editions.
Each monthly issue covers all facets of growing and marketing fresh market and ornamental crops.
Pinpoint soils data leads to successful tree planting for Iowa apple orchard
by Jason Johnson, NRCS
Iowa’s Apple Trails Family Orchard is prospering after soils information provided by USDA helped two beginning orchardists start off on the right track.
Darren and Becky Housberg moved to Osceola, Iowa, in 1995. They began making plans for their orchard in 2010. Becky researched apple varieties, and the couple set aside 40 acres of land for their planned orchard.
Testing agricultural water
by Sally Colby
As growers become more familiar with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and the Produce Safety Rule (PSR), it’s important they understand the meaning of and regulations pertaining to testing agricultural water used for irrigation and other areas of production. […]
Today’s Marketing Objective: When All Good News Is Not Good News
When All Good News Is Not Good News
The clerk handed me the receipt and pointed to instructions at the bottom. “Please fill out our customer survey,” she said, “but only if you have good things to say about our store. We don’t want to hear any negative comments,” she quipped, and then quickly added, “Remember – if you can’t say anything nice, don’t […]
Seeds of Science: If Tony Stark and Bruce Banner grew spinach
The battle never ends. Growers, across regions and soil types and seasons, are constantly fighting against all the elements to produce healthy (and profitable) crops. They contend against the weather, insects, changing consumer tastes, diseases and more, always hopeful for a good harvest. Luckily, there is an army of scientists marching right alongside them, always striving to make the process easier.
The pomp of the year of the pumpkin
by Courtney Llewellyn
Autumn harvest may seem like a small goal on far horizon, but there is already one crop that’s gaining attention – the pumpkin.
The National Garden Bureau has declared 2019 “The Year of the Pumpkin,” and for good reason. “The long term trend is an […]
Meeting organic challenges in the west
by Sally Colby
The results of a nationwide survey of organic farmers to identify research priorities didn’t hold any surprises. Mark Schonbeck, research associate at the Organic Farming Research Foundation, said organic farmers listed soil health, fertility and nutrient management as top priorities. […]
