Articles - Country Folks Grower

Science enlightening agriculture: Helping growers improve crops with UV light

Lee Newspapers2021-01-12T09:21:38-05:00January 12, 2021|Grower, Grower East|

by Nicholas P. Skinner, John D. Bullough and Mark S. Rea, Lighting Research Center, RPI

Numerous crops are impacted by powdery and downy mildew, fungi that have had large impacts on growth and pest management by growers throughout the country. Powdery mildew is estimated to account for nearly three-quarters of total pesticide applications by grape growers in California, costing 3% to 7% of total gross production value. (more…)

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Art from nature

Lee Newspapers2020-12-22T14:23:11-05:00December 22, 2020|Grower East|

As he’s meeting with clients, Scott Rosenbaum has found that asking certain questions during the planning stages helps him determine what the client has in mind.
Photo courtesy of Rosenbaum’s Landscaping

by Sally Colby

Not every young man knows exactly what he wants to do before he finishes high school, but Scott Rosenbaum did. (more…)

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Pride in diversification

Lee Newspapers2020-12-22T14:20:11-05:00December 22, 2020|Grower Midwest|

Kah Nursery is open year-round, but business is relatively slow in winter. During the six-week period between Jan. 1 and mid-February, DeAnna takes time to regroup and review the previous year and prepare for spring.
Photo courtesy of Kah Nursery

by Sally Colby

Customers who visit Kah Nursery are pleasantly surprised to see eye-catching displays of nearly every (more…)

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Practicing sustainability and regenerative farming

Lee Newspapers2020-12-22T14:14:26-05:00December 22, 2020|Grower West|

With COVID-19, Pollinate Flowers was able to expand their dry flower program, which helps them utilize more of their plants and extend their season. “It’s part of using all the stuff we’re growing,” John Peterson said.
Photo by Aliya Hall

by Aliya Hall

When John Peterson and Jeremi Carroll first moved to Newberg, OR, in 2012 to grow their farming (more…)

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Winter weather won’t stop Sheyenne Gardens

Lee Newspapers2020-12-22T14:10:15-05:00December 22, 2020|Grower Midwest|

Sheyenne Gardens’ founder Neal Holland (L) and current owner Adam Volz. The team at the nursery begins seeding in January, prepping early for their season.
Photo courtesy of Sheyenne Gardens

by Courtney Llewellyn

What does a nursery and garden center do all winter? Work.

That’s what they do at Sheyenne Gardens in Harwood, ND. (more…)

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Building tools for tech-savvy farmers

Lee Newspapers2021-01-12T09:15:23-05:00December 22, 2020|Grower East|

The majority of the surveyed farmers did not use weather-based crop or pest management tools, but most were interested in using them. These researchers are counting the number of wild blueberry flowers per stem.
Photo courtesy of UMaine Extension

by Catie Joyce-Bulay

“I just continually bring myself into the farmer’s shoes,” said Dr. Lily Calderwood, UMaine Cooperative Extension wild blueberry specialist. (more…)

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Sign of hope: A farm begins in 2020

Lee Newspapers2020-12-22T14:00:51-05:00December 22, 2020|Grower Midwest|

Lauren Ditscheist Padovana and Bryan Padovano holding some of their first harvest of vegetables. They’re already looking ahead to 2021’s season.
Photo courtesy of Happy Day Farmhaus

by Gail March Yerke

As the USDA reports a continued decline of working farms each year, it’s good to hear there are still those willing to start a new farm. (more…)

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Hopping on the hazelnut hype train

Lee Newspapers2020-12-22T13:50:33-05:00December 22, 2020|Grower East, Grower Midwest|

by Courtney Llewellyn

If you saw our story about the autumn meeting of the New York Nut Growers Association (NYNGA) in the December 2020 issue of Country Folks Grower, you know that English walnuts are being developed into a potentially profitable crop in the Northeast. (more…)

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Strategies for the struggle against spotted lanternfly

Lee Newspapers2020-12-22T13:48:48-05:00December 22, 2020|Grower East, Grower Midwest|

Unless they’re flying or startled, you won’t see spotted lanternflies’ distinctive red hind wings.
Photo courtesy of Penn State Extension

by Courtney Llewellyn

Despite stay-at-home orders that stymied some travel in 2020, a lot of traffic still crisscrossed the Northeast and the upper Midwest. (more…)

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What to look for in your organic growing media

Lee Newspapers2020-12-22T13:41:03-05:00December 22, 2020|Grower, Grower East, Grower Midwest, Grower West|

by Courtney Llewellyn

Like any product that’s worthwhile, organic growing media has been increasing in quality and popularity over the past few years. Finding the right media for you requires a bit of knowledge. (more…)

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Playing it safe with land lease agreements

Lee Newspapers2020-12-22T13:38:32-05:00December 22, 2020|Grower, Grower East, Grower Midwest, Grower West|

by Enrico Villamaino

A recent webinar hosted by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County aimed to help both landowners and farmers protect themselves when entering lease agreements. (more…)

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How to get customers – and keep them coming back

Lee Newspapers2020-12-22T13:37:07-05:00December 22, 2020|Grower, Grower East, Grower Midwest, Grower West|

by Courtney Llewellyn

A sale is a sale, right? It’s always positive when you have money coming in to your farm, but it’s even better when you can command loyalty – and repeat sales – from customers. (more…)

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