Performer Gypsy Geoff performs at the Bay View South Shore Farmers Market.
Photo courtesy of BVSS Farmers Market

by Gail March Yerke

Competition. Even farm markets are feeling the pinch as more consumers want to know where their food comes from and communities across the country add their own markets. The USDA’s most recent National Count of Farmers Market Directory reports an increase of over 4,000 such markets nationwide in the past 10 years. (more…)

Color theory – specifically the color wheel – can be used to display fruits and vegetables in different ways.

by Courtney Llewellyn

If you sell anything, you may intuitively know the basics of marketing: branding your product, articulating why people should buy from you, having appropriate pricing, knowing your target customer and figuring out how they will find out about your farm. (more…)

by Tamara Scully

Surveys suggest that an increasing percentage of greenhouse growers are utilizing biocontrols to combat pest issues. An informal survey of New York state growers found that 40% were using insecticides alone to control fungus gnat. (more…)

by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

Ever-changing tax codes challenge business owners, including growers. That’s why AmericanHort recently presented “Cracking the Code on Taxes that Affect Your Green Industry Business.” (more…)

Soon it will be time to start planting pumpkins. Generally for the eastern U.S., the planting month is July (or between June and July for western growers). Pumpkins are members of the Cucurbitaceae family, which also includes cucumber, muskmelons, watermelons and squash. (more…)

Thanks to the excessively wet weather in many growing regions, tree fruit growers have been (and are continuing to) contend with all types of diseases which favor wet conditions. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), regional precipitation ranks for May 2019 show that every region overall, with the exception of the Southeast, which is in a slightly below average rainfall pattern, had excessive rates of precipitation. (more…)

This month, the Southern Nursery Association (SNA) released the proceedings of their 63rd annual SNA Research Conference, and there is a lot of interesting research to sift through. Over the upcoming issues of Country Folks Grower, I’ll be recapping some of the relevant studies for our readers. (more…)

Talk about creative expression – we are living in the middle of a vast creative entrepreneurship where unique ideas drive business. When it comes to direct marketing, there seems to be no limit to where ideas can take you. Think of dinner in a box direct-shipped to the home, curbside grocery pick-ups, pizza portals and pop-up fresh food cafes. (more…)

In some regions, recent excessive flooding has been devastating: preventing planting, washing away soils, causing concerns with water and soil pollution, decimating crops, displacing livestock and claiming lives. (more…)

by Courtney Llewellyn

The Millennial: what a debated figure in the current economic climate. They have been accused of killing everything from the diamond industry to blowing their meager disposable income on frivolities such as avocado toast. They do make money (often at more than one job), and they do spend it. But how does a business lure them in? (more…)