by Gail March Yerke
It was the New York Agricultural Society that became one of the first organizations to recognize Century Farms in our country back in 1937. Today the USDA identifies the vast majority of farms and ranches in the United States as family owned and operated. The Century Farm program honors generations of families that have dedicated their lives to farming. (more…)
It’s a family affair: Brother and sister Chris Williams and Jordan Graffin at the family’s retail garden center in Janesville, WI.
Photo by Gail March Yerke
by Gail March Yerke
It’s early spring 1972 and the lumbering rural school bus gradually comes to a stop at the edge of town in Janesville, WI. When the door opens a young boy scampers toward the old farmhouse recently converted into a retail garden shop. After homework he goes out to the one small hoop house, helping his dad transplant flowers as only a 10-year-old can. (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…)
by Sally Colby
Dr. Brian Jackson, associate professor of horticulture at North Carolina State University, would answer that question “Yes.” Jackson focuses his research on the development of traditional and new substrates for potting soils for horticultural crop production. (more…)
Posts should be set in the ground four feet (deeper depending on soil type). A deeper post provides a more stable base.
Photos by Sally Colby
by Sally Colby
Establishing a new orchard is no small feat, and comes with significant expense in materials, time and labor. (more…)
by Sally Colby
Josh Smith didn’t intend to become an owner in a thriving greenhouse business, but a series of life events landed him there. Josh’s stepfather, Gordy Kopke, started Kopke’s Greenhouse in Oregon, WI, after successfully selling field grown vegetables at a farmers market in the early 1980s. (more…)
by Enrico Villamaino
“Go West, young man!” is a phrase often credited to the 19th century American author and newspaper editor Horace Greeley. According to an oft-told anecdote, he was giving advice on where a young man might go to seek his fortune and prosper. But for Brian Bates, the message was “Go North!” (more…)
by Gail March Yerke
What’s in a name? Founded in 1953 by a small group of Milwaukee growers devoted to the floriculture industry, today’s Commercial Flower Growers of Wisconsin (CFGW) includes a much broader membership base. Members hail from Wisconsin as well as Illinois, Ohio, Iowa and Indiana. (more…)
by Enrico Villamaino
For over 60 years, the Swanson family business has thrived in western Michigan, becoming a go-to wholesale supplier of pickles. Able to count big names like the Kraft Heinz Company among its loyal customers, the Swanson Pickle Company continues to succeed and expand. (more…)
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. (more…)
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. (more…)
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 say anything at all!” (more…)
