A century of soil, sweat and stewardship thrives in Grand Rapids. At Ed Dunneback & Girls Farm Market the rows run long, the roots run deep and the family story stretches across five generations of growers, gatherers and gracious hosts. Long before festivals filled the fields and families frolicked ...

It’s been a few years since Will Glazik concluded his North Central Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) grant titled “Exploring Flavor & Yield of Heirloom Corn Varieties for Spirit Production.” But he’s still taking the time to share the results with the farming community. Glazik and...

A never-ending propagation challenge is weeds. In a presentation hosted by the Horticultural Research Institute (HRI), research associate professor Anthony Witcher, Ph.D., Otis L. Floyd Nursery Research Center at Tennessee State, discussed weed control in propagation. “We think propagation is a shor...

A recent study titled “Healthier Soils, Lower Emissions & Carbon Credits in ‘Carbon-Smart’ Apple Orchards” sets a sharp and stirring stage for research from Michigan State University scientists Kevin Postma, Akihiro Koyama and Julianna Wilson. Their work blends careful calculation with climate consc...

If you grow strawberries, there’s a good chance you have used plastic mulch in the past (or are thinking about trying it in the future). However, the most commonly used mulch is anything but green for the horticulture industry. Polyethylene (PE) mulch suppresses weeds, optimizes the soil and canopy ...

Irrigation involves many considerations, but soil scientist Dr. Andrew Bierer, Appalachian Fruit Research Center, Kearneysville, WV, believes soil is number one. “Soil is made of three different size class particles,” said Bierer, who spoke recently at the Mid-Atlantic Fruit & Vegetable Convention. ...

Thanks to social media, plants that never received much attention before are gaining more time in the spotlight. Like Dipladenia. An annual, Dipladenia (aka rocktrumpet) is sometimes used interchangeably with Mandevilla but they are different. As Brian Krug and Jamie Gibson, technical leads with Syn...

Irrigation got its moment in the sun at the most recent Cultivate, though not in the way you might expect. Forget the glossy tech booths and glitzy gadgetry – the real action was in a seminar room where Gerry Spinelli, production horticulture advisor for nurseries, floriculture and controlled enviro...

Pots, trays, media and seeds are ready to go. And so are the pests and diseases ready to muck everything up. Emma Lookabaugh, a technical service rep for BASF, spoke about four basic things to focus on when getting the jump on nursery diseases at the most recent Cultivate event. While some may seem ...