Strawberry IPM Newsletter No. 2 – May 26, 2017 Click on photos to enlarge. SLOW GROWTH IN THE STRAWBERRY FIELDS Mites, Clipper Activity Increasing Berry Growers Twilight Meeting Tuesday, June 13, 2017 at 5:30 p.m. Lavigne’s Farm in Sanford, Maine Situation: Cool, wet weather predominates, slowing strawberry development. Early fields in southern Maine are coming […]
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Strawberry IPM Newsletter No. 1 – May 22, 2017 Click on photos to enlarge. 2017 STRAWBERRY PEST MANAGEMENT SEASON BEGINS Twilight Meeting Tuesday, June 13, Lavigne’s Farm, Sanford Situation: The extremely dry conditions of last year’s growing season will likely impact the 2017 berry crop. Many beds did not develop optimal plant populations because runner […]
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Mark Hutton, a vegetable specialist with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension and professor in the UMaine School of Food and Agriculture, told Growing Produce there are several methods farmers can use to protect their crops from the harmful effects of soil compaction. Methods include minimizing vehicle and foot traffic in the field, alternatives to […]
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Click on photo to enlarge. David Handley, Vegetable and Small Fruit Specialist; James Dill, Pest Management Specialist; Frank Drummond, Professor of Insect Ecology/Entomology Warmer temperatures and some rain have resulted in an upsurge of spotted wing drosophila trap catches in some locations, while numbers continued a downward trend in others. Once the weather settles into […]
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University of Maine Cooperative Extension has released the latest installment of “Growing Maine,” a series of short documentaries highlighting Maine food producers and farm families. The third video tells the story of Patty and Gary Treworgy and their children on their second-generation orchard and family farm. Treworgy Family Orchards in Levant had a rough start […]
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Researchers at the University of Maine have received a $1 million federal grant from the U.S Department of Agriculture to continue their efforts in boosting organic grain production in northern New England. “We are very excited by this new USDA award in that it recognizes the impact of the work we’ve done with farmers, millers […]
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The University of Maine Cooperative Extension Crop Insurance and Risk Management program announces a new webinar, “Crop Insurance 101 for Beginning Farmers who are Military Veterans.” The webinar introduces crop insurance as a risk management tool, how to navigate options, and new incentives for beginning farmers. The program aims to educate farmers about crop protection […]
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University of Maine researchers are working to bring locally grown plums to farm stands around the state. The two-year project — funded by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry — is identifying suitable plum varieties for Maine’s climate that would help diversify the state’s apple farms. The project is a joint collaboration between […]
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