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Hundreds of white dimples on clear plastic stretched over a high tunnel caused by the impact of hail.

Extreme weather events: What to do when hail strikes

March 10, 2026

On the night of March 4, a severe storm system came through southern Illinois which consisted of high winds, hail, and very heavy rain. That system dropped over 5 inches of rain across the region, but specifically at the location of the Dixon Springs Ag Center, multiple large trees were downed and...

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close up of young cover crop seedlings growing in a field

From Southwestern Illinois (Waterloo): December actually feels like December

December 9, 2025

Our outdoor growing season has come to an end with a few subfreezing mornings, with the coldest I have seen so far being December 5, registering 16 degrees Fahrenheit. We got our first measurable snowfall on November 29, with about 3 inches of snow followed by 0.45 inches of very cold rain....

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gray plastic container stacked on top of each other filled with red ripe tomatoes

Review of yields and gross sales for high tunnel tomato and pepper crops in 2025

December 9, 2025

Yield data is collected every year from crops grown within the high tunnels at the Dixon Springs Agricultural Center in southern Illinois. Plots are assigned within each of the tunnels based on the type of research that is being conducted, and replicated data collection allows for statistical...

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stalks of brussels sprouts laying out on display at a market

From St. Louis Metro East: Adding pizzazz to your produce display

December 9, 2025

Whoever thought up harvesting the entire stalk of Brussels sprouts may be on to something. Not only does it show consumers how brussels sprouts grow on the stem, it adds an interesting stacking texture to a display that draws interest.Locally, the St Louis Metro East has experienced a hard...

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green seedlings next to black plastic irrigation tape growing in soil

From Dixon Springs Ag Center: Late seeded cover crops catching up in high tunnel

December 9, 2025

Two of the three high tunnels are completely cleaned out and have been winterized. The other tunnel has been seeded and is overwintering cover crops for the fourth winter in a row. Due to late-season tomato and pepper harvests, cover crops were seeded during the first week of November, about a...

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bin of orange pumpkins with nice handles or stems in a field right after harvest

Reflecting on the 2025 pumpkin season

November 4, 2025

The 2025 pumpkin season is now mostly in the books for most growers, so I wanted to look back at some of the observations and challenges of the season.The early wet weather in May and then drought would probably be the biggest challenges. Where the drought and heat were most intense, we did...

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From St. Louis Metro East: If only you could schedule rain events

November 4, 2025

The St Louis Metro East region has been so dry the last several months that it was rather bittersweet for the St Louis Metro East to receive a 3” rain event on one of the biggest fall agritourism weekends. On the one hand, the entire landscape was in desperate need of rain, but on the other...

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Empty rows in a high tunnel after tomato plants, stakes, and strings have been removed. Random fruit is scattered among the rows.

From Dixon Springs Ag Center: Finally transitioning from summer crops to cover crops in high tunnels

November 4, 2025

The continued warm temperatures through October made for ideal growing conditions for the tomatoes and peppers within the high tunnels at DSAC. While not the large yields like in mid-July harvests, tomatoes harvested in October had excellent flavor, size, no white core issues, and were probably the...

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From Northeastern Illinois (St. Charles): Frost is near! Tips on how to extend the season

November 4, 2025

Its officially Halloween season, but that also means that frost is near for Northern Illinois. Some parts of the area have been affected by spotty frost, like Kendall County and parts of Western Kane County, which takes most crops out of production. For the operations impacted by frost, there may...

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close up of pearl millet seedhead in a fall planted cover crop field

From Southwestern Illinois (Waterloo): Irrigation makes big difference in fall crop performance

November 4, 2025

October started as a continuation of the above normal temperatures and dry conditions. Temperatures have started to get closer to average in the last half of the month and finally we broke our dry spell. We had 2.71 inches of rain as of October 19 which was the first rainfall in almost a...

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Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Growers

Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Growers

Latest Posts

Extreme weather events: What to do when hail strikes

From Southwestern Illinois (Waterloo): December actually feels like December

Review of yields and gross sales for high tunnel tomato and pepper crops in 2025

From St. Louis Metro East: Adding pizzazz to your produce display

From Dixon Springs Ag Center: Late seeded cover crops catching up in high tunnel

Reflecting on the 2025 pumpkin season

From St. Louis Metro East: If only you could schedule rain events

From Dixon Springs Ag Center: Finally transitioning from summer crops to cover crops in high tunnels

From Northeastern Illinois (St. Charles): Frost is near! Tips on how to extend the season

From Southwestern Illinois (Waterloo): Irrigation makes big difference in fall crop performance

Blog Authors

Nathan Johanning

Bronwyn Aly

Nick Frillman