Illinois producers and agribusiness leaders are increasingly seeking new opportunities to boost local food systems. Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB), Illinois Specialty Growers Association (ISGA) and the Illinois Farmers Market Association (IFMA) are excited to announce the return of the From Food to...
The cover crops, spring oats and crimson clover, seeded on October 4 in our “treatment” high tunnel have established very well. The spring oat crop is expected to winter kill and the crimson clover will continue to grow until termination in the spring. The outside temperature reached an overnight...
Cover crops were seeded on October 4 in preparation for year two of the Illinois Department of Agriculture HR 133 grant: Strategies for Improving Biological Control of Insect Pests for Vegetable Growers Utilizing High Tunnels.
The process
Seeding of spring oats at 30 lbs/acre,...
Hydroponic production allows for different configurations or growing systems that can include gutters, rails, troughs, buckets, slabs, and bags, as well as different substrates or growing media including perlite, coconut coir, rockwool, and more. Couple production system versatility with controlled...
While the calendar says fall, it feels more like summer. Highs have been in the upper 80s and low 90s. Limited rainfall has been the biggest issue recently. Since August many areas have had 0.5 inches or less of rain. We did get a break the last week of September when we got 1 to 2 inches of rain...
With our research partner, Freeport High School Student Vegetable Farm, the annual strawberry plants study has continued to grow well into September.
In July and August, we removed runners and cleaned the beds weekly to reduce pest pressure (yellow jackets, lygus bugs, small mammals). While these...
The ginger crop languished in the Unity high tunnel during August, putting on minimal growth — even with shade cloth in place of plastic over the top of the tunnel. The ginger trial team and I are starting to think that this crop may benefit from more than the 30% shade cloth we are using in the...
In walking through the hydroponic tunnel at the Dixon Springs Agricultural Center this week, the stark difference in powdery mildew disease pressure could not be ignored and was the inspiration for this article.
In the guide from Missouri Extension,...
The St Louis Metro East in the last few weeks has been experiencing what I would call “resort” weather, with temperatures during the day in the upper 70s to middle 80s and nighttime lows in the upper 50s to low 60s.
Apple harvest is in the ‘Golden Delicious,’ ‘Red Delicious,’ and ‘Jonagold’...
