IFVN Vol. 32, No. 8 | October 2026 | Illinois Fruit and Vegetable News | Illinois Extension

Swede midge

October 2, 2026

Swede midge is an invasive pest of brassicas introduced to North America in 2000 where it was detected in Canada. Since then, it has been detected in the United States, first in New York in 2004. In the North Central region the United States, Swede midge has been detected in Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and was confirmed in Illinois in 2017 in Cook County.Adult Swede midges are very...

Blog articles

Fall is Here, so is El Niño!

October 2, 2026

Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Growers

Update from Trent Ford, Illinois State Climatologist (217-244-1330; twford@illinois.edu)September is the first month of meteorological fall, but I guess no one told the weather. Last month was extremely warm across the state, with average temperatures...

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cracks in bare soil inside and between raised beds inside high tunnel

From Dixon Springs Ag Center: Insects were thriving in the heat of September

October 2, 2026

Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Growers

The relentless heat and humidity of September are finally over. Lack of soil moisture and continued high temperatures created many noticeable cracks in the soil within the high tunnels at DSAC this past month. Cooler temperatures and forecasted rain are much needed, especially for fall crops. We...

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group of orange pumpkins in field beside green plants

From Southwestern Illinois (Waterloo): Fall pumpkin and apple season is upon us

October 2, 2026

Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Growers

We are finally starting to feel a little more fall like in the region. Up until the latter part of September we had maintained many days of temperatures in the mid-90s, but fortunately temperatures have started to drop, and the hot days are hopefully mostly behind us for this season. As...

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Upcoming programs

Great Lakes Expo – Fruit, Vegetable & Farm Market | Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, December 8 through December 10, 2026. Registration is open
From Food to Flowers: Everything Local Conference | Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, January 27 through January 29, 2027. Bank of Springfield Center, Springfield, IL. Registration is open!
Southern Illinois Fruit and Vegetable School | Wednesday, February 10, 2027. Doubletree Inn, 222 Potomac Boulevard, Mt. Vernon, IL 62864. Save the date! More details in future issues.
Southwestern Illinois Commercial Tree Fruit School | Thursday, February 11, 2027. Hardin, IL. Save the date! More details in future issues.
Stateline Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference | Monday, February 15, 2027. NIU Rockford Conference Center, 8500 E. State Street, Rockford, IL 61108. Save the date! More details in future issues.