IFVN Vol. 32, No. 9 | November 2026 | Illinois Fruit and Vegetable News | Illinois Extension

Harvest time for the Illinois Ginger Growers Collaborative team

October 29, 2026

In 2025 and 2026, a group of Extension field staff and small farmers have been working together to better understand best practices of production for fresh (a.k.a. baby) ginger rhizome, so that future specialty growers wanting to grow ginger in Illinois will have a firm grasp of the pitfalls, possibilities, and expectations when approaching this niche crop. Pictured is ginger rhizome harvested by...

Blog articles

four high tunnels in a row covered with white plastic on a Washington State Vegetable farm

What is a climate analog and what does that mean for specialty crops?

October 29, 2026

Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Growers

Early in October, I had the opportunity to travel to Mount Vernon, Washington to take part in a climate adaptation academy for Extension professionals that work with specialty crop producers. Twelve participants were selected nationwide, with a big presence from the Midwest, which provided many...

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apples displayed in trays on a table for sale at a roadside market

Washington state study tour on commercial specialty crops

October 29, 2026

Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Growers

While in Mount Vernon, Washington attending a specialty crop academy with colleagues from other states, we had the opportunity to tour some commercial specialty crop operations in the Skagit Valley. It was interesting talking to commercial small fruit, tree fruit, and cut flower growers about the...

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tiny green seedlings growing in a raised bed with two black tubes running down the bed

From Dixon Springs Ag Center: Fall cover crops up and growing

October 29, 2026

Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Growers

October is nearly gone, and we have yet to experience a frost event in our area. Our lowest temperatures arrived in mid-October, bottomed out at 37 F, and have been consistently in the mid to lower 50s most nights. Daytime temperatures in the 70s and low humidity have made for excellent days to be...

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From Southwestern Illinois (Waterloo): Fall season winding down with fall crops

October 29, 2026

Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Growers

We have continued to be warm for the month of October but have finally escaped the intense heat of September and early October. Temperatures have been in the 70s to low 80s during the day and dropping into the 50s at night. Mid-October saw a few nights around 40 degrees and some light patchy...

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Traffic cone and hardhat on a laptop keyboard

Training and testing reopen for the 2026-2027 pesticide certification season

October 5, 2026

Pesticide News

October marks the beginning of the 2026-2027 pesticide training and testing season. General Standards and Private exams taken on or after October 1, 2026, will count toward licensure through the end of 2029 once an Illinois pesticide license is issued.* Here’s what Illinois Pesticide Operators and...

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News and Announcements

New version of Organic Production Guide for Vegetables available

A new version of an excellent Extension resource for organic vegetable production is available. Cornell's Organic Production and IPM Guide for Vegetables is a free downloadable PDF with 25 chapters of guidance on integrated pest management in organic production. It offers summary tables on the effects of different rotations, as well as very intelligible summaries of the known efficacy of different organic fungicides. Access comprehensive resources, download individual chapters on overarching IPM strategies, and explore crop specific production and IPM guidelines.