‘Honeycrisp’ is usually known not to color well in the warm climes of southern Illinois, but not this year!  Across the board, red-colored apples are putting on a show this year.  Early apple cultivars like ‘Sweet Maia’, ‘Blondee’, ‘Buckeye Gala’, and ‘Grand Gala’ have already been...

In our current research project, “Strategies for Improving Biological Control of Insect Pests for Vegetable Growers Utilizing High Tunnels”, tomato harvest has slowed down significantly, due in part to a severe raccoon problem. We have trapped almost 20 raccoons in the past three...

Due to the adverse health effects associated with exposure to dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate (DCPA), commonly known as Dacthal, the U.S. Environmental...

The level or tendency to form burr knots is usually a noted characteristic for each of the different apple rootstocks, but what is burr knot and why is it a concern?  Burr knot can be described as an apple disorder that results in adventitious (formed accidentally or in an unusual anatomical...

The main challenge we have experienced from the end of July and into mid-August is that we entered a period without rain in some parts of our region and temperatures being too hot (above 90 F) for some days. This has resulted in a lot of challenges in the final ripening on tomatoes and other crops...

Farmers growing pumpkins and other cucurbit crops, like melons, might soon face a new challenge. A disease called Cucurbit Yellow Vine Decline (CYVD) was first detected in the late 1980s in Texas and Oklahoma. Since then, it has spread to the Southeast, Northeast, and Midwest regions of the United...

Out in the field everything is thriving with lots of moisture including the weeds! I think we had all forgotten how much rainfall drives weed pressure after two fairly droughty summers the past two years.  All summer vegetables are in harvest and doing well.  The rain has increased...

On July 16, we hosted the High Tunnel Production Field Day. This was the second year for this meeting and we plan to make it an annual event. Last year, USDA NRCS and FSA staff talked about programs that each agency offers to support high tunnel production and specialty crop growers. To build on...

June’s hot, dry conditions were conducive to spider mite flareups, particularly in tomatoes.  Ever wonder why? Spider mites are reported to be susceptible to a pathogenic fungus that, when present, is capable of controlling spider mite populations. But for the fungi to survive and do their...

Monthly report by Trent Ford, Illinois State ClimatologistIllinois experienced a top 20 warmest June on record statewide, but much of that heat came in the first two-thirds of...