Crops are responding to warm spring temperatures and increased daylength. The crimson clover cover crop began flowering on March 29 and by April 3 was in full flower and ready to be terminated. In our current research project, “Strategies for Improving Biological Control of Insect Pests for...

Weed Management is almost always a challenge on vegetable farms.  Even if you do have a manageable weed pest, management practices come at some kind of cost, from herbicide cost to labor for hand or mechanical weeding.  Dr. Stephen Meyers and Jeanine Arana just released a really nice...

Out in the field, spring plantings have been off to a good start.  Cool season crops have been very happy.  I have early planted radishes and spring greens approaching harvest.  Potatoes are planted and I set out some spring cauliflower and broccoli the first of the month and it is...

Cover crops are always on the move in April.  I said “explosion” because for many overwintering cover crops it is almost that.  Some can grow over 1” or more per day this time of year! Fall Cover Crop Mixtures Here is a quick update on some early fall planted spring...

Early season cole crops have been planted in the caterpillar tunnel set up over the winter at DSAC. Instead of covering this smaller tunnel with clear plastic, a 30% shade cloth has been attached. Broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, and swiss chard transplants were planted on March 21. Compost...

Fall Cover Crop Mixtures With spring weather pushing growth, our cover crops are also taking off as well.  I had some early fall planted spring oats, crimson clover, and rapeseed (25/6/2 lb/A, respectively) in a few areas including some planted after potato harvest last year...

We have been on the typical March roller coaster for weather lately.  We have generally been fairly mild but have gone from a few days around 80°F to some morning lows in the upper 20s.  We have still been relatively dry for the month of March with only 1.54” of rain to date (as of 3/25/...

The latest addition to the demonstration tunnels at the Dixon Springs Ag Center is a caterpillar tunnel. The site was selected late last summer and the grass was sprayed with a burndown herbicide. Compost has been added and incorporated into the native soil. Crops planned to be grown in this tunnel...

Sarah Farley and I were privileged to host again the Stateline Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference on Monday, February 19, in Rockford, Illinois. Over 100 attendees and Extension educators and specialists from 4 universities joined us this year for sessions in the fruit, vegetable, and new...

The information in this blog post was submitted by Marty Williams, USDA-ARS  (217-244-5476; martin.williams@usda.gov). Severe sensitivity to a relatively new postemergence herbicide, tolpyralate (trade name Shieldex), has been documented in certain inbred lines of field corn and sweet corn....

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...

Just like growers who attend winter meetings to increase their knowledge and skills, Extension educators are continuously learning new or updated information to provide current, relevant research-based information to individuals, families, and groups that we serve. I recently attended the 2023...

The active ingredient chlorothalonil (e.g. Bravo, Daconil) is undergoing the registration review process, and the public comment period is now open through January 17 for the EPA’s Chlorothalonil, Proposed Interim...

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...

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 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...

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’...

Not to brag or anything, but we may be on a 2-week streak of what I consider perfect weather. The humidity levels have dropped making it easier to breath, and the temperatures have been in the upper 70s to low 80s during the day. We did receive about 0.1” of rain on September 21 which was just...

Pumpkins are doing well. I gave my pumpkins a side dress application of nitrogen the first week of August and they have really taken off we have fruit starting to size nicely. I have not seen any signs of powdery mildew yet but have started spraying preventative fungicides, especially given the...

We had a break from the summer heat last week, but this week the heat dome has moved back over our region creating very hot, humid conditions. With 95-100° temperatures and heat indexes ranging from 105-120°, much of the field work in our high tunnels is completed before noon with lots of water and...

Dew remains on plant surfaces well into the morning hours, creating conditions conducive to powdery mildew. Benefitting from the rains are weeds. This is the busy time of harvest and weeds can rapidly grow to a seed producing size if not controlled with mowing, hoeing, cultivation, or post-emergent...

July has brought a little relief from the drought conditions, but for some that relief has been short-lived. Locally, most areas have received a cumulative total of an inch or more of rainfall this month. Some areas still have been missed for more soaking rains and the moisture has been a “band-aid...

We are testing soil solarization as an effective management strategy for bindweed, a nasty perennial weed, at our Unity site. We know soil solarization can work for control of annual broadleaf and grass weeds, but I have never attempted to control a perennial weed with it. A bindweed-infested bed...

Phytophthora blight, caused by Phytophthora capsici, is the most important disease of cucurbits and peppers in Illinois. In wet conditions, the disease may cause 100% crop losses. Following the recent heavy rainfalls, the disease developed in our pumpkin plots near South Pekin in Tazewell...

As with other locations across the state, the extremes in weather have been felt in far southern Illinois as well. From dangerously high temperatures and heat indexes and drought conditions of a couple of weeks ago to more tolerable summertime temperatures and significant rainfall events within the...

As we get into the later part of July, now is the time to start scouting more closely for diseases and insects in pumpkins. Powdery mildew is by far the most prevalent and common pumpkin disease, but also bacterial spot. Some years, downy mildew can also blow into the area; however, I have not...

High temperatures and very high humidity are the current conditions in the St Louis Metro East. The entire region has received rain recently, just not all at the same time or the same amount. In general, soil conditions worsen as you move south, but are improved from the last reporting. Harvest in...

As I write this, scattered showers are moving through much of southern Indiana. It is unclear yet how much moisture these showers will produce for any given area. What is clear is that May and June have been unusually dry for most of Indiana and Illinois. How will this dry spell affect overall...

It is still very dry overall across our area. We have had a few scattered rain chances that have brought most at least some rain; however, we are at such an overall deficit, that it just doesn’t feel that it goes very far. Last weekend was the most “widespread” rainfall we have had, but still, some...

We were thankful for the small shot of rain we received over the weekend (0.5” total across two days). Some locally isolated areas received 1.5 to 2.0” while others barely saw 0.1”, but overall, our region is still very dry, like the rest of the state. Daytime temperatures have been staying in the...

Our production and demonstration garden at the Unity Community Center in Normal received a nice infrastructure upgrade recently — a small high tunnel. Besides adding the capacity to grow protected culture crops over the cooler months for our free community food donation program, it is allowing me...

Be part of the largest food, farmers market, and specialty crop conference in Illinois. Share your knowledge, lessons learned, or research with industry leaders and growers across the state. Consider speaking at the From Food to Flowers: Everything Local Conference hosted by the Illinois Specialty...