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From Dixon Springs Ag Center: Demonstration and research crops off to good start

May 29, 2026

New plastic was finally able to be installed on the middle high tunnel on May 12. Wind conditions were calm and the process of reskinning took 8 of us about 2.5 hours to complete. During the month of May, DSAC has received a total of 3.81 inches of rain with an average maximum temperature of 76 F...

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A finger holding a branch with green leaves emerging from fruit bud

From Northern Illinois (Rockford): Springtime bloom

May 1, 2026

Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Growers

Bloom PeriodBy the time you read this, most fruit trees in northern Illinois will have bloomed. When I visited an orchard in mid‑April, most cultivars were at tight cluster to half‑inch green. Just a week later, some cultivars had already entered late pink and even bloom. This...

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Tomatoes growing inside high tunnel with two different types of trellising methods shown

From Dixon Springs Ag Center: High tunnel trials are underway

May 1, 2026

Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Growers

Tomato and pepper variety trials are being conducted in one of the high tunnels at DSAC, with a planting date of April 6. Tomato variety trials will consist of 5 determinate varieties, 6 indeterminate varieties, and 6 bell pepper varieties. In anticipation of the indeterminate varieties growing...

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From Dixon Springs Ag Center: Storm damage from early March changes research plans

April 1, 2026

Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Growers

The mid March cold snap brought temperatures in the 18 to 22 degree range across southern Illinois. Double row covers on plasticulture strawberries did not provide enough protection to save flowers from popcorn up to full bloom in maturity. Flowers in tight bud were saved for the most part. As of...

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Hundreds of white dimples on clear plastic stretched over a high tunnel caused by the impact of hail.

Extreme weather events: What to do when hail strikes

March 10, 2026

Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Growers

On the night of March 4, a severe storm system came through southern Illinois which consisted of high winds, hail, and very heavy rain. That system dropped over 5 inches of rain across the region, but specifically at the location of the Dixon Springs Ag Center, multiple large trees were downed and...

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clear plastic tightly covering rows of plants inside a high tunnel

From Dixon Springs Ag Center: Solarization started for overwintering cover crops

March 10, 2026

Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Growers

After the success of solarizing cover crops last year in our high tunnel, we will be covering all the beds with clear plastic mulch to achieve termination ahead of our April 1 target plant date for tomatoes and peppers. Plastic is stapled into the wooden side boards of the raised beds, spanning two...

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gray plastic container stacked on top of each other filled with red ripe tomatoes

Review of yields and gross sales for high tunnel tomato and pepper crops in 2025

December 9, 2025

Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Growers

Yield data is collected every year from crops grown within the high tunnels at the Dixon Springs Agricultural Center in southern Illinois. Plots are assigned within each of the tunnels based on the type of research that is being conducted, and replicated data collection allows for statistical...

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green seedlings next to black plastic irrigation tape growing in soil

From Dixon Springs Ag Center: Late seeded cover crops catching up in high tunnel

December 9, 2025

Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Growers

Two of the three high tunnels are completely cleaned out and have been winterized. The other tunnel has been seeded and is overwintering cover crops for the fourth winter in a row. Due to late-season tomato and pepper harvests, cover crops were seeded during the first week of November, about a...

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Empty rows in a high tunnel after tomato plants, stakes, and strings have been removed. Random fruit is scattered among the rows.

From Dixon Springs Ag Center: Finally transitioning from summer crops to cover crops in high tunnels

November 4, 2025

Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Growers

The continued warm temperatures through October made for ideal growing conditions for the tomatoes and peppers within the high tunnels at DSAC. While not the large yields like in mid-July harvests, tomatoes harvested in October had excellent flavor, size, no white core issues, and were probably the...

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From Northern Illinois (Rockford): Pumpkins and apples October update

November 4, 2025

Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Growers

This October has brought excellent apple harvests across many Northern Illinois orchards, with a mix of traditional, PRI, and MAIA varieties showing strong performance. I visited several orchards this past month and saw healthy crops and steady visitor turnout. Post-harvest fruit quality has varied...

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