Hiring seasonal employees challenges many farm operators as many aspects of the hiring process and other human resources matters differ from that of non-seasonal employees. Farm consultant Erica Leubner recently presented a “Seasonal Employees” webinar, hosted by Cornell as part of New York’s Annie’...

Employees gather for yet another safety talk, anticipating boredom. Safety talks can be sleeper events, but when there’s injury or death on the farm, safety suddenly becomes the main conversation – for a short time. Incidents can be prevented by familiarizing employees and family members with farm s...

Growscape’s “From Concept to Compost” presentation at Cultivate revealed a promising pathway for horticulture as innovation and sustainability converged in a compelling conversation about the future of growing. Tom Marting, director of sustainable solutions at Growscape, joined Bates Marshall, CEO a...

More farmers than ever are interested in and practicing regenerative agriculture these days. They are focused on putting more back into their land and their animals so that more (and better) may be produced. But what about the concept of regenerative agritourism? On the surface, tourism seems like a...

Food safety is no longer simply a sensible standard for dried fruit processors. It is a firm federal fixture. Under the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act Final Rule for Preventive Controls, manufacturers must prove that their processes can consistently control harmful pathogens. For dried apple pr...

Earlier this week, I spent an entire day clearing off my kitchen table. No, I wasn’t cleaning up from a gourmet seven-course dinner. I was reclaiming it from a mass of paperwork. My kitchen table is my favorite all-purpose multi-tool. I occasionally serve meals on it, of course, but that isn’t its m...

Well-planned farm tours can be mutually beneficial for schoolchildren and the farms they visit. Students gain insight into where their food comes from, and the experience builds a foundational understanding of why farms matter to their communities. Farms are also a great place to reinforce STEM (sci...

Poinsettias may be the poster plant of the holiday season, but behind those brilliant bracts lies a production process packed with potential pitfalls. During her presentation “Poinsettia Pest Pointers” at Cultivate , Janna Beckerman, Ph.D., Green Solutions Team specialist at Envu, walked growers thr...

Location is everything. Greenwood Tree Farm is just 25 miles from Boston. Families return every year as a Christmas tradition to choose and cut their Christmas tree or choose a pre-cut tree. Glenn Card of Greenwood Tree Farm in Billerica, MA, is a second-generation Christmas tree farmer. His parents...