Consumers want to purchase the perfect Christmas tree. Growers want to grow perfect trees. Unfortunately, a problematic disease threatens many Christmas tree nurseries and fields. Dr. Gary Chastagner of Washington State University recently discussed research gaps in managing Phytophthora root rot (P...

Growing Christmas trees requires patience and a lot of time. To grow a good Christmas tree takes “just short of 10 years,” according to James Earle Brackbill III, owner of Crane Neck Christmas Tree Farm in West Newbury, MA. Better known as Jeb to his customers and friends, this Christmas season, he ...

When March Farm in Bethlehem, CT, was started in the early 1900s, it was a typical small dairy. Today, Emily March, her brother Tommy and their cousin Shane Collett are fourth generation farmers. The 1940s version of the farm was home to a larger dairy herd and poultry. Apple orchards and a variety ...

For more than a century, Connors Farm has cultivated crops, cared for livestock and connected communities to agriculture. Today, the Danvers, MA, operation is also a standout success story in agritourism and agritainment, blending traditional farming with family-focused fun and fright-filled fall fe...

Wholesaling farm products has its own set of variables when compared to other marketing channels like farm stands, CSA programs or farmers markets. At a Vermont Vegetable & Berry Growers Association meeting, Rose Wilson and Annie Harlow gave an overview of what farms need to consider before jumping ...

There was a party atmosphere at the second Farm Stand Friday at Good Bunch Farm in Shelburne Falls, MA. All that was missing was the music, but it was quiet to allow owner Dan Greene’s nine-month-old daughter Phoebe to sleep as he held her in her carryall and waited on customers. In the space of an ...

Disease, frost, floods, heat and cold are not a shock to growers, but many who operate customer-facing business models such as on-farm markets will likely find themselves fielding questions about why their favorites won’t be available this season. Penn State Extension recently hosted a grower panel ...

Plants eat light. Animals eat plants. And we humans eat plants and animals, so sunlight – or a really good substitution for it – is essential for life. One important plant in a healthy human diet is spinach. It’s high in vitamins A, C and K and iron and magnesium. But to get the most from those mine...

Will farmers, nonprofits, ag service providers and other rural organizations across America be kissing their federal funding goodbye before 2027? The Office of Management & Budget (OMB) published a new rule in the Federal Register on May 29 to allow them to change the terms of a loan agreement after...