When you hear of the whitefly, do you imagine that it sounds like a gnat flying around your head and is just an overall nuisance? Actually, they’re not at all like gnats, except for the nuisance factor to growers. Whiteflies suck on plant leaves, according to Hannah Burrack, an Extension entomologist at North Carolina State … Read more
Spring is already upon us and summer is creeping by ever so closely. This means that the gardening season is upon us as well. This also means that gardeners are already preparing how to decorate their gardens and which new flowers to plant to make their yards as attractive as possible. But this year, instead of using … Read more
Warmer winters, superstorms, floods, droughts, new pests, and diseases… If you’ve experienced any of these issues on your farm in the last 10 years, you may have thought it was an isolated incident, a hazard of farming in your particular environment on your specific piece of land. That may be true. However, if you connect … Read more
Fruit, particularly tree fruit, is a long-term investment. Farmers need to balance looking ahead to what consumer demand will bring five years down the road with what they are growing and need to sell today. Add to that the disease and pest concerns that typically accompany tree fruit production in many climates, and it’s no … Read more
Insects chew or suck their way onto vegetables and diminish their aesthetic value. This is a no-no for growers who rely on unblemished produce and market to food companies. For now, though, let’s focus on pests that pose a threat to broccoli and cabbage. Sucking aphids Common pests that feed on young, green vegetables are … Read more