“Neonics are our friends.” Those were the words last fall of the man who built the largest commercial pollination business in the Northwest. He was the keynote speaker at the Pacific Northwest Vegetable Growers Association annual convention in Kennewick, Washington. – Dying Bees In making this statement Eric Olson, immediate past owner (now retired) of Olson’s … Read more
Weed specialists and agents at the University of California’s Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program advise growers to control weeds before corn plants reach 6 to 8 inches high. At that height, weeds will begin to affect corn yields because they start to compete with the plant for nutrients, water and light. Weeds that grow later … Read more
Want to keep up with the latest news for growers? Check back every Thursday for a quick recap of recent happenings in the fruit and vegetable industry. – Industry News Dramm MistTime Software Update Dramm has announced an upgrade to their MistTime misting controller. The new update offers different duration timing and new languages for programming. … Read more
Once cucumbers are harvested, a grading system set up by the U.S. Department of Agriculture is used to identify the cucumbers. – How the USDA Grades Cucumbers The following grades apply to pickling cukes: U.S. Grade No. 1: less than 11/16-inch diameter U.S. Grade No. 2: 11/16-inch diameter to less than 1 1/2-inch diameter U.S. Grade … Read more
With the cucumber business racking in $300 million from pickling and fresh-market cucumbers, the industry is full of opportunity for producers who apply the proper techniques to produce these vegetables. – Cucumber Growing 101 Regardless if the chosen cucumber is intended for the fresh market or for pickling, cukes require a specific environment to properly grow. … Read more