A Review of Cultural Weed Control Practices

In this month's Penn State Extension - The Vegetable & Small Fruit Gazette,

Mike Orzolek reviews methods & practices for weed control.

Effective weed control in vegetable production involves more than the use of herbicides. An effective weed management program includes the use of both cultural and chemical practices. There are several cultural practices that help to suppress both annual and perennial weeds including: liming, band application of fertilizer, moldboard plowing, cultivation(s), crop rotations, and use of black or colored polyethylene mulch.

Also see: Weed Control Strategy Differences in Alternative/Organic vs Conventional Farming by Brad Majek and Jack Rabin.

Students Stand up for Farming

Farmers Fight is a student-led initiative to reconnect American society to the world of agriculture. Beginning with university students, Farmers Fight encourages consumers to ask where their food comes from, and give students, faculty, public officials, and farmers and ranchers an opportunity to
become "agvocates" for the agriculture community.

'Farmers Fight - Stand Up' <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFoGib8AfZo&feature=share> is powerful video filmed in contemporary style.

Maybe this is what area school board members [and the Dept. of Higher Ed] need to see before they cut AGRICULTURE from our schools.... If we don't teach our kids where their food, clothes, books, pencils and paper come from, WHO will?

Please share this video on any public/social networking page you can.

--Rick VanVranken

Organic Farm Calls: White Rot on Garlic, Leek, & Onion

This week a central Jersey grower of organic produce calls to report problems in a field of overwinter garlic.

The grower reports there is no history of previous allium crop production in the field. Two different varieties are being grown. On inspection, one variety shows yellow, stunted and wilting plants in small patches in the field; the other variety is vigorous and symptom free.

What might be the cause of this problem? What steps do you take to find the definitive answer? What can our organic grower do to avoid further crop loss?

NEWA Pest Forecasting Further Refines Grower Intuition

Implementing new technology, the results of  applied research, is one reason American agriculture has been so successful. Innovation is an important component of sustaining farming on our urban fringe.
This month in the Sustaining Farming on the Urban Fringe Briefing, we check out how an innovation, newly available in NJ, helps growers save money and lessen environmental impact.