Fruit and Vegetable News

The ability to back up with already established free-standing apples trees can be challenging. Good pruning and training practices, year by year, can guide a tree into having a strong structure and canopy microclimate conducive to good fruit quality. The University of Minnesota Extension wants to support your efforts to learn how to prune dormant, woody fruit crops!  The following resources were previously created by UMN and provide information to assist pruning practices. Keep in mind that recordings of both upcoming pruning webinars will also be available on the UMN Small Farms YouTube channel for those unable to attend live sessions. Grapes Videos: Grape pruning webinar (Level: Beginner to advanced)  UMN Extension grapevine winter injury    (Level: Beginner to advanced) Pruning out grapevine trunk diseases   (Level: Beginner to advanced) Pruning new vines – One or two years old   (Level: Beginner to advanced) Pruning high cordon grapevines in...

Authors: Madeline Wimmer, Soon Li Teh, John Thull When working with spur-pruned grapevines in cold climates, the spurs—the regions where fruit-bearing shoots emerge—are originally created by shortening canes originating from a young cordon (i.e., the arm(s) of a grapevine). Overtime, these original spurs support newer spurs that stack on top of the older spur region year after year, and this can lead to what is known as spur creep, when a spur becomes long, old, and less productive. Why is spur creep a problem? As spurs continue to age, they can accumulate damage from cold temperatures, similar to cordons, and become less productive over time. Additionally, the longer they grow, the less room there is for the current season’s canopy, which is especially true for Vertical Shoot Positioned (VSP) grapevines that have less canopy area, overall. Spur creep can leave portions of the cordon blank, as they become unproductive, and can be worsened if growers heavily thin away all the non-cou...

About: Join the University of Minnesota Extension for an informative, hands-on workshop to learn about the fundamentals of pruning apple trees or grapevines. We’ll cover key pruning principles, technique and decision-making considerations, and best practices for tool care. If you’re new to pruning, or looking for a refresher, this workshop is a great place to start, ask questions, and confirm what you know.  This workshop welcomes orchard workers, Master Gardeners, hobby growers, and backyard gardeners. Sessions will be offered at various locations throughout Minnesota and taught by UMN Extension educators. Participants are welcome to bring their own tools (pruning shears, loppers, and hand saws) to the workshop. We recommend dressing for the weather and to be prepared for a session of active learning. All attendees will receive the UMN Extension guide to pruning apple trees or grapevines. Registration required for attendance with the option to pay the registration fee online or a...

Annalisa Hultberg, Extension Educator, food safety Winter is a great time to plan your markets for this coming season.   If you are selling your produce to a school, early care or other institutions, you might be asked about your food safety practices. The following information  is meant to help clarify what is required and what is allowed under Minnesota state food code when farms sell to markets like schools and other institutions.  Photo credit: Allison Sandve, University of Minnesota Can I sell my produce without a license? Yes! A s per Minnesota state statute,  you do not need any license or inspection to sell your fresh produce, as long as the product is 100% from your own farm. This is called "product of the farm".  This means product that a farmer grows with no off-farm ingredients added. As per the Minnesota Department of Health,  food grown by farmers is an "approved source" . What about a GAP audit? A buyer might ask for a GAP audit, which i...

The Great Lakes Cover Crop Project is recruiting farmers to participate for the 2025-26 season! This community science effort brings together farmers from across the upper Midwest to build a regional database of cover crop performance, which then allows for identifying what cover crops and management practices work best across different farming conditions. Partnering farmers collect cover crop photos and height measurements from their fields in the spring, and in return receive a personalized report with cover crop biomass and nutrient estimates, along with $50 per field for up to three fields. Anyone growing overwintering cover crops this season in MI, OH, IN, IL, WI, or MN is eligible. Sign up here! Photo: Etienne Sutton & Jennifer Blesh

Climate change is making our farms and our farm planning more unpredictable. It is becoming increasingly important to address climate change in our farm management and decision-making. This winter, join the Land Stewardship Project and UMN Extension for a two-day training series intended for specialty crop growers.      Through this series, participants will:   Learn more about the potential impacts of increasing climate variability and change on your agricultural operation.  Evaluate climate risk management options that best support your farm and family goals by reducing risks and capturing new opportunities associated with changing climate conditions.  Make a plan to implement selected climate resilience strategies and evaluate their effectiveness over time.    This cohort series will give you tools to incorporate climate change considerations into annual operations as well as over the longer-term with an adaptive whole farm ...

  -Annalisa Hultberg, Extension Educator food safety  Food safety is a critical part of all produce farm operations. One of the best ways to protect your customers and prevent your business from being involved in a foodborne illness outbreak is to maintain good food safety practices on your farm and keep basic food safety records. Learning about Good Agricultural Practices and current food safety laws are a great way to build your farm's plan for preventing foodborne illness from spreading from food that you grow and sell.  One great way to do that is to attend a GAPs or FSMA training course.  Note:  All of these courses are accepted as documentation of food safety training for the  Produce Safety Mini Grant  from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, which will open later this winter. FSMA Produce Safety Rule Trainings If your farm is fully covered by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule, at least one supervisor or responsib...