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Weeds get spring fever too

Marissa Schuh , IPM Extension Educator Models suggest that significant cold has passed , things are starting to green up and soil is warming . While this warm winter is causing growers stress about what diseases and insects will do this spring, this early spring can provide rare windows for weed control.  As with everything, what happens will vary at each farm and with each weed, but it might not all be bad news. Early season weed flush. Photo: Tom Peters For example, much of Minnesota had minimal snow cover for most of the season. For annual weeds that shed seeds, if those seeds were left on the soil surface, those seeds were easy picking for birds and rodents for most of the winter. For those seeds in our soil’s weed seedbank, each species will be looking for different environmental cues to emerge. We are likely to see many weeds emerge earlier than usual. For example, common lambsquarters germinate when temperatures are as low as 43F, but most will germinate when daytime temperature
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What does a wimpy winter mean for insects?

Marissa Schuh , IPM Extension Educator. Reviewed by Anthony Hanson, Field Crop IPM Extension Educator. The National Weather Service's Seasonal Temperature outlook for March, April, and May suggests our dud of a winter has wrapped.  Many people are wondering how this will impact insects, and as always, it depends! Here are some things to think about. National Weather Service Each species of insect, both beneficial and pest, has a different strategy for riding out the winter.  While this winter was overall pretty mild, we still had a cold snap in January, and we still got below-zero temperatures many nights.  We had minimal snow cover, but we still had plenty of freeze thaw cycles.  Each one of these factors will impact each insect  that spends the winter in Minnesota differently. We likely had enough cold snaps to make sure insects that don’t typically spend the winter in Minnesota weren’t able to spend it here. Insects like corn earworm , potato leafhopper , and  black cutworm w

Mini Grants for Produce Safety Available from MDA

The Produce Safety Program at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture is currently accepting applications for the 2024 program. Deadline to apply is March 30, 2024. The Produce Safety Mini-Grant helps reimburse Minnesota produce farmers for expenses that improve on-farm food safety systems. This grant provides reimbursement up to $800 per farm. No matching funds from the applicant are required. Who can apply? Produce growers who farm in Minnesota, who:  Grow and sell one or more of the following crops: Leafy greens, apples, berries, carrots, cucumbers, garlic, green beans, herbs, melons, microgreens, mushrooms, onions, peppers, sprouts, summer squash/zucchini, tomatoes. Have completed the Minnesota Department of Agriculture Produce Safety Program Grower Questionnaire at least once between 2021-2024. Are in good standing and not debarred or suspended to receive state or federal funds. What expenses are eligible for reimbursement? Expenses must be related to improvements in on-farm food

New Farm to School Opportunities for Farmers this Spring

Guest contributor, Kate Seybold, Farm to Institution Coordinator, Minnesota Department of Agriculture Spring is in the air and you may be thinking about how to expand or diversify your markets this season. Have you considered selling to schools in your region? Schools could be a way for you to grow your sales, venture into the wholesale market, and build meaningful connections within your community. More and more schools in Minnesota are working with growers in their community to bring local foods into their lunchrooms. In fact, many have specific grant funding from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) to buy Minnesota grown and raised foods. In 2023, the MDA awarded a record amount of $4.22 million in Farm to School Grants to 114 school districts, and the agency is currently in the process of awarding approximately $935,000 in Farm to School grants for 2024. You can learn more about the AGRI Farm to School and Early Care Grant program here . If you are interested in buil

GAP audits - do I need one for my farm, and how do I get one?

Annalisa Hultberg, Extension Educator, food safety This time of year we get calls and emails from growers thinking about their markets and expanding opportunities this coming season. You may have heard about a GAP audit, and wonder what it is and how it could benefit your operation.  Here are 5 key tips to think about if you are considering a GAP audit. What is a GAP audit?  A GAP audit is basically a verification that your farm is following science-based best practices for food safety in growing fresh produce. An auditor from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) or another certifying body comes to your farm with a checklist to verify that you have implemented and are following Good Agricultural Practices during the growing, harvesting, packing, storage, and transportation of your product. It is not a law or regulation; it is a voluntary audit that you pay for, and farmers generally get it to access a market that requires an audit.   Read more about what the audit is and who n

Tips for spring cover crop planting

Author: Adria Fernandez, Researcher, Grossman Lab As you make your field plans for this year, consider complementing your later-planted vegetable crops with an early spring cover crop. In fields where you plan to grow a vegetable with a summer planting schedule, like transplanted broccoli or cauliflower for fall harvest, or even a late succession of beans or sweet corn, you may have time to grow a cover crop to build and protect your soil until the vegetable is ready to go into the field.  Cover crops can serve several purposes in a short spring growing window: They can suppress weeds and keep the soil covered in the field while you’re waiting for transplanting time They can take advantage of the soil moisture and sunlight available in April and May to build organic matter that will become part of your soil reserves when the cover crop is incorporated. If the cover is a legume (like a pea or clover), it can also contribute to long-term nitrogen fertility by fixing atmospheric nitrogen

Develop a heat and air quality safety plan for your farm

High heat and humidity can make it dangerous for growers to work outdoors, while wildfire smoke and other air pollutants can make it dangerous for growers to breathe the air while working outdoors. We've been working with the U of M Doctor of Nursing Practice Program to develop guidance for fruit and vegetable farmers about safely working in high heat and poor air quality, and we're excited to share a new resource with you all. Over the last two summers we received a lot of questions from growers about staying safe during heat waves and periods of poor air quality. It was difficult to find resources beyond just tools for recognizing heat stress, so we brought in health and safety experts to help us develop some guidance that could be specific and actionable, allowing growers to create policies to keep themselves, employees, and volunteers safe.  Check out the new webpage here.  If you would like a printable PDF with this information, you can reach out to Natalie Hoidal at hoi