For most fresh market vegetable growers, earning a reasonable living from their farms is a bigger challenge than growing produce. While growers often share production information freely, they may be reluctant to share financial information. Many growers are looking for ways to collect this information and share it with others without divulging confidential business details. From [...more]

CIAS and Wisconsin Public Television have produced a series of educational videos on sustainable agriculture and IPM for potatoes, apples, and fresh market vegetables. These videos can be viewed online at the Research Channel: Healthy Grown Potatoes Fresh Market Fruit and Vegetables, Part 1 Fresh Market Fruit and Vegetables, Part 2 [...more]

The cornerstone of any Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program is regular scouting of the crop at hand. It’s important that the scouting or monitoring practices are done systematically and at regular intervals. In order for a scouting program to be effective, you must be familiar with what the crop should look like, which can be [...more]

Printer-friendly version (PDF) Home Grown Wisconsin (HGW) is a cooperative wholesale business located in south-central Wisconsin that markets produce from member farms to restaurants in nearby cities. Its goal is to expand the market for fresh produce through professional distribution of high quality products that convey the quality, variety and value of Wisconsin’s harvest. Other farms [...more]

Crops that are grown solely to provide soil cover or for the purposes of increasing soil fertility are referred to as cover crops or green manures. Due their ability to protect and enhance soils, cover crops are considered a fundamental aspect of any sustainable cropping system. The benefits of cover crops extend beyond soil health, [...more]

Chemicals are not the only, or often the best, option for controlling pest problems. Integrated Pest Management is an alternative that uses all appropriate pest management methods instead of focusing on a single method. This will often prevent some pest problems from developing in the first place and will reduce the severity of [...more]

In fruit and vegetable production, more labor is often spent on weed management than any other task. Understanding where a weed grows, why it grows in a particular place, and what actions will limit its growth are important parts of a weed control strategy. This publication will guide you through the establishment of a successful [...more]

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) combines monitoring practices with cultural, physical, and biological control strategies to manage pests with a minimum of pesticides. With support from the Pesticide Use and Risk Reduction Project at CIAS, UW-Madison rural sociologist Pete Nowak and Extension IPM specialist Karen Delahaut surveyed Wisconsin fresh market vegetable and berry growers in 2001. They found that many fresh market vegetable and berry growers in Wisconsin use IPM practices. [...more]

A new resource CD from the University of Wisconsin provides a wealth of production and marketing information for fresh market vegetable growers. The “Fresh Market Vegetable Resource CD” includes fact sheets, reports, power point presentations and marketing materials on a range of topics. Vegetable production. The CD includes information on integrated pest and weed management, soil [...more]

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms provide their members with more than fresh produce. CSA farms engage their members in agriculture through newsletters, farm celebrations, and you-pick days. Some CSA members may realize significant financial savings, as well. CSA farmers in Minnesota and Wisconsin wanted to find out how the cost of a CSA membership compares to [...more]