Compiled by Vern Grubinger, University of Vermont Extension
https://www.uvm.edu/extension/horticulture/commercial
(802) 257-7967 ext. 303, vernon.grubinger@uvm.edu
REPORTS FROM THE FIELD
(East Dorset) 2022 was a challenging year for a couple reasons. We certainly had issues with the dryness/lack of rain over the course of the season. The bigger issue was the crop loss due to wildlife. We have always had minor losses, but they never amounted to much. This season we estimate a 35 to 45% loss in pounds of blueberries picked compared to prior years. Next year we will probably need to install fencing or netting. We had deer, bear, squirrels, chipmunks, turkeys, and birds all poaching the field. Lots of fruit eaten and many branches broken.
The bear was the most interesting, because in years past he would only come in the middle of the night when it was cool, and no people were around, and he came every two or three nights. This year he rambled through the fields anytime day or night. He was very persistent and came every day. We got no help from our pickers to run him off. They all enjoyed watching him eat sometimes as close as 15 to 20 feet away. When they came into the store, they were happy to show us their videos and photos. We gave some of our regular pickers airhorns and asked them to frighten the bear away, but they never used them. It would’ve been a more profitable season if we had sold wildlife viewing passes rather than blueberries.
We called the county game warden. He showed up one day with his wife and child and saw the bear while they were picking blueberries. But he offered no solutions. On a humorous note, one of our pickers yelled at me when I was scaring the bear away one afternoon. She said “Leave the bear alone. He’s not hurting anyone.” I told her who I was, and that I was worried the bear was getting too comfortable around people.
(Burlington) Late summer is rolling toward autumn and we have our work cut out for us. Many of our storage crops look good: onion yield is strong, and quality looks good, despite a downy mildew outbreak and some early season wireworm losses. Squash is holding leaves nicely, and fall brassicas look great, though cabbage aphids are showing in small numbers.
(Westminster) We’re transitioning into our fall crops, with carrot and red and gold beet harvest underway. A few weedy beet fields are being harvested by hand and we’re still picking some bunched beets, although the tops are starting to die back.
The winter squash harvest will start soon, and it looks really good. The dry weather has been great for the crop, keeping down disease. The foliage is green with no dieback, which protects the green-skinned varieties like acorn and buttercup from sunburn. Harvest of storage cabbage will begin soon, as well.
The chard is almost done after a good season; kale and lettuce are still going strong. We just put our last planting of lettuce; only red and green leaf, because romaine and Boston are susceptible to downy mildew in the fall. We’ll soon be planting fall field spinach. And we’re still harvesting plenty of sweet corn. Some will be frozen for sale to local school systems.
(Guildhall) The end of July and first 3 weeks of August were very dry, but this past week we’ve had some good rain. Much needed, as a test dig 8/20 confirmed a great tuber set, but small sizes. Even since then we’ve been getting more chefs out of the little digging we’re doing. Too distracted by construction to dig new potatoes at scale. Barns need rooves.
Really good news, we always plant whites on our lowest pH field, and this year the field was at 5.2 and those spuds are clean clean clean. No scab, no rhizoc, no nothing.
(E. Wallingford) Still picking blueberries (Elliot) with no signs of SWD this year. Good pruning and trying to keep fruit off the ground seems to help. We received some decent rain in the last week or so and that really helped the pumpkins, sizing up nicely and starting to turn orange. Winter squash look good except where deer are eating. Ordered peach trees for spring 2023 planting, high density V system.
(Westminster West) We got an inch of rain a few days ago, too late for summer crops but a nice boost to the fall carrots, Gilfeather and Napa crops. Almost finished with the squash harvest and starting on pumpkins tomorrow. Seems like crops are at least a week earlier than last year and the yields and quality are much better. Almost all our crops are on drip lines with plastic mulch to maximize water efficiency and this was the year it really paid off.
First year I didn’t need to spray the squash crop for insects or PM, I love dry years! Weed control was as good as it can be with the dry weather, except for potatoes which continue to mock me as far as weed control! But the potato crop looks great despite little rain; I did plant on historically wet fields so there’s that. Covering the crop with remay really helped keep CPB away and pushing the crop to maturity as all potatoes are ready now.
FARM TRANSFER PLANNING FOR FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GROWERS
Zac Smith, UVM Extension Agricultural Business Educator
Succession planning is often complex and dynamic, with a variety of issues to address. The UVM Extension Agricultural Business team recently conducted a survey of Vermont farms in regard to farm succession preparedness. Nearly half the respondents requested business planning support for transitioning ownership of the farm. In response to this need, the team created a service that allows farmers to directly contact us and be assigned a specialist to help farmers find the information they need, and to provide feedback on developing a plan to address their farm’s unique needs. This is a free service. Click here to contact the agricultural business team.