Every year, there are materials and inputs that are used up through the normal course of producing a crop. Some supplies can be purchased in such quantities as to stretch over several years before requiring replenishment. Others must be tracked and replaced regularly,...

For years, I have had a strange connection to decay and rot. Around 22 years ago, I plunged into my graduate studies, with a focus on evaluating a potential treatment for the prevention of post-harvest potato pathogens and their associated diseases. It was the start...

We have had a pretty nice fall, the first that I can recall in recent years. I know that open falls have occurred in recent memory, but the last 2 were so awful as to obliterate all memory of a better example. Despite the good run that we have had, the cold weather...

Since I started out on my own as a private consultant, I find that I spend an extraordinary amount of time thinking about money, or if not money, then the (financial) implications of everything. Few hours pass by in a day where I am not thinking about the current and...

One of the most common annual and ongoing requests that comes to a consultant/agronomist is to assess a crop (at various stages) and then provide recommendations for fertility adjustments. At the same time, there are always a host of other mysterious ailments that...

Weeds are awful and are the bane of most people’s existence. Growers spend a significant amount of time and resources trying to manage weeds, as they can have a negative impact on most crops, including: Competing for nutrients, water, light, and space Harbouring,...

No matter what your profession, the imminent, and at times sudden, arrival of fall brings lots of changes and a fair number of challenges, both physical and mental. September is a pretty busy time for most field-based horticulture crop producers. This is when...

Most vegetables are harvested when they are fresh, young, and tender, with thin skins, cells full of moisture, and a correspondingly (and understandably) short shelf life. As a result, they must be harvested right before market, handled minimally, and then sold as...

Many of the strategies required to manage various in-season pests (insects and diseases) are preventative in nature. These are best applied prior to the development of any disease or insect pest population, either during the off-season or at the end of the growing...