Cutting Edge Research: Helping Bees Help Themselves

Diseases, pests and the mysterious phenomenon of colony collapse disorder pose a dire threat to the U.S. beekeeping industry and, in turn, to the $20-billion-a-year crop industry that relies on insect pollination. Because of these increasing pressures, the ranks of managed bee colonies have plummeted in recent years: On average, beekeepers are losing 30 percent […]

The Lucrative Sweet Potato Takes Root

Small-scale tobacco farmers in eastern Kentucky who are looking for alternatives due to changes in the tobacco market are discovering that a relatively easy, often profitable transition lies in sweet potatoes. With relatively low input and capital costs and a short learning curve, they are able to earn gross returns of up to $7,000 per […]

Profitable Poultry

Profitable Poultry: Raising Birds on Pasture features farmer experiences plus the latest research in a guide to raising chickens and turkeys using pens, movable fencing and pastures.

How to Graft Greenhouse Tomatoes

This 20-minute video, produced by the University of Vermont Extension, features farmer Mike Collins taking viewers through each step of the tomato grafting process. Grafting can be an effective way of battling soil-borne diseases in hoop house or high tunnel vegetable production systems.

Walk-In Coolers for Winter Storage

Resources for farmers interested in on-farm winter storage options for season extension. Each resource offers a case study for a specific facility construction, and both outline important considerations for a winter storage facility.

Building an On-Farm Poultry Processing Facility

Plan and construct a mobile poultry processing unit or stationary facility for on-farm processing.

Moving Nursery Producers Toward Sustainable Practices Fact Sheets

These fact sheets discuss alternative containers, marketing and crop selection, alternatives to synthetic herbicides and integrated pest management in commercial nursery plant production.

The Organic Seed Grower

The Organic Seed Grower is a comprehensive manual for the serious vegetable grower who is interested in growing high-quality seeds using organic farming practices.

Expanding Winter Harvest and Sales for New England Vegetable Crops

This University of Massachusetts website offers resources on winter vegetable crop storage, marketing and low-cost season extension through structures such as hoop houses and low tunnels.