Announcements

Several species of slugs are common in Pennsylvania gardens, yards, and farms. While slugs can be pests in each of these settings, this fact sheet is geared toward the field crop grower. Nonetheless, the information here may also be useful for vegetable growers and home gardeners.

Fruits and nuts are high-value crops in the Mid-Atlantic states and are being heavily impacted by honeybee shortages for pollination. A new $1.4 million grant from the USDA NIFA Specialty Crops Research Initiative (SCRI) program to Penn State will look into future impacts on fruit pollination and the development of alternative pollinators to supplement honeybees.

A new publication from the College of Agricultural Sciences explains the nuts and bolts of the Organic certification process. Entitled “Introduction to Organic Farming: A Growing Opportunity for Pennsylvania Farmers,” the fact sheet covers some of the important considerations in becoming certified Organic. Topics that are covered include an introduction to the National Organic Program, deciding whether to be certified, choosing a certifier, the organic transition period, and maintaining certification. The publication is the third in Penn State’s new Agroecology in Practice series.

A new bulletin describing the potential for cover crop rollers for northeastern grain production is available on-line. These tools have been used for decades in Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay to successfully manage cover crops and their residues. In the last several years, farmers in the northeast and other regions of the US have shown interest in using cover crop rollers for high residue conservation tillage. This publication describes what they are and discusses their potential fit in our area.

Carabid beetles, an insect group containing ground and tiger beetles, are important biological control agents in agroecosystems. With their large eyes, spiny powerful legs, and large jaws, carabid beetles are formidable predators in the insect world. They live on the surface of the soil where they capture and consume a wide assortment of soil dwelling insects, including caterpillars, wireworms, maggots, ants, aphids and slugs. Several ground beetles will also eat the seeds of troublesome weeds and are considered one of the “many little hammers” that help regulate weed populations. Conserving ground beetles through habitat manipulations and cultural practices can enhance the natural regulation of arthropod pest and weed populations, reducing the need for chemical controls.

Some say there's nothing new under the sun, but researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences are finding new ways to squeeze more out of it every year by extending Pennsylvania's growing season. They're also squeezing more out of this geographic growing zone by producing exotic fruits and vegetables normally found in more temperate southern climes. Scientists are doing this by perfecting the use of high tunnels, or "hoop houses," which have proven themselves as effective options to increase the availability of locally grown produce in a conservation-friendly way, according to Mike Orzolek, professor of vegetable crops and director of the Penn State Center for Plasticulture.

The Penn State Community Garden, located at the Center for Sustainability off of Porter Rd on the University Park campus, is now accepting applications for garden plots for the 2010 season. The garden is open to students and community members. The garden is also looking for an intern for the 2010 season. If you are interested, applications are available on the garden website, www.psucommunitygarden.org.

Increasingly, Pennsylvania farmers are using cover crops to limit erosion from fields, control weed growth, fix nitrogen in the soil, feed livestock and produce biomass for energy. But depending on an agricultural producer's needs, all cover crops are not created equal, according to Bill Curran, a professor of weed science in Penn State's Crop and Soil Sciences Department. To help farmers determine how best to integrate cover crops into their operations, Curran and colleagues Eric Nord and Rich Smith, both postdoctoral associates, and Matt Ryan, a doctoral degree candidate in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, recently published a new fact sheet titled "Suppressing Weeds Using Cover Crops in Pennsylvania."

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- With half of all current farmers in the United States likely to retire in the next decade, federal and state agriculture officials are looking for ways to encourage and assist the new generation of farmers that will produce the nation's food and fiber in the future. Two groups of researchers and extension educators in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences have received grants exceeding $1.3 million to help newly minted ag entrepreneurs get started in the capital-intensive business.

Agriculture in Pennsylvania relies upon insects for crop protection and pollination. Unfortunately, many of our crop production practices can have unintended negative consequences for some beneficial organisms and the valuable agroecological services they provide. Given the recent decline in managed honey bee populations, many growers in Pennsylvania are now looking for alternative ways to ensure pollination of their crops. One way that this can be accomplished is by providing or improving habitat for wild bees.