Managing vegetable pests and diseases can be a challenge, especially when patterns and outbreaks vary from year to year. The Vegetable Disease and Insect Forecasting Network (VDIFN) helps take the guesswork out of management by providing data-driven risk forecasts for your farm. This guide walks you through key concepts behind pest and disease models, VDIFN basics and navigation, step‑by‑step examples for insect pest and disease forecasting, and resources for integrated pest and disease management.
Disease prevention starts before we plant our first seeds of the season. In this webinar, learn more about hot water seed treatment and how this method can be used in combination with other integrated pest management (IPM) practices to reduce and prevent outbreaks of seed-borne diseases.
This article walks through the different parts of and considerations around calibrating and using a backpack sprayer in diversified vegetable systems.
Most farmers are familiar with the benefits of cover crops: they reduce erosion, improve soil health, and help suppress weeds. Cover crops are often incorporated into fields as part of crop rotations, but they can also be planted in the aisles between cash crop beds, providing cover during a time of year when the soil is typically bare. These “living aisles” add additional advantages, such as reducing mud during rainy periods, allowing farmers to access beds when the ground is wet, and keeping harvest bins cleaner. Depending on the species used, living aisles may also be allowed to grow into beds after harvest to provide winter cover.
Most farmers are familiar with the benefits of cover crops: they reduce erosion, improve soil health, and help suppress weeds. Cover crops are often incorporated into fields as part of crop rotations, but they can also be planted in the aisles between cash crop beds, providing cover during a time of year when the soil is typically bare. These “living aisles” add additional advantages, such as reducing mud during rainy periods, allowing farmers to access beds when the ground is wet, and keeping harvest bins cleaner. Depending on the species used, living aisles may also be allowed to grow into beds after harvest to provide winter cover.
Most farmers are familiar with the benefits of cover crops: they reduce erosion, improve soil health, and help suppress weeds. Cover crops are often incorporated into fields as part of crop rotations, but they can also be planted in the aisles between cash crop beds, providing cover during a time of year when the soil is typically bare. These “living aisles” add additional advantages, such as reducing mud during rainy periods, allowing farmers to access beds when the ground is wet, and keeping harvest bins cleaner. Depending on the species used, living aisles may also be allowed to grow into beds after harvest to provide winter cover.
Most farmers are familiar with the benefits of cover crops: they reduce erosion, improve soil health, and help suppress weeds. Cover crops are often incorporated into fields as part of crop rotations, but they can also be planted in the aisles between cash crop beds, providing cover during a time of year when the soil is typically bare. These “living aisles” add additional advantages, such as reducing mud during rainy periods, allowing farmers to access beds when the ground is wet, and keeping harvest bins cleaner. Depending on the species used, living aisles may also be allowed to grow into beds after harvest to provide winter cover.
This article walks through the different parts of and considerations around calibrating and using a backpack sprayer in diversified vegetable systems.
This article walks through the timing, tools, and methods for seeding cover crops in diversified vegetable crop systems.
This self-paced training aid includes videos and additional linked resources aimed at walking new participants to the industry through basic production and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) options for potatoes grown in Wisconsin.
This video showcases cutting-edge technologies such as laser weeders, spot cultivators, and AI-driven imaging systems, with a focus on real-world research using laser weeders in onion production.
For those with the space and energy to experiment, mechanizing a cut-and-carry mulch system is an excellent way to reduce labor while increasing the resiliency of soil on diversified vegetable farms.
