Vegetable Production Guide for Commercial Growers, 2014-15

Successful vegetable production generally requires the grower to make daily decisions regarding pest management, irrigation, and cultural practices. Would-be growers unwilling to make serious investments of time (and money) should not attempt to expand beyond a space at the farmers’ market. It is important for vegetable growers to have a market outlet for their product before they choose to start production. Good marketing plans start with the customer and work backward to production. Potential growers should first determine exactly what buyers want, how they want it, and when they want it. They then must determine how these crops should be grown. Even selecting varieties and determining planting times are basic marketing decisions. Kentucky growers should pay particular attention to comparisons of marketing time required, compatibility with off-farm employment, and compatibility with tobacco production. Individual situations vary, and producers often must learn about their particular markets by starting small and getting a foot in the door

Home Vegetable Gardening in Kentucky

Before You Begin Every aspiring gardener should follow seven steps to have a successful gardening season: Plan your garden on paper before you begin. Select a good gardening site that is: a. in full sun for at least eight hours each day, b. relatively level, c. well‑drained, d. close to a water source, e. not shaded. Prepare the soil properly and add fertilizer and lime according to soil test recommendations. Plan only as large a garden as you can easily maintain. Beginning gardeners often overplant, and then they fail because they cannot keep up with the tasks required. Weeds and pests must be controlled, water applied when needed and harvesting done on time. Vegetables harvested at their peak are tasty, but when left on the plants too long, the flavor is simply not there. Grow vegetables that will produce the maximum amount of food in the space available. Plant during the correct season for the crop. Choose varieties recommended for your area. Harvest vegetables at their proper stage of maturity. Store them promptly and properly if you do not use them immediately

2013-2014 Kentucky & Tennessee Tobacco Production Guide

Tobacco growers in Kentucky and Tennessee have faced many challenges during the past two years, including weather, labor availability, and rising production costs. However, there have been opportunities as well. Some buying stations have closed or moved, but new buyers have come into the market and contract volumes have been stable overall. Good quality burley tobacco is in relatively short supply, and this has offered opportunities to those who have been able to overcome weather and labor challenges and produce good crops. These changes have had different impacts in different regions of both states, based largely on where buying stations closed and opened. Dark tobacco contract volumes have been more stable than burley, but dark tobacco growers have had challenges as well, including shortages of wood and quality sawdust needed to produce dark-fired tobacco. Labor costs have continued to rise as tobacco growers struggled to keep pace with changes in the H-2A labor program that allows them to legally employ migrant workers. Uncertainty about future regulatory action still hangs over the entire tobacco industry but does not seem as foreboding as two years ago. Overall, tobacco remains an important commodity in the agricultural economy of the region as growers prepare for future seasons

Guía de Monitoreo de MIP para Plagas Comunes de los Cultivos de Solanáceas en Kentucky

Este manual es el resultado de los esfuerzos del equipo de MIP en vegetales de la Universidad de Kentucky. Financiamiento para esta publicación fue proporcionado por el Programa de Manejo Integrado de Plagas de la Universidad de Kentucky y el Servicio Cooperativo de Extensión de la Universidad de Kentucky

Guía de Monitoreo de MIP para Plagas Comunes de los Cultivos Cucurbitáceos en Kentucky

Mucho antes de que el término “sostenible” se hiciera tan conocido, los agricultores ya estaban implementando prácticas sostenibles en forma de estrategias de manejo integrado de plagas. El MIP usa una combinación de métodos biológicos, de cultivo, físicos, y químicos que reducen y/o manejan las poblaciones de pestes. Estas estrategias son usadas para minimizar los riesgos ambientales, de costos, y peligros a la salud. Las plagas son manejadas para reducir su impacto negativo en el cultivo, aunque raramente las pestes son eliminadas