News Articles - January - March, 2006

Water pH may be root of pesticide effectiveness problem (Mid-Atlantic Grower, March ’05). ”Improving the effectiveness of pesticide applications is critical to reducing the number of total applications made (saving time and money), helping to prevent psest resistance problems, and limiting the damage to the environment. Growers may attribute ineffective applications to pest resistance, the product they used or the rate of which it was applied. However, they may often overlook the fact that the pH of their water may be at the root of the problem…Take time to run a pH test before you mix up your PGR or pesticide. Most products work best when mixed at acidic pHs of 6.0 or lower. Chemicals can experience a degradation process called hydrolysis at higher pHs…Buffering agents such as pHase 5, Buffer P.S., and Buffer Extra Strength can be added to adjust the pH of the water in the spray tank before mixing…” This article is reprinted from Greenhouse TPM/IPM Weekly Report from the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension, Central Maryland Research and Education Center and was written by Stanton Gill and Ethel Dutky, University of Maryland Cooperative Extension; Ginny Rosenkranz and Chuck Schuster, Extension educators; Suzanne Klick and Shannon Wadkins, technicians; and Amanda Laudwein, Joanne Lutz, John Speaker and Marie Rojas, independent IPM scouts.

Employer records help protect against lawsuits (The Vegetable Growers News, March 2006). “Farm owners face a multitude of potential legal problems when it comes to managing employee wages and keeping track of hours worked…Employers who are unprepared face lawsuits and serious civil and criminal penalties, but there are methods they can use to protect themselves…adopt a written timekeeping policy…children of employees should not be allowed on farm property…employees engaged in secondary farming work, such as mechanics and clerical workers, should only work on their employer’s farming operation…start and stop times for all employees should be recorded every workday…an employer who hires workers jointly with another employer could be held liable for the other employer’s conduct…make sure managers are spending more than 50 percent of their time performing managerial duties…employer representatives must sign and date the I-9 forms within three days of an employers first day of work.”

Willie Nelson Introduces California to Own Brand of Diesel Fuel (The Vegetable Growers News, March 2006). “Willie Nelson introduced California to “BioWIllie”, his brand of clean-burning fuel made from soybeans…on sale at an alternative fuel station in San Diego…Biodiesel is America’s fastest growing alternative fuel, according to the U.S. Department of Energy … U.S. sales of biodiesel tripled last year to 75 million gallons, but account for less than 1 percent of diesel fuel sold nationwide, said Jenna Higgins, a spokeswoman for the National Biodiesel Board…The BioWIllie brand, known as B20, is a blend of 80 percent petroleum diesel and 20 percent biodiesel is made from soybean oil…Besides California, it is sold in Texas, South Carolina and Georgia.”

A New Tool for Tackling Leader Growth (American Christmas Tree Journal, March 2006). “Since 2005, the Top-Stop Nipper has been produced with five blades…research shows the optimal time for treatment is when the new growth is starting to appear (less than two inches)…The invention of the Top-Stop Nipper over the past 10 years is one important development in limiting leader growth. Equally important is proper training for those using the tool, as it is essential that the depth of the cut in the cambium is correct. The blades need to go through the cambium but not into the wooden part of the top…The first nip with the Top-Stop Nipper should be made approximately two inches from the top whorl. The second should be made an inch further under the bottom incision of the first cut or nip. The second nip should also be rotated approximately 90 degrees in relation to the first to ensure that the cambium is cut evenly around its entire circumference. If the cuts are made properly and at the right time, you will see sap run out from the incision.” Source: Lars Geil, forest engineer from Denmark and inventor of the Top-Stop Nipper. Be sure to check out his presentation on the Top-Stop Nipper at the 2006 NCTA Convention in Portland, Oregon.

Poor Communication hinders family businesses (The Vegetable Growers News, February 2006). “Problems involved in running a family business were highlighted…statistics show that only 40 percent of family businesses survive to the second generation, 12 percent to the third and 3 percent to the fourth…leading a family business, no matter the size, is a huge and complex challenge, often hampered by poor communication…regular business meetings involving family and non-family supervisory personnel are necessary to foster and sometimes even force communication among those responsible for the success of the business…accurate job descriptions a must, along with an employee handbook so that all managerial levels know what they are responsible for.” Source: Bill McNutt, Midwest Correspondent

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