Strawberry Chat

Kevin Schooley and Stephen Meyers joined the discussion to talk about weeds and weed management in matted-row and plasticulture strawberry production. Steve spoke about weeds commonly seen in strawberry fields and gave us a broad overview of the different types of herbicides. Kevin shared years of practical knowledge in controlling weeds using herbicides at the different crop stages. Steve and Kevin also discussed options for weed control using non-chemical approaches. Here is the supplier of the tool Kevin mentioned in the discussion.

Dr. Janna Beckerman joined our discussion to talk about Spring Diseases and Management. Our discussion focused on Anthracnose fruit rot and Botrytis fruit rot. Janna described the biology of the pathogens and provided cultural and fungicide recommendations for managing these diseases. Access presentation slides here. The fungicide recommendations can be found at Midwest Fruit Pest Management Guide. Additional recommendations can be found at Midwest Home Fruit Production Guide 

In this episode, you will learn about the opportunities and limitations of high tunnel in-ground production system; major disease and insect pest concerns, and management options. Invited guests are Dr. Laura Ingwell, Entomology Extension Specialist from Purdue University, and Dr. Dan Egel, Extension Plant Pathologist from Purdue University. We appreciate your feedback about the program. If you have suggestions to help us improve the program, please enter it here

In this episode, you will learn the basics of substrate production and hear about two substrate strawberry production systems. Dr. Chieri Kubota and Mark Kroggel from The Ohio State University talk about root zone management in substrate production and introduce the greenhouse system. You can learn more about these topics on the Hydroponics website that Dr. Kubota shared in this episode. Richard Barnes is the owner of Tanglewood Berry Farm in Fort Wayne, IN. Richard discusses how Tanglewood Berry Farm grows strawberries in an elevated system with a lower level of environmental controls. We appreciate your feedback about the program. If you have suggestions to help us improve the program, please enter it here 

This episode is about plasticulture strawberry production. Our special guests are Brad Bergefurd, former Horticulture Specialist at The Ohio State University, Calvin Beasley from Beasley Orchard in Danville, IN, and Danny Vanmeter from Vanmeter Family Farm in Clarkston, KY. We discussed important topics in plasticulture strawberry production, including site selection, beds, plastic mulch, fertility management, crop rotation, winter protection, cultivar selection, and more. We appreciate your feedback about the program. If you have suggestions to help us improve the program, please enter it here

We discussed insect pests and weed control during renovation in this episode. Our special guests are Drs. Stephen Meyers, Samantha Willden, and Mr. David Doud. Steve and Sam are researchers from Purdue. Steve is the weed scientist in the Horticulture department; Sam is a postdoc researcher in the entomology department. David is the owner of David Doud's Countyline Orchard in Wabash, IN, and has over 30 years of experience in growing strawberries in a matted row system. You will hear researchers' and growers' opinions on these topics. We appreciate your feedback about the program. If you have suggestions to help us improve the program, please enter it here

This episode features Anya Osatuke and Adrienne Held. Anya is a berry specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension. Anya discussed her research on factors affecting strawberry quality. Adrienne is the owner of Holly Berry Farm in Santa Claus, Indiana. Adrienne shared her experience and what she has learned to run a small-scale, diversified farming business with strawberries. We appreciate your feedback about the program. If you have suggestions to help us improve the program, please enter it here

This episode focuses on Spring Disease Management and Freeze/Frost Guidance featuring Dr. Janna Beckerman, Plant Pathologist at Purdue University and Austin Pearson, a Climatologist from the Midwest Regional Climate Center. We discuss The Network for Environment and Weather Applications (NEWA) (https://newa.cornell.edu/strawberry-diseases/), which is a weather-based tool for strawberry disease monitoring and the Midwest Regional Climate Center (MRCC) website (https://mrcc.purdue.edu/). We appreciate your feedback about the program. If you have suggestions to help us improve the program, please enter it here

This episode features Dr. Bruce Bordelon who recently retired from Purdue University with 30+ years of experience with small fruits. Dr. Bruce Bordelon talked about spring activities for growing strawberries in matted-row system. We appreciate your feedback about the program. If you have suggestions to help us improve the program, please enter it here

We discussed basic strawberry plant physiology, production systems, and critical issues to be assessed to decide if strawberry production is a good fit for your small and diversified farm. We appreciate your feedback about the program. If you have suggestions to help us improve the program, please enter it here