Alfalfa Winterkill and Injury:
One More Challenge for Farmers to Overcome
To say the last several months has been a challenge for farmers, especially dairy and livestock farmers, is the major understatement of the year. Take low milk and commodity prices, add in record snowfall since late January, throw in several collapsed buildings, plus a late April snow storm, add a late spring and planting season, and now sprinkle in the realization that alfalfa and other perennial forages have suffered
This is a great time of year for tomato lovers. Gardens are full of vine ripened tomatoes. As gardeners head out to pick their prized fruits, some have reported cracks on the shoulders of the fruit. This is known as fruit cracking. I have noticed it on some of my large tomato varieties. Fruit cracking is a disorder that is associated with large variations in soil moisture. Growth cracks result from rapid fruit development and can occur when water is suddenly available to the plant after a
