NCAT Southeast staff members. Back row, left to right: Linda Coffey, Livestock Specialist; Luke Freeman, Horticulture Specialist; Margo Hale, Southeast Regional Office Director. Front row, left to right: Nina Prater, Sustainable Agriculture Specialist/Outreach Coordinator; Robyn Metzger, Program Assistant; Guy Ames, Horticulture Specialist. The NCAT Southeast Regional Office NCAT opened an office in Fayetteville, Arkansas,… Continue Reading
The Disease Triangle and the Rotten Rainbow
Excessive Rain Causes Challenges for Fruit Growers By Guy K. Ames, NCAT Horticulture Specialist The so-called Disease Triangle is a Venn diagram that illustrates the interplay among the factors that cause disease. The factors that must be present for disease to occur are: a susceptible host, the presence of the pathogen, and a conducive environment.… Continue Reading
Disease Resistance Among Apple Varieties
It’s Relative, Not Absolute! By Guy K. Ames, NCAT Horticulture Specialist The concept of disease resistance among apple varieties seems to be often misunderstood. Rarely is resistance so strong that it is absolute or immune. There are some bona fide scab-immune apple varieties (e.g., Williams Pride, Liberty, Pristine, and Enterprise). And there are some cedar… Continue Reading
The Farmer’s Footsteps or “Can I see some I.D.?”
By Guy K. Ames, NCAT Horticulture Specialist Sure, that’s a strange title for my blog, but I can explain: I have two, somewhat distinct, important points to make here. Ambushed Elderberries This morning before heading for the office, I took one of my usual walks to enjoy the cool morning temperatures and to see whatever… Continue Reading
Spring Conditions Favor Fire Blight Infection in Apples and Pears
By Guy K. Ames, NCAT Horticulture Specialist With an overabundance of rain in most of the eastern United States and May temperatures warming, conditions are conducive for outbreaks of the “shoot blight” phase of fire blight. The primary infection site for the causal organism of fire blight, the bacteria Erwinia amylovora, are the tender tissues… Continue Reading
NCAT Southeast Wraps Up Six-Session Workshop Series
NCAT Southeast staff recently wrapped up a series of workshops—one per month for six months—with the same group of farmers from Arkansas and Oklahoma. The “Taking Your Farm to the Next Level” workshop series started in November 2018 and concluded in April 2019. The participating farmers had several years of production experience, but wanted to… Continue Reading
“Petal Fall” Is a Key Time for Managing Fruit Tree Pests
By Guy K. Ames, NCAT Horticulture Specialist Major pests of apples, peaches, plums, cherries, and pears enter and/or become active in orchards as soon as the petals begin falling from the flowers. In the eastern half of the United States the plum curculio (photo at right) moves from overwintering sites in or near the orchard… Continue Reading
Free Workshop: Learn to Put Your Land to Work
The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), the City of Fayetteville, and Cobblestone Farms are partnering to conduct the free “Putting Your Land to Work” workshop. Join us on Thursday, June 6, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Cobblestone Farms in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Learn what you can do with your farm property, or what… Continue Reading
New Food Processing Guidebook for Farmers Available!
With help from a team of farmers, economists, and food experts, Mike Morris (National Center for Appropriate Technology) and Sue Beckwith (Texas Center for Local Food) have created an entertaining and useful new workbook, Beyond Fresh: a Food Processing Guide for Texas Farmers. Available from NCAT’s ATTRA website here for just $19.95, the book walks… Continue Reading
Growing Edible Mushrooms Workshop: Recap and Resources
Twenty-five participants came from all over Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Illinois to attend the Growing Edible Mushrooms workshop on Tuesday, April 2, in Fayetteville, Arkansas. NCAT’s Southeast Office partnered with Phillip Owens of the USDA ARS Dale Bumpers Small Farm Research Center and Gregory Ormsby Mori of the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry to… Continue Reading