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Fruit and Vegetable Weekly Crop Update

Growing degree days since April 1: 2576 GDD at Springfield (Average (11 year average 2548) (From the Illinois State Water Survey Degree-Day Calculator)
4 inch soil temp: 71.7°F (10 am 4-inch soil temperature under bare soil) (From the Illinois State Water Survey Illinois Climate Network)

Farmers Markets: Rules, Regulations and Reforms - Webinar on current and future farmers market regulations. Two webinars, Monday, August 25: 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. and Thursday, August 28: 6:00 – 7:30 p.m., will provide an opportunity for farmers market vendors and farmers market managers to learn about new regulations and reforms that impact farmers markets and provide input to the Governor-appointed Illinois Farmers Market Task Force about future farmers market regulations. This webinar will provide an overview of the reforms that HB5657 made and what farmers and market managers need to know about the new law. Additionally, the Illinois Farmers Market Task Force is currently reviewing all regulations for farmers markets in the state and will make recommendations for changes at the end of this year. Farmers, farmers market managers and others have an opportunity to provide input on farmers market regulations including the following topics: products sold at the farmers market, hand-washing stations, refrigeration, sampling and more. To register, click here.

"My tomatoes are still green!" So goes the most common complaint I am hearing right now regarding field tomatoes. What is needed is more sun, heat and patience. We had set a daily record cool temperature last month (July 2) of 69 degrees. This trend has continued into August. For those with cherry type tomatoes, harvest has progressed at a normal pace. This is because small tomato varieties mature more quickly than larger ones. When we do get "normal" August temps that continue into the evening, tomatoes will ripen as normal. (Dr. Kyle Cecil, University of Illinois Extension)
Applications due for mentoring program. Want an experienced farmer to guide your fledgling farm? Want to share your experience with a beginning farmer and encourage sustainable, organic production? Sign up now to participate in the MOSES Farmer-to-Farmer Mentoring Program. The 2015 program runs from December 2014 to February 2016 – a bit more than one year. It includes admission to the MOSES Organic Farming Conference in 2015 and 2016. The application deadline is Sept. 30, 2014.

Farmers can list products in new national directories. To help consumers and wholesale buyers locate farmers' markets, on-farm food sales, CSAs, and food hubs, the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service is developing three online directories: the National Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) Enterprise Directory, National Food Hub Directory, and National On-Farm Market Directory. These will function like the popular National Farmers Market Directory, with listings that include maps, operating hours, products available, and the accepted forms of payment. Farmers and local food business owners can submit a listing at www.usdalocalfooddirectories.com. The new directories will be available online as soon as there is a sufficient number of listings.

Source: University of Illinois at Urbana


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