Strawberry Chat

In this episode, we talk with Bill McNitt, owner of McNitt Growers —a nursery specializing in spring bedding plants and fall strawberry plug production. Bill shares his firsthand insights into how Neopestalotiopsis disease has affected the strawberry industry and discusses the promising opportunities presented by newly released resistant varieties now available to fruit growers.

In this episode, we speak with Sam Erwin, owner of Indiana Berry Company, a leading supplier of bare-root strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, asparagus, and more. It is fascinating to hear Sam talk about the company's history and the fruit industry in Indiana, as well as his version and advice for the new generation of fruit growers. We will also dive into how bare-root strawberry plants are produced at Indiana Berry and hear Sam share his thoughts on the different strawberry production systems.

In this episode, we travel to southern Ohio, speak with one of the largest plasticulture strawberry growers, Mr. Brad Bapst, who shares his journey and insights on growing strawberries. We also hear from Mr. Thomas Harker, who discusses how the strawberry research conducted at the Ohio State University South Centers impacts strawberry production in the area.

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Marvin Pritts from Cornell University. We discuss the new edition of the Strawberry Production Guide for the Northeast, Midwest, and Eastern Canada . Dr. Marvin introduces us to the plasticulture day-neutral strawberry product system he has been researching recently. He also shares his research and thoughts on nutrient management, winter protection, fruit quality, and pollination. Dr. Marvin did most of the research at USDA Hardiness Zone 5b.

The next two episodes are interviews with two small-scale, diversified urban farms using organic practices. The farmers participated in on-farm trials with Wenjing on the project ‘Enhance Strawberry Production in North Central Region through Tunnel-based Systems’ supported by North-Central SARE. Both the farmers are new to growing strawberries, and they grow the crops in caterpillar tunnels. They shared their experience and thought about growing strawberries. This interview is with Nic and Marie, owners of the Outlier Farm in Bloomington, IN.

We featured day-neutral strawberry production in this episode. We invited guests from Minnesota. Dr. Mary Rogers is an associate professor studying organic horticulture and IPM at the University of Minnesota. She has done various research about day-neutral strawberry production. Dr. Andy Petran is the founder of Twin Cities Berry Co. Andy did his Ph.D. research on day-neutral strawberries and recently started his own farm growing this crop. Richard Barnes founded Tanglewood Berry Farm in Fort Wayne, IN. He has been in the fruit-producing business for 20 years. Andy and Richard shared their production systems and thoughts for growing day-neutral strawberries in the Hardiness Zones 4 and 5. Mary gave us insights on IPM. Wenjing commented on her experience of growing day-neutral strawberries in Zone 6.

Planting strawberry plugs in plasticulture is attracting interest in Indiana. Some chose to grow strawberry plugs from runner tips. How to prevent diseases in plug production? We invited Dr. Dan Egel, Extension plant pathologist at Purdue, to discuss preventing diseases in strawberry plug production. This discussion benefits farmers growing strawberry plugs as well as transplants in general. Dan shared his recent publication with information on organic fungicides and the YouTube video about backpack and garden sprayers during the discussion. Efficacy of Selected Fungicides Listed for Organic Production for Tomato Disease Management Proper Pesticide Applications in Greenhouses: EQUIPMENT

The next two episodes are interviews with two small-scale, diversified urban farms using organic practices. The farmers participated in on-farm trials with Wenjing on the project ‘Enhance Strawberry Production in North Central Region through Tunnel-based Systems’ supported by North-Central SARE. Both the farmers are new to growing strawberries, and they grow the crops in caterpillar tunnels. They shared their experience and thought about growing strawberries. This interview is with David Robb, owner of Eden Prairie Farm in Eden, IN, close to Indianapolis.

Strawberries are traditionally grown with a matted-row system in Indiana. Plasticulture is relatively new. Whether and how farmers in our region adopt this new system? What are the challenges and opportunities? In a series of episodes, you will hear interviews with farmers growing strawberries in plasticulture in Indiana. This episode is with Richard Ritter. Richard runs a 20-acre diversified vegetable farm in southwest Indiana. His primary market is a farm stand.

Strawberries are traditionally grown with a matted-row system in Indiana. Plasticulture is relatively new. Whether and how farmers in our region adopt this new system? What are the challenges and opportunities? In a series of episodes, you will hear interviews with farmers growing strawberries in plasticulture in Indiana. This episode is with Calvin Beasley at Beasley's Orchard. Beasley's Orchard, located west of Indianapolis, is a diversified fruit and vegetable farm. Its primary business is in agritourism and U-pick.

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