PERFECTING PUMPKINS. Bobby Fifer says pumpkins probably wouldn’t be growing on his family farm if they hadn’t switched to no-till about 20 years ago at the nearly 100-year-old Fifer Orchards near Camden-Wyoming, Del. The 3,000-acre operation is host to about 300 acres of tree fruits like peaches and apples. They also raise asparagus, tomatoes, sweet corn, kale, cauliflower, grain corn and soybeans.
If it weren't for no-tilling, the Fifer family would have gotten out of the pumpkin business long ago, says Bobby Fifer.
When he was a child, his family started with about 5 acres of pumpkins on Fifer Orchards in Camden-Wyoming, Del. Growing up, his family became contract growers for a company in North Carolina, which provided them with enough demand to slowly climb to 100 acres about 20 years ago.
But their forward progress was…
The National No-Tillage Conference returns January 7-10, 2025! Build and refine your no-till system with dozens of new ideas and connections at the 33rd Annual National No-Tillage Conference in Louisville, Ky. Jan. 7-10, 2025. Experience an energizing 4-day agenda featuring inspiring general session speakers, expert-led No-Till Classrooms and collaborative No-Till Roundtables. Plus, Certified Crop Adviser credits will be offered.
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Last week we had boots on the ground at the Big Soil Health Event in Cedar Falls, Iowa where agronomist David Kleinschmidt emphasized the importance of considering Carbon to Nitrogen ratios of cover crops and residues.
