Our Field Day event on Vegetable Weed Management brought together a community of farmers to learn directly in the field. This hands-on workshop focused on the significant challenge of weed management, providing invaluable insights into specialized tools and techniques. While the second day at Ryder Family Farm was regrettably canceled due to rain, the event at Beet Root Farm was a great success.

The workshop, led by an experienced farmer and an organic weed management expert, guided participants through understanding the many weeding tool options and how to use them effectively. Attendees took a farm tour to see how weed management was integrated into the farm's plan. They then spent time in the vegetable field learning about weed ecology and gaining hands-on experience with a variety of tools in a live demo plot.

• Participants examined, adjusted, and operated a selection of tools, including:

  • Walk-behind tractors and implements from Planet Junior and Tilmor

  • Hand tools and stale-seedbed tools like flame weeders

• Discussions and examples of weed control techniques were covered, including stale seedbeds, cover crops, mulching with landscape fabric and straw, and reduced-tillage systems.

• Attendees learned strategies to address problem weeds using the right tools, cover crops, and tillage in both tunnels and the field.

• The event compared systems in the field, including white ag plastic vs. hilling, reduced-tillage vs. conventional tillage, and variable row spacing.