NC

"Plow Sharing"

A monthly newsletter devoted to sustainable farming practices ecological principles, and increasing the profitability of our farming community.

June, 2000 Issue

Marketing Group Forming
Farming 2000 Workshop
Organic Field Day
Farm Fun Day
Chatham Farm Tour
Raising Peppers
Upcoming Events

MARKETING GROUP FORMING: CAROLINA FRESH - FOOD FROM SMALL FAMILY FARMS

There is a new marketing group forming that will assist farmers in selling farm fresh products through various markets. Andy Youngblood of Hickory Springs Poultry and I wrote, applied for, and received a SARE Marketing Grant this spring. Our project's focus is to use a marketing coordinator to be the representative for many family farms in the area. This marketing coordinator will make the contacts with institutional, restaurant, cafeteria, specialty stores, and other types of customer accounts. The coordinator will then correlate the orders with the products and produce available from participating family farms.
What we have discovered in our preliminary research, is that many potential customers do not want to deal with individual farmers. Instead, they would prefer to deal with one entity that can provide a wide variety of items. That is why we are putting together a core group of farmers that raise pastured and free-range poultry, turkeys, grass fed beef, sustainably raised hogs, cheese, seasonal fruits and vegetables and season extended vegetables.
With meat, cheese, season extended and stored vegetables, this will give us a nearly year-round production offering. Combine this with seasonal vegetables and fruit, and we can offer customers a very wide assortment of products to purchase. There seems to be a growing identification with supporting locally grown products from area farms. Offering freshness, flavor, and the opportunity of choice for sustainable and organically grown, will hopefully give this group advantages over anything shipped in from out of state.
We are using an image name to label the group for label recognition. CAROLINA FRESH - FOOD FROM SMALL FAMILY FARMS. The group will be a collaboration of growers rather than a formal business arrangement. This can be a supplemental form of sales for some farms or it can be the primary mode of sales for farms as well. The choice and scope of participation is up to the farmers. Once, committed, we encourage that participants be reliable with providing the products necessary to fill the orders at the quality level and at the time when needed as prescribed by the marketing coordinator.
Deliveries to the accounts will be managed by Hickory Springs Poultry. Transportation of the produce to Hickory Springs will be the responsibility of the farmer.
Pricing of the products will reflect the cost of what it takes to produce it plus a profit margin for the producers. We want to be competitive, however, the true value of our products sold is greater because it will be fresher and have better taste. We cannot compete with California or Florida on price, but we can provide products that are higher quality.
There needs to be a 10% service charge we must ask for in return selling your products. This fee will go towards the salary of the coordinator and to help cover the costs of delivery and repackaging the orders. This fee is fair for the services provided especially if you look at the costs of what wholesale markets take as their cut for commission. As the volume increases and more farmers and customers sign on, we foresee the overall rate of this service charge to decrease.
The customer base will be mixed. As mentioned before, we are looking to find some local institutional accounts. This will be wholesale pricing, but because we will be handling the packaging and deliveries, the prices will be better. Also, having one or two accounts like this can provide guaranteed once or twice a week sales 12 months a year.
We will not rely solely on this type of wholesale customers, however. Part of the coordinators job will be cultivating a large scale direct marketing network similar to some of the dynamics of how CSA's (community supported agriculture) or buying clubs cooperatives operate. This hybridized marketing plan will gain access to a large number of households for direct sales but without the hassle of farmers having to do the actual marketing such as is required for a farmer's market 3-4 times a week.
Presently, we are putting together brochures for promotion of our services. The brochure will have a short biography of each participating farm so that the customers can put a face to agriculture. There will be a discourse on why it is so crucial for people to support local agriculture and the benefits derived from purchasing these locally grown products.
CAROLINA FRESH has been adding names of farmers wishing to participate. We are looking for more interested producers. What farmers need to do to participate is to keep us informed on a weekly basis of what it is you have ready for sales and how much do you have ready to sell for that week. What needs to be addressed early on would be the price range for selling the types of products you have. The marketing coordinator needs that information from the outset in order to have this information available to the customers before sales are ever made.
Marketing of agricultural products can take up a lot of time. Farmers spend many hours in the field trying to raise the best quality product as possible. Finding the time to do the marketing, no matter what scale of production your at can be very challenging and exhausting. The aim of this project is to offer the marketing assistance necessary to help local farmers. This type of activity is starting to show up in other areas of the country. The group, Practical Farmers of Iowa have started a marketing service for some of their farmers selling to hotels. A Minnesota group is doing something similar as well. SARE thought our plan highly enough to be one of the small projects chosen out of a field of 109 proposals.
We believe this project can be successful. We believe in the power of local agriculture. By working together and forming alliances, everyone becomes a winner.
For more information, please contact Robert Hadad 919-542-8202.

FARMING 2000 & BEYOND WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENTS

The June workshop will be focused on vegetable trials and farmer discussions. The vegetable trials I have started are looking at vegetable greens for four seasons. The spring season greens are up and doing real well. In fact, by June, they might be already in a salad! So I will talk on what was seen and about the planting of the summer crop.
The second vegetable trial is on ethnic varieties suitable for marketing to specific ethnic groups, the oriental community, Asian-India region, the Hispanic community, and a little mixture of central European. The Triangle area of NC is diversifying in population with many ethnic groups gaining in numbers. These people traditionally shop at open air markets back in the home countries. This means a brand new customer for you to market to.
Besides just looking at these different varieties of vegetables, we will talk about cultural practices, nomenclature, and marketing possibilities.
Another important part of the workshop will be an opportunity for you all to participate in a Farmer-to-Farmer discussion. This is a chance for you to ask questions about farming and marketing. Is there something eating your plants you're having trouble getting rid of organically? What diseases have hit your early squash plants? How have you prevented flea beetles from attacking your eggplants? Come on down, spend some time with your fellow farmers, bring your problems and your experiences and maybe together we can find some answers.
There will be a cook-out dinner. the cost is $3. Pre-registration is being asked for. The workshop is the Third Monday of the Month - June 19 from 5-8pm at the Pittsboro CCCC Land Lab. Call Robert Hadad for registration and details 919-542-8202.

The Third Monday in July, July 17, will feature a forum on Sustainable Hog Production and Marketing. This program will run from 9-4pm at Wells Auditorium NCA&T in Greensboro. Presentations will be made concerning the advantages of turning to alternative production practices such as pasturing/grass fed, reducing stress, factors affecting the taste of the meat and can manipulating the taste be a marketing niche?, slaughtering options and processors, breeds suitable for pasturing, pasture development, electric fencing, markets and marketing options (with some upscale market buyers present), the "how-to's" on forming a cooperative for grain purchasing and for getting into processors and markets, a field trip to a pasture based research trial, and more. Lunch will be BBQ on locally pastured pork. Presenters will be made up of specialists, USDA, farmers, processors, and market buyers. Call Robert Hadad for details.

August 21, the Third Monday of the Month, will have a workshop on COOPERATIVES: The Nuts and Bolts, Pro's and Con's of Starting a Cooperative. This workshop will feature a cooperative specialist from USDA Dept. of Rural Economic Development, who will go into detailed explanation of the legalities, member responsibilities, and everything else involved with starting a coop. Several farmer cooperative representatives to tell their own stories on how they started a coop and what it has meant to their marketing opportunities. This workshop will be at the Chatham Co. Extension Center Auditorium. time to be announced. Call Robert Hadad for details.

ORGANIC FIELD DAY

The Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) will be holding an Organic Field Day at their Goldsboro research facility. The date is July 31 starting with registration at 2:00pm. There will be tours of the facility where there are many research trials going on. Highlights will include summer cover crops, ctillage implements, no-till vegetable trials, solarization, composting, organic nutrient use efficiency, organic transition experiment,and more. The field tour will last until 6:30 and then there will be a dinner and keynote address by Dr. Alex Stone (Oregon State U.) who will speak on "Soil Organic Matter and Plant Disease Suppression". The dinner is $5 and please RSVP by July 28 by calling Keith Baldwin 515-1199 (keith_Baldwin@ncsu.edu). For more info contact Nancy Creamer, NCSU 919-515-9447. If there is enough interest in car pooling, we here at Chatham Extension could run a van down to the field day. If interested, call me 542-8202.

CHATHAM COUNTY FARM FUN DAY OCTOBER 28

The Chatham Co. Farm Fun Day will be Saturday, Oct.28 from 9-4pm at the National Guard Armory in Siler City. Last year's event attracted over 400 people and was sponsored by Chatham Co. Cooperative Extension and other local businesses. This year we really want to highlight local agriculture, farmers, and their farms. Planned, will be tents for local agricultural and horticultural farms and operations to sell their products.
We realize that this is a market day for some of you but having a captive crowd here for the many other events going on will almost guarantee good sales for you as well as another great opportunity for you to show off Chatham Co. local agricultural pride.
We expect much lager attendance this year because of greater advertising and through some of the added events. One such event will be through pie baking competition. Another event will feature "Flavors of Chatham" where locally grown meats, cheese, fruits, and vegetable products can be sampled in a tasting challenge.
The earlier people can sign up for participation, the greater exposure through advertising will occur. Please call the office and let us know if you are interested in being involved.

CHATHAM FARM TOUR

Part of the overall Farming Week activities we help celebrate each year, is our annual FARM TOUR. Through your local Extension office, we set up several farms for a bus tour on a day in the fall. Last year we had two buses stopping at four sites. There were nearly 70 people on this tour. The biggest statement these folks made was wouldn't it have been nice to be able to go to some farms where they could purchase farm fresh products while they were on the tour? Talk about a captive audience!
The real purpose of the tour is to get the non-farming community to see first hand the importance of agriculture is in the county. By getting these people to support local agriculture, they can become strong allies as encroachment and development start to push in and threaten agriculture.
We are looking for some volunteer farms who are interested in participating to give us a call. I promise, we won't do it on a market day! We do have to start making plan now, however. So let me know as soon as you can.

RAISING PEPPERS (Solanaceae) nightshade family, Capsicum annuum

Peppers are grown for both the fresh market and processing market. Field location is very important. Stay away from low lying areas, especially near creeks and rivers. These areas have higher humidity levels which provide a better environment for diseases to become established. Soils need good drainage and air circulation. Soils with high N levels won't produce plants with a lot of fruit.
Peppers do well after a fescue or grass sod cover crop. Be sure to till under cover crop long before putting in pepper plants to allow the sod to decompose. Try to eliminate as many weeds as possible before planting.
For processing peppers, bell pepper varieties are needed and transplanted 16 inches apart in rows 36-42 inches wide. This adds up to be about 10,000 plants/A. For pimento peppers, between plant spacing is 18-22 inches with rows spaced 40-42 inches apart. This requires 7500 plants/A.
For fresh market production, peppers can be raised better on raised beds. Excellent yields have been shown with the addition of black plastic over a trickle irrigation set up. For large plantings, a bed shaper, which lays the plastic and irrigation lines, and plant setter for transplanting plants are essential. For this system two rows of peppers are planted on each bed with the rows spaced 15 inches apart and plants 12 inches apart in each row. The beds are approximately 72 inches from center to center (14,500 plants/A). Fertilizer can be in liquid form and injected into the irrigation system on a weekly basis. For more information on this system, contact your county Extension agent.
Pepper plants should be transplanted to the field after the last frost date. A 7-8 week old transplant is best for planting. When buying transplants, be sure to buy the best possible to avoid disease infestation, especially bacterial leaf spot. This has been a problem in this state. Greenhouse container grown plants are recommended for planting in raised beds. Plants are grown in 72 cell tray size. When transplanting to the field, use a pint of a starter fertilizer which is high in phosphorus and apply around the roots of each plant. Poor fruit set and deformed fruit may result when night time temperatures drop below 600F and when daytime temperatures rise above 900F.

Fertilizer

A soil sample should be taken every year for the field in which peppers are to be grown in. A pH of 6.5-7.0 is desirable. The soil sample will also give the base phosphorus and potassium analysis from which the fertilization of the peppers can be based. With poor soils, apply 50-75lbs. of actual N/A before planting allowing for half of this to be applied at the time of tillage and the second half applied just prior to transplanting. With good soil fertility, apply only 25-40lbs of N/A.
For processing pepper production where black plastic is not used, side dressing or banding additional N to either side of the plant when the first fruit begin to set is essential for good yields. A second application of 50lbs of N/A can be made about two weeks later.
For fresh market peppers grown on plastic, with raised beds, and trickle irrigation, apply additional P and K through the irrigation water is good practice. For such plantings, it is suggested that 25lb of N/A be applied before the raised beds are made. Add the P and K also at this time based on the soil analysis readings.

Peppers: Fertilizer Recommended Based on Soil Test Results: Phosphorus

Soil Test Reading Lb Phosphorus
(P203)/Acre
Low <30lb/A 180-240
Med 31-60lb/A 120-180
High 60-80lb/A 60-120

Soil Test Reading
Lb Potassium (K2O)/Acre
Low < 200lb/Av 200-250
Med 201-300lb/A 100-200
High 301-450lb/A 50-100
(>=greater than,<=less than)

Nitrogen: Apply 25-50lbs of actual N/A preplant. The rate will vary based on cropping history of the field and general fertility of the soil. If following a sod cover crop, apply 50lbs N/A. After fruit begin to form, sidedress with another 50lb of N/A. Two weeks later add another 50lbs/A.

After transplanting, the following fertigation schedule is suggested based on approximately 14,500 plants/A.

Fertigation Schedule for Peppers

Week N lbs/A K2O lbs/A
5/7-14 3 6
5/15-22 3 6
5/23-30 4 8
5/31-6/7 4 8
6/8-15 4 8
6/16-23 10 20
6/24-7/1 10 20
7/2-9 10 20
7/10-17 7 14
7/18-25 7 14
7/26-8/2 7 14
8/3-10 7 14
total 76 152

Harvest

Harvest peppers for processing when red ripe. Do not pick in plastic bags because peppers will heat up and rot quickly. When harvesting peppers for fresh market, pick at the mature green stage and handle them carefully. Green peppers when mature and ready for harvest will be firm to the touch. Pack only clean, insect, and disease free fruit. USDA grade standards are available for use in packing a U.S. Fancy and a U.S. No. 1 pack of peppers in 30lb carton or 11/9 bushel basket.

Post Harvest

Cool peppers to 48-500F using forced air cooling. With a relative humidity of 90-95%. Peppers suffer chilling injury when stored at temperatures below 400F. Symptoms of chilling injury are browning at the calyx end and at 350F surface pitting.

Insects

Aphids can be treated with insecticidal soaps or trapped with yellow sticky traps. Biological controls can also be an option for long term control if aphids are a persistent problem. Aphidiid wasps, lady beetles, lacewings.
Beet armyworm appears sporadically. The moth is blown in from the cotton belt of the South. Voracious eaters, the most effective treatment is to use a neem product when the larvae is young. This insect is tolerant to most insecticides.
Cutworms can be managed by eliminating weedy areas. Early spring tillage can cut down populations by exposing them to the surface and disturbing their food source and egg laying sites.
Flea beetles may be managed by eliminating overwintering sites. Rotation around the field, staying away from field margin areas. Intercropping, with many smaller plots of greens rather than a large plot will be effective in reducing pest population damage. Spring time may be the worst time for flea beetles in some years. A floating row cover with a strong, narrow spaced weave may give the best protection. Drench ground with parasitic nematodes early in the season to build up populations to battle the generation of flea beetles that emerge from the soil around crops.
European corn borer is a key pest of peppers. Use monitoring traps to scout for first migrating adults. Use Bt products for control. Begin applications when trap catches at least 10 moths/week. Spider mites can build up in population and can be treated with insecticidal soap or oil. Attracting beneficials to the area with wild flower plantings or release predatory mites into the leaf canopy can reduce populations.
Stinkbugs can be control with a light application of insecticidal oil. Braconid wasps attracted to the area could help keep populations of stinkbugs lower.

Diseases

Anthracnose, Cercospora leaf spot, Alternaria fruit rot problems can be reduced through rotations of 3-4 years in crops not related to peppers. Anthracnose, Cercospora Leaf Spot, Alternaria Fruit Rot, Anthracnose occurs as sunken spots on green and ripe fruits, accompanied by pinkish spore masses in wet conditions. Cercospora leaf spot develops during prolonged periods of hot, wet weather, as large circular to oblong spots, usually with a white to gray center. Alternaria develops as a black mass of spores on damaged areas of the fruits. Controlling weeds, especially solanaceous weedy species will help in eliminating alternative hosts for these diseases. Copper dusts can be used sparingly but not in hot humid weather.
Bacterial soft rot Effective control of insects will aid in controlling the spread of this disease. Sanitation is important in destroying any rotting fruit found in the field. Bacterial soft rot causes a very soft slimy rot with a strong odor. The bacteria causing it are commonly present on the fruit surface and enter the fruit through wounds, especially those near the stem end. Control insect pests (especially corn borers) and spotting diseases to minimize wounding. If wash water is used in packing operations, it should contain 25 ppm of available chlorine. A number of chlorine sources are available, but for most small operations the most available option is to use household bleach (those containing 5.25% sodium chlorite) at the rate of 1 Tablespoon of bleach per 8 gallons of water or 1 pt/264 gallons of water. To keep the chlorine available, it is important that the initial water pH be 6.0 to 7.5, that the water remain clean and changed often, and that the water temperature be near the temperature of the fruit (no colder than 10ø below that of the harvested fruit).
Bacterial leaf spot Bacterial Spot (Part I of II) See next frame below Bacterial leaf spot occurs as water-soaked, black to tan, irregular shaped spots on the leaf, especially the margins, and on fruits as raised spots. Defoliation of infected leaves can be extensive, greatly impacting fruit quality. This disease can be a limiting factor to the economic production of peppers because the weather is often ideal for bacterial spot development and control options are marginal. Several breeding programs in the US are working on this problem and resistance genes have been moved into horticulturally acceptable cultivars. Preliminary cultivar testing shows considerable promise. The bacterium causing this disease is seed borne, transplant borne, and overwinters on site and nearby in weeds and residues. Once it is introduced into the planting and under prolonged wet conditions, control is limited because of the rapid rate of reproduction and limitation of available chemicals. THEREFORE, CONTROL IS CENTERED AROUND PREVENTING INTRODUCTION OF THE BACTERIUM RATHER THAN ERADICATION OF IT ONCE PRESENT! Use crop rotations of 2 to 3 years, excluding peppers, tomatoes, and tobacco for the total rotation plus also exclude small grains in the regime the season before peppers are to be planted. Control broadleaf weeds during the rotation and around the field borders. Disk all crop residues into the soil promptly after harvest to encourage more rapid decline of the bacterium and plow cover crops very early in the spring to minimize carry-over. Do not work plantings while wet. Spraying plants while wet with high pressure may encourage spread by blowing bacteria about the field. Resistant varieties of fresh market peppers are available and should be utilized in areas where bacterial spot is frequently a problem. Use western-grown, disease-free seed whenever possible and treat them before planting with household bleach (2 pts household bleach to 1gallon of water per lb of seed, washing for 40 minutes with continuous agitation). For greenhouse production of transplants, copper can be used as long as the temperature is not hot and humidity is low. If you buy transplants, assume there is some bacterium in there. Feed transplants with high N and K. Highly fertilized plants are somewhat less susceptible to leaf spot than nutrient deficient ones. Copper sprayed on plants early in the season seem to keep bacterium populations at low levels. Use once every week during wet periods to reduce any buildup and spread of the leaf spot in the field.
Blossom end rot is not an infectious disease but is caused by calcium deficiency. Poor soil moisture can also restrict calcium uptake in the plant.
Phytophthora blight is similar to tobacco black shank but form different fungi. Soil drainage is critical for controlling this disease. Raised beds aids in this nicely. Rotation with non-solonaceous and non-cucurbit type crops.
Southern stem blight Plants wilt and die due to girdling of the stem by this fungus. Signs of the fungus include a white mold and small sclerotia (resemble mustard seeds). This disease is often found in lots of transplants, so set clean plants. Avoid fields with a history of this disease and rotate problem fields with sod crops. Sclerotinia has a wide host range and is common on tobacco, soybeans, peppers, and tomatoes. Deep plow to bury sclerotia and crop debris. Incorporate cover crops early to ensure they are well rotted before transplanting into the site. Maintain good weed and grass control through preventative means because the fungus can attack dying weeds then move onto pepper transplants. Eliminate weeds and grass from around fields since this fungus attacks dying weeds then moves to peppers.
Tomato spotted wilt This virus disease is carried by thrips and can cause serious losses when introduced into young plants, especially if in the transplants. Ensure that transplants are from fields or greenhouses certified to be free of TSWV. Local transplant producers should take steps to reduce spread of TSWV by following recommended thrips control and not producing pepper transplants in houses where ornamentals are being produced or sold. Rogue out infected plants as soon as they are found and maintain a thrips control program.
Virus complex Tobacco etch, potato virus Y, alfalfa mosaic virus, tobacco mosaic, and cucumber mosaic are the viruses are common in peppers. Except for tobacco mosaic virus, all are aphid-borne from infected plants (weeds, tobacco and other sources), but the application of insecticides is not the key to control. Grow varieties with resistance where acceptable horticulturally. In addition to the recommended varieties listed earlier in this section, Gator Belle, Bell Boy, Bell Captain, Super Sweet 860 are resistant to tobacco mosaic and Tam Mild Chile-2 has resistance to tobacco mosaic, potato virus Y and etch. Eliminate broadleaf weeds and other sources of these viruses within 150 ft of planting before transplanting. This can be done by locating fields between plantings of corn or other non-host, field crops where the weeds are killed before peppers are transplanted. Do not grow peppers within 150 ft of tobacco. Controlling aphids in tobacco located near peppers, especially at the time of tobacco harvest, helps to reduce movement of aphids and viruses to peppers. Recent surveys indicate that growing tobacco varieties resistant to the aphid-borne virus complex may be helpful in reducing these diseases in peppers, probably because the pathogen level in the nearby community is greatly reduced. Maintain aphid control in peppers. In problem fields, with a high value fresh market crop, spraying weekly with stylet oils can be helpful (using 3 qt/100 gallons) [see labels and follow the labeled protocol strictly], but the value of this treatment has not been evaluated. Reflective mulches show promise in reducing the incidence of these diseases. Powdery mildew can be treated with sulfur at the first appearance of the diseases. Be sure to monitor temperatures. Applying sulfur when air temperature moves much above 80 degrees will cause leaf burn.
A word about weeds. If growing peppers on raised beds, using a living mulch between the beds is a good deterrent for weeds. A low growing, thickly sown crop such as dwarf white clover, subterranean clover, or rye can be grown. If cover crops get tall, mowing is an easy option (be sure your beds are spread far enough apart to allow for mower to get in).

UPCOMING EVENTS

NCSAWG (NC Sustainable Agricultural Working Group) will be meeting at the Chatham Cooperative Extension Kitchen Lab 6/19 from 12-2. Bring you lunch and join in with the discussion.

Biological Pest Control in the Garden and Landscape - Sustainable Farming Program at CCCC Pittsboro will host a workshop on 6/24 featuring Dr. Richard McDonald. Registration of $40 is requested. Contact Robin Kohanovich at SFP 919-545-0568

6/11 The CFSA Triangle Chapter will meet at 3pm at Stratton Hill Farm, home of Rodney and Rebecca Recor. 919-304-2263 or www.therecors.org

6/19 FARMING 2000 & BEYOND Workshop Greens/Ethnic Vegetables and Farmer to Farmer Discussion

7/17 FARMING 2000 & BEYOND Workshop Sustainable Hog Production and Marketing

8/21 FARMING 2000 & BEYOND Workshop The Nuts and Bolts of Cooperatives SEE ARTICLES IN THIS NEWSLETTER FOR DETAILS

Robert Hadad
Agriculture Agent
Chatham County Cooperative Extension
PO Box 279
Pittsboro, NC 27312
For more information call 919-542-8202

Any mention of product brand names, companies, organizations, or points of view by individuals does not reflect on or speak for North Carolina State University, North Carolina A & T State University or North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service.

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Paulette Thomas
Secretary II

Date Created 6/09/00.