VegNet Vol. 12, No. 11. June 27, 2005
Ohio State University Extension Vegetable Crops
On the WEB at: http://vegnet.osu.edu
If experiencing problems receiving this fax, Call 614-292-3857

In This Issue
1.A Grower Self Assessment of Food Safety Risks

2. Crop Reports

A Grower Self Assessment of Food Safety Risks
By John Wargowsky, Executive Director – Mid American Ag and Hort Services
This publication is one of a series of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) tools available for on-farm use by commercial fruit and vegetable producers. The self assessment walks farmers through GAPs and helps them to identify the practices requiring attention. These practices include the areas of record keeping, worker hygiene, toilets and handwashing, water use, pesticide use, manure use, compost use, herd health, wild animals, harvest sanitation, postharvest handling, juice and cider, direct marketing, u-pick operations, petting zoos, farm biosecurity and crisis management.

This self assessment is available to Ohio and Indiana fruit and vegetable producers free of charge while supplies last through the Ohio and Indiana Specialty Crop Food Safety Initiative. Other GAPs tools for farm use include a basic GAPs brochure (Spanish and English), a grower’s guide, worker training video (Spanish and English), and laminated posters addressing handwashing, toilet use and toilet paper disposal (Spanish and English). Producers in other states may order these materials and more by visiting www.gaps.cornell.edu/.

Contact Mid American Ag and Hort Services by phone at 614-246-8286, fax at 614-246-8686, or email at maahs@ofbf.org. More information about the Ohio and Indiana Specialty Crop Food Safety Initiative may be found at www.midamservices.org by clicking on "Projects." The Initiative is conducted in partnership with the USDA Risk Management Agency and numerous other organizations.

Crop Reports Southeast Ohio 6/21/05 by Hal Kneen

News from southeast Ohio is that insects from the South have rode the air currents into southern Ohio.  Both Corn Earworm and  Beet Army Worm moths have been caught in traps this week.  As of the evening of June 20th, seventeen corn earworm & zero European Corn Borers that were caught in helio traps.  Caught one Beet Army Worm moth in yellow and green trap in Racine, OH  on the  O'Brien Farm.   As temperatures soar, timely  sprays need to be applied to cover the exposed silks of sweet corn especially with the higher corn earworm numbers being trapped.

"Dry" is the watch word for vegetable growers this year.  Irrigation guns and trickle irrigation are being used constantly to increase yields and to apply nutrients.  My records show that 1999 was our last extremely dry year. As I visit growers, most are better prepared with trickle irrigation especially for tomatoes, peppers and vine crops.  Sweet corn fields have been irrigated for several weeks and growers are concentrating on silking and tasselling fields.  First sweet corn will be here for July 4th weekend.  Tomatoes will be scarce until after 4th of July.  No rain is the forecast until next week with temperatures suppose to climb back into the nineties.

Cucumbers, squash, cabbage and beans are being harvested. Pumpkins are sprouting and transplants are in the ground.  Melons are forming on the vines.  

Southwest Ohio 6/21/05 by Brad Bergefurd

VERY DRY conditions prevail over South Central and SW Ohio with some areas only receiving .2 inches of rain so far in June and only .9 inches in May. To say the least irrigation is being done on crops just about around the clock with very little measurable rain in the next 14`day forecast. Planting of pumpkins and winter squash continues. Earl transplanted winter squash is in full bloom. Harvest of summer squash and cucumbers is starting to come in pretty steady now. The first cabbage is being cut and shipped. Harvest of tomato from high tunnels continues. Strawberry harvest is beginning to wind down. Powdery Mildew has hit some summer squash fields pretty hard around SW Ohio, could have begun on transplants in the greenhouse. European corn borer are being found in sweet corn plantings that are in the ear development stage. Early blight lesions are showing up in tomato fields.