Blue Mountain Farm WV

Blue Mountain Farm WV Farm in Hedgesville, WV, at historic Speck Spring. Producing wide range of vegetables, melons, greens

02/26/2026

Second thoughts: Florida crop losses severe

Recent cold weather has caused $3.1 billion in damage to Florida crops, state estimates show:

Tomatoes: $164,273,849
Strawberries: $306,965,897
Watermelons: $65,437,343
Sweet Corn: $255,363,251
Sugarcane: $1,152,122,146
Bell Peppers: $108,380,389
Potatoes: $79,065,000
Cabbage: $21,800,280
Squash: $24,522,275
Blueberries: $78,512,400
Citrus: $674,660,336
Greenhouse and Nursery: $240,000,000
Plan on higher prices at the supermarket, and soon.

02/24/2026

Second thoughts: Spotted lantern fly may soon be grounded

USDA scientists think they have found a way to combat this invasive insect, a threat to many crops.
Hannah Broadley, a biological controls researcher, leads a team that hopes a natural parasitic enemy of the SLF can be used to destroy it before it even gets off the ground.
A wasp called D. sinicus, a native of China, lay its eggs inside or under lantern fly nymphs using unique “raptoral arms,” forelegs that hold the prey still. When the wasp’s own larvae develop and emerge, they eat the SLF’s nymphs.
To ensure the safety of native North American insects, Broadley’s team conducted tests to see if the D. sinicus wasps had a taste for 26 different North American species across the East Coast, Midwest and the West Coast. The results were very encouraging: SLFs had no appetite for the local guys.
“In a nutshell, the main takeaway is we got absolutely no parasitism on any of these non-targets,” Broadley said.
With host-range testing completed last December, the USDA is moving toward the final regulatory stages. Broadley says a formal plan to release D. sinicus is expected to be submitted early this year. The federal review process can take one to three years, but Broadley’s team is working on rearing systems to ensure a robust supply of the parasitoids is available once approval is granted.

Kale plugs growing in the high tunnel are just about ready to transplant. We'll wait a few more days for more root devel...
02/24/2026

Kale plugs growing in the high tunnel are just about ready to transplant. We'll wait a few more days for more root development before we put them in the ground.

02/24/2026

Second thoughts: Trump likes glyphosate

President Trump issued an executive order on Feb. 18 to spur the production of glyphosate, the world’s most widely used w**d killer and the target of billions of dollars in health lawsuits.
He invoked the Defense Production Act (DPA), a 1950s law typically used in national emergencies to force companies to produce materials or supplies the president deems necessary for national security.
“Lack of access to glyphosate-based herbicides would critically jeopardize agricultural productivity, adding pressure to the domestic food system,” Trump said.
He ordered the secretaries of defense and agriculture to take action to “to ensure a continued and adequate supply” of glyphosate.
The DFA provides a pathway for companies to avoid certain liability suits. Trump’s order appears to extend that protection to producers of glyphosate.

Recurring frigid temps that sink into the single digits are taking a toll on our crops. These four-inch transplant pots ...
02/06/2026

Recurring frigid temps that sink into the single digits are taking a toll on our crops. These four-inch transplant pots of tatsoi are showing a lot of damage and may not recover.

The wide variations in temperatures we've been enduring have an effect on plants. too: they "bolt", stretching out verti...
02/06/2026

The wide variations in temperatures we've been enduring have an effect on plants. too: they "bolt", stretching out vertically, flowering, and then producing seed. The weather has left them "confused", not knowing what season it is. So they shift into reproductive mode to create new seed. In the photo on the right are tatsoi, bok choi and komatsuna. The photo on the left shows the same group from above.

Winter can be nasty, but it can be beautiful too. The creek is freezing over and hiding under a blanket of snow.
01/31/2026

Winter can be nasty, but it can be beautiful too. The creek is freezing over and hiding under a blanket of snow.

January started out cold then got colder, cold enough for ice to start forming on the creek. Last Sunday's snow storm ca...
01/31/2026

January started out cold then got colder, cold enough for ice to start forming on the creek. Last Sunday's snow storm came along and made the winter deep-freeze official.

Sunday's snow and ice sliding off the high tunnels on Monday starts filling the walkway gap between them.
01/27/2026

Sunday's snow and ice sliding off the high tunnels on Monday starts filling the walkway gap between them.

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PO Box 832
Hedgesville, WV
25427

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