Natalie Hoidal
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Articles by Natalie Hoidal
How Can Fruit and Vegetable Farmers Prepare for El Niño?
Farms.com Home › News By Natalie Hoidal and Madeline Wimmer el.at The current El Niño is likely to be the strongest we've seen in our lifetimes. How can we prepare for it? El Niño events typically get stronger through the fall and peak in the winter and often result in a warmer cold season in Minnesota. For context, the warmest winter on record in MN (2023-2024) happened during a relatively moderate El Niño. A stronger event means that we expect some stretches of notably warmer winter weather.
Weekly Vegetable Update July 30, 2026
By Natalie Hoidal & Marissa Schuh It's been hot - remarkably so. Crops are responding accordingly with slow fruit production and aborted flowers. Most of the state should get some rain tomorrow, but in some cases it may be too much rain at once, leading to splitting. Powdery mildew and corn earworm are showing up on schedule. How does this growing season compare? The USDA tracks crop progress in a variety of commodity crops. Overall, commodity crops appear to be doing really well this year.
Weekly Vegetable Update July 23, 2026
By Natalie Hoidal and Marissa Schuh Last week was brutal. Extreme heat and extremely poor air quality during one of the busiest weeks of the year means that this week, farmers are in major catch-up mode: hand pulling weeds that got away, harvesting garlic, planting final successions of fall crops, and just generally keeping things running.
Weekly Vegetable Update - July 2, 2025
By Natalie Hoidal & Marissa Schuh More severe weather affected some farms over the last week, though the steady warmth of this week is sending solanaceous and vine crops leapfrogging ahead. We got the 30-day forecast for July from NOAA this week, calling for above average temperature and average amounts of precipitation. Surprising pest of the season? Plant viruses Every crop we grow has at least a few (and for some crops many) viruses that can infect them.
Soil Health Practices and Decision Drivers on Diversified Vegetable Farms in Minnesota
All articles published by MDPI are made immediately available worldwide under an open access license. No special permission is required to reuse all or part of the article published by MDPI, including figures and tables. For articles published under an open access Creative Common CC BY license, any part of the article may be reused without permission provided that the original article is clearly cited. For more information, please refer to https://www.mdpi.com/openaccess.
Cover crops improve soil health, even on a small scale
Have you ever felt like you want to invest in soil health, but it’s hard to know how to apply soil health concepts on a small scale? Cover crops are an important tool to improve the health of your soil. kAm(9:=6 >2?J @7 E96 C6D@FC46D 2G2:=23=6 E@ 96=A 8C@H6CD ?2G:82E6 4@G6C 4C@AD 2C6 2:>65 2E =2C86C 72C>D[ J@F 42? FD6 4@G6C 4C@AD 2E 2?J D42=6]k^Am kAmkDEC@?8m(9J FD6 2 4@G6C 4C@Ank^DEC@?8mk^Am kAm$@:= 962=E9 E9C:G6D H96? H6 42? <66A =:G:?8 C@@ED :? E96 D@:=] {:G:?8 C@@ED 96=A >2:?E2:? ?FEC:6?ED :?
Companion planting in home gardens
Skip to navigation Skip to main content Skip to footer University of Minnesota Extension extension.umn.edu Quick facts Companion planting can help you to achieve some important goals in the garden. Companion planting is a great way to use space efficiently in the garden. You can plant your vegetables and flowers in mutually beneficial arrangements. It can protect your plants from insects.
Hot weather gardening tips
We’ve just experienced a couple of weeks of very warm temperatures, and – are predicting that we’ll continue to see more above–average temperatures this summer. What does this mean for how we manage our gardens? Water wisely. Parts of Minnesota are experiencing drought conditions, and cities have begun to instate watering restrictions, so make sure to check on your local ordinances.
How and when to start your seeds
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Take notes now for a healthier garden next year
Reflecting on your garden successes and mistakes from the past year can help you grow healthier and more enjoyable gardens in the future. Take notes now while this season is fresh in your mind. The garden journaling trend surfaces every year around this time. I seem to get daily targeted ads for garden journals ranging from blank notebooks to highly organized templates that prompt you to write daily observations about weather trends and plant progress.
Improving Trust and Adoption of Economic Thresholds for Soybean Aphid
A survey of soybean farmers about integrated pest management practices for soybean aphid (Aphis glycines) finds misunderstandings about terms such as “economic threshold” and “economic injury level.” The results suggest that improved and well-tailored communication efforts could improve adoption of IPM principles.
Exploring Alternatives to Plastic Mulch
In my conversations with growers, plastic mulch has been a leading topic of both interest and concern. There are so many benefits to using it, including moisture retention, weed control, and soil warming, but the environmental impact is hard to ignore. It’s estimated that in the US alone, farmers use around 1 billion pounds of plastic annually. In this article, I’ll review some alternatives and share up-to-date research and grower feedback. Alternative Plastic Mulch-like Products 1.
Coronavirus: Things for farmers to consider
Many farmers are wondering how to respond to the COVID-19 virus. The information in this article is intended to help growers navigate communication, logistics and planning. The University of Minnesota Extension will continue to develop resources as more information becomes available. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out to our fruit and vegetable team with questions and concerns.
Planning For COVID-19 On Your Farm
By Natalie Hoidal and Jake Overgaard Many farmers are wondering how to respond to the COVID-19 virus. The information in this article is intended to help growers navigate communication, logistics and planning. We will continue to develop resources as more information becomes available. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out to our fruit and vegetable team with questions and concerns. This is a rapidly evolving situation. For the most up-to-date information, please follow the CDC.
Planning to Use Paraquat? Complete Certified Applicator Training First
Mid-season spray application in soybean field. ©Debra L Ferguson Stock Photography The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced certified applicators must successfully complete an EPA-approved training program before mixing, loading, and/or applying paraquat dichloride, an herbicide commonly referred to as paraquat.
Minnesota: Chlorpyrifos - Remember Best Management Practices, Respirator Requirements
The challenges posed by soybean aphid resistance to pyrethroid insecticides have resulted in more growers turning to insecticides containing chlorpyrifos for management of soybean aphid outbreaks. Chlorpyrifos is an organophosphate insecticide with broad-spectrum activity that is used for management of pests in various agricultural crops. Chlorpyrifos is an active ingredient in various products, including but not limited to Lorsban, Cobalt, Dursban, Nufos and Yuma.
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