Commercial Vegetable Production
There are a number of websites that will be useful for Oceana County vegetable growers. The first of these is the Michigan State University Vegetable Area of Expertise Team (Veg AoE) website. This team consists of MSU Extension Agents and Specialists working in the vegetable production area. Useful information that can be found at the site includes new agri-chemical labels, printable copies of Bulletin E-312 "2005 Insect, Disease and Nematode Control for Commercial Vegetables" and Bulletin E-433 "2005 Weed Control Guide for Vegetable Crops" and Cost of Production Studies for a number of crops grown in our area including asparagus and carrots. The Veg AoE Team also provides a service called "Veg Info." It is a search engine that allows you to access information from all Land Grant Universities and the USDA's Agricultural Research Service.
The second link is to the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo website. This show is held annually in early December in Grand Rapid's Grand Center and is a combined effort of the Michigan Vegetable Council and the Michigan State Horticulture Society. In addition to an extensive exhibit hall, educational programs are provided for all major vegetable and fruit commodities.
The third link is to the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board's website. Asparagus is our largest vegetable commodity and the Oceana County Extension Office works closely with that group in presenting much of our educational programming, especially Oceana Asparagus Day.