John & Peter of Shenk's Berry Farm & Hillside Cultivator: EP17

The Farmer's Share

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Today’s episode comes to you from Lancaster County Pennsylvania in a town called Lititz, where we visit John and Peter Shenk of Shenk’s Berry Farm. While their farm may not ring a bell, you may have seen these guys at a trade show or recognize their side business especially if you are into strawberries as they also run the company of Hillside Cultivator.

John and Peter take me around their farm in early February and share their experiences growing strawberries for over 40 years. With that we get into the details of: Varieties, weed control, plasticulture vs. matted row, irrigation, weather patterns, climate change and disease. The 2nd half of the conversation covers the topics of:

• No till pumpkins
• Cover crops
• Running a cultivator business on the side of a family farm
• Black raspberries
• The space between certified organic and conventional practices
• And General lessons learned and key principles of maintaining a sustainable farm business.

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فصول

1. John & Peter of Shenk's Berry Farm & Hillside Cultivator: EP17 (00:00:00)

2. Begining (00:02:59)

3. Cover crops (00:10:22)

4. No-till pumpkins (00:14:15)

5. Strawberries (00:19:26)

6. Strawberry Hilling (00:31:27)

7. Weed control (00:42:03)

8. Varieties (00:48:24)

9. Has farming gotten harder? (00:58:50)

10. Plasticulture vs. matted row (01:02:19)

11. Cultivator business (01:18:14)

12. Compost (01:32:35)

13. Black Raspberries (01:38:58)

14. Assembly area for cultivators (01:44:56)

15. Advice for a beginning farmer (01:48:27)

16. The Organic movement (01:50:50)

17. The value of Extension (01:56:14)