PVGA partners with Penn State Extension and other organizations by sponsoring local twilight meetings and regional grower meetings as part of our effort to keep growers updated on the latest methods in profitable vegetable and small fruit production. Be sure to take advantage of these unique opportunities to experience the thriving operations of your peers up close and personal, while the season is in full swings.
Snyder County Farm Hosts Twilight Meeting
On Thursday, June 26, 2025, approximately 35 growers met at the farm of Carl Wenger in Snyder County for a twilight meeting which was sponsored by PVGA. Attendees walked the vegetable fields and discussed many current issues. Extension personnel Tom Butzler, Leah Fronk, and Heather Grab were also in attendance. The first stop was the grafted watermelons. Some in attendance use grafted plants every year, and some have not tried them yet. With grafted plants, growers help to gain an edge on fields affected by soilborne disease and other stressors and produce higher quality fruit compared to standard plants. Despite the rainy weather in June, the ‘Mountain Fresh’ tomato crop appeared free of disease. A discussion on commonly used tomato varieties interested many in attendance. Attendees debated the balance when choosing varieties based on disease resistance and flavor. The next stop in the field was the zucchini plants. Penn State entomologist Heather Grab discussed cucumber beetle and squash bug management. Both insects overwinter as adults at the edges of fields, though cucumber beetles emerge first. While cucumber beetles emerged a few weeks ago, squash bugs are emerging now and laying coppery-colored eggs on the undersides of leaves, which attendees were able to observe during the walk. ‘Candy’ onions are grown on black plastic at the Wenger farm. A few onions appeared to have center rot, a bacterial pathogen that causes leaves in the center of the plant to become water-soaked and soft. The group discussed management options such as copper, early harvest, and length of neck for affected plants. Pumpkins are grown on the Wenger farm and while the group did not walk to the pumpkin field, there was a good discussion about Phytophthora. Many growers in attendance have experienced losing cucurbit crops to Phytophthora in recent years. Management options discussed included irrigation practices, field drainage, equipment sanitation, nitrogen use and fungicides.
After the field walk, the group walked to a nearby schoolhouse to enjoy refreshments and listen to Joni Davis report about the Worker Protection Standard (WPS). The WPS is a regulation that aims to reduce pesticide poisoning and risk of injury to farm workers. Because of the WPS training and discussion in the field, attendees with their PA pesticide license were able to earn 2 category (PC, 03, 18) credits and 1 core credit.
This Twilight meeting was organized by Leah Fronk, a commercial horticulture Extension Educator based in Juniata County. Her programming focuses on organic and conventional pest management for vegetable and small fruit crops, as well as assisting growers with issues related to pesticide certification and the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
Thank you to Carl and his family for hosting this enjoyable twilight meeting, and to Leaf for organizing the meeting!
