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Farmers, nurseries and road crews are scrambling to get ready for Tuesday's weather Author: Tracy Hinson (KSDK) Updated: 2:32 PM CDT April 19, 2021 ST. LOUIS — Winter-like weather slipped into the St. Louis forecast as easily as people slipped into the warmth of spring. Now nurseries, farms and transportation providers are scrambling to get ready for Tuesday.  Crews at Eckert's and Passiglia's will be staying up to keep their low-lying plants, like strawberries, watered through the cold snap.  "It's 100% effective," Chris Eckert told 5 On Your Side. "So, I'...

There are some familiar and surprising ways growers are protecting their blooms Author: Tracy Hinson (KSDK) Updated: 8:48 PM CDT April 1, 2021 BELLEVILLE, Ill. — When below-freezing temperatures popped up in the St. Louis area forecast, farmers started prepping for the worst. The peach trees at Eckert's in Belleville are blooming, and that is putting sweat on the brow of Eckert's President, Chris Eckert.  "We just started opening up peach blooms here in the last few days with that warm weather over the weekend," he said. And while pretty, blooms could be a p...

Illinois Agribusiness goes against the grain and finds success in 2020 By Christopher Heimerman For the Illinois Press Association BLOOMINGTON – Apple orchard and pumpkin patch operators can pick out a number of surprise benefits from doing business during the COVID-19 pandemic. During a Thursday afternoon session at the virtual Illinois Specialty Crop Conference, operators of two of the state’s biggest such companies went over unforeseen boons – from a more productive relationship with government officials to more fruitful use of social media. The biggest surprise, perhaps? Sales went ...

Apple orchard and pumpkin patch operators can pick out a number of surprise benefits from doing business during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Illinois orchards, pumpkin patches see growth during pandemic Christopher Heimerman For The Telegraph Jan. 8, 2021 FacebookTwitterEmail Chris Eckert, president of Eckert’s Country Store and Farms in Grafton, Belleville and Millstadt speaks during a virtual session of the Illinois Specialty Crop Conference on Thursday. Eckert said that, despite concerns, a shift to people having to make appointments to pick from the fields during the COVID-19 pandemic has worked well for the agribusiness. “While there was a lot of fear of it, acceptance was very high,” Eckert said. BLOOMINGTON — Apple ...