"6 acre parcel of a 23 acre traditional grain farm that has been dedicated to vegetable production for the last three years and supports a seasonal business,"The Farmers Wagon", which sells directly to Mclean County restaurants and garden centers. Crops include green beans, sweet corn, summer and winter squashes, tomatoes, eggplant, lettuce crops, pumpkins and gourds. Soils are good to very good, fertility supplemented surgically by row or specific crop area with a mixture of mushroom compost, manures, and some basic fertilizers like 10-10-10. Weed control is primarily by hand and by row tiller, along with mowing. No chemical weed program is utilized."

The Farmers Wagon is a produce farm serving local Bloomington Restaurants

Production approach: Sustainable (low chemical use)
Rotations: Approximately 5-acres of vegetables rotated around 23-acre field
Cover crops: None
Tillage: Field cultivator before planting, front tine tillers, and hand weeding
Soil amendment program: Mushroom compost, 10-10-10
Soil tests: Click HERE.

Field was visited 4/30/09. Soils were very wet and muddy. Thistle was observed on the Northern edges of the field creeping in from a neighboring field where extensive Canada thistle was observed. Brad rents the field for commercial vegetable production for Bloomington restaurants. Though he struggles more with annual weeds in the field, the thistle will soon be a very bad problem if not addressed soon. This project will provide Brad with an alternative strategy for controlling Canada thistle where ever he ends up farming. The following plan was developed with Brad:

1. Till multiple times. A friend's field cultivator will be used 2-3x starting as soon as conditions allow.

2. Plant sudan grass. Seed will be located and sudan grass will be planted in early June at a recommended rate of 55 lbs/acres in areas tilled (30' strip along North edge of field, also, large patch in the Northeast corner of field).

3. Mow sudan at 4'. Sudan grass will be mowed just as thistles are starting to flower. Sudan should be at least 4' tall. Farmer will try to find and use a flail mower.

4. Sudan will be mowed again. A second mowing will prevent any thistle from flowering and help build up a thick layer of biomass to smother thistle.

5. Sudan will be tilled under in Fall.

Thistle patch was tilled with a rototiller around May 15, then again May 30 before sudangrass was broadcast and worked in by hand. The sudangrass grew well and was mowed in early August to a height of about 18 inches, which was higher than recommended.

Plot was visited on August 19. Sudangrass was thick, and though tall after mowing, a good, thick mulch was present. The few thistles observed were stunted.

Follow up contact will be made next Spring to determine measure of thistle sprouting in the treated area.

A brix reading was taken on a single stalk of sudangrass taken from the treated area. Brix reading was 6.4.