April 2021 - 19

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Notes from a Penn farm
'High-tech, high-input, high-output'
- that's how fifth-generation
Kegan Wright describes his
vegetable enterprise at Rochester
Mills, Pennsylvania. Growing over
100 acres of mixed vegetables,
field and protected, on his 300acre
farm, Kegan supplies four
warehouses and multiple grocery
stores in addition to three roadside
markets of his own.
The last time we caught up with
Kegan was at the end of the
summer. " The hot summer! " he
says. " We'd had a month without
rain and temperatures in the 90s.
" Now it's at the other extreme. This
morning's temperature was just five
degrees above zero. We shut down
the greenhouses on Jan 1 and right
now, we're usually going through all
the maintenance on the unit. But
this 'polar blast' has got us doing
other things instead - it's just too
cold to do useful work outside! "
Instead, he's using the time to put
into practice some new ideas -
and varieties - for this season's
tomatoes. " I've picked up 2,000
plants this morning, all of which
my supplier has grafted onto my
preferred rootstock.
" Dixie Red is my go-to variety, "
Kegan says. This determinate
variety, a Seminis hybrid, has
become a popular choice with
growers thanks to its large fruit
and improved resistance to pests
such as root-knot nematodes, and
diseases including wilt, Alternaria,
Fusarium and Verticillium.
" Size-wise, it's perfect for the
fresh market. Our nutrient regime
centers on Cell Power®
SizeN®
- it's a stabilized amine nitrogen
that we apply as they come out of
blossom - and this finishes the
fruit to a perfect size. "
In addition to the Dixie Reds,
Kegan's also trialing 3345, a new
variety with indeterminate habit
that's just become available. A
slicer - fruits weigh about 10 to
14 oz - Kegan says he's keen to
see whether it fulfils its promise of
minimum pruning, maximum fruit.
" Where I'm growing these in the
field, I'm going to put them on
6ft stakes and head them. I think
they'll have great potential as a
field tomato.
" Inside, we're also trying
something different with the
tomatoes this season. I switched
to hydroponic growing some
years ago, after getting concerned
about some soil issues in the high
tunnels, so we now routinely use
coir slabs as the growing medium.
" But this year I'm going two weeks
earlier with planting, and we'll
grow these 2,000 young plants in
transplant blocks first. Then we'll put
these straight onto the main slabs.
" The transplant process does
Ca
stress the young plants and they
always need some extra care - a
dose of nutrients, essentially - to
get them through it. But if we don't
stress them, then they don't need
the care and we can save some
costs early in the season. "
Kegan's also thinking ahead to
planting this year's sweetcorn,
which is sold through the three
roadside markets. " This is a big
crop for us; I'm planting around 35
acres this year.
" Thanks to some good nutrient
management, I'll expect to pick
around 1800-2200 dozen to the
acre. That's quite a contrast to
the 600 dozen that Penn State
Extension gives as an expected
yield. "
Kegan puts the sweetcorn success
down to the starter fertilizer he
trialed last year, a Cell Power®
Start-Off 5-10-5 OMEX®
blend,
applied at 2 qts/ac alongside 8 oz
of Cell Power®
LifeOmex™
. Applied
as a foliar feed, Kegan noticed that
treated plants developed more fine
feeder roots, which he thinks made
them more tolerant of drought.
" Leaf-rolling in the starter-treated
fields started a whole week later
than those treated with the
previous fertilizer blend, " enthuses
Kegan. " And I could apply the
" But in my view, everything else
being equal, you'll get out what
you put in. That's how we continue
to get the most from our acres. "
Learn more at www.OMEXusa.com.
The product names and brands
referenced here are registered and
trademarks of OMEX®
© OMEX® Agrifluids, Inc. 2021.
OMEX® product at just 2 qts/ac,
rather than the 12-½ gallons of the
alternative. It was eye-opening
to get such a good result from
seemingly applying less product. "
Nutrition is generally Kegan's top
priority. " Generally, it costs the
same to have a poor crop as a
good crop - you're still putting
the same time, effort and basic
inputs into it.
" My thinking is that with those
fixed costs, it's worth spending
what amounts to only a few
extra dollars if it's going to give
you a heavier, higher yielding
population in the field or tunnel.
" I take tissue samples bi-weekly
once the season's underway in
earnest, so that we keep on top
of crops' needs and wants, " he
says. " Once you get to know your
crops and your land, you'll know
what they're going to say before
you get the results.
Agrifluids, Inc.
Call 559-661-6138
Visit www.OMEXusa.com
Email omexusa@omex.com
VGN | APRIL 2021 | 19
http://www.OMEXusa.com http://www.OMEXusa.com
April 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2021
