Pest and Disease Management with Seven Springs Farm Supply

By mid-summer, it can feel like every challenge on the farm arrives at once. Insects explode seemingly overnight, diseases spread through stressed crops, weeds never stop growing, and the pressure to make the "right" decision can be overwhelming. In this episode of Field Notes, Erin sits down with Daniel and Alena from Seven Springs Farm Supply to talk through how experienced growers and crop advisors approach pest and disease management: not by chasing miracle products, but by building resilient systems and making thoughtful decisions before problems ever appear.

Together, they explore the foundations of healthy crops, how to scout and diagnose issues with confidence, when intervention is actually worthwhile, and how to choose products that fit into a broader management strategy.

Timestamps:

3:10 - Alena’s origin story

7:15 - Daniel’s origin story

15:06 - Question: When you walk onto a farm that’s consistently producing healthy crops, what are you noticing?

18:06 - Question: How much does pest and disease management have to do with variety selections - are there particular questions folks should be asking seed suppliers?

21:56 - Question: What’s the benefit of having organic produce or flower seed to use in an organic system?

25:02 - Question: What you start thinking about at the beginning of the season in terms of pest and disease management?

27:41 - Question: Where can you find information about pest and disease management before you build a history on your land, so you have a better idea of what to expect?

34:35 - Question: What does an ideal scouting practice look like? What to do when you come across a problem?

40:33 - Question: What to do when you’ve never seen a pest or disease before?

47:16 - Question: What to do when your crop is getting decimated by pest and disease?

49:04 - Question: How to properly remove diseased plants?

51:40 - Question: How do you navigate the right products and inputs for your farm’s unique challenges?

58:49 - Summarizing thoughts and advice

Check out our website for a list of resources mentioned in this episode.