Fruit Growers News

Experimenting with high-density blocks

In March, an International Fruit Tree Association tour visited C&M Orchards near Prosser, Wash., where owners Craig and Mike O’Brien showed their visitors a 52-acre block of high-density apples they planted in 2000. The apples are Buckeye Galas, grown in a super spindle system on dwarfing rootstock (M.9337). The rows are 10 feet apart, the trees 2 feet apart within each row. The brothers decided to plant that way after observing similar systems in other orchards in Washington state and British Columbia. Their objective was to bring the block into rapid production, grow more target fruit and achieve a more even distribution of light. It seems to have worked. The block is getting high yields (it started yielding fruit in 2002) and evenly colored fruit with good size, Craig said. The O’Briens are planting more and more Galas on super spindle, which has proven to…  » Read more

---

CA storage has become staple of the fruit industry

In the past 50 years, the use of controlled atmosphere (CA) storage has become a staple of the fruit industry. It is one of the tools that allow growers and packers to extend the available seasons for produce and meet demand with supply. What is CA storage? CA storage is a system where fresh, perishable fruits and vegetables are stored under narrowly defined environmental conditions that extend the useful marketing period after harvest, according to David Dilley, a horticulturist with Michigan State University. The specific conditions being controlled vary according to the commodity being stored. That may include storage at the lowest safe temperature to avoid freezing or chilling injury. It may mean use of the lowest safe oxygen level to attenuate respiration rate and slow ripening. It could mean the highest safe carbon dioxide level to reduce respiration rate and slow ripening and senescence.…  » Read more

---

Ag employers feel the pinch from E-Verify, state reforms

If you weren't familiar with E-Verify before, you're probably familiar with it now. E-Verify is an Internet-based system that compares information from an employee's I-9 form to data from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security Administration (SSA) to confirm employment eligibility, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a division of DHS. Some employers are already required by state or federal law to use E-Verify. For example, most employers in Arizona, Georgia and Mississippi have to use E-Verify because of recently passed laws. E-Verify also is mandatory for employers with federal contracts or subcontracts that contain the Federal Acquisition Regulation E-Verify clause, according to USCIS. A bill currently in the U.S. House of Representatives seeks to make it mandatory for all U.S. employers to use E-Verify. The Legal Workforce Act, introduced June 14, would give agricultural employers more time to…  » Read more

---

IPM approach thriving, despite threats

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a philosophy that applies the principles of ecology, especially population biology, to the management of pests in agricultural or managed systems. IPM considers the impact of actions taken on farm economics, worker safety, the environment and the consumer. The foundation of a good IPM program is built on a sound understanding of biology (pest and natural enemy), identification (taxonomy) and ecology. IPM bases actions to mitigate pest populations on need. Actions are only taken if the pest population exceeds a level requiring a response to protect the crop from damage. Therefore, sampling and action thresholds are critical foundational components of a good IPM program. Predictive models are also valuable tools to make sampling activities more efficient and the implementation of tactics more effective. IPM does not rely on a single tactic but utilizes multiple tactics to mitigate the negative impacts…  » Read more

---

Lifting of baiting ban might re-open markets

When Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder took office this year, he split the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Department of Environmental Quality back into two separate offices, with new leadership. This laid the groundwork for the overturning of one of the most controversial decisions to come from DNR in recent years: The ban on baiting whitetail deer. The baiting ban was enacted in 2008 after a single, captive deer in a private herd near Grand Rapids, Mich., was found to have chronic wasting disease. CWD is a terminal disease that is contracted in deer from nose-to-nose contact. The immediate reaction from the DNR director at the time was to eliminate baiting as a source for contact. The ban went into effect roughly one month before archery season was set to begin. It also coincided with the harvest season for carrots, apples and other produce.…  » Read more

---

Maryland market feeling good about the future

Emily’s Produce is a family owned and operated produce market in Dorchester County, Md. Paul and Kelly Jackson started the business in 1999, under a roadside tent. The business kept expanding over the years. The Jacksons named the market after their daughter, Emily, whom they wanted to bring into farming so she would appreciate the work that is put into growing and raising crops. Paul Jackson is a fifth-generation grain farmer who is always looking to expand their products and business. He is committed to adding something new to his market every year. One of the market’s biggest draws is strawberries, but Kelly said sweet corn brought them to where they are now. “Emily’s Produce has grown into a family friendly business whose goal is to provide the best customer service and produce the best quality products,” Kelly said. “We have a great team committed…  » Read more

---

‘Dirty dozen’ debate

Let’s pretend we’re at a debate, where the opponents argue their positions in a civilized, reasonable manner. Nah, that’s boring. Let’s pretend we’re watching one of those obnoxious news shows where people sit around a table and talk at each other. I’ll be the moderator. The subject is the recent publication of the USDA Pesticide Data Program’s annual summary for 2009 (http://www.ams.usda.gov/pdp). The debaters are the Alliance for Food and Farming (AFF), United Fresh Produce Association (UFPA) and the Environmental Working Group (EWG). The points they make below are actual statements from their websites and press releases, with a little paraphrasing here and there to smooth things out. Moderator: Please give us your opening statements. EWG: Our Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce will help consumers determine which fruits and vegetables have the most pesticide residues and are the most important to buy organic. You…  » Read more

---