Blueberries

Growers get one more year of Guthion

Federal regulators will allow fruit growers to use the insecticide Guthion for an additional year.EPA said Thursday the extension is due to higher-than-normal stocks of the organophosphate chemical in grower hands because of crop losses... more »

Farm bureau and state officials blast ‘heavy handed’ federal labor investigations

In late July, investigators with the U.S. Department of Labor visited three blueberry farms in Marion County and announced finding "widespread"record-keeping and minimum wage violations at each.Farm labor law investigations are often contentious, especially involving... more »

So what do fruit growers do in a slow year?

East of the Mississippi, tree fruit farmers agree: This year’s a tough one. Whether or not you believe in global warming or climate change or Russian roulette, the fact is a super-warm March plus a... more »

MBG hires new CEO

MBG Marketing, a Grand Junction, Mich., based blueberry marketing cooperative, announced that Robert E. Hawk has been selected as its new CEO/President, effective August 1. Previously, Hawk has worked in a variety of production and... more »

Cornell looking for names for two new grape varieties

Cornell scientists are asking the public for names for two new wine grape varieties that will be released from their breeding program in 2013.The two latest varieties from grape breeder Bruce Reischinclude a cold-hardy white... more »

Minnesota ag report shows profitability of specialty crops

he Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) released a new report detailing the financial performance of nine types of specialty crops in Minnesota.The report Minnesota Specialty Crop Farm Performance 2008-2011 includes enterprise data for apples, blueberries,... more »

Michigan blueberry farmer struggles to find enough pickers

Antonio Leduc doesn’t understand why Michigan is offering emergency housing assistance to migrant farm workers this summer.He has plenty of work available picking blueberries at his farm in Paw Paw, yet the state is offering... more »

New label helps Michigan blueberry growers fight SWD

On July 10, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Resource Development released a Section 18 label for Gowan’s Malathion 8F for use against spotted wing drosophila in blueberries.The label provides a use rate up to... more »