Blueberries
Blueberry Council Seeks Assessment Increase
In response to what it called an unprecedented increase in blueberry production, the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) board voted to recommend a doubling in the assessment growers pay for promotion. Growers currently pay 0.6... more »
Blueberry Glut: Tough Times Loom for Mich. Growers
Michigan grows a third of all U.S. blueberries, but an increase in global production and imports from South America are threatening to drive prices down sharply for this year's crop. Detroit News more »
Teenagers Tackle Tons of Tedious Tasks
Thinking about hiring high school or college kids? Worried about potential difficulties? Well, don’t worry too much. There are advantages and disadvantages, of course, but hiring teenagers isn’t as troublesome as one might think, according... more »
Fungicide Supplies Tight, Prices Up
Apple growers seeking to control early season scab will be among the first fruit growers to feel the effects of “complications” affecting the supply and price of fungicides. In general, supplies will be tight and... more »
Codling Moth 101: Managing the New Tools and Methods
If EPA had had its way, the insecticide Guthion would be long gone by now. But for the last decade, the fruit industry has fought to retain key uses of azinphos-methyl, that old and reliable... more »
Michigan Fruit Production Down in 2008
Michigan's apple production in 2008 was 560 million pounds (13.3 million bushels), down from 770 million pounds (18.3 million bushels) in 2007, according to figures released by the Michigan field office of USDA's National Agricultural... more »
Growers Plan To Replant Some Orchard Sites Lost To Plum Pox
Tim Weiser plans to plant 7 acres of stone fruit next spring, and some of his neighbors are planting, too. That’s a big deal in Adams County. Adams County, the biggest producer of stone fruits... more »
Farmer Innovates to Build a Better Blueberry Crop
Before he officially puts his 1,000 blueberry bushes to bed for the winter this year, Brimson farmer Al Ringer had one last resource to harvest. Duluth News Tribune more »
Mechanical Harvester Fits Bush-Like Trees
Horticultural researchers at Michigan State University (MSU) began to evaluate the potential of over-the-row harvesting of tart cherries this summer. The goal is to harvest tart cherries more efficiently and with quality high enough that... more »
Migrant Labor is Plentiful in West Michigan
In recent years, Mike DeGrandchamp struggled to find enough hands to pick the blueberries that make their way onto customers' breakfast cereals and fruit plates. The Grand Rapids Press more »
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