Fruits

Guthion Use Set To End Sept. 30, 2012

The decision by EPA in mid-November to phase out all remaining uses of azinphos methyl (Guthion) by Sept. 30, 2012, will hit various sectors of the fruit industry differently. Three Michigan State University entomologists, speaking... more »

Research Station Will Likely Lose Its Peach and Plum Fruit Trees

While no official quarantine had been announced, one was expected soon. And when it comes, Michigan State University’s (MSU) Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center (SWMREC) near Benton Harbor, where plum pox was found in... more »

The Tall Spindle System: Apple Orchard Design For The Future

After years of experimentation, Terence Robinson believes he knows what a modern apple tree should look like. It’s taller than people once thought it would be, 10 feet tall, but the trunk is really small... more »

New York Producers Can’t Sell Customers Raw Cider Anymore

Once again, New York has outlawed untreated cider – and this time it might be for good. A law went into effect last month that requires all cider sold in the state be treated to... more »

Cloned Food Products? We Just Call Them Apples

As the new year began, FDA proclaimed that products such as meat and milk from cloned animals are safe for human consumption. A person with a science-based education might wonder why anyone would think such... more »

Florida farm celebrates 50 years of strawberries

Parkesdale Farms is celebrating 50 years of growing strawberries in the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World. That’s what Plant City, Fla., calls itself. The city is hosting the Florida Strawberry Festival this month, and... more »

USDA Proposes Ending Fruit, Vegetable Ban on Program Acres

When Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced Jan. 31 that USDA was recommending “planting flexibility of fruits, vegetables and wild rice on base acres” be allowed in the next Farm Bill, Steve Smith was very, very... more »

New Disease – Colony Collapse Disorder – Strikes Honeybees

Researchers are scrambling to find answers to what’s causing “colony collapse disorder,” a recently named disease that has struck commercial beekeeping operations across the country. The alarming die-off of honeybees has beekeepers fighting for commercial... more »

IFTA helped growers bring fruit trees down to size

On March 5, the International Fruit Tree Association observed its 50th birthday – marking a half-century of fruit growers working together to bring trees down to manageable size. Logically, such an organization should have been... more »

Primocane Raspberries Fit Just Fine on Maryland Farm

If managing raspberries were easy, would they still sell for $4.50 a pint? Nathan Milburn hopes so. In 2001, Milburn Orchards ventured into raspberries for the first time. The Elkton, Md., family was expanding the... more »