August 2005

Texas Couple Finds Pick-Your-Own Success ( Pennsylvania Vegetable Growers News (Aug. '05) by Dan and Gretchen Copeland is an article developed from an outline the Copelands prepared for their presentation at the 2005 North American Berry Conference in Nashville, Tennessee and reprinted from the North Carolina Strawberry Association newsletter. The Copelands own Sweet Berry Farm, a pick-your-own farm with two locations in Texas, one about 45 miles west of Austin and one about 45 miles east of the city. They note, "Having two locations allows us to capture more of the Austin market, to spread out bad weather risk, such as thunderstorms and hail, over a larger geographic area, and to maintain a small farm atmosphere."

The New Farm Locator® Puts Your Farm in Touch ( Pennsylvania Vegetable Growers News , Aug. '05). "Developed by The Rodale Institute's NewFarm.org, this online tool lets growers describe their farm product features, and post-harvest services for buyers. Growers can upload a photo to the site, and change their listing as often as they want. For producers who don't currently have an Internet marketing program, the New Farm Locator can serve as an initial web presence." The New Farm Locator is a free service at http://www.newfarm.org/farmlocator/ .

The 2007 Farm Bill-What Can We Expect? by J. W. Dysart, is featured in Growing (Aug. '05). "Expect federally funded local fruit and vegetable programs, block grants, country of origin labeling and a lean year for research funding to be hot issues for specialty growers in the 2007 Farm Bill, according to a report released by the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association. . . . the report's authors believe specialty fruits and vegetables will play more prominently in the negotiations this time around due to changes in the political landscape." The complete report ("The 2007 Farm Bill: What Can Specialty Crop Producers Expect?") is available on the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Assn. website at http://ffva.com/publications/harvester/JUN05_FB.htm .

Problem finding an ammonium nitrate supplier is raised as a 'Berry Good Question' to Kathleen Demchak in Vegetable & Small Fruit Gazette (Aug. '05). "Due to ammonium nitrate's past and potential use in explosives. . . some fertilizer dealers are not selling ammonium nitrate, because of either paperwork, or because of security concerns in general, so some growers are encountering this problem. So, what other nitrogen sources are the best options? One product that many distributors are handling (or can obtain - you may want to check ahead of time) is calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN). This is a granular fertilizer that is a mixture of calcium carbonate and ammonium nitrate. It contains 27% N, in the same proportions of nitrate-N and ammonium-N as 'straight up- ammonium nitrate." Read the complete article at http://hortweb.cas.psu.edu/extension/vegcrops/vegetable_gazette/2005/august2005.htm#berry .

The National Berry Crop Initiative ( The Strawberry Grower , Aug. '05). "The National Berry Crop Initiative ( NBCI ) is a partnership of grower groups, academia and government formed to develop a strategic research and Extension plan for the continued growth and sustainability of berry crop production in the United States . . . . Also on the steering committee. . . Anne Geyer , from Oak Grove , VA (Vice President of the North American Strawberry Growers Association ). . . . So far, the group has developed a draft strategic plan that lists assumptions about the future, goals, and objectives. . . . Several meetings this fall and winter for groups of growers, researchers, and extension will work to develop specific priorities and action steps within this framework. One of these is tentatively planned to take place at the Southeast Fruit and Vegetable Expo in Savannah in January 2006." Additional information is available on the CSREE-USDA website at http://www.csrees.usda.gov/nea/plants/in_focus/hort_if_berrycrop.html .

New Virus in the Strawberry Patch is reported in the "Science Update" section of Agricultural Research (Aug. '05). "A virus known in Europe for more than 40 years, strawberry latent ringspot virus (SLRSV), has now been discovered in North America . . . . SLRSV is reported to be spread by the nematode Xiphinema diversicaudatum , so researchers were surprised to find it in strawberries, a crop that's usually planted in soils that have been fumigated to control nematodes. They think the virus may have another vector transmitting it and are investigating that possibility." Read the complete article on the "Science Update" page of the August issue at http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/aug05/sci0805.htm

Strawberries in Paris is reprinted in the "International View" section of The Strawberry Grower (Aug. '05). The article, which is on the Discover Paris website, says, "The French have enjoyed cultivated strawberries since the Middle Ages, when they were first introduced into kitchen gardens. These were the fraises des bois that were improved through experimentation with various planting techniques and fertilizers. . . . The large strawberries that Parisians enjoy today are descendants from berries that were introduced into France by a sea captain named Frézier in 1713. Frézier transported strawberry plants from Chile to his home village of Plougastel in Brittany . There, he crossed them with North American strawberries to produce a plant that was the forerunner of today's strawberry. The plant, called a fraisier , was named after him." View the complete article on the Discover Paris website at http://discoverparis.net/newsletter.html?insight=31741869538676 .

U.S. Growers Granted More Methyl Bromide for 2006 Critical Uses ( The Strawberry Grower , Aug. '05). "At the Second Extraordinary Meeting, the Parties to the Montreal Protocol authorized fully 90 per cent of the amount requested by the United States to meet critical needs of U.S. growers as they transition to ozone-safe alternatives. . . . More information on the methyl bromide critical use exemption process is available at http://www.epa.gov/ozone/mbr ."

Food Preservation Resources on the Internet ( Vegetable & Small Fruit Gazette , Sept. '05). " Many agricultural producers have expressed interest in supplementing their farm income through commercial sale of jellies and jams, salsas, and other preserved foods. Answers to questions about food safety issues, processing technologies, and state and federal regulations required of all commercial food operations can be found by visiting the web site "Resources for Small Food Processors and Potential Entrepreneurs" ( http://foodsafety.cas.psu.edu/processor/resources.htm ). More than 90 online resources are categorized into sections such as "Before You Get Started - Making the Decision to be a Food Processor," "Resources for Starting a Business," "Regulations for Food Processors," "General Microbiology and Food Safety," and "Food Processing Technology." You can obtain copies of state and federal regulations, download FDA forms for filing a scheduled process, and obtain information on food testing laboratories, equipment and packaging resources, and direct marketing opportunities. "

NASGA Member Finalist for American Vegetable Grower 's "Grower Achievement Award." ( American Vegetable Grower , Aug. '05). Robson Farms , Wrightstown , N.J. , is one of seven national finalists. "Given annually to a grower operation that is a role model to the industry, the award is sponsored by Syngenta Seeds/Rogers Brand, and is presented by AVG in cooperation with the United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association (United). . . . The award will be presented at United's Washington Public Policy Conference on September 14. . . . Nominations are evaluated based on an operation's achievements in several areas, including consumer-oriented marketing efforts, innovative technology, food safety and quality, industry leadership, and spirit of achievement. . . . Robson Farms is a multi-generation farm located in a rapidly developing region of New Jersey . . . . The farm offers consumers pick-your-own strawberries and peaches as well as a vast range of produce for the farm stand."

Fuzz Free Is The Way To Be says the "Crop Focus: Strawberries" feature in American Vegetable Grower (Aug. '05). The article reports on research at Purdue University's Center for Food Safety Engineering on the use of chlorine dioxide gas that "promises to not only keep those berries fuzz-free, but also to kill off harmful bacteria living on their surface more efficiently than methods currently used by the food industry." This article is available on the CSREES-USDA website at http://www.csrees.usda.gov/newsroom/news/plants/news0017.html .

New Market for Strawberry Fertilizer is reported in the Crop Protection section of American Vegetable Grower (Aug. '05). "The Scotts Co. Professional Business Group has introduced Agriform Strawberry Mix controlled release fertilizer to Florida markets. Blended and formulated specifically for Florida 's field conditions, this fertilizer delivers NPK plus secondary and minor elements to the strawberry's root. The controlled release characteristics of Agriform provide for a steady, continuous release of nutrients to allow for uniform plant growth."

Finding a Good Replacement in American Vegetable Grower (Aug. '05) notes, "Replacing methyl bromide (MeBr) is difficult, because there is no better fumigant in preparing soil for planting, according to one of the nation's leading experts on soil fumigation. . . . Growers of sweet potatoes, for instance, have largely dropped MeBr completely in favor of Telone because of the cost savings. Strawberry growers are the exception to the rule. Because it's a high-dollar crop, and they've expanded acreage, their use of MeBr hasn't dropped anywhere near as much as that of other vegetable growers. . . . In the future, as MeBr use continues to dwindle as it is phased out, growers should look for experimental, unregistered material that may become available," says agricultural engineer Tom Trout from ARS-USDA.

PBS to tout farming reports The New Jersey Farmer ( Aug. 1, '05 ). "Come September, keep an eye on lineup on your local PBS television channel. Farms, farming and farmers are going to get a big public boost. America 's Heartland is a new weekly public television series that will celebrate our nation's agriculture."

Bush calls for elimination of agricultural subsidies is discussed by Darryl E. Ray, Director of the University of Tennessee 's Agricultural Policy Analysis Cen ter , in The New Farm.com (Rodale, July 15, '05 ). " President George W. Bush dropped an agricultural bombshell at the G-8 Conference in Gleneagles , Scotland . At the least, it was a bombshell for U.S. agricultural producers who see the present farm program as essential to their survival. According to a July 7 Bloomberg press release, Bush 'is seeking agreement with the European Union on a plan to eliminate, by 2010, the $112 billion a year that rich countries spend subsidizing their farmers.' Bush's proposal goes well beyond the subsidy reductions currently being considered as a part the ongoing trade negotiations in the Doha Round of the World Trade Organization." Read the complete article at http://www.newfarm.org/columns/policy/2005/july05/072505.shtml .

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