Fall 2010 Just Piced Newsletter, Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service

8/8/2019 Fall 2010 Just Piced Newsletter, Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service

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by Bridget O’ Meara

As you may have read in previous issuesof Just Picked, OTFA was awarded fundingthrough a USDA-MDA Specialty Crop

Block Grant Program to initiate an“Organic Tree Fruit ResearchCollaborative.” The project is intended tosupport the growth of the local, organictree fruit industry by facilitating researchspecific to the Midwest and other humidregions of the United States. Dur ing thefunding period, potential collaborators inon-farm r esearch as well as promisingprojects that would benefit from mult i-state on-farm testing, will be identifiedand compiled in the Organic Tree FruitResearch Catalogue. Eventually, OTFAplans to work in partnership withorganizations, agencies, insti tutions andpossibly foundations to fund specificresearch projects.

Grower SurveyIn order to assess the needs of growersand to identi fy those interested inparti cipating in on-farm research, OTFAdeveloped a Grower Survey, which was

made available via the website and sentout to the Network List Serve. Thesurvey requested general informationabout acreage, tree fruits grown,marketing strategies and managementpractices and asked open-ended questionsabout pest and disease challenges, barriersto increasing production and marketing

concerns. A total of 42 growersresponded to the survey. Below is asampling of the survey’s findings. The fullresults have been compiled and sent to

the OTFA Research Committee. Surveyresults along with conclusions reached bythe committee will be made available onthe website.

Farm sizes range from “less than

1” to “41-100” bearing acres

The major ity of growers have 1-

5 bearing acres.

Apples are grown by all but 2

respondents.

Other tree fruit commonly

grown: pears, plums, cherriesand apricots.

Most growers sell direct to

public from farm or at farmers

markets.

Sweet cider, preserves and dr ied

fruit are most common value-

added products.

All but 1 respondent use organic

management in all or some of

their orchards. Most growers who use organic

management are not certified.

(Continued on page 2)

O R G A N I C T R E E F R U I T R E S E A R C H

C O L L A B O R A T I V E : P H A S E O N E

J U S T P I C K E D

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

A G P O L I C Y A N D

W H Y S H O U L D I

C A R E ?

3

A D A Y I N

D E C O R A H

4

T H E A P P L E F L E A

W E E V I L

6

E V E N T S &

O P P O R T U N I T I E S

7

E A R T H F I R S T

F A R M S F I E L D

D A Y

8

M E M B E R S H I P

F O R M

11

S C A B R E S I S T A N C E :N E W

H O N E Y C R I S P

G E N E T I C S S T U D Y

10

C L A S S I F I E D A D S 11

VOLUME 6, ISSUE 3 FALL 2010

ORGANICORGANICORGANICTREETREETREEFRUITFRUITFRUITAAASSOCIATIONSSOCIATIONSSOCIATION



MOSA is most commonly used certifier and was ratedhighest in grower satisfaction.

Interest in organic management is very high: averaging

4.56 on scale of 1 to 5.

Interest in becoming certified is also high: 4 on scale of 1

to 5.

Plum curculio, codling moth, peach and plum borers,

leaf rollers, Japanese beetles, tent caterpillars, deer,

rodents and birds are common

pests.

Apple scab, fire blight, sootyblotch, fly speck, powdery

mildew and brown rot are

among disease problems in

orchards of respondents.

Time, money and labor were

most common barriers to

increasing production.

Fertility management is also

an issue for some growers.

Concerns and anticipatedconcerns (for new growers)

about marketing include: post-

harvest handling, fruit storage,

lack of small-scale infrastructure and processing opt ions,

consumer expectation (“flawless” fruit), consumer

education (local not the same as organic), value-added

product and test marking development.

A large majority of respondents are interested in

parti cipating in on-farm r esearch.

The interest in organic production and organic certi ficationamong respondents is in line with OTFA’s educational focus forthe funding period. In addit ion to a new fact sheet on “OrganicTree Fruit Certification,” which was recently published byMOSES, and a forthcoming fact sheet on “Organic Orchard Pestand Disease Management,” OTFA will also sponsor two growerseminars on organic certif ication. The first seminar will beoffered as an extended session at the Great Lakes Expo and thesecond wi ll be a ful l-day Organic University course, which is partof the MOSES Organic Farming Conference. As OTFA develops

(Continued from page 1)

G R O W E R S U R V E Y C O N C L U D E D

P A G E 2 J U S T P I C K

as an organization, it will be able to expand and diversify itseducational offering to address more of the stated interest and

concerns of growers.Research CatalogueSurvey respondents who indicated an interest in participating onfarm research and provided their full contact information havebeen added to the Organic Tree Fruit Research Catalogue. Atotal of 35 growers are currently listed: 12 are certified organic10 are in transition to organic certification and 13 use organicpractices but are not certified. Eleven states, a broad sampling othe humid regions in the United States, are represented: Indiana

Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland,Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, NewYork, Ohio and Wisconsin. Apples argrown by everyone listed. But mostgrowers produce a variety of tree frucrops— not only plums, pears, cherr iand apricots but also nectarines,persimmons, peaches, quince, crabapples and wild black cherry. As wi ththe general survey respondents, mostgrowers here have 1-5 bearing acres,although there are smaller and largerorchards as well.A list of researchers has also been

compiled for inclusion in the cataloguSome have been contributors to JustPicked over the years and their work iswell -known by OTFA members andNetwork participants. Others have

published articles in journals or are working at universit ies in thregion and have promising projects or programs in relevant areasuch as IPM, disease management strategies, cultivardevelopment, heritage variety preservation, organic productionsystems, pollinator habitat restoration, etc. At this point, thecatalogue contains 24 researchers from university programs andresearch stations in ten states: Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Michigan,

Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Vermont, West Virginia andWisconsin. Researches (and growers) will be added asappropriate.

The next step in developing the Research Catalogue, which is to

contact researchers to find out more about their current project

will happen in the fall. Once the Research Committee members

have sufficient information, they can begin to match research

with the needs of growers in the region and identify those

projects that will best serve the organic tree fruit industry.

"Apples are grown by everyonelisted [in the Organic Tree FruitResearch Catalogue]. But mostgrowers produce a variety of

tree fruit crops—not onlyplums, pears, cherries and apri-

cots but also nectarines, per-simmons, peaches, quince, crab

apples and wild black cherry."



by Deirdre Birmingham

’ ve heard the comment from a grower now and then that goes some-hing like, “I don’ t get involved in policy stuff.” Whether growers do

or do not get involved, pol icy affects them— or more specificall yaffects you and me. Those effects can be good or they can be bad.Voicing one’s concerns about pol icy can make a dif ference. But whatdo we even mean when we say policy?

At the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF), where I’veserved on the board of directors for over seven years, we have a“pol icy program.” That policy program has been fair ly specific andhas worked on getting the USDA to start funding research to improveorganic farming systems. OFRF was started 20 years ago by cert ifiedorganic farmers in Cali fornia because there was no research beingdone by the USDA (or by the states for that matter) to improve or-ganic farming. Very li tt le private money was spent on it either. Or-ganic growers improved their farming slowly by t rial and error andgot together at conferences to share information and hopefully helpall boats rise. Unfor tunately some boats have sunk.While grower efforts to generate information are important, they arenot enough. And the lack of r esearch-based infor mation was the ma-or reason tree fruit growers did not (and do not) transition to or-ganic management systems.

OFRF started raising funds to give it away as small yet str ategic r e-search grants. But it never wanted to be the only funder of or ganic

arming research and felt the feds, fi rst of all, should pony up. Get-ing the feds to pony up has been OFRF’s policy work. That meant

using the success of i ts grants program to push for the creation of theUSDA’s Organic T ransit ions Integrated Research Program and whathas now come to be called the Organic Agriculture Research and Ex-ension Initiati ve. The latter only started with $3M a year for fi veyears in the 2002 Farm Bill, but it was something where nothing ex-sted before.

Continued policy wor k means str iving to keep the program in place(against its enemies) and to increase its funding. That happened inhe 2008 Farm Bill, and thanks to the voices of many organic farmers,

o the tune of $20M annually for the Organic Agriculture Researchand Extension Initiative.

Now with that program in place, we have pushed for our “fair share”at another section of the USDA, the Agricultural Research Service(ARS). As organic food has gotten an increasing percentage of theconsumer food dollar, now over 3%, the ARS should be spendinghat same percentage on organic farming research. While str ides arebeing made, the ARS budget for direct organic research is at 1.4% or$16.9M. They should be spending $42M to give organic farming it sair share.

You and I each pay taxes and for that simple reason we should begett ing our fair share. We should voice that we want federal fundspent on r esearch to improve organic farming. It’ s that simple.Why should it all go to improve conventional farming?

The potential impact of the policies set in W ashington, D.C., is toimpor tant not to. It ’s an investment in our future and the future the natural resources we are str iving to conserve and enhance. Ifyou don’t speak up, others wil l and they are. Of ten those others those who feel they lose when organic farming gets federal suppoOrganic farmers must be vigilant, not just against the scab and plucurculio in their orchards, but to create and maintain the programthat wil l improve organic farming and marketing.

So if you want to make your voice heard, well then, how? You casimply write, email , call , or fax your congressional representativeat any time.

If you want to know when to do so, you could join the OrganicFarmers Action Network (OFAN) run by OFRF, if you have notalready. OFAN lets you know when decisions are being made sothat you can strategically make your call or wri te your letter. (Tolearn about OFAN, go to http:/ / ofrf.org/ action/ action.html)

OFAN also seeks your input so that when we have the chance toimprove programs or the need to establish priorities, you can chimin. OFAN recently asked what you want to see done in the 2012

Farm Bill . Oh yes, the wheels are tur ning on that already.

Growers on OFAN were also asked in a different survey if they usthe new EQIP Organic Initiative and what their experiences werelike. OFRF has expanded its policy effor ts to get organic farmingrecognized by the Natural Resource Conservation Service’s (NRCfor it s natur al resource conserving effects. Last year we even got new program called the Organic Initiative as part of the NRCS’EQIP (Environmental Quali ty Improvement Program). Too manacronyms! An unprecedented $50M was allocated for growers toimplement additional conservation practices whether you are al-ready certified or are transit ioning to organic.

If you haven’ t l ooked at this program yet, you can find informatioat http:/ / ofrf.org/ policy/ federal_legislation/ farm_bil l_ implementation/ eqip_oi_resource_page.html

Two main stories in federal organic research this year are that Predent Obama’s budget proposed cutt ing or ganic research funds by$5M (or approximately 20%). But by going to specific members Congress, and the growers who l ive in t hose members’ states, OFwas able to eliminate those cuts. (The process is not over, but bo

(Continued on pag


A G P O L I C Y A N D W H Y S H O U L D I C A R E ?

http://ofrf.org/action/action.html)


http://ofrf.org/policy/federal_legislation/

http://ofrf.org/policy/federal_legislation/




he House and Senate bil ls rejected the administration’s proposed

cuts.) If you spoke up, thank you!

Another story is that the USDA’s largest competitive grants program,now called the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, doesnotocus on organic systems and their potential to achieve societal goals,such as food security, bioenergy production, obesity reduction, andclimate change mitigation and adaptation. Based on the views of or -ganic farmers, OFRF is making organic farmers’ voices heard on thisweakness. Again OFAN wi ll let you know the strategic time to speakup on this matter.

Conti nued from page 3)

Let me clarify that policy is not just about passing laws or lobbyinin Washington, D.C. Policy happens at all levels of government,

from your school boards to the Uni ted Nations. It can take manyforms, such as working with a farm-to-school program or helpinyour town or city start a farmers’ market. It can mean joiningOTFA’s policy committee. Collectively, we can have a greatervoice among those making decisions on programs and funding, ruand regulations that wil l affect us and the farming we care about.

Deirdre Birmingham is owner and operator of Regan Creek Orchard, Mineral Point, WI and President of the Organic Farming Research Foundatio(OFRF)


A G P O L I C Y C O N C L U D E D

A D A Y I N D E C O R A H

by Rachel Henderson

On August 11th, 2010 members of the Organic Tree Fruit Associa-tion and others participated in a two-part field day near Decorah,A. In the morning, we visited the Historic Orchard at Seed Sav-ers Exchange. After a deliciousunch catered by a local business,we toured the Sliwa MeadowFarm, a homestead and market

farm and orchard that has been off-grid for 30 years.

At Seed Savers, the group wasgiven a brief introduction and his-tory of the orchard, and then setoose to check things out. The

orchard contains 700 varieties ofapples, mostly heir looms. Theoldest plantings, we were told,were 25 years old, though someadditional trees have been plantedrecently on more dwarfing root-stock in order to do more trials.Seed Savers does not currentlyhave an orchard manager and doesnot have a certified organic plan for the trees, as they do for thevegetable plantings, but the health of the orchard is maintainedthrough sanitation.

For an hour we enjoyed wandering around and seeing what wasgrowing. Since the trees are not sprayed and there are no pest ordisease controls in place, it was a great opportunity to observedisease resistance inherent in the trees. It was early in the season,

and there were only a handful of varieties that were really readto eat, but it was beneficial to see the early varieties and still psible to get an idea about what later varieties would be like.Many of the varieties in the orchard are propagated by SSE me

bers and scion wood of some iavailable through their membeship yearbook.

At the Sliwa Meadow Farm,

David Sliwa told us about thehistory of his 2-acre orchard. started out looking for an altertive to apples; something that one else was selling at the markets, but that could survive theIowa winters. He settled onpears. Unfortunately, he learnquickly that the resources andknowledge available to cold-climate apple growers was notabundant for pear growers.

Apart from well-known typespears (Bartlett , D’ Anjou, andBosc) it was hard to find any information on the hardiness, pe

formance or disease resistance of the types of pears that wereavailable to plant. Information that apple growers take forgranted as being readily available in books or our extensionagents – how and when best to prune, when to harvest, how ttreat diseases – was impossible or hard to find for pears.

David Sliwa owns and operates Sliwa Meadow Farmwith his wi fe Perry-O Sliwa.



P A G E 5 J U S T P I C

David discussed varieties he had tried over the years that soundedgood but didn’t produce reliably tasty fruit for him – including thedisappointment of the variety “David.” It was also diff icult to finddifferent rootstocks. Unl ike apples, t here are almost no dwarfingrootstocks available for pears. Recently new rootstock options

have been made available, but are still difficult to come by, andDavid said it is uncertain i f they will do well in Iowa, because theywere developed on the west coast.David discussed the trials he has done and his successes and chal-enges over the years. We scribbled quick notes about the varie-

ties he liked (and didn’t), the nurseries that had been helpful, thediseases he struggled with, and what he has learned about pruningand harvesting. However, the most important message we cameaway with was the importance of experimenting, monitoring, andbeing open to learning from what you grow. Even those of usplanting more common species and varieties should try to emulatewhat the Sliwas have done in terms of the careful observation of

their plantings.

After that introduction and history, we ventured out in the hot sunto see the orchard. In addit ion to pears, t he Sliwas have a few ap-ple and plum trees. He has recently taken out a lot of his plumtrees because they have not produced well, with a few exceptions.They have problems with the disease black knot that has affectedentire limbs. He had cleared many out to make space for newexperiments.

One such experiment has been growing quince and juneberry(a.k.a. serviceberry or Saskatoon) to try to use as a dwarfing root-

stock for graft ing pear trees. Theoretically, David said that bothkinds of trees would be compatible wi th pears. With quince, i thas been a challenge to find a hardy variety. Juneberries, native toCanada and the Great Lakes area, are plenty hardy, but most ofthem have not been a good match for pears. Where the graftshave taken, the scion has outgrown the rootstock quickly, result-ng in a weak union. There are a few di fferent species of juneberryand David was trying different combinations of pear variety on thedifferent species, and some were more successful than others, butnone seemed to be thriving. For comparison, or experimentalcontrol, he had planted those trees the near trees he had graftedonto the most dwarfing pear rootstock available in the same year,

and the trees on the pear rootstock were doing much better.While pears are generall y very susceptible to fi reblight, the SliwaMeadow Farm seems to have no fi reblight. However, the peartrees are plagued by fungal cankers and a type of mite. As wewalked through the orchard, David pointed out certain varietiesthat were more troublesome than others. One in particular,Patten, he had decided to phase out. He was gradually graftingnew varieties onto the existing trees. David and another attendeewho had many years’ grafting experience did demonstrations ofthe T-bud grafting technique, topworking the Patten trees withmore desirable Gourmet buds.

Finally, as we ended the orchard tour, David discussed orchardfl oor management techniques. Several years ago they had beguan experiment mulching around all of their tr ees wi th wood chusing a technique favored by Michael Phillips in The Apple GrowHe explained that they tried to get chips from wood that was le

than 2 inches in diameter, because the wood that contained thecambium layer, as it decomposed, would provide many of the trients the trees need. However, the process was very t ime-consuming and the grass in the orchard had overtaken the mulcThis year, with the help of an intern, they are starting to re-establish the woodchip mulch throughout the orchard.

Back in the shade, we heard from Kathleen Delate from Iowa SUniversity Extension. She provided an update on organic applresearch at Iowa State and the resources available to apple growers. She specifi cally mentioned an on-farm r esearch report thaon their website detail ing the IPM spray program used at the W

Family Orchard in Adel, Iowa. She also called our attention tofarm research being done on mechanical thinning as an alternato spray- or hand-thinning apples. Some information about thsuccess of that approach was featured in a hand-out Kathleen pvided, though she revealed that the cost of equipment used isprobably out of reach of many small-scale growers.

The tour included some very experienced orchardists, but manus in attendance that day were beginners. From the standpoinsomeone just starting to plant trees and consider a lifetime of ocharding, it is inspiring to see the work that the Sliwas have doand that they continue to grow and try new things even after so

many years of experience.OTFA Members Rachel Henderson and Anton Ptak, of Mary Dirty Fac

Farm, are starting a small diversified orchard in western Wisconsin, ne

M enomoni e. Beginn ing in 20 09 , they have plant ed apple, pear, cher

plum, apricot, and peach trees; currants, gooseberries, raspberries and

grapes; as well as a variety of other less common perennials.

Seed Savers Exchange Heri tage Farm Apples




Matthew J. Grieshop, Diane Brown, Krista Buehrer and NathanielWalton

Over that last several years the apple flea weevil (Orchestes pallicornis)(Fig. 1) has become an increasingly common pest in Michigan appleorchards.

t has been found primarily in organic orchards but damage has alsobeen observed in at least two conventional orchards. At low popula-ions the weevil li kely goes unnoticed, but at high populations it iscapable of causing total crop loss. Two organic farms in SouthwestMichigan as well as the organic block at the MSU Clarksville researchstation have reported a 90% or worse crop loss this year.

The apple flea weevil emerges in the early spring between the greenip and pink stages of apple bud development. Adul ts feed on leaves

and buds leaving characteristic “shot hole” type damage (Figs 1-3).Adults lay eggs in the leaves and larvae develop as leaf miners, typi-cally feeding from the middle of the leaf to the edge. Larvae pupatewithin a pupal chamber formed between the two leaf surfaces (Fig. 3)and emerge in June and July. Newly emerged Adults feed on leafissue before entering diapause in l ate August or September. Previousiterature states that adults overwinter at the base of trees.

denti fication of damage due to this pest has been delayed in part be-cause damage is often misdiagnosed as either fr ost damage and sulfuror other phytotoxici ty. Feeding by adults prior to fruit set causes buds

and blossoms to abort while larval feeding causes brown patches oneaf margins that resemble sulfur damage. Adult damage further mim-cs frost damage because beetles begin feeding at the base of trees andwork their way up to the top. Management of this pest w il l dependon preventing adults from feeding on young foliage and buds, mostikely through the application of adult icides.

The apple flea weevil is a largely unresearched pest. Previous outoutbreaks of the weevil include one in the early 1980’ s and a severeoutbreak in the late 1920’s. The most recent scientifi c publication onhe weevil is from 1951. From old records it appears that adult wee-vils are long lived (up to 48 days post diapause) and have a single gen-

eration per year. Larval development appears to be completed over2-3 weeks.

“Old time” pest management recommendations (e.g. arsenate of lead,DDT) have proven inappropriate for conventional or organic manage-ment. Conventional preblossom applications of Lorsban® orGuthion® at greentip or pink stages likely provide management inconventional orchards. The upcoming phase out of Guthion® , recentoss of EndoSulfan® and high potential for the loss of Lorsban®

should make researching pest management alt ernatives for thisemerging pest a pri ori ty. Curr ently no proven options for or ganic

management are available, although it is likely that the beetle will susceptible to natural pyrethrums. Also, there are at least three pasitoids recorded in studies conducted in the 1930’s and members the organic pest management lab have collected at least four speciof parasitoids from farms in Michigan (Fig 4).

Scouting for this pest is best accomplished by examining t rees forcharacteristic adult “shot hole” damage (Figs 1-3). Adult beetles atypically found on the underside of leaves. Adults are fairly shy anwi ll typically hop or drop off fol iage when approached or disturbeLarval feeding is also readily apparent especially once the larvae haformed it’s pupal chamber (Fig 3) at the leaf margin. This chambewi ll have the appearance of a brown pocket t hat resembles small“bubble wrap” cell.

Figure 1: Adult apple flea weevils on the underside of an apple leand closeup.

Figure 2: Heavily damaged apple foliage

E M E R G I N G P E S T A L E R T : T H E A P P L E F L E A W E E V I L




Figure 3: Characteristic flea weevil adult and larval damage

Figure 4: Apple flea weevil parasitoid

The MSU Organic Pest Management Laboratory is collecting pupaland adult AFW to assess emergence patterns, levels of parasitism, aswell as to conduct initial pesticide bioassays. In addition we are initi-ating a statewide survey to assess the extent over which this pest isound. If you know of an orchard damaged by this pest please contacteither:

Matthew J. Grieshop ([email protected] or

Diane Brown ([email protected] 269-944-4126 ext. 4012).

Events & Opportunities

Permaculture Field DaySeptember 20, 2010 | Mineral Point, WITour 10-acre permaculture orchard, Kings Hill Farm withhost farmers Jai and Joel Kellum. Bring your own lunch.Field day is free and open to the public. Contact Bill at MASAC - 608-226-0300 or Bill@ macsac.org.Time: 10:00 am – 2:00 pmLocation: Kings Hill Farm, 19370 CR-G, Mineral Point, W

Backyard Homesteading: Farm Tour, Potluck, & Pro-duce ExchangeOctober 2, 2010 | Winsted, MNSee how to backyard homestead with Ellen Telander: tour aorganic farm in Winsted, Minnesota. Bring a dish to pass fo

a picnic potluck and your extra garden harvest for a producexchange. Cost: $10. For more info see: http:// www.doitgreen.org/workshopsTime: 11:00 am – 1:30 pmLocation: Winsted, Minnesota

Hazelnut Field DayOctober 9, 2010 | Lake City, MNNorm will lead a farm tour and talk about his work developing some of the hazelnut processing equipment. Lunch onyour own. This is a free event! Contact Jeff Jensen: 507-235449.

Time: 10:00 am – 4:00 pmLocation: 1186 Lakewood Ave., Lake City, MN

North Central SARE Farmer, Rancher GrantNCR-SARE Farmer Rancher Grants provide opportunities farmers and ranchers to use Sustainable Agriculture practicand their own innovative ideas to solve problems on the farand to share their ideas with others. More info at http:// www.sare.org/NCRSARE/prod.htmProposal due: December 2, 2010

Looking ahead….

OTFA is sponsoring two grower seminars on OrganicOrchard Certification in conjunction with major farmin

conferences in the region:

Great Lakes Fruit and Vegetable Expo (December 7-9, 201

in Grand Rapids, MI

Organic University/Organic Farming Conference (Februa

24- 26, 2011) in La Crosse, WI

More details to come!

mailto:[email protected]


http://www.doitgreen.org/workshops

http://www.sare.org/NCRSARE/prod.htm

http://www.sare.org/NCRSARE/prod.htm

http://www.doitgreen.org/workshops






by Greg M

Greg Mund is an OTFA Bo

Member and grows cherrpeaches, plums, pears an

apricots as well as aspara

gus on his farm in Monta

gue, MI.

Tom Rosenfeld, field day host, shared with the 40+ participants how he and his wife Denise came about to acquire the 40+ a

apple farm. The farm is certified through Global Organic Alliance, and sells apples, cider and vegetables through a number o

outlets, including CSAs, U-Pick, and farmers markets in the Chicago area. Rosenfeld is expanding into other value added app

products to supply his customers. Tom talked about his strong commitment to organic production, reducing environmental

mpacts and growing quality, healthy fruit for his customers, thus “Earth First Farms.”

Tom discussed the manage-

ment processes he uses, va

ties on the farm, challenges

with transitioning existing o

chards and 2010 issues. Be-

sides the setback of May fro

and freezes, Tom is battling

first time, severe and rare o

break of Apple Weevil that impacting the orchards. Thi

pest chews buds and leaves

has little research data (192

& 1950’s) and known metho

of control (See related artic

by Dr Greishop).

E A R T H F I R S T F A R M S : F I E L D D A Y I N P H O T O S



Dr. Matt Greishop, MSU’s Organic Fruit Coordina-

tor presented and led a discussion with growerson IPM methods, techniques and traps / baits for

monitoring the various pests that affect apples

and other fruit crops. Matt shared current on-

farm research that is underway that he and his

grad students are performing. Diane Brown, MSU

Ext - Berrien Co IPM Coordinator, also presented

on the various programs available, supplying

growers with up-to-date information on insect /

disease development via on-line access, newslet-

ters & pest alerts.

Robert Tritten, Michigan State Univ Extension’s regional farm marketing specialist, shared the various methods and processe

for cider making. The discussion revolved around all of the types of cider making equipment, cost, and efficiency. Sanitation

equipment and processes was another focus. There was a lot of discussion on pasteurization equipment, and a lively debate

the pasteurization law. Tritten delved into which varieties make the best cider, sugar levels, acid levels, and the ripeness of

apples being pressed. Discussions spilled over into the lunch hour and so Bob never got a break to enjoy his lunch. Bob an-

nounced a "Cider Maker's School" will be held in Michigan in late February. There has been a lot of request to present one s

ar to another three day session he did a few years ago.




by Matthew Clark and Bridget O’Meara

Apple scab, caused by the fungusVenturi a inaequali s, is the most seri-ous apple disease in temperate climates worldwide. The pathogenoverw inters in dead leaves on the ground. Spores are released duringspring rains, landing on and infecting leaves and fruit. Rain, durationof leaf wetness and temperature determine apple scab infection peri-ods and the degree of infection. If not controlled, spores wi ll give riseo "secondary" infections later in the season. Apple scab can result in

diminished fr uit quali ty, defoliation, a reduction in fruit bud forma-ion, structural damage in young plants or even complete crop loss, ifsteps are not taken in the orchard to reduce infection.

n the Midwest and Eastern United States, where conditions oftenavor the disease, organic growers have a number of tools at theirdisposal to reduce the impact of apple scab in their orchards. Carefulweather monitoring and well- timed spray applications of fungicides(such as sulfur, lime-sulfur, and Bordeaux mixture) protect t he or-chard and reduce overall chemical use. Proper orchard floor manage-ment, including mowing or removing infected leaf litter, can elimi-nate the primary scab source (inoculum) and control the disease.Regular pruning and thinning of trees allows leaves to dry morequickly and can stave off infection. Compost teas encourage thegrowth of beneficial microorganisms that either compete with patho-gens for nutrients or produce general antibiotics that reduce pathogensurvival. All of these methods are at least partly effective and are

helping growers produce high quality apples as sustainably as possible.

However, the development of apple varieties, such as the very popu-ar Honeycrisp, that are genetically resistant to V. inaequali s is perhapshe most signifi cant advance in organic t ree fr uit production. Honey-crisp was developed at the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Sta-ion's Hor ticultural Research Center at the University of Minnesota,Twin Cities. Once designated “MN 1711” and slated to be discarded,Honeycrisp was released in 1991 and is now widely prized for itscri spness, jui ciness and flavor. The apple maintains these quali ti es instorage for as long as six to nine months, a highly desirable trait forresh-market fruit . Honeycrisp has also been shown to exhibit field

resistance to foliar apple scab infection when grown with organic dis-ease management practices. Genetic resistance is crucial for organicgrowers seeking to reduce fungicidal inputs in their orchards. For theapple breeder, using Honeycrisp as a parent offers the genetic back-ground for superb fruit quality traits and disease resistance traits thatshould be exploited.

The development of a single cultivar can take as long as 20 years.Cult ivar development is hindered by constraints of a long juvenileperiod. Apple seedlings must be grown to a fruit-bearing size to beevaluated, at which point most (95% or more) are discarded. Raisingapple plants from seedlings into fr uit -bearing size is expensive and

requires a large amount of space. Genetic marker technology offe

plant breeders the ability to screen seedlings for some importanttraits much earlier in the process. The development of genetic maers to screen for disease resistance and high fruit quality at the seedling stage increases the odds of identifying a new cultivar, by findin‘elite’ plants and discarding ‘bad’ plants prior t o their being tr ans-planted into the orchards.

Genetic markers have been developed for several scab resistancegenes, although the genes involved in Honeycrisp resistance have yet been identified. Matt Clark is a graduate student at the Univerof Minnesota who, along with his advisor Jim Luby, is interested igaining a better understanding of the apple scab resistance observeHoneycrisp. One of the objects is to identify the races of apple scpresent in Minnesota and the surrounding region. Scab resistanceoften race specific, meaning that not all races of scab can grow on apple cultivars. There are eight known races of the pathogen and tresearch will identify which are capable of causing infection on Hoeycrisp. This project relies on growers in the region who are knoedgeable in identifying scab infection and are likely to be seeing sosymptoms in the field as apples are harvested. By collecti ng infectleaves and fruit (just the infected peel please!) from regional growClark can isolate the fungus and grow i t in the lab. After growing the lab for several weeks he can then begin to determine the race.second objective is to observe and characterize the response of Hoeycrisp when inoculated with scab spores in a greenhouse setting.

This wi ll answer the questions: How does the fungus grow? W hado the lesions look like on leaves? Are some races more apt to causinfection? The third objective is to identify the gene(s) involved iconferring resistance. This will be done by screening populations oHoneycrisp offspring that should carry the Honeycrisp resistancegene. Using statistical tools and genetic information they hope toidentify the gene(s) involved.

By knowing the DNA sequence that results in resistance, apple brers can begin looking at other populations of apple seedlings to sethese also have this trait. The offspr ing carrying these genes may come new cultivars with durable scab resistance, thus requiring fe

fungicide treatments. Knowledge of the races of Venturi a i naequalpresent in Minnesota should contribute to more informed management practices and also to the monitoring of new races as differenapple cultivars are grown in the region.

* *You can hel p advance th i s research and be at the cutt i ng edge of new cult idevel opment by sendi ng i n scab l esions from your i nfected Honeycrisp frui tl eaves. T he informati on you pr ovide about your appl e scab management regime will help us understand which practices are influencing this disease othis particular cultivar. See the form on the back cover.

(Conti nued on pa

P A G E 1 0 J U S T P I C

T H E S E C R E T S O F S C A B R E S I S T A N C E : N E W H O N E Y C R I S P G E N E T I C S S T U D Y

N E E D S G R O W E R P A R T I C I P A T I O N



J U S T P I C K EP A G E 1 1

O T F A M E M B E R S H I P F O R M

The Organic Tree Fruit Association (OTFA) is professional association dedicated to serving the interests of organic tree fru

growers and serving the organic tree fruit industry through education, research and advocacy.

You don’t need to be a grower to join. If you want to learn more about organic tree fruit issues or would simply like to suppo

organic tree fruit growers, please join OTFA as an Active Non-Grower Member or as an Associate Member.

Please note: Active Grower and Active Non-Grower Memberships include full voting rights within the organization. Associa

Membership does not include voting rights. All Membership levels receive a $10.00 discount at OTFA events.

ACTIVE GROWER MEMBER = $50.00 ANNUAL FEE, PLUS $1.00 PER BEARING ACRE (AS INDICATED BELOW)ACTIVE NON-GROWER MEMBER = $50.00 ANNUAL FEE

ASSOCIATE MEMBER = $25.00 ANNUAL FEE

NAME ____________________________________ FARM NAME_______________________________________________

ADDRESS________________________________________CITY / TOWN___________________STATE ZIP___________

PHONE___________________ EMAIL_______________________________

TYPE(S) OF TREE FRUIT GROWN

# OF BEARING ACRES_______ #OF NON-BEARING ACRES______

S END T HIS F ORM WITH Y OUR C HECK TO:

OTFA C / O BRIDGET O’MEARA 1223 ST. CROIX STREET, HUDSON, WI 54016

Funds to support this project received through the Minne

sota Department of Agriculture through USDA Specialty

Crop Block Grant funds.

Classified Ads

Organic Tree Fruit Association MEMBERS may place ONE classified advertisement per issue FREE OF CHARGE(up to 25 words). Non-member rate for classified ads is 25 cents per word. Anyand all revenue generated from classifieds will go back into OTFA program-ming.

Please email ad content to [email protected] or send with payment (if necessary) to OTFA c/o Bridget O’Meara 1223 Saint Croix St., Hudson, WI54016

Looking for a supplier/distributor of organic apples, peach,

nectarine, sweet cherry, pear & blueberry in Michigan, forresale; contact: [email protected]







OTFA c/ o Bridget O 'Meara1223 St. Croix St.Hudson, WI 54016

[email protected]

O R G A N I C T R E E F R U I T

A S S O C I A T I O N

J O I N O T F A T O D A Y !

M E M B E R S H I P F O R M O N

P A G E 1 1 .

Pl ease fi l l out and i nclu de th e form below in the envel ope when submi tt i ng your samples. Leaves can be pl aced di rectl y i n an envelope. Frui tl esi ons shoul d be pared from the apple and al l owed to dry over ni ght before placing i n an envel ope and mai l i ng. If you have questi ons,please contact me at clark776@ umn.edu. Thank you for your assistance with this project!

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Name:...................................................................................................................................

Phone/ email contact:............ ........... .......... ........... ........... ........... .......... ........... .......... ........... ..Orchard: ...............................................................................................................................Address: .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Samples included (check all that apply):LeavesFruit lesions

Scab management practice:Materials sprayed: ......... .......... ........... .......... ........... ........... .......... ........... ......Number of applications: ........ .......... ........... .......... ......... ........... .......... ...........

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mail samples and form to: Matthew Clark266 Alderman HallUniversity of Minnesota1970 Folwell Ave.St. Paul, MN 55108

Matt Clark has recently earned a Master of Science degree from the University of Minnesota, examining the potential use of the native grass, prai-rie junegrass (Koeleria macrantha), for use as a low-input (water, fertilizer, pesticide) turf grass. He is a first-year PhD student and has a greati nterest i n sustai nabil it y t hrough the reducti on of input s in horti cultu ral systems.

H O N E Y C R I S P S C A B S A M P L E F O R M





Fall 2010 Just Piced Newsletter, Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service

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