Fruit IPM Update

Monday Fruit Grower Pest Management Updates.

Mark Longstroth

Bill Shane and I have Monday fruit grower IPM (integrated pest management) meeting at a growers orchard every year during the growing season. These meetings help fruit growers plan their pesticide spray programs so that they can reduce the amount of pesticides they use and still harvest high quality fruit. The meetings this year will be at Annette and Randy Bjorge's Fruit Acres Farm.     The meeting dates are posted in the calendar.

I will also have fruit information on the fruit Code-A-Phone (269) 657-8317. This is a recorded message I make twice a week on Tuesday and Fridays about noon.

I spend my Mondays scouting local fruit plantings, orchards, grape vineyards and blueberry fields. I look for signs of plant disease and insect pests. I then share my findings with local fruit growers at the Monday meeting. The meeting includes crop development, pest and disease information which Bill and I have notice during the previous week and that Monday. Growers also share what they have seen in their fruit plantings. This allows me and the growers and I to have a good understanding of current development. On Tuesday, we have a conference call with other fruit agents and specialists on campus to share our information.

Then I write a regional report for the Fruit CAT (Crop Alert Team) Newsletter. I update my fruit Code-A-Phone (269) 657-8317 and post an expanded version of the regional report on the Van Buren County MSUE Web site (web1.msue.msu.edu/vanburen)

These resources are also available to backyard growers with hobby plantings of fruit. You can call my Code-A-Phone or read the information on the World Wide Web. I have posted lots of information there (It is the best fruit website in Michigan).

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Last modified: April 16, 2002