North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[<dmnorton@royaloakfarmorchard.com>]

There are several associations of IPM growers that exist such as the EcoApple Project in the Northeast and Wisconsin of which I am a participating grower.  The IPM Institute in Madison Wisconsin is another organization that is available to growers.  This next Wednesday I am meeting with John Aue, the IPM specialist and Entomologist of the EcoApple Project in Wisconsin along with at least 6 other growers in the southern Wisconsin, Northern Illinois area to discuss our spray protocols and compare them to the Eco Apple Quick Guide Protocol.  Each Tuesday morning at 8:00 AM we have a conference call with at least a dozen growers throughout Wisconsin, southern Minn. and northern Illinois and John Aue as well as a plant pathologist from the University of Wisconsin to discuss our programs, current pest monitoring, spraying protocol, disease issues, etc. It is a wonderful network of growers and specialists!

 

Dennis Norton
Royal Oak Farm Orchard
http://www.royaloakfarmorchard.com
http://www.theorchardkeeper.blogspot.com
http://www.revivalhymn.com

----- Original Message -----

From: Alan Haigh

To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org

Sent: Friday, April 18, 2008 5:24 AM

Subject: [NAFEX] IPM

IPM means many things to many people which destroys it as a marketing trademark.  Organic is appealing for it's clarity- no synthetic chemicals used in production.  It is assumed that a natural chemical that is found to be excessively environmentally destructive will be removed from approval.  The use of diesel fuel for transport from west coast dry farming orchards is not factored in.

 

I would like to see an association of IPM growers formed where specific standards are set although it would create an annoying bureaucracy to complain about.  In my region about half of sprays in conventional apple production are to control flyspeck and sooty blotch.  These diseases are cosmetic and only affect appearances.