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This is a field day that would be interesting for any fruit and veg farm as they all need pollination. Please check it out! Vicki Morrone Organic Vegetable and Crop Specialist C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems CARRS Departent of Community, Agriclture, Recreation and Resource Studies 303 Natural Resources Bldg Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 48824-1222 Phone: 517-353-3542 Cell: 517-282-3557 FAX 517-353-3834 E-Mail: [log in to unmask] Don't forget! A carrot a day may keep the doctor away but an ORGANIC carrot a day, grown locally will taste good, support your farmer neighbor AND may keep the doctor away!!! ________________________________ From: Linking growers, consumers, and all those in-between [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Susan Smalley Sent: Thursday, April 20, 2006 6:40 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Blueberry Pollination Field Day The announcement below is for an upcoming MSU Extension meeting that may be of interest to Michigan farmers interested in alternative pollinators (native bees) and strategies for their farms/gardens that can help enhance suitability for these important insects. We will present results of research funded by the MSU-USDA Sustainable Agriculture program. A text description of the meeting is below, and a PDF flyer is attached for distribution. Thanks in advance for your assistance, Rufus Isaacs, Julianna Tuell, Carlos-Garcia Salazar Meeting organizers MSU Research Station to host blueberry pollination field day on May 17th. Dr. Rufus Isaacs, Dept. of Entomology, Michigan State University Contact: (517) 355-6619, [log in to unmask] Most people know bees are important for pollination of fruits and vegetables, but did you know how important they are to Michigan's economy? Every spring thousands of honeybee hives are transported into the state to pollinate our fruit and vegetable crops that rely on honeybees to achieve a good crop. Michigan is the leading producer of blueberry in the nation, and our production of about 60 million pounds of blueberries is dependent on bees visiting the white flowers to transfer pollen. Most of these bees are from honeybee hives, but there is increasing interest in other bees such as bumblebees, blue orchard bees, and native Michigan bees that can help get crops pollinated. To focus on this important aspect of blueberry production, Michigan State University has organized a pollination field day on May 17th. The meeting will be from 1-5 pm (registration starting at 12.30) at the Trevor Nichols Research Complex in Fennville, Michigan and will feature short research updates indoors on pollination-related research and also some outdoor demonstrations. Our focus will be on blueberries, but we will also have one presentation related to cherries, and the information should be of value to anyone interested in maintaining an effective pollination strategy on their fruit farm or in their garden. This meeting is open to anyone interested in this topic. Short indoor presentations will include honeybees and blueberry pollination, use of bumblebees for blueberry pollination, experiences with Osmia bees in cherry orchards, cultural practices and gibberellic acid to improve blueberry fruit set, and an update on native bee research in Michigan blueberry. Outdoor demonstrations at a blueberry plantation on the site will cover the following issues: assessing honeybee hive strength and health, bumble bee quad demonstration, identifying pollinators and assessing fruit set, and using native plants to attract bees and other beneficial insects. Presenters at the meeting will include MSU scientists Zachary Huang, Eric Hanson, Rufus Isaacs, Nikki Rothwell and also John Wolfe from Koppert Biological, Michigan company that produces bumblebees. A small registration fee of $10 per person is being charged for this meeting to cover expenses. Please make checks payable to: Michigan State University and send to Carlos Garcia-Salazar, Ottawa County MSU Extension, 333 Clinton Street, Grand Haven, MI 49417, before May 10. The Trevor Nichols Station is located 15 miles south south of Holland, 3 miles east of I-196 on M-89 and west of Fennville (124th Ave between 63rd and 62nd Streets). Questions? Please contact: Carlos Garcia-Salazar in the Ottawa Co. Extension Office at (616) 846-8250. For more information on the meeting, please see the brochure posted online at: http://www.ipm.msu.edu/cat06fruit/pdf/PollinationDay2006.pdf This meeting and the research presented are supported in part by Project GREEEN, Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, MSU Extension, MSU-USDA Sustainable Agriculture Program and the Michigan Blueberry Growers Association. Dr. Rufus Isaacs Department of Entomology 202 Center for Integrated Plant Systems Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 48824, USA tel: (517) 355-6619 www.isaacslab.ent.msu.edu <http://www.isaacslab.ent.msu.edu/> Susan B. Smalley, Ph.D. Extension Specialist C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems at Michigan State University Department of Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies (CARRS) 303 Natural Resources Building East Lansing, MI 48824-1222 [log in to unmask] 517.432.0049 voice 517.353.3834 fax