4. NOW IS THE TIME TO FIND BUCKTHORN, the overwintering host for soybean
aphid.
Most trees and shrubs have changed color and leaves are dropping.
Buckthorn is still dark green and covered with leaves - very obvious
even at 70 mph. So if you are interested in mapping buckthorn in your
area, now is the time.
For tips on ID, check out the bulletin that Steve Gower and I wrote in
2002 E2803, Buckthorn in the Landscape: Identification and Control
Dr. Chris DiFonzo
243 Natural Science Building Office Address: 331 Natural Science
Building
East Lansing, MI 48824
tel: 517-353-5328
5. SAMPLE YOUR FIELDS TO AVOID YIELD LOSSES
TO SOYBEAN CYST NEMATODE
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Soybean cyst nematodes (SCN) are microscopic
roundworms that cause more economic losses to soybean growers than any
other soybean pest. These tiny invaders can completely destroy a crop,
and yield losses as high as 10 to 15 bushels per acre can occur before
symptoms such as yellowing or stunting are visible. Research has shown
that yield losses due to SCN can be significantly reduced or avoided
with careful management.
Determining the severity of infestations is the essential first step to
limiting yield losses from SCN. The best way to do this is to collect
fall soil samples and submit them to Michigan State University (MSU)
Diagnostic Services. This is a free service that is funded by the
Michigan Soybean Checkoff.
On the basis of results of the analysis, which show the SCN population
densities for each field, growers can implement management strategies
and tactics.
Correctly taking and handling the samples is critical to the success of
any SCN management efforts. To collect accurate samples:
-- Pick up a free SCN soil sampling packet from any county MSU
Extension office. The Michigan Soybean Checkoff pays for the first 20
samples per farm per year.
-- Use a soil probe to collect soil samples from a depth of 6 to
8 inches.
-- Collect about 50 soil cores from each field or uniform area up
to 20 acres within a field. Walk a Z or a W pattern to ensure that the
cores are collected randomly.
-- Growers who produce soybeans and sugar beets should submit
soybean root samples along with the soil sample when possible.
-- If a field is being tested for SCN for the first time, sample
areas where SCN is most likely to establish -- where equipment enters
the field, coarse-textured soils, soils with pH levels greater than 7
and areas where yields have been lower than expected.
-- Place all the samples in a bucket and mix them together
thoroughly. Place about 1 quart of soil in the plastic bag provided in
the SCN sampling packet.
-- Keep the samples out of the sun and cool until they are sent
to Diagnostic Services or delivered to the local MSU Extension office.
-- Complete the "Grower Information" section of the SCN submittal
form and include this with the soil sample.
The results of the SCN analysis and management recommendations will be
sent directly to the farmer. Any MSU Extension agriculture and natural
resources educator can help interpret the results and offer suggestions
for implementing recommendations.
For more information, visit the MSU Diagnostic Services Web page at
www.pestid.msu.edu/services/howto.html or pick up a copy of MSU
Extension bulletin E-2199, "Detecting and Avoiding Nematode Problems."
For more information about improving Michigan's soybean crop, visit the
Soybean 2010 Web page at http://web1.msue.msu.edu/soybean2010/. Soybean
2010 was developed to help Michigan growers increase soybean yields and
farm profitability. Funding for Soybean 2010 is provided by MSU
Extension and the Michigan Soybean Promotion Committee.
6. New Web Marketing Opportunity for Small Farms
Submitted by Sustainable Ag Network (SAN) for Simon Huntley.
A new Internet marketing project is being initiated that will bring
the cost of web development for small farms down to an affordable
level. This is not a listing service like localharvest.org; this is a
service that allows farmers to create individual professional web
sites for their farm. Read more at http://www.smallfarmcentral.com
<http://www.smallfarmcentral.com/>
We want this project to act like a cooperative between small farms to
allow the price of web marketing to come within your budget. That is
why we are asking for feedback on our ideas - please visit
http://www.smallfarmcentral.com <http://www.smallfarmcentral.com/> to
read the rest of the abstract and
fill out our survey. We are also in the process of forming a core
group of farmers who will work closely with the development team
throughout the process and then receive free access to the development
services.
Please forward this email on to any farmer or group that you think may
be interested in being a part of this project.
You might want to add blog software to the applications you make
available to them.
Blogs, being interactive and allowing uploads of photographs and
feedback submission, are a colorful and useful tool for small farming
operations. Customers like seeing pictures of the farms and produce
grown on them.
Google's Blogger offers free blog service and its pretty elegant for a
freebie. Wordpress is good blog software.
Here's an example of what can be done with Blogger:
http://venaurafarm.blogspot.com <http://venaurafarm.blogspot.com/>
- Please forward this email on to any farmer or group that you think may
be interested in being a part of this project.
Simon Huntley, Lead Developer
http://www.smallfarmcentral.com <http://www.smallfarmcentral.com/>
7. Take The Right Steps
Steps to get safe food from the farm or your garden
www.americanvegetablegrower.com/articles/avg20060922_spinach.html
By John Inman
What can growers do to reduce the risk of their products being involved
in a situation like the ongoing spinach problem in California's Salinas
Valley?
Step 1: Know what's going on in your production program so you have an
idea where the critical points are, i.e. those points where
contamination could most likely occur.
Step 2: Be aware of potential contaminants in your area. According to
health officials, likely sources of contamination in the Salinas
situation include irrigation water, livestock manure, or a contaminated
processing facility. Make sure that these are not a potential problem in
your operation.
Step 3: Follow good field sanitation practices. Insist field workers
wash their hands with soap and water after using toilet facilities.
Provide rubber gloves for workers who are handling the product. Park
toilets along side the field, not in the field where spillage might
contaminate the product.
Step 4: Enlist the help of a third-party auditor. If you do not now use
an outsider or third party to periodically check your operation from a
sanitation standpoint, consider it. These people can often see potential
problems that haven't even entered your mind.
Step 5: Consider controls on outside people visiting your operations.
Visitors might not respect the sanitation practices and requirements of
your operation and could bring in problems from the outside.
These and more things are all part of the Food & Drug Administration's
(FDA's) GPA (Good Agricultural Practices) and GPM (Good Manufacturing
Practices) guidelines.
Growers should be following these guidelines.
For additional sources of information on food safety, see the list of
Web sites listed below.
John Inman is an AVG columnist and a professional engineer and farm
adviser emeritus with the Monterey County Agricultural Extension,
Salinas, CA.
8. Reduce Your Risk
Growers need to take action to prevent a foodborne illness outbreak.
The E. coli outbreak in spinach impacts the entire fresh produce
industry. As most people know, the spinach has been traced back to
operations in Salinas, CA. FDA is investigating to determine the exact
cause of the outbreak. The question now is are you doing all you can to
ensure the safety of the vegetables you produce?
Because food safety and traceback are such critical issues for growers -
now more than ever - the editors at American Vegetable Grower have
compiled a list of Web sites growers can turn to for more information on
these critical topics.
For updates on the latest news regarding the outbreak of E. coli in
spinach, visit the following Web sites:
Spinach and E. coli Outbreak
http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/spinach.html
Produce Marketing Association
http://www.pma.com/
Click on the spinach resource page
Visit the sites listed below for information on food safety, traceback,
Good Agricultural Practices, and Best Management Practices.
GAPsNET
http://www.gaps.cornell.edu/
Cornell University offers information on education and training for Good
Agricultural Practices.
University of California Good Agricultural Practices
http://ucgaps.ucdavis.edu The University of California-Davis offers
information on Good Agricultural Practices with a focus on production,
harvest, and processing of foods.
Guide To Traceback of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
http://www.fda.gov/ora/Inspect_ref/igs/epigde/epigde.html
FDA's guide to traceback of fresh fruits and vegetables implicated in
foodborne illness investigations.
Lettuce Safety Initiative
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/lettsafe.html
<http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/%7Edms/lettsafe.html>
FDA describes the objectives of its Lettuce Safety Initiative.
Microbial Food Safety
http://vric.ucdavis.edu/veginfo/foodsafety/foodsafety.htm
Researchers at the University of California-Davis and others address
control points for pathogens, such as E. coli.
National Food Safety
http://www.foodsafety.gov/~dms/fs-toc.html#prod
<http://www.foodsafety.gov/%7Edms/fs-toc.html#prod>
Overview of links to national food safety programs.
FDA Guidance Documents
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/guidance.html
<http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/%7Edms/guidance.html>
FDA's comprehensive list of current food and cosmetic guidance
documents.
Agricultural Best Management Practices
http://ohioline.osu.edu/aex-fact/0464.html
Summary guide for Best Management Practices from Ohio State University
Extension.
If you would like to access previous postings to the Mich-Organic listserv you can copy and paste the following URL into your browser address bar
http://list.msu.edu/archives/mich-organic.html
