9. Fruit CAT Alert, MSU Vol. 23, No. 10, June 10, 2008 http://www.ipm.msu.edu/cat08fruit/f06-10-08.htm In this issue Small fruit news Potato leafhopper control in winegrapes Post-bloom management of fruitworms in blueberry Warm wet conditions can promote anthracnose fruit rot in strawberries The challenges of disease control during rainy spells Blueberry IPM Twilight meeting Other news Regional reports Weather news ********* 10. Fruit CAT Alert, MSU Vol. 23, No. 11, June 17 2008 http://ipm.anr.msu.edu/cat08fruit/f06-17-08.htm In this issue Tree fruit news Keep an eye on downy mildew in grapes Summer leafroller control: Gather the information needed to make a sound management decision Rainfast characteristics of insecticides Sooty blotch and flyspeck disease of apple and pear – The newest addition to Enviro-weather Enhancing return bloom with summer NAA 2008 Small fruit news. Mid-season weed control options for blueberries Irrigating blueberries Grape IPM Twilight meeting Blueberry IPM Twilight meeting Other news Regional reports Weather ********* 11. MIFMA and SBAM Partner to Provide Michigan Farmers and Farmers Markets with Greater Access to SBAM Benefits East Lansing, MI June 9, 2008 Michigan Farmers Market Association (MIFMA) members can now join the Small Business Association of Michigan (SBAM) at a reduced rate and take advantage of SBAM’s “P.O.W.E.R. Suite” of products and services, including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network Group Health Benefits. MIFMA and SBAM naturally fit together, focusing on and fulfilling the needs of Michigan’s communities, locally. Together, they can now help farmers markets, farmers, vendors and friends secure a more stable and viable future through a network of information, resources and opportunities. “By joining SBAM at a reduced rate, MIFMA members would gain access to all of their member benefits as well, from merchant services to food and fuel discounts,” said Dru Montri, MIFMA Association Manager. By being a member of both MIFMA and SBAM, farmers have some extra help to succeed in every way of business, now, with the multitude of information, resources and benefits that these two organizations can provide. SBAM is the only statewide and state-based association that focuses solely on serving the needs of Michigan’s small business community. Its mission is to help Michigan small businesses succeed by promoting entrepreneurship, leveraging buying power and engaging in political advocacy. SBAM’s “P.O.W.E.R. Suite” offers small business owners money and time saving products and services in the areas of human resources, accounting and finance, sales and marketing, legal, operations, information technology, government relations and entrepreneurial development. MIFMA was developed to promote farmers markets across the state and achieve visibility to both producers and consumers, aiding in farmers market management and education and developing long-term, sustainable funding strategies. Other initiatives assist communities in beginning new farmers markets or expanding existing ones and providing educational services and consulting to market managers, vendors and sponsors. For more information, visit www.farmersmarkets.msu.edu or contact Dru Montri at (517) 432-3381 or [log in to unmask] ********* 12. Bee Colony Available Woldumar Nature Center received a call about a honeybee hive exposed by tree damage in the storm over the weekend. The hive was still active on June 11th despite being exposed on June 8th. It is located at 3800 Cooley Street in Lansing (off Waverly). The property owner is leaving town for the rest of the week, but said anyone interested can come collect it. Phone is 517.708.8761, name Tabitha. ********* 13. Farm Bill Becomes Law: new resources for sustainable food and farming By Jeanne Merrill, Associate Policy Director http://www.michaelfieldsaginst.org/news/newsletter_06_04_2008.html#3 Congress recently took final action on the 2008 Farm Bill by overriding President’s Bush’s veto of the bill. While the failure of Congress to fundamentally reform commodity programs perpetuates many problems with current U.S. farm policy, the bill does include important building blocks for a more balanced and sustainable food and farm policy. Here are some of the highlights of the 2008 Farm Bill: •Over $1 billion increase in funding for the Conservation Stewardship Program (formerly the Conservation Security Program), a working lands conservation program intended to promote clean water, wildlife habitat, energy conservation and other natural resource protection. •$75 million for the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, which will ease land and capital access for beginning farmers and ranchers. •A five-fold increase in funding for organic farming research and extension, to $78 million over 4 years, as well as a nearly five-fold increase in organic certification cost share assistance to $22 million, first time farm bill funding for a $5 million organic data collection effort, and a new option within the Environmental Quality Incentives Program for transitioning to organic farming. •New local and regional food system initiatives, including a new federal loan guarantee for food enterprises that support local and regional food systems, and $33 million in mandatory federal funding for the Farmers Market Promotion Program. •Two important rural development programs, the Value-Added Producer Grants (VAPG) program and the new Rural Micro-enterprise Assistance Program (RMEAP) both received $15 million in annual mandatory farm bill funding. The VAPG program also includes a 10 percent set aside of funding for beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers. Although Michael Fields Agricultural Institute is gratified that both programs received mandatory funding, the funding amount represents a significant cut for the VAPG and is less than had hoped for RMEAP. •Important competition and contract agriculture reforms in the livestock title, including authority that lets farmers not be bound by arbitration clauses favoring corporate integrators. Also the Farm Bill includes several pro-farmer reforms to rules governing production contracts, and a directive to USDA to rewrite its rules on existing legal requirements prohibiting unreasonable price preferences granted to large livestock operations to the detriment of small and mid-sized family operations. •The new bill also provides for interstate shipment of state-inspected meat for small plants that meet high food safety standards. Now begins the work of advocating for effective implementation and funding of sustainable agriculture priorities in the 2008 Farm Bill. So it’s not over yet. We promise to keep you updated and involved as the important work of farm bill implementation gets underway. Questions? Feel free to contact us at [log in to unmask] ********* NOTICE OF POSITION OPENINGS ********* 14. Free housing- “Have space, need help” Young family with historic farmstead located about five miles south of MSU campus has space, but needs help around the farm and house in exchange for room(s). We are offering the upstairs of the house (which has not been renovated) but offers three separate rooms, a full bathroom and separate entrance. In exchange for this housing, we expect approximately 8-9 hours of labor per week or an average of 35 hours per month. Labor will include work on our farm where we raise free-range hens, sustainably grown raspberries and various other crops. Tasks might include weeding, mulching, transplanting, harvesting, helping with u-pick sales, spreading compost, etc. In addition, and dependent on skills and weather, we seek help with property renovation and upkeep including painting, scraping and light carpentry work. We will offer training on all of these tasks. We think this opportunity would be good for an undergraduate or graduate student. We seek someone that is friendly, a self-starter, able to complete physically demanding work and independent. We would consider couples though would need to discuss hours expected from two people. As we will live below and share the kitchen, we seek someone that will be considerate of our shared use of the space --especially at night. In the past couple of years, we have not heated the upstairs, if we see a significant increase in our utility bills, we will ask the boarder to contribute towards the increased utilities. We do have cable Internet that we are willing to share. If you think you would be a good fit for this situation, please submit a note of interest and resume (even if you do not have working background in these fields, we would like to know a little more about the types of work you have done in the past) to [log in to unmask] We will be back in touch to schedule a meeting and tour of the property with selected applicants so that both parties can determine if the situation will be a good fit. If you have questions before putting together your note of interest, please e-mail. This opportunity is open until filled with the right person. Thanks in advance, Anne Rauscher ********* 15. Vegetable Specialist Sought by Purdue University Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center, Vincennes, Indiana Research Responsibilities: Conduct an applied research program to complement extension efforts in vegetable crop and melon production. Primary research area is flexible but could involve cropping systems ecology, soil fertility / plant nutrition, irrigation management or weed science with an emphasis on sustainable production. Other research areas will be considered. Incumbent will be a key player with an evolving specialty crops center involving campus based staff. Extension Responsibilities: Conduct an aggressive outreach program related to commercial horticulture with an emphasis on melons and vegetable crops. Develop educational programs appropriate to the needs of the industry and county extension professionals. Serving growers with a very strong research-based extension program is the major emphasis of this position. Meaningful interaction with commercial growers and marketers in southern Indiana is a key to success. Teaching Responsibilities: Teach an introductory horticulture course at Vincennes University. Qualifications: Ph.D. in horticulture, soil science, crop ecology, or a closely related field. Applicants should have knowledge of areas related to crop production, efficient use of crop production inputs, design of field experiments, and problem analysis. Excellent oral and written communication skills are essential in this position. Ability to work effectively with clientele and county extension staff is essential and ability to work as a member of diverse teams is important. Organizational skills are expected. Appointment and Salary: The individual will be administratively responsible to the Head of the Horticulture and Landscape Architecture Department, Purdue University, West Lafayette. The appointee will be a member of the Department’s Horticulture Extension Team as well as of the Southwest Purdue Agriculture Program multi-disciplinary extension/research team. This team serves the needs of the commercial vegetable industry in southern Indiana.Professional appointment with Purdue University benefits including the TIAA-CREFretirement program, medical, life, and disability insurance. Salary will be competitive and commensurate with training and experience. Date Available: Applications will be accepted until August 15, 2008 or until position is filled. Application: Interested applicants need to apply online at www.purdue.edu/jobs, referencing posting number 0800880. For questions on the employment process or how to apply, please contact Joy Loflin, Employment Consultant, at 765-496-7266 or [log in to unmask] Visit our Web Site at: http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ Purdue University is an Equal Opportunity, Equal Access / Affirmative Action Employer fully committed to achieving a diverse workforce. ********* EVENTS ********* 16. Annual Soil Building Workshop – Innovations to Build Soils to Feed Sustainable Communities Wednesday and Thursday, August 20th- 21st 9:00 – 4:00 each day Held at Morgan Composting in Sears, MI (Osceola County) The first day of this event will focus on vegetable production, and the second will focus on field crop production. The goal of both days is to provide information for farmers to increase their production and marketing. This event will include: A tour of the Morgan Composting facility Demonstrations of equipment to perform seeding, transplanting, compost application, and weeding Information on loan options to permit expansion of production Presentations will cover topics in soil building and markets. Register by August 11th: $30.00 for one day, $50.00 for both days. Register by August 16th: $40.00 for one day, $60.00 for both days. For more information and for registration, the event flyer can be found at: www.michiganorganic.msu.edu/Portals/organic/Soils&Equip-%20Aug%2020-21%20200 8%20Flyer.pdf For the curious, here are some powerpoint presentations (both from Rodale institute) that were given at last year’s soil building workshop. The first discusses compost and compost tea: www.michiganorganic.msu.edu/Portals/organic/1-Cover%20Crop%20Fundamentals.pd f The second discusses other aspects of composting on farms: www.michiganorganic.msu.edu/Portals/organic/docs/2007.gif Please contact Vicki Morrone with any questions or suggestions at 517-282-3557 or [log in to unmask] You can also visit www.michiganorganic.msu.edu for more information. ********* 17. Organic Producers Needed for Rothbury Music Festival July 3-6th – to Feature Local Farmers Market to Promote Green Thinking Among Music Fans. Sweetwater Local Foods Market is still looking for organic producers for the market at the music festival. It's a 3 day event. Anyone interested should contact Diana Jancek at [log in to unmask] or 231-893-0323. Billed as a New American Celebration, the ROTHBURY Music Festival, to be held at Double JJ Ranch in Rothbury, MI over the 4th of July weekend, will offer attendees the opportunity to taste the “healthy, humane, homegrown” food of the farmers of the Sweetwater Local Foods Market. The Sweetwater Local Foods Market in Muskegon is Michigan’s first farmers market to exclusively sell local fruits and vegetables raised using organic farming practices and meat, eggs, and cheese from humanely raised animals. “We were thrilled to learn back in March that festival promoters were seeking an ‘organic farmers market’ for their festival,” said Sweetwater Market Manager Diana Jancek. “After our initial call they immediately offered us the opportunity to bring our market and its farmers into the festival. Their invitation highlights the fact that organic farming is becoming more accepted and the food our farmers grow is becoming more appreciated and in demand.” Sweetwater farmers will offer festival goers a range of fresh vegetables, meat and cheese packaged as snacks, baked goods, and other locally grown items in a farmers market that will operate from 11am to 6pm each day of the festival. “Many of our vendors have prepared unique items especially for the Festival,” said Jancek. “I think people will experience both great food and great music this weekend – all the while supporting a green, sustainable food system.” The ROTHBURY Festival is the first in Michigan to consciously promote an ecologically intelligent approach to large music events. All eating utensils, bags, and other wrapping will be made from compostable materials like corn-based plastic. The festival is also sponsoring an Eco-ThinkTank of presentations, each day, on how to solve some of the important ecological challenges before us. ********* 18. Public Hearing on Act-4-04 (A proposal affecting the Lansing City Market) City of Lansing Planning Board 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 1, 2008 Lansing Center – Governor’s Room 333 E. Michigan Avenue (Second Floor) The Lansing Planning Board will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, July 1, 2008, at 6:30 p.m. in the Governor’s Room of the Lansing Center, 333 E. Michigan Avenue, Lansing, MI, to consider Act-4-08, a request by the City of Lansing Planning and Neighborhood Development Department to: 1. Relocate the City Market operations, currently located at 420 E. Shiawassee Street, onto park property located west of the current City Market parking lot. 2. Make the current City Market property available for sale for a mixed-use private development (including retail, office, housing, and parking), in accordance with the Central Lansing Comprehensive Plan, and to provide easements as necessary to facilitate the proposed development. For more information about this case, please contact the Lansing Planning Office, at 483- 4066, on City business days, Monday through Friday, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. If you are interested in this matter, please attend the public hearing, or send a representative. Written comments will be accepted between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on City business days if received before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, July 1, 2008, at the Lansing Planning Office, Department of Planning and Neighborhood Development, 316 N. Capitol Ave, Lansing, MI 48933-1236. Bill Rieske, Secretary Lansing Planning Board ********** 19. Rapid Market Assessment Workshop Thursday, June 26th from 9 am – 4 pm Flint Farmers Market. Learn how a Rapid Market Assessment can offer an intense one-time market-day snapshot of your market. An RMA “swat team” of “outside” market managers and other experts use simple, tested methods to: count market customers, survey customers with a dot survey, and compile market observations and recommendations. At this workshop, you will acquire the skills to participate in and conduct your own RMA. For more details and a registration form, please see http://www.farmersmarkets.msu.edu/Portals/farmmarkets/RMA%20Workshop%2006260 8.pdf. Registration is required by this Friday, June 20th. ********* 20. Grazing Workshop July 15th, 22nd, and 29th, 2008, from 6:00pm - 9:00pm. This workshop is for all grazers and will feature a pasture walk on area farms enabling participants to see fencing options and pasture layouts. More details will be available in the next month or so. Here are the details to date: Small Farm Environmental Awareness Program Sponsored by Madison and Pickaway Soil and Water Conservation Districts and the Heart of Ohio RC&D Council Focusing on: * Pasture Management - Fertility Assessment * Manure Management - Storage & Application * Rules and Regulations The program will be a series of workshops to educate participants on grazing management and water quality concerns. The workshop series will be held July 15, 22, and 29, 2008, from 6:00pm - 9:00pm. Two of the workshops will be held at field locations. Contact info: Traci Aquara, Program Administrator Heart of Ohio RC&D Council 557 Sunbury Rd. Delaware, OH 43015 740-368-5979, x-112 740-494-4295 or 595-4637(Home Office) 740-972-6447 (cell) [log in to unmask] ********** 21. High Tunnel Tour of England October 5-9, 2008 We are organizing a 5-day bus tour of high tunnel culture in England for growers, Extension folks, or any other interested people. Cost is $800 per person ($700 double), which includes most meals and all lodging (flight to London not included). Ralph Kramer, the Haygrove High Tunnels representative for the Eastern U.S., developed the itinerary. We will tour cherries, raspberries, and strawberries and possibly other crops under tunnels, see the latest developments in tunnel structures, poly, management demos, packing sheds, strawberry harvesting rigs, etc. We will also visit Warwick Castle. Lodging will be in mid-level hotels on the outskirts of the cities. Deadline for registration is August 22, but you may want to register and purchase your air ticket earlier. Full details and registration forms are posted at: http://www.hrt.msu.edu/TUNNELTOUR/ Contact Eric Hanson at MSU (517-355-5191 x1386, mailto: [log in to unmask]) with any questions. ******* 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