Re: [apple-crop] SWD
Art, Once the fruit is infested, cold storage for 3 days at 33F will kill the majority of larva in the fruit, retaining the integrity of fruit at the time of harvest from further injury. * If the fruit are clean (uninfested) at the time of application AND the material has a high degree of efficacy in reducing SWD egg laying, the fruit will remain clean. * If the fruit has been newly infested with one or more eggs you may get some efficacy from the application to reduce larval activity, with protection from further infestation in the field depending on insecticide efficacy. Its likely they will remain infested with larval activity increasing in storage unless cold treated. * Sound stone fruit are much less likely to be infested. We have only reared a singly fly from sound peach. We have seen oviposition on plum with no fly emergence. Blueberry have shown to be much less attractive to SWD then raspberry and blackberry. A 7 day schedule for blueberry using the best materials has been shown to be effective at managing the pest on many farms with consistent pest management programming. In the Hudson Valley a 3d program is required in raspberry and blackberry for commercial quality fruit. Best, Peter J. Jentsch Hudson Valley Laboratory Superintendent Senior Extension Associate - Entomology Department of Entomology, Cornell University Hudson Valley Research Lab P.O. Box 727, 3357 Rt. 9W Highland, NY 12528 Office: 845-691-7151 Cell: 845-417-7465 FAX: 845-691-2719 E-mail: p...@cornell.edu http://www.hudsonvalleyresearchlab.org/ http://blogs.cornell.edu/jentsch/ From: apple-crop-boun...@virtualorchard.net apple-crop-boun...@virtualorchard.net on behalf of Arthur Kelly kellyorcha...@gmail.com Sent: Friday, August 21, 2015 7:36 PM To: Apple-Crop Subject: [apple-crop] SWD If you apply a 3 day PHI spray for SWD will it continue to protect the fruit in the packing room or retail stand? I'm thinking of peaches or plums and blueberries. -- Art Kelly Kelly Orchards Acton, ME ___ apple-crop mailing list apple-crop@virtualorchard.net http://virtualorchard.net/mailman/listinfo/apple-crop
[apple-crop] Cornell University 'Tree Fruit Horticulturalist' position available
Tree Fruit Community, Cornell University has recently posted a Post Doctoral Associate 'Tree Fruit Horticulturalist' position, to be stationed at the Hudson Valley Research Laboratory in Highland, NY. Please pass this along to those that might be interested in the position. Best, Peter http://agriculture.academickeys.com/seeker_job_display.php?dothis=displayjob[IDX]=59542 [https://www.academickeys.com/assets/layout/header-logo.png]http://agriculture.academickeys.com/seeker_job_display.php?dothis=displayjob[IDX]=59542 University Job: Post Doctoral Associate, Cornell University Academic Keys: Higher education jobs and university jobs at universities, colleges, and other institutions of higher education. Professional resources, conferences, and links to grants and funding opportunities. Read more...http://agriculture.academickeys.com/seeker_job_display.php?dothis=displayjob[IDX]=59542 The best way out is always through - Robert Frost Peter J. Jentsch Hudson Valley Laboratory Superintendent Senior Extension Associate - Entomology Department of Entomology, Cornell University Hudson Valley Research Lab P.O. Box 727, 3357 Rt. 9W Highland, NY 12528 Office: 845-691-7151 Cell: 845-417-7465 FAX: 845-691-2719 E-mail: p...@cornell.edu http://blogs.cornell.edu/jentsch/ ___ apple-crop mailing list apple-crop@virtualorchard.net http://virtualorchard.net/mailman/listinfo/apple-crop
Re: [apple-crop] Apples From China?
China is the world’s largest consumer of fruits and vegetables, with a growing appetite for high-quality produce. China is also an expanding import market (mostly fresh fruits and, to a lesser extent, processed products). The value of China’s produce imports increased sevenfold between 1992 and 2001, making it one of the world’s fastest growing import markets. (Global Trade Patterns in Fruits and Vegetables Economic Research Service/USDA). Yet China is producing almost half of world total apple production, increasing from 33,263,000; 35,985,000 and 37,000,000 metric tonnes from 2010, 2011 and 2012 respectively while increasing world exports by 10% between 2000 to 2006. (Source: World Markets and Trade, US Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service, May 2007). However, 10%; volume in terms of of world export is only 3% of their China's total production!!! The US has been increasing their shipments of high volume fresh apple to China. We will likely continue increase of apple exports until China has ramped up their volume and quality of production. Its been my understanding that even the Chinese people prefer US apple due to food safety concerns. Western US apple trade to China and world markets may be well for Eastern growers as it will likely reduce the shipments of Washington State apples to eastern markets and increase supply for locally grown fruit? I would favor increased tree fruit trade with China under competitive trade conditions based on standardized production practices. As it now stands, the regulations do not require the use of production practice guidelines to the standards which U.S growers need to abide, creating a competitive disadvantage for the US tree fruit producer. Pest management practices, worker protection standards and child labor laws shouldnbsp; be instituted within the guidelines of production practices, certified by US inspection of farms and facilities, just as we have here in the US. Its likely that MRL standards will need to be assessed and met, yet there's no mention of MRL's in the regulation. The emphasis in the bill on phytosanitation for oriental fruit moth is outdated and concerns for newer invasive species should receive a hard review (too late for BMSB and SWD invasion over the pst 15 years, having caused millions of $$ in production and research loss). That said, China has not been known for their recent history of protecting human rights, product quality or safety standards and should be pressured into compliance by world markets to 'come clean'. Peter The best way out is always through - Robert Frost” Peter J. Jentsch Hudson Valley Laboratory Superintendent Senior Extension Associate - Entomology Department of Entomology, Cornell University Hudson Valley Research Lab P.O. Box 727, 3357 Rt. 9W Highland, NY 12528 Office: 845-691-7151 Cell: 845-417-7465 FAX: 845-691-2719 E-mail: p...@cornell.edu http://blogs.cornell.edu/jentsch/ From: apple-crop-boun...@virtualorchard.net apple-crop-boun...@virtualorchard.net on behalf of Ginda Fisher l...@ginda.us Sent: Friday, August 15, 2014 10:58 AM To: Apple-crop discussion list; Mike Arvay Subject: Re: [apple-crop] Apples From China? Speaking as an apple consumer, I have concerns about China driving down price, and therefore quality, of U.S. grown fruit. But I tend to avoid food and children's toys that come out of China. (Like everyone else, most of my clothes and electronics have Chinese components. And I've had no problems with that.) -- Typed with Swype. Who knows what I meant to say? On August 15, 2014 10:26:03 AM EDT, Mike Arvay greenap...@deercreekorchard.com wrote: I'm curious on what the group thinks about this proposed amendment to the U.S. Fruit and Vegetable Regulation which will allow the import of apples into the U.S. from China. I don't want this to become a All things from China are bad. thread. But I can see both negative and positive possibilities on allowing this. They do recommend additional measures and actions other than the standard Port of Entry Inspection. http://www.regulations.gov/?utm_source=hs_emailutm_medium=emailutm_content=13804591_hsenc=p2ANqtz--B9po2Wh9EOEarH4oSyBng8hr9QeyW3LJQbTqn5DyDzYxmuMr2ciJZaLS1t7JjLaavRgsui8ZQ9El8DY6ATo7HsWEkbg_hsmi=13804591#!documentDetail;D=APHIS-2014-0003-0001 Thanks. Mike Arvay Small Grower in Central Indiana. apple-crop mailing list apple-crop@virtualorchard.net http://virtualorchard.net/mailman/listinfo/apple-crop ___ apple-crop mailing list apple-crop@virtualorchard.net http://virtualorchard.net/mailman/listinfo/apple-crop
[apple-crop] Stone fruit SWD injury
We sampled a range of peach varieties maturing at different dates throughout the season last year. Although we did see one sample with a single adult SWD emerge from incubated sound fruit held for two weeks, we didn't see what we would consider to be economic injury, again the caveat being, 'of sound fruit'. However, damaged fruit from suture splits, bird pecks, insect damage from earwigs or Japanese beetle to create openings in the skin are a different matter. In these cases SWD will infest fruit as do other Drosophlia sp. A few of our growers thought the fly was causing increased brown rot in peaches but we didn't find SWD emergence evidence to support the claim. Certainly that could be the case in late cherry with reduced fungicide use. We did see late cherry varieties in the lower HV with significant egg laying injury this year in a site where SWD was captured in low numbers. One monitored site in Dutchess County in early July suffered 100% ovipositional injury. A second site in Orange County experienced 70% ovipositional injury during the first week of July. However, we have yet to rear out adults from these samples. This year in the Hudson Valley, as in most monitored sites throughout the region, we did capture flies earlier then in 2012, possibly because of the addition of yeast/sugar combination floating in apple cider vinegar (ACV) or simply because we were looking more intensely. We'll need to again collect stone fruit and grape varieties as the season progresses to determine varietial susceptibility to SWD. No injury was observed in plums, pear or apple last season but by September you could capture them in any fruit growing site in the Northeast. Chris Meier even caught flies at the NY, Canada New England Fruit Workers meeting in a remote wooded location in Burlington !! Peter J. Jentsch Senior Extension Associate - Entomology Department of Entomology Cornell University’s Hudson Valley Lab P.O. Box 727, 3357 Rt. 9W Highland, NY 12528 Office: 845-691-7151 Cell: 845-417-7465 FAX: 845-691-2719 E-mail: p...@cornell.edu http://hudsonvf.cce.cornell.edu/bmsb1.html http://web.entomology.cornell.edu/jentsch/links.html From: apple-crop-boun...@virtualorchard.net [apple-crop-boun...@virtualorchard.net] on behalf of Arthur Kelly [kellyorcha...@gmail.com] Sent: Sunday, July 14, 2013 2:24 PM To: jon.cleme...@umass.edu; Apple-crop discussion list Subject: Re: [apple-crop] Stone fruit trunk painting Two growers in this area say they had some damage from SWD on peaches last year. On Sun, Jul 14, 2013 at 1:53 PM, Jon Clements jon.cleme...@umass.edumailto:jon.cleme...@umass.edu wrote: I wonder with Spotted Wing Drosophila if we are going to have to be more careful letting peaches fully tree-ripen? :-) On Sun, Jul 14, 2013 at 1:47 PM, Arthur Kelly kellyorcha...@gmail.commailto:kellyorcha...@gmail.com wrote: We are in the mid-80's here Jon. We expect to be in the 90's tomorrow. We are starting blueberry (Duke) harvest tomorrow. We should start peach harvest on the 25th-27th with PF 1, PF 5B and Earlystar with Garnet Beauty to follow. Last year we picked PF 1, PF 5B and Earlystar all on the first day of harvest. We might have been a day or two too late on the PF 1. We try to harvest so you can eat them tomorrow. It can be touchy. Maturities seem to sometimes not be what we expect from catalogues and other literature. Art Kelly On Sun, Jul 14, 2013 at 12:27 PM, Win Cowgill cowg...@njaes.rutgers.edumailto:cowg...@njaes.rutgers.edu wrote: I know of no data on joint compound for lesser or greater peac borer control. Win Win Cowgill Editor Horticultural News Professor and Area Fruit Agent New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Rutgers Cooperative Extension PO Box 2900 314 State Route 12, Bldg. 2 Flemington, NJ 08822-2900 Office 908-788-1339tel:908-788-1339 Fax- 908-806-4735tel:908-806-4735 Email: cowg...@njaes.rutgers.edumailto:cowg...@njaes.rutgers.edu www.horticulturalnews.org/http://www.horticulturalnews.org/ www.virtualorchard.net/http://www.virtualorchard.net/ http://virtualorchard.net/njfruitfocus/index.html www.snyderfarm.rutgers.edu/investigators/cowgill.htmlhttp://www.snyderfarm.rutgers.edu/investigators/cowgill.html www.appletesters.nethttp://www.appletesters.net [X] On Jul 14, 2013, at 11:17 AM, Arthur Kelly kellyorcha...@gmail.commailto:kellyorcha...@gmail.com wrote: It seems like past discussions indicated that adding the joint compound helped repel borers. What do you think? Art Kelly Kelly Orchards Acton, ME On Sun, Jul 14, 2013 at 10:45 AM, Kurt W. Alstede k...@alstedefarms.commailto:k...@alstedefarms.com wrote: Gentlemen: Please find below our top secret recipe. We have never had any adverse effects from exterior paint…in fact we add the fungicide to help protect the tree against wounds and the thiram acts as a rodent repellent. We use the cheapest white exterior paint that we can find
Re: [apple-crop] Stone fruit SWD injury
Dean, A Penn State Extension Article on SWD Natural History summaries and references studies on basic biology of the insect found at http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/freepubs/pdfs/xj0046.pdf. Here's a quote from the article that discusses aspects of temperature on insect biology. SWD prefers environments with moderate temperatures and high humidity. Adults are most active at temperatures around 70°F, and their activity is greatly decreased when temperatures are only 15 degrees colder or warmer. Adults need shelter when temperatures drop below about 50°F and begin hibernation at 40°F. Female adults exposed to cold temperatures lay very few eggs, and the eggs and larvae are killed by several days of exposure to temperatures just above freezing. Thus, seasonal populations are likely to start out extremely low in each spring, increase as temperatures warm, decline during hot spells, and then increase very rapidly during early fall when temperatures become more ideal. Regardless of whether SWD can overwinter in a region, it can be readily reintroduced in fruit that is shipped from warmer regions. Peter J. Jentsch Senior Extension Associate - Entomology Department of Entomology Cornell University’s Hudson Valley Lab P.O. Box 727, 3357 Rt. 9W Highland, NY 12528 Office: 845-691-7151 Cell: 845-417-7465 FAX: 845-691-2719 E-mail: p...@cornell.edu http://hudsonvf.cce.cornell.edu/bmsb1.html http://web.entomology.cornell.edu/jentsch/links.html From: apple-crop-boun...@virtualorchard.net [apple-crop-boun...@virtualorchard.net] on behalf of Dean Henry [d...@berrypatchfarm.com] Sent: Sunday, July 14, 2013 8:40 PM To: Apple-crop discussion list Cc: jon.cleme...@umass.edu; Apple-crop discussion list Subject: Re: [apple-crop] Stone fruit SWD injury Are there any clues from temperature effects on egg laying? I read that the swd has preference, thus the need for trap location in shade. Do they oviposit daytime or night? Regards, Dean, Sent from my iPad On Jul 14, 2013, at 6:59 PM, Peter J. Jentsch p...@cornell.edumailto:p...@cornell.edu wrote: We sampled a range of peach varieties maturing at different dates throughout the season last year. Although we did see one sample with a single adult SWD emerge from incubated sound fruit held for two weeks, we didn't see what we would consider to be economic injury, again the caveat being, 'of sound fruit'. However, damaged fruit from suture splits, bird pecks, insect damage from earwigs or Japanese beetle to create openings in the skin are a different matter. In these cases SWD will infest fruit as do other Drosophlia sp. A few of our growers thought the fly was causing increased brown rot in peaches but we didn't find SWD emergence evidence to support the claim. Certainly that could be the case in late cherry with reduced fungicide use. We did see late cherry varieties in the lower HV with significant egg laying injury this year in a site where SWD was captured in low numbers. One monitored site in Dutchess County in early July suffered 100% ovipositional injury. A second site in Orange County experienced 70% ovipositional injury during the first week of July. However, we have yet to rear out adults from these samples. This year in the Hudson Valley, as in most monitored sites throughout the region, we did capture flies earlier then in 2012, possibly because of the addition of yeast/sugar combination floating in apple cider vinegar (ACV) or simply because we were looking more intensely. We'll need to again collect stone fruit and grape varieties as the season progresses to determine varietial susceptibility to SWD. No injury was observed in plums, pear or apple last season but by September you could capture them in any fruit growing site in the Northeast. Chris Meier even caught flies at the NY, Canada New England Fruit Workers meeting in a remote wooded location in Burlington !! Peter J. Jentsch Senior Extension Associate - Entomology Department of Entomology Cornell University’s Hudson Valley Lab P.O. Box 727, 3357 Rt. 9W Highland, NY 12528 Office: 845-691-7151 Cell: 845-417-7465 FAX: 845-691-2719 E-mail: p...@cornell.edumailto:p...@cornell.edu http://hudsonvf.cce.cornell.edu/bmsb1.html http://web.entomology.cornell.edu/jentsch/links.html From: apple-crop-boun...@virtualorchard.netmailto:apple-crop-boun...@virtualorchard.net [apple-crop-boun...@virtualorchard.netmailto:apple-crop-boun...@virtualorchard.net] on behalf of Arthur Kelly [kellyorcha...@gmail.commailto:kellyorcha...@gmail.com] Sent: Sunday, July 14, 2013 2:24 PM To: jon.cleme...@umass.edumailto:jon.cleme...@umass.edu; Apple-crop discussion list Subject: Re: [apple-crop] Stone fruit trunk painting Two growers in this area say they had some damage from SWD on peaches last year. On Sun, Jul 14, 2013 at 1:53 PM, Jon Clements jon.cleme...@umass.edumailto:jon.cleme...@umass.edu wrote: I wonder
Re: [apple-crop] native pollinators
In the Hudson Valley of NY we are also finding very few native pollinators on dandelions as of late morning into the mid-afternoon. Carpenter bees are plentiful but few honeybees or orchard bees. By the end of the day we will be at 50% bloom on Ginger Gold with 1st bloom observed only yesterday. Blossoms opening on Golden Delicious and McIntosh today. Peter J. Jentsch Senior Extension Associate - Entomology Department of Entomology Cornell University¹s Hudson Valley Lab P.O. Box 727, 3357 Rt. 9W Highland, NY 12528 Office: 845-691-7151 Cell: 845-417-7465 FAX: 845-691-2719 On 5/2/13 2:03 PM, David Doud david_d...@me.com wrote: indeed - the dandelions are empty - few bumblebees - I have a half dozen hives of honeybees on the property, managed by mediocre bee keeper, but they are flying - I have about 20 acres of tree fruit and have always considered the native pollinators to be adequate to the job, this year may be different - on the other hand, I don't know that I want a complete pollination job this year - I have been vacillating for the last 36 hours whether to call in some more honeybees - my current thinking is that I'll just ride what I have and count on it being enough - I'm in north central Indiana - D On May 2, 2013, at 1:06 PM, Frank Carlson wrote: David: I forgot where you are located. Here in Harvard, MA, we have just been commenting on the lack of wild bees as we are about to open on McIntosh. There also are less bumble bees visible . Frank Carlson Franklyn W. Carlson, Pres. Carlson Orchards, Inc. 115 Oak Hill Road P.O.Box 359 Harvard, MA. 01451 617-968-4180 cell 978-456-3916 office -Original Message- From: apple-crop-boun...@virtualorchard.net [mailto:apple-crop-boun...@virtualorchard.net] On Behalf Of David Doud Sent: Thursday, May 02, 2013 11:02 AM To: Apple-Crop Subject: [apple-crop] native pollinators Another casualty of last year's freak weather is the population of native pollinators - my asian pears entered full bloom over the last 48 hours - other years they are surrounded by a cloud of several species of solitary pollinators, this year that activity is roughly 10% of what I am accustomed to observing - The first apple bloom opened yesterday - 72 hours ago at tight cluster I considered the amount of bloom as 'full' but not particularly remarkable, now bloom has seemingly spontaneously generated to an amount that I cannot remember observing in the past - it's going to be spectacular, but has upped my anxiety about the potential 'big crop of little green apples' - hope thinners are effective ___ apple-crop mailing list apple-crop@virtualorchard.net http://virtualorchard.net/mailman/listinfo/apple-crop ___ apple-crop mailing list apple-crop@virtualorchard.net http://virtualorchard.net/mailman/listinfo/apple-crop ___ apple-crop mailing list apple-crop@virtualorchard.net http://virtualorchard.net/mailman/listinfo/apple-crop
Re: [apple-crop] Red Squirrel Feeding Causing Severe Apple losses along the Southern Champlain and nearby Vermont
Hi Kevin, The stripping of trees of fruit by squirrels this season has been dramatic. Here at the lab we've lost a fair amount of research data from grey squirrel harvesting. Small farms throughout the Hudson Valley with high edge to apple acreage blocks have seen huge losses. The losses early in the spring from freeze of food sources may have some part to play here? Peter J. Jentsch Senior Extension Associate - Entomology Department of Entomology Cornell University¹s Hudson Valley Lab P.O. Box 727, 3357 Rt. 9W Highland, NY 12528 Office: 845-691-7151 Cell: 845-417-7465 FAX: 845-691-2719 On 10/5/12 12:10 PM, Kevin A. Iungerman k...@cornell.edu wrote: Hello. I had a report from a NY grower near Whitehall NY, virtually astride the VT border, that he was being invaded by red squirrels who were causing significant fruit loss due to feeding. He reports never having seen such levels previously. I then had a call from an AP reporter asking about this and other situations in VT. Trapping is out of the question, as are rodenticides as fruit is on the trees presently, customers are in the orchard, and non-target species would be greatly at risk. For much the same reason, shot guns and/or squirrel guns have very limited utility. I am speculating that normal food stocks of these critters has been negatively effected by drought conditions in June, July, and early August, and perhaps also, that several mild winters and earlier springs has allowed greater survival and reproductive numbers. (I understand that black bears are also seeking alternate food sources as customary wild foods were severely impaired due to weather conditions.) While such population surges likely cyclically normal, this grower reports never having seen such squirrel numbers - and damage; warming climatic conditions are likely amplifying the cyclical potential . Perhaps others can offer effective control methods and a more accurate assessment of what may be going on. Best Regards, Kevin Iungerman -- Kevin Iungerman, Extension Associate Cornell University Cooperative Extension's Northeast NY Commercial Fruit Program 50 West High Street, Ballston Spa, NY 12020 Phone: (518) 885-8995 FAX: (518) 885-9078 email: k...@cornell.edu website: NE NY Cold Climate Orchards and Vineyards http://nenycoldclimateorchardsandvineyards.com Providing Equal Opportunity Commercial Tree Fruit and Grape Research, Education and Programming with the Support of the Farmers and Cornell Cooperative Extension Associations of Albany, Clinton, Essex, Saratoga, and Washington Counties, and Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Science. Serving NY's Upper Hudson and Champlain Region - Home to Premium Cold Hardy Orchard and Vineyard Fruit, Including: McIntosh, Honeycrisp, and Sweetango Apples, and Marquette and LaCrescent Grapes! Suggestions? Comments? Ideas? Possibilities begin with people sharing ideas and working together. ___ apple-crop mailing list apple-crop@virtualorchard.net http://virtualorchard.net/mailman/listinfo/apple-crop ___ apple-crop mailing list apple-crop@virtualorchard.net http://virtualorchard.net/mailman/listinfo/apple-crop
Re: [apple-crop] definitions question: first, second, third cover
Greetings Rye, I believe this term is a carry over from a time when pest management applications would 'cover' the commodity in a blanket of spray following the critical petal fall application. This PF event typically occurs at roughly 80% of the petals falling from a variety such as Mcintosh in apple. At this point in time the flowers loose their attractiveness to bees allowing for insecticide pest management to occur. In New York's Hudson Valley, this application of insecticide will control European apple sawfly, plum curculio, the overwintering stage of obliquebanded leafroller, tarnish plant bug, rosy apple aphid, and others, depending on the insecticide used. Typically insecticide applications follow a 10 to 14 day interval called cover sprays or covers for short, depending of course on insecticide longevity and the weather (OP's longer, Bt's shorter). The residual of the previous application carrying over for this interval based on its residual to withstand weathering or hydrolysis, its U.V. stability and so on. These applications then target the same insect (PC for the 1st and possibly 2nd cover), or a different insect species or complex of insects (such as codling moth at 2nd, SJS at 3rd cover; summer generation of OBLR at 4th cover; apple maggot SJS at 5th -7th cover) at different periods relative to their timing after petal fall. All of which depends on pest management strategies, weather, population density to name but a few of the variables that increase or decreasing the timing interval. Regards, Peter Hello all, I'm looking over pesticide information and I see a lot of references to first cover, second cover and third cover and also references to first cover spray, second cover spray and third cover spray. All references seem to expect the reader to know what that is. Searching the web I found one reference that said second cover is 4-6 weeks after petal fall. Another reference seemed to refer to the number of wet days to get to second cover and that didn't make any sense to me at all. I guess I'm really unclear on what cover means in this context. What does the term refer to? What is being covered at these stages and/or what is doing the covering? Or what observation do you make and say ah! we are reached second cover today! (same question for first and third.) Also, what is the relationship between second cover and second cover spray? (same question for first and third) I think I would understand once I understand what second cover is, but my general confusion on the topic leaves me with little confidence in that. I have found references for definitions of some stages such as green tip, pre-pink, pink. But these cover stages elude me. Thanks for sharing your expertise! Rye Hefley Future Farmers Marketer So. Cal. Content-Type: text/plain; name=ATT1..c Content-Description: ATT1..c Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=ATT1..c; size=224; creation-date=Mon, 11 Apr 2011 15:25:19 GMT; modification-date=Mon, 11 Apr 2011 15:25:19 GMT Attachment converted: MacIntosh HD:ATT1. 84.c (TEXT/ttxt) (0692E256) -- Peter J. Jentsch Senior Extension Associate Department of Entomology Cornell University's Hudson Valley Lab 3357 Rt. 9W; PO box 727 Highland, NY 12528 email: p...@cornell.edu Phone 845-691-7151 Mobile: 845-417-7465 http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/hudson/faculty.php http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/faculty/jentsch/ ___ apple-crop mailing list apple-crop@virtualorchard.net http://virtualorchard.net/mailman/listinfo/apple-crop
Apple-Crop: Apple growers thank Congressional leaders
Apple growers thank Congressional leaders Posted by Debra J. Groom/The Post-Standard May 20, 2009 2:37PM This news just in from the New York Apple Association in Fishers, NY The New York Apple Association Wednesday thanked members of the state's Congressional delegation for support of Agricultural Job Opportunity, Benefits and Security Act of 2009 (AgJOBS). The bill was introduced in Congress last week. The bill proposes to create a program to allow migrant laborers to continue to work on farms. The legislation also restructures and reforms the current H-2A temporary agricultural worker program by substantially streamlining the program's administrative procedures. Despite the high unemployment rate, our industry still does not have a reliable workforce and will not until the AgJOBS bill is passed, said Jim Allen, president of the New York Apple Association. Sen. Charles Schumer, a longtime supporter of New York agriculture, signed onto the Senate version of the bill (S.1038) which was introduced by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). In the House, Reps. Louise Slaughter (D-28), Christopher Lee (R-26), Eric Massa (D-29), John McHugh (R-23), Dan Maffei (D-25) and Michael Arcuri (D-24) all signed on in support of the House version (H.R.2414), which was introduced by Reps. Howard L. Berman (D-Calif) and Adam Putnam (R-FLA). Over the past three years, immigration raids throughout western New York left apple growers scrambling to harvest crops. Apple growers wholly depend on a migrant labor force coming to the state to pick apples in the fall. Every apple --- usually more than 3 billion per season --- is picked by hand by skilled migrant laborers. There is no viable source of local labor to draw from since few people have an interest in crop-picking work on a farm, even in a recession economy, Allen said. The AgJOBS legislation will ensure labor-intensive agriculture has access to a stable, legal and predictable supply of skilled labor. The bill also proposes to eliminate the cumbersome labor certification process, streamline the process for admission of H-2A aliens and allows aliens not currently eligible to participate in the H-2A program to acquire H-2A status. New York ranks second in apple production nationwide with nearly 700 orchards and more than 25 million bushels harvested last fall. -- Peter J. Jentsch Extension Associate Department of Entomology Cornell University's Hudson Valley Lab 3357 Rt. 9W; PO box 727 Highland, NY 12528 email: p...@cornell.edu Phone 845-691-7151 Mobile: 845-417-7465 http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/hudson/faculty.php http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/faculty/jentsch/
Re: Apple-Crop: Pollinating bees
The CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder ) working group recently published a report of their finding entitled 'Fall Dwindle Disease: A preliminary report December 15, 2006'. It can be found at: http://maarec.cas.psu.edu/pressReleases/FallDwindleUpdate0107.pdf Although the group is looking into the sub-lethal effects of insecticide and insecticide / fungicide interactions through pesticide residue analysis, they have found at least some indication that viral and or fungal presence may be at least in part associated with the collapse. Peter Has there been any comment among apple growers in the US on the continuing sharp decline in bee numbers? I read the following recently, and believe that a few parts of Europe are beginning to see localised colony collapses also. Since last November, the US has seen a decline in bee populations so dramatic that it eclipses all previous incidences of mass mortality. Beekeepers on the east coast of the United States complain that they have lost more than 70 percent of their stock since late last year, while the west coast has seen a decline of up to 60 percent. In an article in its business section in late February, the New York Times calculated the damage US agriculture would suffer if bees died out. Experts at Cornell University in upstate New York have estimated the value bees generate -- by pollinating fruit and vegetable plants, almond trees and animal feed like clover -- at more than $14 billion. Scientists call the mysterious phenomenon Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), and it is fast turning into a national catastrophe of sorts. A number of universities and government agencies have formed a CCD Working Group to search for the causes of the calamity, but have so far come up empty-handed. But, like Dennis vanEngelsdorp, an apiarist with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, they are already referring to the problem as a potential AIDS for the bee industry. One thing is certain: Millions of bees have simply vanished. In most cases, all that's left in the hives are the doomed offspring. But dead bees are nowhere to be found -- neither in nor anywhere close to the hives. Diana Cox-Foster, a member of the CCD Working Group, told The Independent that researchers were extremely alarmed, adding that the crisis has the potential to devastate the US beekeeping industry. It is particularly worrisome, she said, that the bees' death is accompanied by a set of symptoms which does not seem to match anything in the literature. In many cases, scientists have found evidence of almost all known bee viruses in the few surviving bees found in the hives after most have disappeared. Some had five or six infections at the same time and were infested with fungi -- a sign, experts say, that the insects' immune system may have collapsed. The scientists are also surprised that bees and other insects usually leave the abandoned hives untouched. Nearby bee populations or parasites would normally raid the honey and pollen stores of colonies that have died for other reasons, such as excessive winter cold. This suggests that there is something toxic in the colony itself which is repelling them, says Cox-Foster. -- Peter J. Jentsch Extension Associate Department of Entomology Cornell University's Hudson Valley Lab 3357 Rt. 9W; PO box 727 Highland, NY 12528 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Phone 845-691-7151 Mobile: 845-417-7465 http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/faculty/jentsch/
