Apple-Crop: Fireblight on Ernst Bosch

[Axel Kratel]

Dear all, 

I have an "Ernst Bosch" apple tree on MM111 that has developed a pretty bad 
case of fireblight. I have over 200 trees and I've never seen fireblight here 
before, so this is a first for me. Symptoms included the classic die back with 
the orange colored droplets. 

I've cut the infected wood, and applied serenade, and I've had to go back twice 
now to cut more. I've cut back quite far, yet the cuts are still turning 
orange. I disinfected sheers in between cuts. On the last cuts I've resorted to 
treating the cuts with hydrogen peroxide, but it seems hopeless.

Any hope of saving the tree or should I sacrifice it? It's on it's fourth leaf. 
I am surprised that this variety is so susceptible. The literature claims it's 
not especially sensitive to fireblight. 

Thanks for your advice. I am willing to forgo organic to save a tree, so if 
there's any sort of systemic treatment that would be possible, I would consider 
it. Serenade is a good preventative, but it's too late for this tree.

Re: Apple-Crop: Tank liners

[Phil Glaize]

Hi Frank,
Did you ever get any feedback? 
This will have to be one tough liner as jammed and wedged bins could put a 
lot of pressure on it. 
Phil Glaize
  - Original Message - 
  From: Frank Carlson 
  To: Apple-Crop 
  Sent: Monday, June 08, 2009 8:46 AM
  Subject: Apple-Crop: Tank liners


  Hello all:

  Looking for some info on FDA approved spray liners for packing tanks.  If 
anyone has had some experience we would appreciate some feed back.

  Thanks,

  Frank Carlson

  Carlson Orchards, Inc.

  Harvard, MA

RE: Apple-Crop: RE: Apple Prices

[John Belisle]

Sounds like we find comfort in being controlled by the lowest seller in the
market.I have never understood why my quality of life is constantly
controlled by a operator whom is happy living a third class life.  Why he
persists doing business at a price insuring failure not only for him in
time, but possibly others as well. Capitalism at its best!

 

Now our economy has tanked and  all things seem bleak!!!  The third class
businessman seems to have the ability to instill enough doubt to force a
solid business to sell for less than the cost of staying business.Damn
sad state of affairs.  

 

I rely on magic pricing.  Sell a commodity for street price because it has
no magic.  However sell a product that has no street comparison for more
than enough to make up for the loss taken on the commodity product.  Jerry
should consider  changing  his cookies, add perceived value, be famous, have
customers flock to him  and keep up the price. 

 

John

bellewoodapples.com

 

 

From: apple-crop@virtualorchard.net [mailto:apple-c...@virtualorchard.net]
On Behalf Of Bill Shane
Sent: Tuesday, June 16, 2009 12:12 PM
To: Apple-Crop
Subject: Re: Apple-Crop: RE: Apple Prices

 

Jerry, sell two different sizes to capture both crowds.

On Tue, Jun 16, 2009 at 4:44 AM, Con.Traas  wrote:


Jerry makes a good point.
If you go too far with your prices you will leave yourself open to
someone else beating you badly on price. Surely it would be wise to
price yourself at a level where you are making a good return, but not so
much that it makes it obviously attractive for someone else to compete
headlong with you.
It is my opinion that if you are too well paid for what you produce
(regardless of the product), your business becomes unfit, using the
extra revenue to cover up inefficient practice, poor decision making,
overpaying for inputs etc. Then when things get tight, you are operating
an inefficient business which is less likely to survive.
So I would advise considering your own position relative to the market
you are in before deciding to raise prices.
Regarding Jerry's cookie problem, it depends on how aggressive he should
want to be.
He could match the price and try to put the other woman under pressure.
If he reduces her sales by 50%, the low margin on a reduced volume may
be difficult for her to take.
He could do a free cookie with every $5.00 (or whatever) spent at his
stall. That might help raise his total revenue, and could hit his
competitor very badly, assuming her main product is cookies, and Jerry's
is not.
Or perhaps a simple "special" of 3 for the price of 2.
Regarding the general comment about less pricey items becoming more
popular, the best response, I think, is to try to provide what the
customer wants.
Con Traas


To all:
We have not set fruit prices yet but we are selling baked goods at
farmer's
markets.  At our best market I am slowly being eaten alive by a woman
who is
undercutting my cookie prices ($1.50 vs $1.00). We tried bigger signage
with
emphasis that ours are larger with 25% reduced fat (i.e. healthier), but
we
cannot seem to get past the differences in price.

I am tempted to slim mine down without reducing size and sell them for
99
cents but I hate to admit defeat.

On the other hand, all of our less pricy products are outselling higher
priced stuff by wider margins than ever before. If this is indeed the
"depression" setting in, how do we counter it?

Jerry Mills
Mills Apple Farm
Southern Illinois



--

The 'Apple-Crop' LISTSERV is sponsored by the Virtual Orchard
 and managed by Win Cowgill and Jon
Clements .

Apple-Crop is not moderated. Therefore, the statements do not represent
"official" opinions and the Virtual Orchard takes no responsibility for
the content.









-- 
Bill Shane
District Extension Educator
SW Mich Res & Extension Center
Michigan State University
1791 Hillandale Rd, Benton Harbor, MI 49022
269-944-1477 x 205; 269-208-1652 cell

Re: Apple-Crop: RE: Apple Prices

[Bill Shane]

Jerry, sell two different sizes to capture both crowds.

On Tue, Jun 16, 2009 at 4:44 AM, Con.Traas  wrote:

>
> Jerry makes a good point.
> If you go too far with your prices you will leave yourself open to
> someone else beating you badly on price. Surely it would be wise to
> price yourself at a level where you are making a good return, but not so
> much that it makes it obviously attractive for someone else to compete
> headlong with you.
> It is my opinion that if you are too well paid for what you produce
> (regardless of the product), your business becomes unfit, using the
> extra revenue to cover up inefficient practice, poor decision making,
> overpaying for inputs etc. Then when things get tight, you are operating
> an inefficient business which is less likely to survive.
> So I would advise considering your own position relative to the market
> you are in before deciding to raise prices.
> Regarding Jerry's cookie problem, it depends on how aggressive he should
> want to be.
> He could match the price and try to put the other woman under pressure.
> If he reduces her sales by 50%, the low margin on a reduced volume may
> be difficult for her to take.
> He could do a free cookie with every $5.00 (or whatever) spent at his
> stall. That might help raise his total revenue, and could hit his
> competitor very badly, assuming her main product is cookies, and Jerry's
> is not.
> Or perhaps a simple "special" of 3 for the price of 2.
> Regarding the general comment about less pricey items becoming more
> popular, the best response, I think, is to try to provide what the
> customer wants.
> Con Traas
>
>
> To all:
> We have not set fruit prices yet but we are selling baked goods at
> farmer's
> markets.  At our best market I am slowly being eaten alive by a woman
> who is
> undercutting my cookie prices ($1.50 vs $1.00). We tried bigger signage
> with
> emphasis that ours are larger with 25% reduced fat (i.e. healthier), but
> we
> cannot seem to get past the differences in price.
>
> I am tempted to slim mine down without reducing size and sell them for
> 99
> cents but I hate to admit defeat.
>
> On the other hand, all of our less pricy products are outselling higher
> priced stuff by wider margins than ever before. If this is indeed the
> "depression" setting in, how do we counter it?
>
> Jerry Mills
> Mills Apple Farm
> Southern Illinois
>
>
>
> --
>
> The 'Apple-Crop' LISTSERV is sponsored by the Virtual Orchard
>  and managed by Win Cowgill and Jon
> Clements .
>
> Apple-Crop is not moderated. Therefore, the statements do not represent
> "official" opinions and the Virtual Orchard takes no responsibility for
> the content.
>
>
>
>
>
>


-- 
Bill Shane
District Extension Educator
SW Mich Res & Extension Center
Michigan State University
1791 Hillandale Rd, Benton Harbor, MI 49022
269-944-1477 x 205; 269-208-1652 cell

Apple-Crop: Scaffolds 6/15

[Art Agnello]

A new issue of Scaffolds Fruit Newsletter for the week of 6/15 has 
been posted at:


http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/scaffolds/2009/

INSECTS
  - Orchard Radar
  - Model Building
  - Woolly apple aphid
  - San Jose scale
  - Hudson Valley Update: OBLR, Pear psylla
PEST FOCUS
INSECT TRAP CATCHES
UPCOMING PEST EVENTS

--
Arthur M. Agnello
Professor and Extension Tree Fruit Entomologist
Dept. of Entomologya...@cornell.edu
N.Y.S. Agric. Expt. Sta.Tel: 315-787-2341
630 W. North St. Fax: 315-787-2326
Geneva, NY  14456-1371  http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/faculty/agnello
Scaffolds Fruit Journal online: http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/scaffolds/

Apple-Crop: RE: Apple Prices

[Con.Traas]

Jerry makes a good point.
If you go too far with your prices you will leave yourself open to
someone else beating you badly on price. Surely it would be wise to
price yourself at a level where you are making a good return, but not so
much that it makes it obviously attractive for someone else to compete
headlong with you. 
It is my opinion that if you are too well paid for what you produce
(regardless of the product), your business becomes unfit, using the
extra revenue to cover up inefficient practice, poor decision making,
overpaying for inputs etc. Then when things get tight, you are operating
an inefficient business which is less likely to survive.
So I would advise considering your own position relative to the market
you are in before deciding to raise prices. 
Regarding Jerry's cookie problem, it depends on how aggressive he should
want to be.
He could match the price and try to put the other woman under pressure.
If he reduces her sales by 50%, the low margin on a reduced volume may
be difficult for her to take. 
He could do a free cookie with every $5.00 (or whatever) spent at his
stall. That might help raise his total revenue, and could hit his
competitor very badly, assuming her main product is cookies, and Jerry's
is not.
Or perhaps a simple "special" of 3 for the price of 2.
Regarding the general comment about less pricey items becoming more
popular, the best response, I think, is to try to provide what the
customer wants.
Con Traas


To all:
We have not set fruit prices yet but we are selling baked goods at
farmer's
markets.  At our best market I am slowly being eaten alive by a woman
who is
undercutting my cookie prices ($1.50 vs $1.00). We tried bigger signage
with
emphasis that ours are larger with 25% reduced fat (i.e. healthier), but
we
cannot seem to get past the differences in price.

I am tempted to slim mine down without reducing size and sell them for
99
cents but I hate to admit defeat.

On the other hand, all of our less pricy products are outselling higher
priced stuff by wider margins than ever before. If this is indeed the
"depression" setting in, how do we counter it?

Jerry Mills
Mills Apple Farm
Southern Illinois



--

The 'Apple-Crop' LISTSERV is sponsored by the Virtual Orchard
 and managed by Win Cowgill and Jon
Clements .

Apple-Crop is not moderated. Therefore, the statements do not represent
"official" opinions and the Virtual Orchard takes no responsibility for
the content.