FFF06-04
June 2, 2006

Crop Conditions:

Both apples and peaches are growing well.  Scattered 
hailstorms have caused anxiety but not much damage has been 
reported. Strawberry harvest has started in southern and 
central areas. Fruit size and quality are reported to be 
excellent. Brambles are still flowering in central areas. 
Blueberries are past bloom and recent rains are helping 
increase berry size. Grapes are blooming in southern and 
central areas.

Indiana Horticultural Society Summer Meeting:  The summer 
meeting of the Hort. Society will be held at 3 locations in 
(and slightly beyond) the northern part of the state.  The 
first day of the 2 day meeting will be at Garwood Orchard 
in La Porte, IN and the following day we will visit Coloma 
Frozen Foods in Coloma MI and Tree-Mendus Fruit Farm in Eau 
Claire, MI.

Garwood Orchard is without doubt one of the very best 
orchards in the state.  They have aggressively planted new 
cultivars and crops, and have been on the forefront of 
adopting new technologies.  Many Indiana growers are 
familiar with Coloma Frozen Foods and purchase frozen 
products from them for sale in their markets.  Herb 
Teichman and his Tree-Mendus Fruit Farm are famous 
throughout the Midwest for their innovative approaches to 
farm marketing.  Between these 3 operations, there is much 
for us to see and learn.  It may seem like quite a drive to 
travel to the meeting this year, especially for those in 
southern parts of the state, but if you pick up just one or 
two good ideas to implement at your farm, the trip will 
have been worthwhile.

Another reason to attend the meeting is the update from 
John Wargowsky on labor and immigration issues.  This is a 
hot topic right now, and many growers are very concerned.  
John is the executive director of the Mid American Ag. and 
Hort. Services, and is familiar to many growers through his 
support and participation in the Hort. Congress.

Garwood Orchard:  To get to Garwood Orchards, from SR 2, 
west of LaPorte, go north on CR 500 W about 1/2 mile to CR 
50 S in Pinola.  Go west about a mile to Forester Rd.  The 
orchard headquarters is on the northwest corner, at 5911W 
50S.  From the west on Rt 2, at the bend in the road east 
of Pinhook, take Forester Rd. north to CR 50 S. 

The main orchard land has been in the Garwood family since 
1832, and the Garwood's have been fruit farmers since the 
1920's.  The orchards are owned by Carl and Donna Garwood, 
their sons Brian and Mike, and Jim and Phyllis Garwood and 
their son Tom.  Management of the orchards has passed to 
the next generation with Brian, Mike and Tom in charge.  
Carl and Jim are pretty much "retired" from major decision-
making, but are still actively working and very valued 
members of the organization.  The Garwood's are very active 
in the Hort Society and both Jim and Brian Garwood are past 
presidents and Tom and Mike have served on the IHS 
Executive Board or on committees.  
	
There are over 200 acres of apples, peaches, nectarines and 
other tree fruit crops.  New plantings of pluots, cherries 
(on Gisela 5 & 6 rootstocks) and nectarines will be of 
interest.  The Garwood's have been actively replanting 
their orchards with newer varieties, rootstocks and crops. 
Of the apples, about 90% of trees are less than 15 years 
old.   However there are still three rows of Macs dating 
from 1976.  Rootstocks include M.7, M.111, M.106, M.26, 
M.9, and Bud.9. All of the trees on dwarfing rootstocks 
have been staked, mostly with rail steel angle iron stakes.
	
The variety breakdown at Garwood's is still Reds first, and 
then Goldens with Gala and Jonathan tied for third.  Other 
varieties include Fuji, Early Fuji, Braeburn, Jonagold, 
Honeycrisp, Empire, Rome, Mutsu, McIntosh, Ginger Gold, and 
others.  Gala, Honeycrisp, Ambrosia, Early Fuji and others 
are increasing while Empire, and Rome are decreasing in 
importance.  A block of top worked Earligolds will be of 
interest.

The peach variety picture consists of about 50% of the 
newer Paul Friday selections (Brian says they have tried 
most of them).  Then perhaps 25% are Redhaven, Newhaven, 
John Boy and other standards, and 25% are the 'Stellar' 
varieties.  There is a small planting of White Lady and 
some of the newer varieties from Adam's County Nursery.  
They have established "research" or "evaluation" blocks in 
which they have made small plantings of a number of new 
tree fruits or new varieties to test.  Different plum 
varieties (Earligold, Santa Rosa, Shiro, etc.), white 
nectarines, pluots, apricots, and sweet cherries on Gisela 
rootstocks are examples.

On the small fruit side, at meeting time the Garwood's 
should be just wrapping up harvest on their strawberries. 
They are using a 1-mil row cover for extending the season 
and for frost control. They also have portable irrigation.  
Plantings of red and black raspberries and thornless 
blackberries on ridges look very good. The blackberry 
varieties are from Arkansas.

Fruit sales are both retail and wholesale.  Retail sales 
are through U-pick, a market at the farm and at a market in 
downtown LaPorte, and at farmer's markets in Chicago.   A 
high percentage of their apples and vegetables are still 
sold through wholesale outlets. They have several cold 
storages, including one capable of being CA, but without 
the scrubber.  The use of 'Smart Fresh' to extend storage 
life has been very helpful. The fruit packing line includes 
a waxer for wholesale sales.  

They are now concentrating on growing only a few vegetables 
for wholesale: melons, sweet corn, green beans and peppers.  
They have also installed a pepper grading and packing line.  
As indicated, since we were last at Garwood's, they have 
established a retail market in downtown LaPorte that is a 
complete produce market.  At the home place the market was 
expanded just last year with additional sales space that 
includes a bakery. The Garwood's still make their own 
cider.  However the press is now a Frontier Technology 
continuous feed press housed in a separate pressroom.  The 
cider is also pasteurized, using a Thermoline flash heat 
pasteurizer.  Safety is a concern.  The Garwood's were 
instrumental 35 years ago in helping to implement the cider 
workshops held across the state at that time. For more 
information, refer to: http://www.garwoodorchard.com

Coloma Frozen Foods:  Situated in Coloma, MI, Coloma Frozen 
Foods, Inc. is a frozen food processor that has been in 
business for 22 years. A wide range of fruit and vegetable 
products is processed, including apples, asparagus, 
blueberries, plums, red-pitted cherries, sweet cherries and 
rhubarb. Various flavors of juices and concentrates are 
also produced. The food processing season begins in May 
with asparagus and continues throughout the year with 
various other fruits and vegetables, and ends with apple 
season in March.  Many of you are familiar with Coloma 
Frozen Foods products, and may even stock them in your 
market.  Join us in our overview of their operations and a 
tour of their facilities. For more information, refer to: 
http://www.colomafrozen.com

Directions: Coloma Frozen Foods, 4145 Coloma Rd, Coloma MI 
49038

From The Red Roof Inn, Benton Harbor, MI:  Take I-94 East 
for 4 miles and then take the I-196 N exit (exit 34).  
Travel 4.5 miles then take exit 4 (Coloma/Riverside).  Turn 
left (east) onto Coloma Road and travel half a mile to the 
plant.

Tree-Mendus Fruit Farm:  The mission statement of the Tree-
Mendus Fruit Farm sums it up "A family operated business 
that strives to provide the best service to our visitors 
while furnishing a variety of the freshest and highest 
quality fruit available in an atmosphere for clean outdoor 
family fun."

It all began in the 1920's at the Pennsylvania Railroad 
station in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. An enterprising young man 
sold some of his carload of fresh apples to a young lady 
with sparkling eyes. When William and Leone Teichman 
married two years later, they planted their dreams of 
growing fruit atop a high ridge near Eau Claire, Michigan 
on 160 acres they named "Skyline Orchards". Because their 
romance sparked over a basket of Jonathan apples, William's 
first planting was 15 acres of Jonathan's. It was unheard 
of at that time to plant so much of one variety. Two rows 
of those original Jonathan trees still exist on the farm 
today. Today, Skyline Orchards has evolved to encompass 
over 450 acres known as Tree-Mendus Fruit Farm, and a 
family four generations strong. William and Leone's son 
Herb and his wife Liz purchased the farm from his parents 
in 1969.  To commemorate the nations bicentennial in 1976, 
Herb planted 200 apple varieties (one for each year), using 
some of the old varieties found in his fathers notes. 

The Herb Teichman family is involved with all operations of 
the farm.  Herb and Liz are still involved in the day-to-
day running of the farm, but their son Bill and his wife 
are now assuming more responsibility for overall 
management. Other family members involved are daughter 
Cindy, involved in field operations and another daughter 
Lynne who deals with PR and marketing. Many activities are 
hosted by the farm, the most famous of which is the annual 
Cherry Pit Spitting Championship.  According to Herb, you 
can participate with "only minimal loss of dignity". They 
also give school tours, (which Herb describes as "planting 
a seed"), sell cider and waffles, do u-pick, and operate a 
petting zoo.  Most of their production is sold through 
their market at the farm, although some is also sold 
through whole foods stores.

Many of you will have heard of Herb Teichman and the Tree-
Mendus fruit Farm.  Make sure you make the most of the 
opportunity to tour this farm, and hear Herb's views on 
marketing, dealing with customers, and operation of a 
retail farm market. For more information, refer to: 
http://www.treemendus-fruit.com

Directions: Tree-Mendus Fruit Farm, 9351 E Eureka Rd, Eau 
Claire, MI 49111.

From Garwood Orchard: Travel east on SR 2 (about 30 miles) 
then head north on US 31.  Exit on Range Line Rd and head 
north. Continue north on Old US 33, then north on Deans 
Hill Rd, until M-140.  Stay on M-140 until you get to 
Eureka Rd, head east to orchard.  Maps will be available at 
Garwood's.

From the Red Roof Inn, Benton Harbor, MI. Travel northeast 
0.1 mile on Mall Drive then turn right onto Pipestone Rd. 
Travel 1 mile then turn left at Sodus Parkway. Continue for 
3 miles then another 5 miles after it turns back into 
Pipestone Rd.  As you pass through the town of Eau Claire, 
this road becomes Main Street and then M-140 on the east 
side of Eau Claire. Continue 2 miles on M-140 then turn 
right at Eureka Rd. The orchard is another 2 miles.

From Coloma Frozen Foods, Coloma, MI: Travel east on Coloma 
Rd through Coloma and into the town of Watervilet (about 6 
miles) then turn right (south) onto M-140. Travel for 13 
miles then turn left at E Eureka Rd and travel for 2 miles 
to the farm. 

Program Schedule:
Tuesday June 27:
NOTE: Garwood's are on Central Daylight (Chicago) time. 
Times listed are local time.

Garwood Orchard, LaPorte, IN
9:30 am	Coffee and registration
10:00 am	Welcome and Introductions
		Tour of market and bakery
		Tour of facilities - packing line, cool storage, 
		cider production facilities.
12:00 pm	Lunch - catered lunch.  Sign up and payment due 
		with on-site registration.
12:45 pm	Update on immigration and labor issues.  John 
		Wargowsky, MAAHS.
1:15 pm	IHS business meeting
1:45 pm	Field tour
5:00 pm	Conclude field tour
5:30 pm	Dinner - cookout at the farm

Travel to Benton Harbor, MI

Wednesday, June 28:
NOTE: Michigan is on Eastern Daylight time. Times listed 
are local times.

Coloma Frozen Foods
8:00 am	Assemble for tour of plant and facilities.
10:00 am	Conclude tour

Tree-Mendus Fruit Farm
11:00 am	Welcome and Introductions
		Overview of operations
		Tour of market facilities
12:30 pm	Lunch - catered lunch. Sign up and payment due 
		with on-site registration.
1:15 pm	Field tour
3:00 pm	Conclude and adjourn.  Have a safe trip home!

There is much to see and do at Garwood Orchard, Coloma 
Frozen Foods and Tree-Mendus Fruit Farm.  We hope that you 
can join us for a good meeting.  This meeting is sponsored 
by the Indiana Hort. Society and Purdue Extension and is 
open to anyone that wishes to attend.   Membership in the 
Society is not required.  We do ask that everyone register.

Registration will be $5.00 per family (includes both days).  
Meals (Tuesday lunch and dinner, Wednesday lunch) will be 
catered for us at a nominal charge.

For those who wish to travel to LaPorte on Monday, details 
on LaPorte area motels are included below. However, it is 
likely that most will choose to travel to Garwood's early 
Tuesday morning, then on Tuesday evening after the cookout 
at the farm, travel to Benton Harbor and stay over-night 
there (see accommodation details below). From Benton 
Harbor, Coloma is only about 10 miles.

Motels in the LaPorte Co. Area Include:  Holiday Inn 
Express, 100 Eastshore CT, La Porte, IN. Phone (219) 326-
7900.  $89 + tax but say you are with Purdue and ask for 
the government rate of $79 + tax or book on www.orbitz.com 
for $72 + tax.

Mayflower Motel, 2652 W State Road 2, La Porte, IN. Phone 
(219) 362-2092. $45 + tax

There are also several motels just north of the 
intersection of U.S. 421 and I 94 (exit 34B) in Michigan 
City.  Holiday Inn; Country Inn & Suites; Red Roof Inn; 
Super 8 and others.

Motel in Benton Harbor, MI.:  The official IHS summer tour 
motel is: Red Roof Inn, 630 Mall Dr, Benton Harbor, MI 49022, (269) 
927-2484.  We have a room block reserved at the rate of $39.99 + tax.  
Use the code "B043 Purdue" to get this rate.  

Directions from Garwood Orchard:  Travel East on I-94 for 35 miles and 
take the Pipestone Rd exit (exit 29). Turn left off exit 
0.2 miles.

Changes to Lorsban Label:  There have been several 
important changes to the Lorsban 75WG label. Lorsban 75WG 
is now labeled for use post-bloom for control of trunk 
borers on apples. The advantage of the 75WG formulation 
over the 4E formulation is that it doesn't smell nearly as 
bad, which can be important in more urban areas. Expect the 
level of control to be similar between the two 
formulations. Also, Lorsban 75WG can be used on apples from 
dormant through Petal Fall. The product cannot be applied 
after Petal Fall as a foliar spray. No more than two 
applications or 2.67 lbs of Lorsban 75WG can be applied per 
acre per season. (Foster)

Insects and Weather:  Insects, like all cold-blooded or 
poikilothermic animals, develop at different rates 
depending on the temperature. Insects have a minimum 
temperature, often around 50 F, below which they don't 
develop. For every degree about that minimum temperature, 
up to about 90 F, insects develop faster and faster. An 
insect that requires 30 days to complete its development 
when the average temperature is 60 F would only require 10 
days to complete development when temperatures average 80. 
So you can see that watching the temperature tells us a lot 
about what to expect from insects. During the rather long 
stretch of cool weather, our insects have been developing 
very slowly. Now that temperatures are returning to normal 
(whatever that is), we can expect to see insects developing 
much more quickly. If you have not seen much in the way of 
insect problems so far, don't become complacent. These 
warmer temperatures are just what the insects and mites 
need to really get going. (Foster)

Apple Scab:  Are you familiar with the Mill's Table? The 
Mill's table is a simple, but practical tool to predict 
scab periods, and is based upon the minimum number of hours 
of continuous leaf wetness required for scab infection at 
each given temperature. You can check out the Mill's table 
at: http://www.caf.wvu.edu/Kearneysville/disease_descriptions/m
illstable.html

Most software programs for orchard management use the 
Mill's or modified Mill's table to predict scab epidemics. 
If you refer to such a table, you'll realize (if you didn't 
already intuitively grasp) that we went through one heck of 
a scab period-about 12 straight days of rains, high 
humidity, and ideal scab temperatures (61-75 degrees F)-for 
both primary (ascospore) and secondary (conidia) infection.  
This has resulted in the worst scab epidemic I've ever seen 
in Indiana... Oh wait, I've only been here for 10 months. 
Anyways, I hope this isn't a harbinger of things to come!

So, if you haven't seen scab yet, just wait: It takes about 
9 to 17 days from the time of infection by apple scab until 
the appearance of the velvety, olive-gray scab lesions, 
filled with thousands of secondary spores. Keep in mind 
that fruit are at their most susceptible from pink until 
about 3-4 weeks after petal fall!  For those of you with 
scabbed trees, apply Captan Full Strength-Mancozeb and 
Polyram may not give you the needed control at 3 lbs per 
acre at the first and second cover under the severe 
pressure that we are seeing. Use of the strobies (Flint, 
Pristine, Sovran) for the first, third and seventh cover, 
allows you to avoid using the sterol-inhibitors, which 
would not provide good scab control if used alone.  The 
strobies also suppress sporulation- an added bonus. At the 
first, third and seventh cover, you've used your limit of 
three strobie sprays.  Remember--We want these fungicides 
to last! Finally, Topsin-M 70 is a good choice if you 
AREN'T growing the variety Rome, and when used within 4 
weeks of petal fall. Topsin-M gives excellent scab control, 
as long as resistance is not an issue. (Beckerman)

Fire Blight:  After hearing scattered reports of blossom 
blight throughout Indiana, I am bracing for the worst: My 
Magic 8 Ball provided an answer of "Better not tell you 
now."  Although I doubt the psychic ability of the Magic 8 
Ball, we don't yet know if the early season blossom blight 
will result into epidemic shoot blight. Furthermore, severe 
weather events resulting in trauma seem to be inevitable 
this year, with these strong storms injuring trees and 
spreading inoculums simultaneously. Therefore, we hope for 
the best, and prepare for the worst by going over what 
should be done in the event of, well, the worst. 
In the Event of the Worst (Seven Habits of Highly Effective 
Fire Blight Management)

Rule Number 1. DO NOT bother with streptomycin or copper 
spraying: There are no pesticides that will cure or prevent 
further spread of blight once it is established.

Exception to Rule Number 1: In the event of a hailstorm or 
heavy wind damage, application of streptomycin to prevent 
fire blight should be made within 18 to 24 hours after the 
storm-even if the foliage is not completely dry. If the 
likelihood of high winds and hail seems imminent, 
application up to 24 hrs before can prevent trauma blight. 
New data suggests that applications within 4 to 12 hours 
after the weather event enables targeting of bacteria prior 
to their internalization and establishment of infection. 
Applications can occur to wet foliage.

Rule Number 2. DO NOT over fertilize or attempt any other 
cultural practices that will stimulate plant growth (this 
means pruning).  

Rule Number 3. Continue monitoring--Walk your orchards, 
checking for fire blight by looking for new growth that 
appears crooked at the tip with browning and wilting 
leaves.  

Rule Number 4. Limit secondary spread by cutting out fire 
blight strikes.  This tactic is most successful if these 
strikes can be removed immediately after they appear.  Cut 
out blighted twigs 10 to 12 inches below any sign of 
infection, being sure to sterilize pruning tools between 
each cut (10% bleach with a drop of detergent, or 10% TSP). 

Rule Number 5. Maintain good control of sucking insects 
that can spread blight.  

Rule Number 6. Special attention should be given to young 
trees and/or trees on M.9 and M.26 rootstocks or 
interstems, especially those varieties especially 
susceptible to fire blight (Braeburn, Gala, Ginger Gold, 
Ida Red, Jonathan, Fuji).  If epidemic blossom blight is 
present, with nearly every branch having a majority of the 
blossom clusters affected, it is neither practical nor 
desirable to prune out affected blossoms. 

Rule Number 7. Learn from others (and your own) mistakes. 
Use fire-blight resistant rootstocks, particularly when 
growing more susceptible varieties, in replanted areas. 
(Beckerman)

Disease Management in Peaches:  Most of the state is 
reporting a great crop of peaches-Let's keep it that way by 
staying on top of our sprays for control of brown rot, 
scab, and powdery mildew. With resistance a big problem in 
managing brown rot popping up all over the country (and 
most recently in New York state), some timely information 
has recently come out of Clemson University.  Research 
conducted at Clemson by Imre Holb from the University of 
Debrecen, Hungary; found that Elite (Tebuconazole) and 
Indar (Fenpuconazole) provided better control than Orbit 
(Propiconazole), for protective applications. Curative 
control success was only found with Elite. Although this 
study was performed with detached fruit, it's something to 
keep in mind when spraying.  Using the sterol-inhibitors in 
combination or rotation with the strobies (Abound, 
Pristine, Flint, and Sovran) will manage this problem, in 
addition to peach scab, powdery mildew, and Alternaria 
fruit spot and rot. Other protective fungicides to rotate 
in include Topsin-M and Captan. (Beckerman)

Shoot Positioning and Canopy Management:  Grapes are in 
bloom across most of the central and southern parts of 
Indiana this week. Early varieties are blooming in the 
Lafayette area. Once we are past fruit set and shoots have 
toughened-up, it's time to get serious about shoot 
positioning in grapes. Varieties differ in their need for 
shoot positioning due to their growth habit and vigor. Some 
varieties such Vignoles and Chancellor tend to have a semi-
upright growth habit and relatively short shoots that stand 
up well on their own, so shoot positioning is seldom 
needed. Other varieties such as Traminette, Chambourcin and 
all the American varieties produce horizontally growing 
shoots that tend to run along the top of the trellis and 
cause significant shading of the fruit and renewal zone.  
Shoot positioning is very important with these varieties.  
The need for shoot positioning on other varieties will vary 
depending on vigor of the particular site. In high cordon-
trained vines, shoot positioning involves pulling lateral-
growing shoots off the top of the trellis to hang 
vertically downward. In mid-wire cordon-trained vines, 
shoot positioning is done by tucking shoots between sets of 
catch wires, or pulling catch wires up into position so 
that the shoots grow vertically upward. Shoot positioning 
is critical for improving sunlight exposure of fruit and 
increasing fruit quality. Additionally, it improves 
fruitfulness of the basal nodes on the shoots for full 
fruiting potential next year. Shoot positioning may need to 
be repeated two or three times during the summer. 

Leaf removal is another important component of canopy 
management. While most commonly associated with mid-wire 
cordon vertically shoot positioned training systems, it can 
be used on high cordon trained vines as well. Removal of 2-
3 basal leaves in the cluster zone anytime from 1 to 3 
weeks after bloom can significantly improve fruit quality 
by decreasing fruit rot potential, and improving sunlight 
exposure of clusters. Leaf removal later in the season can 
be effective, but care should be taken to avoid sun-
burning. We generally recommend removal of leaves mainly on 
the east side of the rows. Our work with Traminette has 
shown a significant increase in important flavor and aroma 
compounds (monoterpenes) and wine quality scores when fruit 
gets partial sun exposure. (Bordelon)

Wine Grape Summer Workshop:  The Purdue Wine Grape Team 
will hold its summer grape and wine workshop at Huber's 
Orchard & Winery near Starlight on Monday June 12. Huber's 
Orchard & Winery is one of the state's top Agri-tourism 
destinations complete with extensive fruit and vegetable 
plantings, farm market, ice cream and cheese shop, petting 
zoo, gift shop, banquet facility and more. Visit their web 
site at www.huberwinery.com to see all that they have to 
offer.

The day will begin with registration and gathering for 
coffee, juice and pastries at 9:00 am (EDT). At 9:30 Ted 
Huber and Bruce Bordelon will lead a tour of the Huber 
vineyards and small fruit plantings. Huber's has over 30 
acres of vineyards planted to French-American hybrids 
including Chambourcin, Traminette, Cayuga White, etc., 
traditional European (vinifera) varieties such as Cabernet 
Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, American types such as 
Concord and Catawba, and seedless table grapes. They also 
have extensive plantings of strawberries, brambles 
(blackberries and raspberries) and blueberries.  In 
addition to their small fruit and grapes, they grow apples, 
peaches, and vegetables. 

At the conclusion of the field tour, Ted Huber and Jason 
Heiligenberg will lead a tour of Huber's Winery and 
Starlight Distillery. Huber's has the only farm distillery 
in the state. Enologists Butzke, Blume and Butz will 
discuss equipment, sanitation, and quality control. 

Huber's will provide lunch in their banquet hall. Brian 
Blackford, Development Director with the Indiana Office of 
Tourism Development will speak on Agri-tourism's role in 
Indiana. Participants are urged to bring a bottle of their 
favorite wine to share. 

Following lunch we'll have a recap on the Vintage Indiana 
Food and Wine Festival by Marketing Specialist Jeanette 
Merritt, and an update on the Indy International Wine 
Competition by Enology Specialist Ellie Butz. 

At 1:30 the Indiana Winegrowers Guild will hold it's summer 
meeting. President Larry Satek will give an update on the 
legislative issues that the industry has faced this year. 
Following that update, the Guild will hold it's annual 
Grape Availability session where growers and winemakers 
meet to discuss availability, price, etc. Any growers with 
grapes not already committed to a buyer should plan to 
attend. The meeting will adjourn at 3:30.

Following the workshop, Purdue Enology professor Dr. 
Christian Butzke will host a B.Y.O.W. (Bring Your Own 
Wine), a wine tasting event for professionals only, where 
winemakers and grape growers will have the opportunity to 
get a peer review and critique of their own products before 
they market them. This session is open to licensed Indiana 
wineries only. 

Registration for the workshop is $50 for Indiana 
Winegrowers Guild members and $75 for nonmembers. Advance 
reservations are required. To register, visit the Wineries 
of Indiana Web site at http://www.indianawines.org or 
contact Jill Blume, Purdue enology assistant, at 
blume@purdue.edu.  (Bordelon)

Blueberry IPM Workshop and Blueberry Growers of Indiana 
Spring Meeting:  Purdue is teaming up with Michigan State 
University to offer a Blueberry IPM Scout Training Workshop 
on Tuesday, June 13. The first part of this workshop was 
held in March. This follow-up session will include some 
indoor lecture, but primarily will involve hands-on 
training at local blueberry farms. The session will start 
at 9:30 am (CDT) at the Pinney Purdue Agriculture Center 
near Wanatah. Two hours of lecture and training will be 
followed by a box lunch, then travel to two local blueberry 
farms for a complete hands-on training experience. The 
first stop will be Blue Sky Berry Farm, 15552 S 1050 W, 
near Wanatah. Following that stop, the group will caravan 
to Goin's Berry Farm, 3340 S 750 W near North Judson. 
Specialists from Purdue and Michigan State will lead the 
workshop and will discuss scouting for weeds, insects, and 
diseases. 

Registration for those that did not attend the first 
session is $35. For complete information, directions and to 
register, contact Connie Holderfield at Purdue (765-494-
1296) email cholderf@purdue.edu. 

Following the IPM Workshop, the Blueberry Growers of 
Indiana will hold it's annual Spring Meeting and Farm Tour. 
This year's meeting will be hosted by Cliff and Wanda 
Bonnell at Bonnell's Blueberry Patch, 3565 S 750 W, North 
Judson, IN. This farm is just south of Goin's Berry Farm, 
so IPM Workshop attendees won't have far to travel. The 
meeting will start with a farm tour at 4:00 pm, Potluck 
dinner at 5:00 (please bring a dish to share, meat and 
drink provided), BGIN business meeting at 6:00 and MBG 
Marketing meeting at 6:30. For more information about the 
BGIN Meeting, contact president Melvin Van Kley at 219-956-
3687, or the Bonnell's at 574-896-2266.  (Bordelon)

Control of Fruit Rots in Blueberries:  Fungal fruit rots, 
especially anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum acutatum, 
continue to be of economic concern in blueberries. Losses 
can occur before as well as after harvest. The cultivars 
Jersey, Bluecrop, Rubel and Blueray are very susceptible to 
anthracnose fruit rot, whereas Elliott is quite resistant. 
Alternaria fruit rot is sometimes found on Bluecrop berries 
before harvest and affects most varieties after harvest. 
Botrytis fruit rot is not as common in Michigan, but may be 
a problem in years when cool, wet weather prevails during 
the flowering and fruit development period. These rots can 
be distinguished to some extent with the naked eye: 
anthracnose is characterized by wet, pink to orange spore 
masses; Alternaria fruit rot by a dark green velvety mold 
and Botrytis by fluffy, tan to gray fuzzy mold on the berry 
surface. See the blueberry web site (www.blueberries.msu.edu)
for pictures of symptoms.

The anthracnose fungus overwinters in dead fruiting twigs, 
but has also been found to overwinter in live, dormant 
buds. The infected buds typically die in the spring and 
support sporulation of the fungus. A twig blight, which is 
difficult to distinguish from Phomopsis twig blight, can 
also result from bud infection. With anthracnose there are 
two important periods when the infection risk is high 
because of peak spore release:
1) From pre-bloom to about pea-size berry (due to 
overwintering inoculum), and
2) From first blue fruit until the end of harvest (due to 
sporulating berries that infect surrounding berries). 
Fungicide spray programs should focus on these periods.
There are several fungicide options for control of 
blueberry fruit rots. The strobilurin fungicides Abound 
(azoxystrobin), Cabrio (pyraclostrobin) and Pristine 
(pyraclostrobin + boscalid) are excellent for controlling 
anthracnose fruit rot. They are (locally) systemic and 
considered "reduced risk." Since Pristine has two active 
ingredients, it tends to have a broader spectrum of 
activity than Abound and Cabrio. However, at the rates 
recommended for blueberries, Pristine is rather expensive. 
Applications can also be made between harvests, since the 
pre-harvest interval is 0 days.

Switch (cyprodinil and fludioxonil) is a systemic fungicide 
with a unique mode of action. Switch has activity against 
anthracnose, Alternaria fruit rot and Botrytis fruit rot 
and would be a great option if you are trying to control 
multiple fruit rots at once.

Elevate (fenhexamid) is primarily a Botryticide with 
suppressive activity against mummy berry.

Captevate (a pre-mix of Elevate and Captan) has efficacy 
against anthracnose also.

Topsin M (thiophanate methyl) + Captan (captan) or Ziram 
(ziram) are also good options for anthracnose fruit rot 
control.  Topsin M received a Section 18 emergency 
exemption for use in blueberries this year. 

Fungicides should be applied around bloom and early fruit 
development (to prevent the primary infections) and at 
first blue fruit or pre-harvest (to prevent secondary 
infections).(Annemiek Schilder, Michigan State Univ.)

Fruit Price Index Hits 15-Year High:  The index of prices 
received for fruit and tree nuts for January and February 
were the highest since the index began in 1990, according 
to a report released last week by USDA's Economic Research 
Service (ERS). Much of the increase was due to high prices 
for citrus fruit as well as tree nuts, where tighter 
overall supplies this season have resulted in strong grower 
prices, according to the ERS. However, increases were also 
seen in such crops as apples, where prices were up over 
last year due to a smaller 2005-06 crop, according to the 
March 29 "Fruit and Tree Nuts Outlook." You can view the 
entire report online at 
http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/reports/erssor/specialty/ft
s-bb/2006/ (Brian Sparks, American Fruitgrower)

Virginia Apple Growers Give Thumbs Up To Marketing Order:  
Three years after voting down their state's marketing 
order, Virginia apple growers have elected to reinstate it. 
The new 2.5¢ per bushel apple tax will be assessed to 
growers who produce more than 5000 bushels annually. Funds 
from this marketing order will be used to support the 
Virginia State Horticultural Society, the U.S. Apple 
Association, and a state research program. According to 
Winchester, VA, apple grower (and USApple trustee) Phil 
Glaize, the approval of the marketing order signifies a 
move in the right direction for growers who have been 
concerned with the economic pressures the state's apple 
industry has faced over the years. "We still have a block 
of growers that are serious about looking ahead and 
remaining a part of the national apple industry," says 
Glaize.(Brian Sparks, American Fruitgrower)

Wendy's Drops Fruit Salad; McDonald's Remains Committed:  
In what is hopefully not a sign of things to come, the 
fast-food chain Wendy's has removed fruit salad from all of 
its menus. Despite touting its fruit salads as an easy and 
convenient way for consumers to add fruit to their diet, 
Wendy's chief operating officer Tom Mueller says sales did 
not meet expectations. However, McDonald's, the biggest 
fast-food giant of them all, says it will continue to 
heavily promote both its fruit and walnut salad and its 
Apple Dippers. At the Washington State Horticultural 
Association's 101st Annual Meeting in Wenatchee, WA, 
McDonald's Mitch Smith says the company is projecting it 
will purchase 55 million pounds of apples in 2005 for these 
products. The company continues to push for consistent, 
year-round quality, and will also begin putting nutrition 
information on all of its packaging next year. In other 
words, for growers, "It's a good time for the great taste 
of McDonald's." (Brian Sparks, American Fruitgrower)

Upcoming Meetings: 

June 8:  Eastern Indiana Fruitgrowers' Meeting.  Grabow 
Orchard.  Located at 6397 S SR13, Pendleton, IN. For info 
and directions: http://www.graboworchard.com/ for more 
information contact Dave Clamme, dclamme@purdue.edu, Ph. 
765-747-7732

June 12: Purdue Wine Grape Summer Workshop and Indiana 
Winegrowers Guild Meeting. Huber Orchard & Winery, 
Starlight, IN Contact Jill Blume for more details 765-494-
1749, blume@purdue.edu or visit www.indianawines.org See 
article above.

June 13: Blueberry Growers of Indiana Summer Meeting and 
IPM Scout Workshop. 
See article above. 

June 27-28:  Indiana Hort. Society summer meeting.  See 
article above for complete information.

July 9-11: American Society for Enology & Viticulture-
Eastern Section 31st Annual Technical Meeting and 
Symposium. Rochester, NY. For complete information, program 
and registration, visit the ASEV-ES web site at 
http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/fst/asev/