ACORN ~ Fruit & Berry Network ~ e-Newsletter Welcome to the first edition of the 2013 Fruit & Berry Network e-newsletter. This network is designed to

       
Fruit and Berry ACORN banner

ACORN ~ Fruit & Berry Network ~ e-Newsletter

Welcome to the first edition of the 2013 Fruit & Berry Network e-newsletter. This network is designed to be an asset to organic fruit growers in Atlantic Canada.

Join the conversation! The Fruit and Berry Network is ACORN’s newest forum for organic fruit and berry stakeholders of Atlantic Canada, to share information and discuss:
* crop production
* pollination
* research and development
* evolving markets
* marketing - analysis, opportunities
* innovations
* with-age (and experience) wisdom

Industry stakeholders (grower, retailer, researcher, extension specialist, informed consumers) are encouraged to offer ideas, suggestions and feedback as the network develops, communicating across provinces and throughout commodities. By joining the network, this newsletter will highlight events and share the developments of the network.

Every year we look forward to meeting each other at the ACORN conference, This year, please join us in Moncton, New Brunswick, November 20-22nd for a speaker series designed especially for the fruit and berry commodities.

Farmers are known to be tactile learners, so lets get out in the field- other people’s fields, and have a look around, share ideas, touch, taste, smell what’s happening across the region. We are planning several on-farm field days, an educational mission, and a ‘get your hands dirty’ workshop. We are seeking your input for these events to tailor them to your needs.

Do you have an idea for an article, a speaker for the ACORN conference, a field day experience to share? Let us know!

Contact the coordinator: Stephanie Compton at fruitandberry@acornorganic.org with events, topics or ideas for future articles. The next edition will be distributed May 15th.

Fruit & Berry News and Events

strawberry

The PEI Strawberry Growers have formed an Association. President, Arnie Nabuurs, and the executive, plan to work together for marketing, and to seek solutions for a newly identified virus complex which threatens the viability of the crop. All PEI strawberry growers are welcome to join the Association.

PEI Vintner / Fermented Beverage Association Inaugural Meeting: Thursday, May 9, 2013, 8:30 am – 12:00 Noon, Room 107, The Farm Center, 420 University Avenue, Charlottetown

Environmental Performance of Canada’s Horticulture Value Chain Survey
Industry members of the Energy Environment Working Group (EEWG) with cooperation from AAFC have developed the following survey on the Environmental Performance of Canada’s Horticulture Value Chain. Through this survey, we will gather valuable information to establish a baseline of the environmental performance of Canada’s horticulture value chain. By understanding the activities and priorities of our horticulture sector, we will be better equipped to develop information and tools for the sector, to meet the environmental demands of the market. We will make efforts to ensure that the work that derives out of this survey is also cooperative with the work taking place in the USA with their own horticulture industry.

English Survey

Enquête de Français

Fruit & Berry Pest Profiles: Codling Moth and Apple Sawfly

Cydia pomonella (Falter)

Codling Moth Adult

While the damage is comparable and equally devastating, codling moth and European apple sawfly are two very different creatures. As their common names suggest- one is a moth while the other is a sawfly. Both are pests of apple, pear and some other tree fruits. Both leave a large, unsightly hole in the fruit while their larvae feasts inside. The monitoring and management strategies, however, are very different.

Here is a link to ACORN's Codling Moth factsheet

Please note! ACORN will be updating the pest profile factsheets on their website. We will let you know when these updates are implemented.

Coddling Moth can be managed with mating disruption techniques and monitored with pheromone traps. Below are two Canadian suppliers.

Natural Insect Control website

Cooper Mill Ltd website

Apple Sawfly

European Apple Sawfly Adult

Distinguishing Codling Moth from European Apple Sawfly:
"Secondary injury (to the fruit) by European apple sawfly can be confused with codling moth damage. There are three ways to distinguish these two pests.

1. Damage from European apple sawfly usually appears before codling moth damage occurs. European apple sawfly damage appears in orchards two to three weeks after petal fall - coding moth larvae and damage appear five or more weeks after petal fall.
2. The smell of the frass of European apple sawfly is strong - codling moth frass is odourless.
3. European apple sawfly larva is yellowish white and has seven abdominal legs. Codling moth larva is larger than European apple sawfly larvae, pinkish-white in colour and has five abdominal legs.

Monitor European apple sawfly using 3D visual traps consisting of non-UV white sticky boards that mimic blossoms. Three traps are placed in trees between tight cluster and pink, and remain in the orchard until two weeks after petal fall. They are positioned ideally on the south side of the tree at eye level and along edges of the orchard bordering woodlots or fence rows. The traps are checked for adult sawflies twice a week." - From OMAFRA European Apple Sawfly Factsheet

Please note, there are currently no registered crop protectants that will deter or prevent European Apple Sawfly from infesting an orchard. Clean orchard practices are necessary for all integrated pest management.

Charles Vincent, researcher with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is working on a potential control for European Apple Sawfly:
Lathrolestes ensator, a braconid parasitoid, specific to the European apple sawfly, has been established from Europe in a limited number of organic orchards in Quebec and eastern Ontario, where it has been shown to be a promising biological control agent. Research details can be found here.
His field trials will be concluded this year.

Technology Solutions for Agriculture

Seed to Harvest - App designed with Organic Farming in mind
From the Apple iTunes Preview
Seed to Harvest is a complete crop and field record-keeping tool designed with the small organic farmer in mind.

Key features include:
* Record detailed planting information including cultivar, location, amount, date, and an unlimited number of transplanting records. Track inputs, harvest records, and sales by cultivar and location.
* Keep records for annual, biennial and perennial crops.
* Record your field records by field and section. Greenhouse records can also be kept in this manner.
* Generate complete PDF reports of crop and field activity. Internet access is required to generate reports.
* Backup/Restore functionality to protect your data.

PDF Report Features:
* Summary pages can be generated that include information such as total harvest and sales for a particular crop or cultivar, and total overall sales.
* Ability to add your farm information to the header of a report for an organic inspector's reference
* Generate all reports at once, for a specific crop, or for just a single cultivar.

Do you use software or apps for farm management? Which ones are your favorites? Please share your experience with the Fruit and Berry Network.

Protection of Pollinators - Resources

Bumble Bee and Honey Bee crop

Bumble bee and honey bee working side by side

Get to know your native pollinators this year! Below are useful resources about native and domesticated pollinators. Is your farm 'Bee Friendly'?

This is the final year for the NSERC Canadian Pollination Initiative (CanPolin). Take advantage of the workshops and information compiled on their website: CanPolin

The Pollination Partnership is a Californian initiative, but has great resources and ideas for pubilc education Pollination Partnership

The Xerces Society is a nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat. A link to their Pollinator Conservation work can be found here

Join almost 250 Bee Friendly Farmers in 34 states and 6 provinces rippling in a growing wave across the U.S. and Canada. Bee Friendly Farm certification

Who is your coordinator?

IMG 2393 caption

Stephanie Compton with honey bee swarm

Stephanie Compton has joined the ACORN team to bring together fruit and berry growers, industry specialists, and informed consumers in this dynamic network. Stephanie’s diverse background in horticulture began with her early introduction in mixed vegetable production on her family farm. She graduated from the Nova Scotia Agricultural College (Dalhousie Faculty of Agr.) in 2000 with a technical diploma in Landscape Horticulture, and in 2006 with her B.Sc.Agr. - Plant Science major. Her working career expands across turfgrass production, ornamental horticulture, fruit and vegetable production. Previously she was the horticulturist for Vesey’s Seeds and has served Prince Edward Island farmers for three years as a horticulturist with the PEI Department of Agriculture. Currently, Stephanie contributes to her family farm, focused on lowbush blueberry production, pollination and sustainable land management as a horticulture consultant.

1px