July 2016 – UVM Fruit Blog

CCE Fire Blight Workshop, Tuesday August 2nd, Plattsburgh, NY

This Tuesday, August 2nd from 10AM to Noon, we will be holding a Fire Blight Workshop in Plattsburgh, NY. The workshop will be held at the Valcour Brewing Company; this is a new establishment in downtown Plattsburgh, near the oval.

In light of the circumstances this season, Srdjan Acimovic, pathologist at the Hudson Valley Research Lab, and Dave Rosenberger, retired pathologist Hudson Valley Research Lab, will be presenting information on fire blight management, conditions that led to this season’s situation, and how to predict fire blight infections in the future.

Date: Tuesday, August 2nd

Time: 10AM – Noon

Location: Valcour Brewing Company, 49 Ohio Ave, Plattsburgh, NY 12901

This event is FREE. Thank you to CPS for sponsoring the event.

Anna Wallis

CCE Extension Associate – Fruit Specialist

Eastern NY Commercial Horticulture Program

6064 State Route 22 Suite 5

Plattsburgh, NY 12901

Cell: 518.410.6823

Fax: 518.561.0183

aew232@cornell.edu

Springfield, VT Orchard seeks farm manager

Wellwood Orchards, Inc. is seeking a Working Field Manager-

Wellwoods is a diversified fruit farm.
Our 200+ acre farm has 70 acres of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, peaches, plums, grapes, apples, pears and fall squash as well. Our retail store is a popular stop for our hand picked produce, homemade canned goods, fresh pressed cider, gift items, candies, fudge, cheese, fresh eggs, our famous cider donuts, pies and other baked goods. Wellwoods on site petting zoo is an affordable entertaining place for the young and old alike. Our family owned PYO farm has an established customer base and we continue to grow in the agritourism market with our seasonal community events.

This is a Full Time employment opportunity for a Working Field Manager that possesses a high level of practical orchard operations, entomology and tree fruit knowledge. They must also enjoy and be familiar with large farm equipment operation and repair, physical hard work, working outdoors year round, and able to work weekends during harvest and nights on occasion. This individual must be self-motivated, enjoy teaching and leading, demonstrate analytical, problem solving, communication, computer, and record keeping skills, and have excellent time and stress management abilities.
They would be pruning, planting, fertilizing, spraying, thinning, mowing, harvesting and storing fruit as well.
We’d like to meet an energetic individual that is willing to adapt and grow with us.
We are looking for at least 3 years of orchard experience, longevity and someone that wants to settle in! If that is you, please Reply to this email with your letter of interest and qualifications. References will be needed after contact.

Potential for future professional advancement.

Contact me with your resume and letter of interest at:

livefriedmanordie

Linda Mark Friedman

Save the Date – Fire Blight Workshop in Peru, Tuesday August 2nd

By Terence Bradshaw

Heads-up on a meeting Anna Wallis at Cornell Cooperative Extension is pulling together. I’ll pass word on about location when it’s available. -TB

Please save the date for next Tuesday, August 2 nd for a Fire Blight Workshop to be held in Peru. In light of the circumstances this season, Srdjan Acimovic, pathologist at the Hudson Valley Research Lab, and Dave Rosenberger, retired pathologist Hudson Valley Research Lab, will be presenting information on fire blight management, conditions that led to this season’s situation, and how to predict fire blight infections in the future.

Date: Tuesday, August 2 nd

Time: 10AM – Noon

Location: Peru, NY (Location TBD)

Orchard notes, July 23

By Terence Bradshaw

We are in the quiet time of apple season, when growers and researchers alike can take a little time off. That said, recent heavy rain showers (ok, downpours) have likely removed fungicide residues in orchards several times this month. However, leaf wetness periods have been relatively short, so although there have been infection periods for sooty blotch and flyspeck, they have not been especially severe. Maintenance of fungicide coverage through August for wholesale fruit is still recommended, but retail and pick-your-own orchards can relax a bit.

Apple maggot fly are moving and will likely need or have already needed treatment in problem orchards. Orchards with history of light damage may get away with border row sprays, but whole orchard sprays are recommended for orchards with a history of even moderate damage. Of course, locating a red sticky ball in the orchard interior will let you know if the flies are active beyond the borders.

Codling moth second generation flight is beginning now. Plan to treat for this pest in about ten days, and use NEWA to most accurately time treatment.

All sprays at this time of year should include some form of calcium to improve fruit quality and avoid biter pit, especially on large-fruited cultivars like Honeycrisp and Cortland.

It is the time in the growing season to collect leaf samples for analysis. Samples are usually collected between July 15 – Aug. 15. The UVM Agriculture and Environmental Testing Lab can provide analysis, but at this time their output does not generate fertility recommendations. The following are potential options of labs for analysis. It is recommended that you contact the lab for instructions and costs before samples are sent. Plus, it is important to confirm that they will send recommendations along with the analysis.

(1) University of Maine Analytical Lab: http://anlab.umesci.maine.edu/

(2) University of Massachusetts Soil and Tissue Testing Lab: http://www.umass.edu/plsoils/soiltest/

(3) Cornell Nutrient Analysis Lab: http://cnal.cals.cornell.edu/

Vineyard management

By Terence Bradshaw

Most spraying in Vermont vineyards should be wrapping up as the vines and especially fruit are becoming resistant to most diseases. However, if you have downy and powdery mildew in the vineyard, it would be wise to maintain protection against them through veraison. Vines which have not reached bunch closure may also be protected against botrytis for one last time before veraison and harvest. As always, see the New York Pennsylvania Japanese beetles are probably in every vineyard in the state. Their damage can generally be tolerated on established vines, but vines under 3-4 years old should be protected. Grape berry moth are mostly in pupal stages in Champlain Valley vineyards, although in some inland/cooler areas larvae may still be feeding. Careful and thorough scouting for webbing between berries will determine the presence of the pest. The threshold for treatment against the current generation is 6% of clusters with signs of damage.

Canopy management is critical at this time of the year- every fruit cluster should see at least some direct sun. However, if opening up congested vines at this time, be careful not to fully expose clusters that have been heavily shaded, as the risk for sunburn increases when a shaded cluster is exposed to full sunlight in midsummer.

Get your bird netting ready.

Wine Tasting

FYI: pre-registration is absolutely necessary for this event.

La Crescent Wine Tasting – LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER!

Come taste a variety of 2015 La Crescent wines from Victory View Vineyards, Lincoln Peak Vineyards and Cornell’s Vinification & Brewing Lab. Compare and contrast the role of a variety of variables including site, ML timing and yeast strain.

This tasting is open to all current industry members. There is no cost, but pre-registration is required by Monday, July 25.

http://enych.cce.cornell.edu/event.php?id=590

Date: July 28, 2016
Time: 1-4pm
Location: Fort William Henry Hotel and Conference Center, Lake George, NY

Grapes sourced from Victory View Vineyards in Schaghticoke, NY, were transported to Geneva where small fermentations were carried out and tracked throughout the production process. Victory View and Lincoln Peak Vineyards in New Haven, VT also produced small commercial lots of wine employing the same yeast and ML strains. This project was conducted in collaboration with Scott Labs and Lallemand.

Anna Wallis

CCE Extension Associate – Fruit Specialist

Eastern NY Commercial Horticulture Program

6064 State Route 22 Suite 5

Plattsburgh, NY 12901

Cell: 518.410.6823

Fax: 518.561.0183

aew232

UVM Extension Farm Budget clinics

Forwarded from Jake Jacobs, UVM Risk Management Agency:

UVM Extension Budget Clinics

UVM Extension Farm Business educators are available to work one-on-one with farmers on their finances and business decisions. Bring your financial statements, records or business questions for this 1 to 1 ½ hour private meeting at a local Extension office. Meetings are available from July 20 – August 3rd.

Contact Christi Sherlock at christi.sherlock or 1-866-860-1382 for registration questions or assistance.

Visit the Farm Viability website for more information on programs serving VT farms: http://blog.uvm.edu/farmvia/

– –

Jake Jacobs
Crop Insurance Education Coordinator
Department of Community Development and Applied Economics
University of Vermont
208 Morrill Hall
Burlington, VT 05405
Phone 802-656-7356
Fax 802-656-1423
Email: jake.jacobs

Flyer.Budget Clinics.Summer 2016.pdf

Cornell La Crescent Wine Tasting July 28

By Terence Bradshaw

Date July 28, 2016

Time 1-4pm

Location Fort William Henry Hotel and Conference Center, 48 Canada Street, Lake George, NY 12845

Host Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture

This tasting is open to all current industry members. There is no cost, but pre-registration is required by Friday, July 22.

Cold climate white grapes often have robust aromatic properties but also contain excessive acid. A 2015 trial focused on ways to optimize La Crescent quality through biological de-acidification methods. Believed to be a way to both reduce acid and maintain varietal character, co-inoculation of ML strains was compared with traditional (sequential) inoculation and a control without MLF. The trial also employed a yeast strain (71B) capable of metabolizing some malic acid. Grapes sourced from Victory View Vineyards in Schaghticoke, NY, were transported to Geneva where small fermentations were carried out and tracked throughout the production process. Victory View and Lincoln Peak Vineyards in New Haven, VT also produced small commercial lots of wine employing the same yeast and ML strains. This project was conducted in collaboration with Scott Labs and Lallemand.

Registration is available online

http://enych.cce.cornell.edu/event.php?id=590

Vineyard management

By Terence Bradshaw

July 8, 2016

Grape disease management remains a concern, but as vine and berry susceptibility to black rot and phomopsis wanes, focus should shift toward powdery and downy mildews and botrytis. Revus Top (fungicide resistance class (FRAC) 3 & 40) is effective against the mildews but not botrytis (which may be less of a concern on less-susceptible cold-climate cultivars in this relatively dry year), but there are reports of some foliar damage from its use on Prairie Star, Adelmiina, and Louise Swenson from one Vermont grower. Strobilurins (FRAC 11) are also effective against downy and powdery mildews, and have some efficacy against botrytis. Pristine (FRAC 7,11) , Vangard (FRAC 9), Inspire Super (FRAC 3,9) , Rovral (FRAC 2) , and Scala (FRAC 2) are some materials effective against botrytis. Remember that fungicide classes must be rotated to avoid resistance development by disease-causing organisms.

Organic growers are limited to sulfur, coppers, potassium and biological materials. Sulfur is effective against powdery mildew but may cause phytoxicity on some cultivars; Louise Swenson is one that is particularly sensitive. JMS stylet oil and potassium bicarbonate are also effective against powdery mildews when applied soon after infection occurs, they have limited protective activity. Copper is effective against downy mildews but should be limited to a few application per year to reduce buildup in the soil and potential for phytotoxicity. It is also somewhat effective against botrytis when applied early in its infective season (like, now). Biological materials are more a question as to efficacy; there are a lot out there, but few have been shown to be really good against many diseases, compared to conventional materials. All of the organic and biological materials work best in low-inoculum situations (and drier seasons, like this one) so meticulous sanitation through removal of infected leaves and other tissues is critical to improve their effectiveness. Regalia has shown some effectiveness against powdery mildew but likely no more than sulfur or oil, and Double Nickel shown good effectiveness against both downy and powdery mildews under low pressure conditions.

Grape berry moth are flying and laying eggs now. A broad-spectrum insecticide like a carbamate or pyrethroid is effective against egg-laying adults; more precise control of hatching larvae may be had using Bt, Delegate, Intrepid applied to hatching eggs in the next week or so.

Canopies should be aggressively combed and clusters exposed to sunlight by removing lateral shoots and some leaves if necessary; the sooner this is done the better the effect and the more resistant grapes will become to sunburn.

Apple update

By Terence Bradshaw

As the calendar shifts into summer, things quiet down a bit in the orchard, and this year is no different. Especially with this dry weather we have been seeing, disease concerns are at a minimum. There have been few chances for sooty blotch and flyspeck to become established on fruit, but the upcoming rain expected this weekend could change that. Orchards without fungicide coverage in the past two to three weeks should receive an effective summer fungicide either before or soon after the rains. Fire blight continues to crop up, but these are symptoms of infections that occurred last month. If trauma (i.e. hail) occurs in your orchard and you have active fire blight (even if you’ve been cutting it out), be prepared to apply streptomycin within 24 hours to prevent spread of the disease to new sites. Some question the need for this now after terminal growth has subsided, but I feel it is cheap insurance in a heavy fire blight year like this one. Pay attention to harvest date, however, since strep products have a 50-day preharvest interval; an application today would mean no harvest until August 28.

Insects are of greater concern in midsummer. We are between generations of codling moth, with second generation flight expected to begin soon. Next sprays targeting this pest must target hatching larvae, which should occur in about three weeks. Obliquebanded leafroller (OBLR) is more active now, but likely only in orchards where this pest has historically been a problem. We caught our first OBLR in traps at the Hort Farm on June 7, and Eric Boire caught a few in Champlain Valley orchards in late May (which may have been the cousin redbanded leafroller) but the first sustained captures were caught the week of June 5 and all sites are showing increased flight activity beginning June 21. That said, trap captures at most orchards have been quite low, so a specific spray to manage this pest may not be necessary. That said, if applying a fungicide for summer diseases, consider applying an effective OBLR material at that time, even if it is just a Bt application. Apple maggot flies (AMF) have emerged and traps should be monitored to time sprays against this insect. At the UVM Hort Farm, we have an unrealistically high AMF population remaining from Dr. George MacCollom’s work with that insect in the 1980s in a now unsprayed orchard, and we reached management threshold this week. I expect most commercial orchards will have lower populations that may require management in the next couple of weeks. If you are not trapping for this insect, it may be prudent to apply a material effective against both AMF and OBLR (e.g. Altacor, Asana, Delegate, Imidan) next week.

Trees have been needing water, hopefully this expected rain July 9-10 will alleviate shortages of soil moisture. Dry soil conditions don’t just starve the tree from thirst, they also can lead to poor uptake of minerals such as boron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. It is important to water trees if possible, and critical to water young and high density trees. All trees can use extra calcium during the rapid fruit expansion in summer, and all sprays moving forward this season should include a calcium material. If using calcium chloride (CaCl), that material will raise spray water pH to levels (i.e. pH 9-10) that can cause alkaline hydrolysis of materials like captan and Imidan, so 2/3 oz of plain white vinegar per pound of CaCl or a commercial formulated pH buffer like LI-700 should be added to the spray tank. Dr. Wes Autio has a good factsheet on Foliar Calcium Sprays for Apples available at: https://ag.umass.edu/sites/ag.umass.edu/files/fact-sheets/pdf/folcalcium.pdf.