AllAboutBlueberries

2012 Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference

allaboutblueberries — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:36:10 +0000

The 2012 Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference will take place Feb. 10-11, 2012. Items on the agenda include educational sessions for beginning farmers and small farmers, as well as fruit and vegetable farmers. IPM educational sessions also will be held. Dr. Bill Evans from Mississippi State University will talk about High Tunnel Production Experiences and Challenges and Drs. Joe Kemble and Charles Mitchell from Auburn will talk about Irrigation Basics, Design and Water Use. Dr. Kirk Iverson from the USDA-ARS will talk about the benefits of Using Cover Crops. And this is just the first day!

Click here for more information.

1st Ever Florida Blueberry Festival

allaboutblueberries — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:44:01 +0000

It’s not to early to plan to attend summer festivals! The first-ever Florida Blueberry Festival will be held May 4, 5 & 6 in Brooksville, Florida. There will be fun for the whole family including: live entertainment, arts and crafts, contests and more! Click on the link below for more information.

Read more about 1st Ever Florida Blueberry Festival.

Webinar: Health Benefits of Blueberries

allaboutblueberries — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:16:09 +0000

Did you know eating blueberries can help improve your vision, make blood flow through your vessels easier and lower your cholesterol?

Well, blueberries can do this plus a whole lot more! In this presentation, Dr. Heli Roy of the LSU AgCenter explains how eating blueberries affects the human body.

Click here for more information.

2012 Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference

allaboutblueberries — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:32:26 +0000

The 2012 Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference will take place Feb. 10-11, 2012. Go to this link for more information: Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association.

Keeping Weeds, Pests and Birds Out of Blueberries

allaboutblueberries — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:30:35 +0000

Keep weeds, pests and birds out of your blueberry patches for a healthy, more productive blueberry crop.

“Birds love to harvest blueberries,” said David Himelrick of the LSU AgCenter. “They can consume the complete crop from a small planting.”

The only practical control while the fruit is ripening is to drape plastic or cloth netting over the bushes or from a framework.

Health Benefits of Blueberries Webinar TODAY!

allaboutblueberries — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:50:18 +0000

Don’t forget about our Health Benefits of Blueberries webinar that begins at 10 a.m. CST! Participants will learn about how eating blueberries can help improve vision, make blood flow through the vessels easier, lower cholesterol, plus a whole lot more! Dr. Heli Roy of the LSU AgCenter will give a presentation on how eating blueberries affects the human body.

Click here to participate!

After your click on the link above, click on Enter as a Guest to enter the Adobe Connect room where the webinar will be conducted.

Spotted wing drosophila discovered in Maine

allaboutblueberries — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:43:14 +0000

Spotted Wing Drosophila

ORONO, Maine — University of Maine Cooperative Extension fruit and pest management specialists monitoring for a particularly destructive non-native fruit fly have discovered its presence at five locations in Maine.

Now they are hurriedly collaborating with counterparts across the country to collect and collaborate on the latest research on the tiny, spotted-wing Asian fruit fly in an effort to protect 2012 crops. The Drosophila suzukii fly poses a serious threat to Maine fruit growers’ blueberry, strawberry, raspberry and potentially other soft-skinned fruits and possibly even vegetables, according to Jim Dill, Extension educator and pest management specialist in Orono.

Effects of Insects on Blueberry Plants (Video)

allaboutblueberries — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:05:43 +0000

Rufus Isaacs/MSU Entomology

Rufus Isaacs of MSU Entomology explains his experiment to discover effects of insects on blueberry plants in this video. Isaacs and his team are looking at different ways of managing blueberry fields to naturally suppress the insects so that as much pesticide is not used.

Click here to watch the video

Managing Weeds in Blueberry Crops

allaboutblueberries — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:38:23 +0000

David Himelrick, LSU AgCenter

Weeds in blueberry crops can create problems for growers. Weeds compete with blueberry bushes for nutrients and soil moisture, as well as release chemicals that are damaging. Watch as David Himelrick explains in this video how to manage weeds in blueberry crops.

Click here for video: Managing Weeds in Blueberry Crops.

Blueberries on MyPlate (Audio)

allaboutblueberries — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:09:28 +0000

In this audio file, Heli Roy of the LSU AgCenter explains how blueberries fit on the USDA’s My Plate to help people meet the new dietary guidelines.

Click here for more information.