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!
Archive for January, 2012
2012 Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference
January 27, 20121st Ever Florida Blueberry Festival
January 26, 2012It’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
January 24, 20122012 Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference
January 23, 2012The 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
January 20, 2012Keep 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!
January 19, 2012Don’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.
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
January 17, 2012ORONO, 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)
January 11, 2012Rufus 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.
Managing Weeds in Blueberry Crops
January 11, 2012Weeds 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.
Blueberries on MyPlate (Audio)
January 6, 2012In 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.