Insured Maine Crops - Apples
Apple producer talks about crop insurance
2009 video
2012 Apple Insurance Policy
Scroll down to “Maine” and click on “Apples”
Apples in Maine
In 2008, Maine produced more than 929 thousand bushels of apples . Utilized production totaled 881,000 bushels for a value of more than 18.5 million dollars.
Apples are unfortunately attractive to a large host of organisms besides humans: Insects, fungi, tiny arachnids called mites, deer and birds are the most common. Deer we attempt to keep separated by means of fences. Bird damage most years is an annoyance but not a major financial calamity. During the 1995 growing season red squirrels caused significant crop damage in many orchards, but this is not usual. Control over the remaining pests: fungi, insects, and mites is attempted by a combination of horticultural practices, biological controls, naturally occurring predators, and when necessary chemical pesticides targeted to specific problems. This approach to control of pests is called integrated pest management.
The University of Maine Apple Integrated Pest Management site provides current situation reports, pest biology, pesticide updates, and other information to help apple growers minimize risk from pest damage and pesticide use.
Some risks however, cannot be anticipated or controlled. Adverse weather perils such as hail, wind, frost, drought, etc., failure of irrigation water supply, plant disease and fire are possibilities that can devastate an orchard.
Apples are insurable in the following Maine counties for these and other production risks: Androscoggin, Cumberland, Franklin, Hancock, Kennebec, Knox, Oxford, Penobscot, Somerset, Waldo, York. Additional protection is available for loss of quality (as a result of natural perils) to apples grown for fresh fruit that do not grade U.S. Fancy or better
To view the NASS New England Fruits and Vegetables 2010 Crop Report, got to the NASS Maine page, look under “More State Features,” on the right side, and then click on “Fruits & Vegetables.”
For the current Apple Crop Insurance Fact Sheet, go to: http://www.rma.usda.gov/aboutrma/fields/nc_rso/, scroll down to “Maine,” and click on “Apples.”
Apple Links
University of Maine Apple Integrated Pest Management
Apple Integrated Pest Management