Maine Produce Safety Improvement Grants (MPSIG) help specialty crop growers i.e, growers of fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture but excluding commodity crops) to: Implement on-farm food safety practices; Transition to compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule (PSR); Meet market demands for on-farm […]
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While strawberries have long been a staple of spring crops in Maine, the plants are not especially hardy. As an herbaceous, or non-woody plant, strawberries don’t achieve what is considered a true state of dormancy during the winter. Rather, they go into a quiescent state, or pseudo-dormancy which offers some protection against extreme temperatures, but […]
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In this newsletter: Meadow voles Announcements for Upcoming Meetings Protecting Trees from Meadow Voles From the pest management guide: Voles : New England Tree Fruit Management Guide : UMass Amherst Meadow vole injury is large areas of missing bark on the trunk or low branches, with small parallel tooth marks. It becomes evident as the […]
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The Scientific Research Assistant, based at the University of Maine’s Highmoor Farm, will be responsible for assisting with research projects in support of the tree fruit program led by Dr. Renae Moran. This is a 4-year, grant-funded (USDA Specialty Crops Research Initiative) position to study cold hardiness in apple trees. As time allows, this position […]
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David Handley, Vegetable and Small Fruit Specialist; James Dill, Pest Management Specialist, Phil Fanning, Assistant Professor of Agricultural Entomology, Christina Howard, Maine New Farmer Project Manager This will be the final issue of the Spotted Wing Drosophila Alert for the 2024 season. We hope you have found the information helpful and welcome your feedback. Spotted […]
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David Handley, Vegetable and Small Fruit Specialist; James Dill, Pest Management Specialist, Phil Fanning, Assistant Professor of Agricultural Entomology, Christina Howard, Maine New Farmer Project Manager Spotted Wing Drosophila: Fly counts in our vinegar/yeast traps this week were very similar to last week (see table below). For growers still harvesting late ripening fruit, we recommend […]
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In this newsletter: Maturity Report New England Vegetable and Fruit Conference announcement Fall Herbicide Reminders, excerpted from the CCE-ENYCHP newsletter Maturity Report McIntosh has reached a stage where drop has occurred in orchards not treated with ReTain or Harvista. Trees that have not been harvested yet have 40% drop. Cortland ripening has reached a stage […]
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David Handley, Vegetable and Small Fruit Specialist; James Dill, Pest Management Specialist, Phil Fanning, Assistant Professor of Agricultural Entomology, Christina Howard, Maine New Farmer Project Manager Spotted Wing Drosophila: Fly counts in our vinegar/yeast traps this week were moderately higher than last week (see table below). Growers that have spread out their spray intervals in […]
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Maturity Report and Storage Reminders Peaches and Plums Peach harvest was completed this week. Long John plums will be ready to pick soon. If you need to store them longer than a few days, they can be picked now. Apples McIntosh has reached a stage where it is ok for short-term storage. If you still […]
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David Handley, Vegetable and Small Fruit Specialist; James Dill, Pest Management Specialist, Phil Fanning, Assistant Professor of Agricultural Entomology, Christina Howard, Maine New Farmer Project Manager Spotted Wing Drosophila: Fly counts in our vinegar/yeast traps this week were mostly moderate, similar to last week’s counts, likely due to cool night temperatures, dry conditions and spray […]
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