Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
J UST P ICKED
VOLUME 5, ISSUE 3 F ALL 2009
production. Plans written for those transitioning to organic produc- The new CSP program allows 12.8 million acres nationally
tion would identify additional funding that might be received through to be enrolled for each of the five years of this current program and is
the NRCS EQIP or other programs. A grower needs to find a TSP open to all farms having a “farm record number” with the Farm Ser-
recognized by the NRCS in his or her state. vice Agency (FSA). If your farm has participated in any commodity
payment programs or the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP),
For those in Wisconsin, Jeff Gunderson at MOSES is certi-
you would meet this requirement. If you are not listed with the
fied by the NRCS as a Technical Service Provider (TSP) to write tran-
FSA, you will need to make an appointment to create a farm record,
sition plans. He works with the grower to develop the plan and sub-
bringing proof of ownership (deed) or lease of the land, location
mits his invoice to the grower. The grower pays the TSP and is reim-
maps outlining crop fields and other land uses as they are currently
bursed by the NRCS on a cost-sharing basis. In WI, the NRCS pro-
managed and any business related legal papers (article of incorpora-
vides 80% of the plan’s cost, up to $1040 for an organic grower tran-
tion, trusts, etc.). All acreage under your management must be in-
sitioning more land to organic and up to $1465 for a non-organic
cluded in your farm record, both owned and rented.
grower transitioning land. For beginning farmers and socially disad-
vantaged farmers, the NRCS covers 100% of the cost, up to $1700. Additionally, all of your farm acres must be enrolled, in-
In addition, to applying for the Organic EQIP Initiative, Ken Mandley cluding pastures. This is a whole farm program. An orchard with a
applied for funding to have a transition plan written by Jeff Gunder- lease contract for five or more years could be included.
son. They will be finishing that plan next month and submitting it to
The two upcoming deadlines for CSP are September 30,
the NRCS for approval.
2009, and mid-January 2010. CSP is available to farmers or ranchers
Rates for the various practices and for the plan development who have both cropland (which includes, row crops, pasture, forages
are outlined in the NRCS “cookbook” for each state. The link for and vegetables) and/or private (nonindustrial) forestland on their
Wisconsin’s cookbook is ftp://ftp-fc.sc.egov.usda.gov/WI/ property. Ten percent of the funds will be given to forestland own-
eqip/2009/cookbook09.pdf . A new cookbook is expected in 2010 ers nationwide who have demonstrated conservation with their tim-
that may have some rate changes. The cookbook also describes each ber management. The first payment for both the September and
NRCS practice. January ranking periods will be dispersed in October of 2010.
While tree fruit farmers may be interested primarily in the To apply, the producer must first establish eligibility with
Organic Transition Plans, the 2008 Farm Bill also had two other types FSA, then sign a program application at the NRCS office. Applicants
of planning assistance, Forestry Plans and Energy Audit Plans, that then make an appointment to work with their local NRCS person to
include resource conservation components. complete the Conservation Measurement Tool, which describes and
documents your current and future conservation activities. This is a
Ken found the NRCS in his county to be quite helpful but
lengthy process that may take 90 to 120 minutes. The data developed
because the program was new they were on the same learning curve in the Conservation Measurement Tool (CMT) is used by the NRCS
as he was. Ken may not have gotten his application completed on to rank applications and develop stewardship plans and contracts. In
time if he did not take time and initiative to dig for information on addition to the CMT, local NRCS personnel will visit your farm to
the new program. So far Ken believes the program will be worth- verify the CMT information and review documentation for existing
while to his orchard. He is currently Certified Naturally Grown and conservation practices. Farmers who demonstrate good current con-
without this assistance probably would not have pursued organic cer- servation on their farm as well as willingness to perform additional
conservation measures should consider applying for the program.
tification because of the cost of planning and documentation. By us-
ing forms and guidance from the certifier he chose, MOSA, in the In Wisconsin, the main priority concerns are soil erosion,
Transition Plan he believes the work he is doing with Jeff will prepare water quality, protection of plants and animals, as well as conserva-
tion that leads to less reliance on nonrenewable energy sources.
him for inspection and certification.
Check with the NRCS in your state for its priority concerns. Each
Conservation Stewardship Program state is divided into “ranking pools”, where the farmers in these pools
The new 2009 Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) are ranked against others only within their pool.
replaces the old Conservation Security Program (CSP) covered in the The amount of dollars or approved acres for each ranking
previous farm bill. This program might be a better fit for orchards pool will limit the number of CSP contracts that can be accepted.
that are already certified organic. Both CSPs tie payments to conser- The cap for payment is $40,000 per year, or $200,000 for the five-
vation activities done by farmers on their working lands. The new year period. The NRCS estimates that payments will average $18
CSP also emphasizes and provides payments for new conservation per acre nationwide, but this will vary by region, land use and the
activities. All CSP contracts are now for five years, with a potential individual level of existing and planned stewardship. Contact your
renewal option for an additional five years. The old CSP was open to county NRCS person to find out the boundary of your ranking pool
farmers only in targeted watershed areas and enrolled approximately area and your state’s specific priority concerns.
20 million acres in total.
(Continued on page 11)
P AGE 6 J UST P ICKED
Fertility Program
On older, more established trees – no fertility inputs
On younger trees where we are growing a tree and a crop of apples – 400 to 600 lbs. of dried chicken manure per acre,
banded under the tree in December
On trees on their 1st through 3rd leaf, I apply fish at 1 gallon/100, plus Chilean nitrate at 5 lbs./100 every 3-4 days, May to
August.
Higher density trees are grown under Swiss Sandwich Management where they are rototilled 4-5 times per season and mid-
dles are mowed with a Seppi mower that throws the grass back under the trees
Pruning Program
Older trees are chain-sawed only and high-density trees are pruned with hand limb-lockers
Spray Program
Apple scab -- copper/lime or sulfur/lime sulfur from
green tip to July prior to every scab infection
Plum curculio -- perimeter lures and Surround at petal fall
and Pyganic perimeter sprays when needed
Codling moth -- mating disruption at 400 ties/acre plus
virus and oils if above threshold (1 trap/ 2 acres; oil at 150 to
200 degree days base 50 past threshold; virus at 250 DD past
threshold [virus first generation and oil second generation])
Apple maggot – border traps and then GF120 as needed
European red mite – oil late July, 1% oil/100 gallon wa-
ter, then mid-August during codling moth outbreaks
Future Visions
Need more sustainability and to buy less inputs
Replanting to mostly scab-resistant varieties
More on-farm processing of apples, meats and other Jim Koan owns and operates 120 acres of certified organic apples in Michigan.
products
Future will have all high-density plantings
Diversifying our farm products
Moving towards less retail and tours while everyone seems to be moving toward more retail and tours. (Retail and organic may
not be compatible.)
bronzing increased, fruit fresh weight decreased slightly and SSC in- O RGANIC H OPS : A N A LTERNATIVE FOR
creased slightly. While the effects in 2007 were statistically signifi-
cant, they likely do not translate to biologically significant relation- T REE F RUIT G ROWERS ?
ships between leaf bronzing and fruit quality. In 2008 and 2009, there
was no effect of leaf bronzing on fruit fresh weight and SSC. The na- -by Matthew J. Grieshop, Ph.D.
ture and development of copper-associated leaf bronzing is not clear, Department of Entomology, Michigan State University
and it remains to be seen if this discoloration has effects on tart cherry (517) 432-803; grieshop@msu.edu www.opm.msu.edu
tree health other than fruit quality. However, previous studies have
demonstrated clearly that CLS reduces fruit quality, yield, and tree We had interesting results for the new organic hops project on Jim
health. Koan's AlMar Orchards in Flushing, Michigan. This one-year project
was funded by the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF)
Bottom Line
with the objectives of determining the feasibility of adapting high-
The minimal effects of copper-associated leaf bronzing are almost density apple horticultural methods to hops production and to iden-
certainly outweighed by the disease control benefits. A spray program tify promising hops varieties for the upper Midwest.
consisting of both copper-sulfate and synthetic fungicides had little or Sixteen hops varieties were planted in a single berm with 16' trellis
no effect on the average number of fruits per shoot, fruit fresh weight poles and a two-wire trellis system for support. Ten vines were
and SSC, compared to a conventional program which only consisted planted for each variety in March 2009 and plots were monitored for
of synthetic fungicides. Leaf bronzing had little or no effect on tart growth and pest populations on a weekly basis. The 16 varieties se-
cherry fruit fresh weight and SSC. While our studies were conducted lected for testing were: Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Williamette,
at just one site, trials were run over three summers and provided Fuggle, Magnum, Mt. Hood, Nugget, Perle, Pride of Ringwood,
results that were comparable among years. We acknowledge that Northern Brewer, Sterling, Kent Golding, Brewers Gold, Galena,
copper is generally toxic, however, and is injurious not only to leaves and Golding.
and pathogens but also some beneficial organisms in orchard systems. Summer 2009 proved to be the 10th coldest in recorded weather
As with any pesticide, copper fungicides should be applied judiciously history in Michigan. Hops growth was slow with an average maxi-
and as part of an integrated approach to disease management. mum height of 76" reached by Centennial. (We expected twice
this.) Brewers Gold, Chinook, Pride of Ringwood and Cascade were
Patricia McManus can be reached at 608-265-2047 or
the only varieties to produce cones in their first year with an average
psm@plantpath.wisc.edu
wet yield of 2.78, 2.64, 2.0, and 0.14 oz/per vine, respectively.
(Continued on page 12)
The book includes the complete apple watercolor Jim Koan, Flushing, MI; almarapple@aol.com 810-659-6568
collection (some 3500 images) from the National
Tom Rosenfeld, Berrien Center, MI; tom@earthfirstfarms.com
Agricultural Library, Special Collections Dept. of the
312-399-7820
USDA. This will be more of a reference book than
something most growers will be able to afford. Maury Wills, Adel, IA; maury.wills@idals.state.ia.us 515-281-
5783
P AGE 11 J UST P ICKED
Farm Name:
Street Address:
Email: Phone:
Membership is $50 annually. Please make your check payable to the “Organic Tree Fruit Association” and mail it to: Maury Wills, OTFA
Secretary, 33130 Panther Creek Rd., Adel, IA 50003
My tree fruit production and marketing to date: (Include types of fruits, # of trees, acres of trees, certified organic or not, direct market,
wholesale, or combination)
Examples of conservation activities include use of cover F ORGOTTEN F RUITS M ANUAL & M ANIFESTO - A PPLES
crops to prevent soil and water erosion, enhancing plant biodiver- (DRAFT)
sity, and improving wildlife habitat. These items would meet Wis-
consin’s priority concerns. If a producer decides to also put in na- The purpose of this booklet—half manifesto and half manual—is to
tive pollinator habitat, this is beyond the priority concern for Wis- help chart a plan of action to restore apple diversity to farms, back-
consin, but could still receive some points in the Conservation yard orchards, restaurants and home tables. They welcome com-
Measurement Tool. Changing cropland to perennial pollinator ments and feedback on the draft.
habitat would be an example where the producer would forego
income in favor of a conservation activity.
P LACE - BASED F OODS AT R ISK IN THE
Forestland owners who are participating in timber stand
G REAT L AKES
improvement or regenerating old windbreaks may also find CSP a
beneficial program to aid them in their conservation efforts. This booklet includes a working list of rare
Additional Resources place-based foods, including a list of Great
Lakes apples, with unique traditions in Great
Farmers’ Guide to the Conservation Stewardship Program
Lakes landscapes, waterways and cultures.
http://sustainableagriculture.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/
There are also essays from Great Lakes resi-
CSP_FarmersGuide_final_September_2009.pdf
dents who are working to protect and revive
Midwest Organic Sustainable Education Service- MOSES- these foods. Slow Food invites you to add, amend or "champion”
www.mosesorganic.org 715-778-5775, 608-872-2164 or har- foods on this list. Send all list additions and edits to raftalli-
riet@mosesorganic.org ance@slowfoodusa.org .
M IDWEST O RGAN IC T REE
F RUIT G ROWERS N ETWORK
7258 Kelly Rd.
Mineral Point, WI 53565