A Wisconsin Perspective...impacts fruit and vegetable growers, requires full compliance for the largest growers effective January 26, 2018. Other growers covered by the rule will see

Volume 9 I ssue 2

A W i s c o n s i n P e r s p e c t i v e

Participating Organizations

2 | A Wisconsin Perspective


3 Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)

6 NCR-SARE: Advancing Sustainable Innovations in Agriculture for 30 Years

12 A Sticky Mess: Sap-Sucking Aphids

15 Meet Yi Wang

21 October is Cider Month

22 Blueberry Maggot

24 State Wine Competition Winners

25 Buy/Sell/Hire

25 News Briefs

27 Conference Registration Form

fresh:

Anna Maenner, EditorReindl Printing Inc. - Design & Layout

The views and opinions expressed in fresh are those of the respective authors and not necessarily those of the Editor, contributing organizations, their Board of Directors or individual members.

Sour Rot of GrapesSee page 10

Managing Late Blight in Organic and Home Garden

Tomato & Potato CtopsSee page 16

What’s Going on with Worker Protection?

See page 8


Wisconsin Apple Growers Association

Visit us online atwaga.org

Wisconsin Grape Growers Association

Visit us online atwigrapes.org

Wisconsin Winery Association

Visit us online atwiswine.org

Wisconsin Berry Growers Association

Visit us online atwiberries.org

Wisconsin Fresh Market Vegetable Growers Association

Visit us online atwisconsinfresh

produce.org

FRESH211 Canal Road

Waterloo, WI 53594920.478.4277

2017 Volume 9 Issue 3 | 3

2018 Wisconsin Fresh Fruit & Vegetable

ConferenceJANUARY 21 - 23

at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells

See the latest schedule at www.wffvc2018.info

Seven years after its passage, the portion of the Food Safety Modernization Act that applies to

produce finally goes into effect, the first compliance dates for produce growers are finally within sight. The Produce Safety Rule, the portion of the Food Safety Modernization Act that directly impacts fruit and vegetable growers, requires full compliance for the largest growers effective January 26, 2018. Other growers covered by the rule will see compliance dates of January 26, 2019, and January 26, 2020, depending on the size of the operation.

Will my farm be impacted?Many fruit and vegetable farms will be impacted by at least part of the FSMA Produce Safety Rule, even those farm operations that are very small. Farms that are completely exempt from the Produce Safety Rule include those that do not grow, harvest, pack, or hold produce on your farm; or those that have average annual sales of produce of $25,000 (based on year the regulation was passed; all values mentioned must be adjusted for inflation to obtain

appropriate value for the current year, found here: https://www.fda.gov/food/guidanceregulation/fsma/ucm554484.htm) or less per year, averaged over the last 3 years.

In addition, specific produce grown, harvested, packed, or held on your farm may not be covered by the Produce Safety Rule if any of the following apply:

• The produce is a commodity that the FDA has identified as rarely consumed raw;

• The produce is for personal/on-farm consumption; or

• The produce is intended for commercial processing that adequately reduces pathogens, such as commercial processing with a “kill step” (as long as certain disclosures are made and written assurances are received, with appropriate documentation).

It is important to note the difference in the above examples; the first describes situations in which farms are exempt from the Produce Safety Rule; the second describe circumstances where

specific produce crops may not be covered by the regulation. There may be situations where a given farm is only growing produce not covered by the regulation, and others where the farm is growing a combination of produce that is covered and not covered. In each of these situations, the farm must still be in compliance with the regulations of the Produce Safety rule as applicable.

Finally, your farm may be eligible for a qualified exemption if BOTH of the following conditions apply:

• Your average annual food sales (not just produce sales) are less than $500,000 per year over the last 3 years; AND

• The majority of your food sales are to “qualified end users” – including either the consumer of the food or a restaurant or retail food establishment located in the same state or within 275 miles of the farm.

While this is not full exemption from the rules, if you are eligible for a qualified exemption, you will be subject to less extensive, modified requirements


BY DR. ERIN SILVA, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, UW-DEPARTMENT OF PLANT PATHOLOGY

under the Produce Rule (also referred to as “qualified exempt”). There are three primary conditions that a produce operation must adhere to (in addition to the eligibility requirements listed above) to maintain their eligibility for these modified requirements:

• Provide the name and complete address of the farm where the produce was grown on either a food packaging label, sign, or document at the point of purchase;

• Comply with the compliance and enforcement requirements of the Produce Rule; and

• Be subject to the provisions regarding the withdrawal of your status as a partially covered (“qualified exempt”) operation (That is, FDA reserves the ability to revoke your “qualified exempt” status in certain circumstances).

• Qualified exempt operations are required to document that they have conducted an annual review of their eligibility for the qualified exemption.

To help determine whether your farm operation is covered under this new rule, Purple Pitchfork, in partnership with UW-Extension, has created a decision tool, which is posted on the UW Produce Food Safety Website (http://labs.russell.wisc.edu/farmfoodsafety/). This tool will help you determine if you fall into the qualified exempt category for FSMA.

Compliance DatesCompliance dates for covered activities are based on sales of produce (and must be adjusted for inflation):

• Very small farms: Greater than $25,000 but less than $250,000 in annual average produce sales in the preceding three years; compliance start date January 27, 2020.

• Small farms: Greater than $250,000 but less than $500,000 in annual average produce sales in the

preceding three years; compliance start date January 28, 2019.

• Large farms: Greater than $500,000 in annual average produce sales in the preceding three years; compliance start date January 26, 2018.

Compliance dates for the water quality standards have been extended; we currently expect the compliance dates for the water quality standards to be four years after the general compliance dates cited above. The FDA is exploring alternative standards for the agricultural water requirements established by FSMA after receiving feedback from stakeholders.

FSMA Produce Safety Rule Grower TrainingsOne of the first steps to bring vegetable farms in compliance with FSMA is for one representative from the farm to attend an FDA-sanctioned Produce Safety training workshop. Part §112.22(c) of the Produce Safety Rule requires that ‘At least one supervisor or responsible party for your farm must have successfully completed food safety training at least equivalent to that received under standardized curriculum recognized as adequate by the Food and Drug Administration.’

As of now, the Produce Safety Alliance training is the only standardized national training program recognized by FDA to prepare produce operations in meeting the regulatory requirements in FSMA Produce Safety Rule. This eight-hour, one-day Grower Training Course will cover key areas and requirements of the Produce Safety Rule including:

1. Introduction to Produce Safety

2. Worker Health, Hygiene, and Training

3. Soil Amendments

4. Wildlife, Domesticated Animals, and Land Use

5. Agricultural Water

6. Postharvest Handling and Sanitation

7. How to Develop a Farm Food Safety Plan (not required by the rule, but covered by the training)

Several PSA trainings are being scheduled across the upper Midwest to meet farmer needs. Wisconsin will be holding its first training on January 21, 2018 from 8 am – 5 pm; prior to the Wisconsin Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Conference in Wisconsin Dells, WI. Cost for the program will be $50. People interested in registering for the program can register on the WFFVC registration form in this magazine (registration will be capped at 50 participants). Additionally, several trainings will be held across Iowa (complete list of trainings can be found at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/article/produce-safety-alliance-grower-trainings-scheduled-fall-2017-winter-2018) and Minnesota (Jan 17, 2018 in St. Cloud, and on March 20, 2018 in Monticello, MN; http:/safety.cfans.umn.edu). Costs for workshops may vary depending on the amount of grant funds available to offset the costs to the participants. Documented attendance to a training must be accomplished by the compliance dates listed above; more grower trainings will be offered in coming years.

Completing the PSA training program will provide further information regarding what your farm will need to do to ensure compliance with FSMA – so, although depending on your farm size, your compliance date may be a couple years down the road, attending a training sooner than later will help you understand which records and practices your farm will need to adopt in order to ensure compliance to all aspects of the Produce Safety Rule, and provide you with ample time to put new practices into effect.

For further information on the Produce Safety Rule or PSA Produce Safety Trainings, please contact Dr. Erin Silva, Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin Department of Plant Pathology, at [email protected].



Composting dairy manure at Jeff Endres Farm.Photo by Marie Flanaga

From the sand hills of western

Nebraska to the Appalachian

foothills in eastern Ohio,

farmers and ranchers in the North

Central region rise each day to face

challenges, conceptualize ideas that

increase their bottom lines, conserve

the natural resources on their land,

and improve the quality of their lives

and the lives of their community

members.

The Sustainable Agriculture Research

and Education (SARE) program is

a decentralized competitive grants

and education program focusing on

sustainable agriculture innovations,

and run by four regions—North

Central, Northeast, South and West.

Since 1988, North Central Region

SARE (NCR-SARE) has awarded more

than $40 million worth of

competitive grants to farmers and

ranchers, researchers, educators,

public and private institutions,

nonprofit groups, and others

exploring sustainable agriculture

in 12 states. As SARE approaches

30 years of advancing sustainable

agriculture to the whole of

American agriculture, NCR-SARE

has been reflecting on the wide

variety of agricultural enterprises

that have benefited from the

innovative producers, researchers,

and educators who look to

SARE for grants and educational

resources—operations large and

small, rural and urban, crop and

livestock, conventional and organic,

and everything in between.

Across the Midwest, savvy producers

have demonstrated that products that

are different in appearance, season, or

origin can command a higher price

than their traditional counterparts.

Since 1988, NCR-SARE has supported

research and development in fruits

and vegetables and the lucrative

markets they can offer. From heirloom

tomato growers and researchers who

have used SARE grants to advance

season extending production methods

BY MARIE FLANAGAN, NCR-SARE COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST

NCR-SARE:Advancing Sustainable Innovations in Agriculture for 30 Years

and variety trials, to a growing elderberry industry that

is becoming a model for how farmers and Extension can

partner to build specialty crop markets from the ground

up, SARE supports efforts that improve small farm

profitability and keep more consumer food dollars within

local economies.

NCR-SARE values projects that conserve natural

resources while bolstering agricultural profitability and

productivity. Some of the first grants NCR-SARE awarded

in 1988 went to cover crop research. Since SARE and the

Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC)

began their annual cover crop survey in 2012, there

has been a steady increase in cover crop acreage among

participants. In this year’s survey, farmers said they

committed an average of 400 acres each to cover crops in

2016, up from 217 acres per farm in 2012. While a large

majority of the farmers who took the survey—80%, or

1,416 respondents—identified themselves as commodity

producers, the other 20% (354) placed themselves in

the category of horticultural crop or vegetable farmer.

Guided by the insights of farmers across the country in

this survey and the four that preceded it, SARE and CTIC

hope to shed light into the programs and practices that

can aid in the success of users of cover crops and inspire

non-users to adopt the strategy (learn more at http://

www.northcentralsare.org/Educational-Resources/

From-the-Field/2017-Cover-Crop-Survey-Analysis).

We all know pollinators are essential to our environment

and our economy. Seventy percent of the world’s

flowering plants, including more than two-thirds of the

world’s crop species, rely on pollinators to reproduce.

SARE resources such as the Managing Alternative

Pollinators book helps producers learn more about rearing

and management practices for multiple alternative bee

species. And the Manage Insects on Your Farm book

highlights ecological strategies that improve your farm’s

natural defenses and encourage beneficial insects to attack

your worst pests. These two books are an example of the

myriad of the books, bulletins, videos, curricula, fact

sheets available through SARE’s Learning Center. It is

a treasure trove of sustainable agriculture information.

Access it online at http://www.sare.org/Learning-Center

Looking forward, SARE is preparing for an important

national sustainable agriculture event, the Our Farms,

Our Future Conference, hosted by SARE and National

Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT/ATTRA) on

April 3-5, 2018 in St. Louis, Missouri. This national event

will bring together our diverse agricultural community:

farmers and ranchers, agricultural professionals,

agribusiness stakeholders, students, researchers, scientists,

agency representatives, and nonprofit leaders. Visit us

online to learn more about the conference: http://www.

sare.org/Events/Our-Farms-Our-Future-Conference

The NCR-SARE Farmers Forum is an event that

gives NCR-SARE grant recipients the chance to share

information about sustainable agriculture practices

with a regional audience. The talks focus on research,

demonstration, and education projects that promote

sustainable farming and ranching. The projects emphasize

the three pillars of sustainable agriculture: environmental

stewardship, profitability, and social responsibility.


Rodrigo Cala, participant in Immigrant High Tunnel Project.Photo by Marie Flanaga

Beekeeping at Troy Community Farm.Photo by Jim Powell

Some of you may be

wondering if the federal

rule to protect your

farm workers from pesticide

exposure is still in effect, or if it

was delayed.

The simplest, but still

confusing answer is, “Yes it is

and yes it was.” And we can

also tell you that, if you already

have a worker protection

program, keep doing what

you’re doing. The Worker Protection

Standard is not going away.

Some background, if you’re not

familiar with the story: The Worker

Protection Standard, or WPS, was

developed by the Environmental

Protection Agency to protect

agricultural workers and pesticide

handlers from pesticide exposure

on farms, forests, greenhouses

and nurseries. In January, a

major revision to the federal rule

took effect. The American Farm

Bureau Federation and the

National Association of State

Departments of Agriculture,

or NASDA, had asked EPA to

postpone the rule revisions,

but EPA denied their requests.

In February, NASDA again

petitioned EPA to postpone

the revisions. This time EPA

agreed and said that the federal

agency would “extend the

implementation of all worker

protection provisions.”

This means there will be changes to

WPS, but we don’t yet know what

those changes will be, nor do we

know when those changes will take

place. Even though EPA agreed with

BY JANE LARSON, WORKER PROTECTION SPECIALISTWISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, TRADE AND CONSUMER PROTECTION


What’s Going On with Worker Protection?


the petition, the agency

must go through a

formal process of

posting information

in the Federal Register.

It’s likely that EPA will

take public comments.

This could be a lengthy

process, lasting a few

months or longer. It’s

unknown if the entire

revised rule will be

suspended, or just some

portions. It’s safe to say

that worker protection

is not going away; it’s a question of

which version of the rule to follow.

When we have more information,

we will notify you through various

commodity groups and the

agricultural media.

So what is a Wisconsin grower to do?

Keep in mind that the revised rule that

took effect in January is still in place.

Our 14 environmental enforcement

staff are visiting agricultural

establishments in Wisconsin, including

orchards, vineyards and other fruit

and vegetable growing operations, to

share information on the revised rule

and to do inspections.

Our department has taken a

“compliance assistance” approach

to the new portions of WPS. This

means that growers have time

to learn the new requirements

and incorporate them into their

operations without penalty. This

includes requirements such as:

• Providing safety data sheets for

all applied pesticides

• Putting a system in place to

capture pesticide application

information for at least two

years

• Medical evaluations, annual fit

testing and training for pesticide

applicators and

handlers when the

product label requires

the use of a respirator

• No pesticide applicators

or handlers under age

18 (family members are

exempt)

Other requirements have

always been part of the

rule, such as providing

decontamination supplies,

training workers and

handlers in pesticide

safety and warning workers about

pesticide applications. We will

continue to enforce those provisions.

Again, if you have an existing worker

protection program, just keep doing

what you’re doing. If you aren’t

sure what is required, contact Jane

Larson, DATCP worker protection

program specialist, (608) 224-4545,

[email protected]. You

can also find information online

at datcp.wi.gov. Search for “worker

protection”. You can find resources

such as the new WPS How to Comply

manual and a self-review checklist at

pesticideresources.org.

Sour rot of grapes is a late season

scourge that can quickly convert

a beautiful crop of wine grapes

into a smelly, rotting heap of mush

crawling with fruit flies and yellow

jackets. Sour rot turns berries of white

varieties tan (Figure 1), while berries

of red varieties turn pink or brick red.

Berries become soft and watery, and

in late stages of decay, emit a vinegary

(acetic acid) odor, referred to by

winemakers as volatile acidity. Sour rot

decay typically occurs in the absence

of visible mold, but common fungal

pathogens such as Botrytis, the cause

of bunch rot, or the fungus Aspergillus

can colonize clusters that have sour rot

(Figure 2). Sour rot can be severe one

year and absent the next, as it is highly

dependent on rain and warm weather

as harvest approaches. As with

most fruit and cluster rot diseases,

varieties with tight clusters are more

susceptible to sour rot than varieties

with loose clusters.

What causes sour rot?

A complex of common yeasts and

bacteria act together in causing

soft rot. Yeasts convert sugar in

berries to ethanol, and then species

of Acetobacter and Gluconobacter

bacteria convert the ethanol to

acetic acid (vinegar). Fruit flies, both

the “regular” fruit fly (Drosophila

melangaster) and spotted wing

Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii), are

attracted to rotting berries (Figure

3), and research by Megan Hall and

Wayne Wilcox of Cornell University

suggests that fruit flies may actually

be a source of acetic acid producing

bacteria, harboring them in their guts.

Other studies show that sour rot is

triggered by fruit fly oviposition. In any

case, yeasts and bacteria infect berries

through wounds, and the disease often

takes hold after berry skin is breached

by birds, hail, grape berry moth, wasps,

or berry cracking that happens when

fruit take up excessive water after a

heavy rain.

How does sour rot develop?Research in Ontario by Wendy

McFadden-Smith shows that berries

become susceptible to infection after

they reach about 15oBrix; minor

infection occurs at 13oBrix and no

infection at 10 oBrix. For a few reasons,

rain is needed to get sour rot started:

BY PATRICIA MCMANUS, VILAS DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT AND SORENSON PROFESSOR AND CHAIRDEPARTMENT OF PLANT PATHOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON

of GrapesSour Rot


it can cause rapid berry swelling and cracking; it provides

moisture that promotes growth of yeasts and bacteria; and

it washes yeasts and bacteria into cracks and other open

wounds on berries. After infection, sour rot develops quickly

at temperatures of 68 to 77 oF, more slowly at 59 to 67oF, and

not much at all when temperatures are less than about 59 oF.

In Wisconsin, any or all of these conditions can prevail in the

weeks leading up to grape harvest.

How can sour rot be managed? There is no “silver bullet” recommendation for controlling sour

rot. With multiple microbes and fruit flies implicated in causing

sour rot, disease management requires integration of multiple

tactics.

• Manage the canopy so that the microclimate is less

favorable for growth of the sour rot yeasts and bacteria.

Shoot thinning, leaf pulling, and hedging will improve

air circulation and reduce the time that leaves and berries

remain wet from dew or rain, thereby making conditions

less favorable for sour rot, Botrytis bunch rot, and

Phomopsis berry rot.

• Prevent injury to berries, especially after berries reach

15oBrix. Deploy bird netting and spray for grape berry moth

if this pest is present.

• Control fruit flies. Research by Wilcox and colleagues in

New York showed that using insecticides to control fruit

flies reduced sour rot severity significantly. The best results

were achieved by spraying after berries reached 15oBrix but

before sour rot symptoms appeared. It’s less clear if spraying

insecticide after symptoms develop would be effective.

Consult a current pest management bulletin available

through University of Wisconsin-Extension or other states’

extension services for details on products, rates, and pre-

harvest intervals.

• Kill bacteria and yeasts with Oxidate or similar hydrogen

peroxide-based disinfectants labeled for use on grapes.

There is little research to substantiate this recommendation,

but Wilcox has demonstrated that weekly applications

of disinfectants, including Oxidate, reduce sour rot

severity if sprays are started after berries reach 15oBrix

but before symptoms appear, and if used in conjunction

with an insecticide to control fruit flies. Note that “used

in conjunction with” does not mean tank-mixed; as a

strong oxidizing agent, Oxidate is incompatible with many

pesticides. Therefore, if both an insecticide and Oxidate are

used, separate the sprays by a few days. 2017 Volume 9 Issue 3 | 11

Figure 1. Sour rot turns berries of white wine grape varieties tan. Sour rot typically occurs without visible mold or fungal fruiting bodies. Photo by M. Hall, Cornell University.

Figure 3. Fruit flies (arrows) are attracted to clusters with sour rot and may also play a role in causing sour rot. Photo by M. Hall, Cornell University.

Figure 2. Grape clusters with sour rot are sometimes colonized by pathogenic fungi, such as Botrytis, the cause of bunch rot, or opportunistic molds, such as Aspergillus (arrows). Photo by M. Hall, Cornell University.

Aphids represent a summer-long pest in apple production. Although they are most

damaging to young trees, when populations get out of hand they can reduce the vigor and could cause a loss of yield even on more established trees. There are five species of aphid that are most often seen on apples in Wisconsin, which will be discussed below. These insects as well as many others have been the subject of articles published in the Wisconsin Fruit News, which can be found on the Wisconsin Fruit website at this address: https://fruit.wisc.edu/.

The Rosy Apple Aphid, Dysaphis plantaginea, is one of the more potentially problematic aphid species found in Wisconsin apple production. Nymphs (1/10 – 3/4 inch long, pale yellow or pink to rosy brown or purple) hatch between silver tip and ?-inch green. They feed on sap inside newly emerging leaves and flower buds. The winged or wingless adults are 3 mm long and purple-pink. They live in colonies on terminal growth, and are

most prevalent from tight cluster to pre-pink, when they feed on both leaves and developing flower buds. Damage symptoms can include leaf curling, misshapen fruit, and sooty fungus growth where honeydew dropped onto leaves and fruit. Each female produces up to 185 young. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th generations on apple produce some winged offspring which fly to plantain, dock, or other weeds for the summer. By fall, winged females and males fly back to apple, mate, and lay eggs on the bark of the tree, where they overwinter to hatch again in the spring.

Monitor for rosy apple aphids by looking for curled leaves, then looking on the underside of the leaves for the pinkish-red aphids. If there is on average more than one tightly curled leaf-cluster per tree, spraying is recommended. See the table below for information on what

BY JANET VAN ZOEREN AND CHRISTELLE GUÉDOT, UW- EXTENSION AND ENTOMOLOGY


Curled leaves are characteristic of aphid damage. Ants or ladybeetles are also often seen on aphid leaf curls.

Rosy apple aphids on the underside of a leaf.

insecticides can be used to control rosy apple aphids. At lower densities, there are several cultural control methods that can help prevent rosy apple aphid outbreaks. Some cultivars are more susceptible to aphid damage, such as Cortland, Ida Red, Golden Delicious, Rose, York, and Stayman, so an orchard with high aphid pressure may consider staying away from these cultivars. You can also decrease aphid pressure by removing alternate host plant species, such as plantain and dock, and by keeping trees pruned to allow airflow. Rosy apple aphid can be controlled pretty well by natural enemies such as larval lady beetles, lacewings, syrphid flies, and Braconid wasps. These can be nurtured in your orchard by planting flowering areas to provide nectar as a food source for the adults of these predators, and by avoiding pyrethroid sprays.

Wooly Apple Aphids, Eriosoma lanigerum, become increasingly prevalent as the season goes along, and feed on leaf axils and terminal shoots. The nymphs and adults (1/20 – 1/16 inch long) are reddish-brown, but often covered with a downy protective waxy secretion, resembling “wool”. The adults can be winged or non-winged, and have shortened antennae. Throughout the summer they feed on apple roots, bark, leaves and occasionally fruit, causing nodules and cankers to form on roots and woody parts of the tree. They overwinter as eggs on elm tree bark or nymphs on apple roots.

You can monitor for adults throughout the summer, paying extra attention to pruning scars, crevices where branches or twigs form, or other areas of potential damage. There is no known treatment threshold for this pest, as damage to the top of the tree most likely also indicates cankers being formed on the roots. However, there

are some cultural control strategies to minimize the likelihood of wooly apple aphid populations taking hold in your orchard. Because many overwinter on elm trees, it may help to remove nearby elms from your orchard. Additionally, there are resistant cultivars (such as Northern Spy) and rootstocks (such as Malling series 106 and 111) that will not be damaged by wooly apple aphid. Similarly to the rosy apple aphid, natural enemies may be able to do a good job of controlling this pest if populations are encouraged by providing nectar resources and minimizing the use of broad-spectrum insecticide applications.

A table comparing how to identify, monitor, and control rosy apple and wooly apple aphids is provided on the next page.

The other species of aphid you may see in apple orchards this summer are unlikely to cause significant damage to the trees. The Green Apple Aphid, Aphis pomi, and the Spirea Apple Aphid, Aphis spiraecola, are indistinguishable from each other in the field. While rosy apple aphids are a pink-red color, these other species are yellowish-green. All three species feed on the underside of leaves, and cause leaf curling similarly to the rosy apple aphid. To scout for green and Spirea apple aphids, randomly select 10 shoots (not watersprouts) on each of five trees per block to examine

for curled leaves (check to see if leaf curling is caused by these or rosy apple aphid, as the economic threshold for rosy apple aphid is much lower). If, on average, more than four leaves per shoot have aphids, a chemical spray may be warranted.

Another apple aphid, the Apple Grain Aphid, Rhopalosiphum fitchii, appears earlier in the spring than our other aphids, but rarely causes economically significant damage in Wisconsin orchards. Apple grain aphids can be distinguished from other species because their antennae are much shorter than their body-length, and they have a dark stripe running down their back.

For all species of aphids, there are a number of predators and parasitoids present in Wisconsin orchards, which are able to do a pretty good job of keeping aphid populations under check. However, some broad-spectrum insecticides, in particular pyrethroids, have been shown to reduce populations of these natural enemies, and so may cause an upsurge in aphid numbers. It is recommended to avoid or reduce the number of broad-spectrum insecticide applications for this reason. If an insecticide spray is required for aphid control, you can refer to the current Midwest Fruit Pest Management Guide for recommendations.


Wooly apple aphids on a scarred branch.

Green apple aphids. Photo by Kansas Department of Agriculture , Bugwood.org.


Meet Yi WangYi WangAssistant Professor & Extension Potato and Vegetable Production Specialist, UW-Madison, Department of Horticulture

Cell Phone: 608-335-0933

Email: [email protected]

I am originally from China, but I lived in Madison for 7.5 years before moving to the west, so Madison is like my second hometown. Glad to be back, Badgers! I got my Ph.D. in Potato Physiology from UW-Madison Horticulture, and did two years of postdoc with previous vegetable production specialist AJ Bussan before joining University of Idaho as an assistant professor in potato physiology. As I am starting my new potato and vegetable sustainable production extension program, I am open to conversations with our growers and industry to learn more. Please feel free to email, call, text or schedule in-person visits with me so I can travel to your farm and have my feet on the ground. My program will focus on improving the water use and nitrogen use sustainability of vegetable cropping systems.


What is your educational/professional background? I grew up in Zhengzhou, China and earned my B.S. degree in biological science from China’s Nanjing Agricultural University. I received my Ph.D. in potato physiology here at UW–Madison and then took a position as an assistant professor at the Kimberly Research and Extension Center at the University of Idaho.

How did you get into your field of research? I love crops, and I love to watch tiny seeds growing into lush, leafy crops. It fills me with energy.

What are the main goals of your current research program? To make recommendations about production management – with a focus on water use and crop fertility – to members of Wisconsin’s potato and vegetable industry to help improve their profitability and sustainability.

What attracted you to UW–Madison? I got my Ph.D. from Madison and stayed here for seven years before taking a job in Idaho, so coming back to Madison is like coming home.

What was your first visit to campus like? I was very impressed with the lakes and the trees on campus. Ice cream at Memorial Union was so unforgettable, too.

What is your favorite place on campus? Memorial Union Terrace.

What are you most enjoying so far about working here? There is a fantastic potato science team here at UW–Madison, and I look forward to great collaborations with the team members specializing in different areas.

Do you feel your work relates in any way to the Wisconsin Idea? If so, please describe how. The nature of my job is all about the Wisconsin Idea. As an extension specialist in potato and vegetable sustainable production, I am working closely with members of the Wisconsin potato and vegetable industry on a daily basis. I learn about their needs by reaching out to them, conduct science-based applied research to address those needs, and then disseminate the research results back to them. I plan to have research plots on commercial farms in the future to directly demonstrate my research to the growers. I enjoy having a great working relationship with them.

What’s something interesting about your area of expertise you can share that will make us sound smarter at parties? Potato is rich in vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that can help the human body form and maintain bones, blood vessels and skin. A 5-ounce potato will supply nearly 50% of an average adult’s daily requirement for vitamin C.

Hobbies/other interests: Travelling, playing accordion, piano and keyboard.

Late BlightManaging

in Organic and Home Garden Tomato & Potato Crops

Disease Description & Status of Disease in WI: Late blight is a potentially destructive

disease of tomatoes and potatoes caused by the fungal-like oomycete pathogen, Phytophthora infestans. This pathogen is referred to as a ‘water mold’ since it thrives under wet conditions. Symptoms of tomato or potato late blight include leaf lesions beginning as pale green or olive green areas that quickly enlarge to become brown-black, water-soaked, and oily in appearance (Figure 1). Lesions on leaves can also produce pathogen sporulation which

looks like white-gray fuzzy growth (Figure 1, 2). Stems can also exhibit dark brown to black lesions with sporulation. Fruit symptoms begin small, but quickly develop into golden to chocolate brown firm lesions or spots that can appear sunken with distinct rings within them (Figure 2); the pathogen can also sporulate on tomato fruit giving the appearance of white, fuzzy growth. The time from first infection to lesion development and sporulation can be as fast as 7 days, depending upon the weather. In WI, as in several other U.S. regions, late blight

has been identified on tomatoes and potatoes in each of the last 8 years. On July 26, 2017, we confirmed late blight on tomato in Waukesha County, WI. Since that time, 12 more WI counties have had confirmed late blight on tomatoes and/or potatoes including Pierce, Dane, Portage, Waushara, Jefferson, Iowa, Kenosha, St. Croix, Polk, Crawford, Clark, and Columbia (in order of confirmation date). It is important to protect susceptible crops with fungicides in both conventional and organic production systems.

BY AMANDA J. GEVENS, EXTENSION PLANT PATHOLOGIST, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN, MADISON, WI 53706PHONE: (608) 890-3072, EMAIL: [email protected]

CONTRIBUTIONS FROM BRIAN HUDELSON, YU CHEN, ERIC LARSON, KATIE MOREY GOLD, AND TINA WUDEPARTMENT OF PLANT PATHOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN


Figure 1. Symptoms of late blight on potato tuber and leaves. A. Note brown-rust colored firm discolored tuber tissue. B. Late blight lesion on potato leaf. Lesions appear brown and papery when weather turns dry or after fungicide use. C. Underside of leaf showing late blight pathogen producing spores.


Figure 2. Symptoms of tomato late blight on tomato leaves and fruit. A. Entire row of plum tomatoes with dead foliage due to late blight. B. Brown, firm, late blight lesions on ‘Roma’ tomato fruits. C. Late blight lesion on tomato leaf. Note brown, water-soaked lesion with white pathogen sporulation. D. Close up of brown, firm, late blight lesion on green tomato fruit. E. Sporulating late blight lesion around the stem and shoulders of a ripening tomato fruit.

Management: The clonal lineages, or strains, of Phytophthora infestans from field infections from Wisconsin that have been tested, to date, are US-23 and US-8. Most of the late blight detected in WI last year, as well as in the rest of the U.S. has been type US-23 which is known to be aggressive on potato and tomato, and is of the mating type A1. In our research, we have demonstrated that the US-23 type will infect tomato, potato, hairy nightshade, black nightshade, and petunia; select cultivars of eggplant, pepper, and tomatillo did not become infected. US-23 produces roughly twice as many spores per lesion as other late blight genotypes and has great potential to rapidly reproduce and spread. US-8 was detected during epidemics of Wisconsin in the late 1990’s, then again in 2013, 2014, and currently in 2017. US-8 is of the mating type A2 (and can mate with US-23) and is resistant to the phenylamide conventional fungicide group. Because Pierce, St. Croix, and Jefferson Counties

have had confirmed reports of both US-8 and US-23 clonal lineages this season, it is very important that late blight is well managed at season’s end and through the winter months to limit viability of the pathogen and risk of mating and forming soil persistent spores.

Some tomato cultivars have resistance to late blight and are listed in Table 1. Note cultivars containing both Ph-2 and Ph-3 resistance genes are most resistant (recent release ‘Iron Lady’ is robustly resistant). Several varieties also exhibit some resistance including ‘Pruden’s Purple’ and ‘Matt’s Wild Cherry.’ Potato cultivars with some resistance to late blight include ‘Jacqueline Lee’, ‘Defender’, and ‘Satina.’

Dr. Meg McGrath of Cornell University has an outstanding tomato variety document on late blight resistance that I strongly encourage you to read for further information on varietal performance. Her data is very current

and useful. The link is: http://www.extension.org/pages/72678/late-blight-management-in-tomato-with-resistant-varieties#.VYq8dkYSyqE

The disease forecasting tool (Blitecast) indicates risk times for late blight activity and can aid in identifying critical times for preventative fungicide applications. To access Blitecast information for Wisconsin, please go to: http://www.plantpath.wisc.edu/wivegdis/index.htm. Once late blight has moved into a region, it is critical that tomato and potato plants be protected. Fungicides must be present on foliage in order to have a protective, disease-limiting effect. Because new growth is not protected and fungicides can wash off, repeat sprays are necessary. Little disease control can be had when fungicide applications are made only after disease onset. A 2007 study compared copper and non-copper containing organic-approved fungicides (such as Sonata, Serenade, and Oxidate)


for late blight control on potato. Results from replicated trials showed that the best organic-approved fungicide for potato late blight control was copper (Dorn, et al. 2007. Control of late blight in organic potato production: evaluation of copper-free preparations under field, growth chamber, and laboratory conditions. Eur. Journal of Plant Pathology 119:217-240). Copper containing fungicides have provided some of the best preventative control against late blight in multiple U.S. trials in recent years as well. Table 2, below, lists some of the certified organic copper formulations (please check up on the allowability of specific formulations if you are certified organic).

In the past few years, we’ve been investigating efficacy of non-copper organic fungicides and have demonstrated good control of tomato late blight with EF-400 under laboratory conditions. Dr. William

Kirk of Michigan State University has conducted field trials with EF-400 plus ExCit (now BacStop) on potatoes and corroborated our laboratory efficacy results. Good field control of potato late blight was demonstrated with weekly applications of EF-400 + ExCit for 8 weeks. Further information on these organic products can be found at: http://anjonag.com/crop-management/ef400-fungicide/

We tested several organic fungicides (and made a few conventional comparisons) (Figure 3 below). Zonix (a rhamnolipid from Jeneil Biosurfactant Company) and EF400 (formerly US Agritech, now Anjon Ag) performed well when applied before inoculation (prior to disease onset). However, recent field tests with Zonix from other states (PA and NC, specifically) have documented poor control of late blight when used in an open field setting with multiple cycles

of the pathogen (typical for ‘real world’ late blight). EF400 has continued to perform well. Fungicides have the best chance of effectively managing disease when applied before disease starts – this is true for all fungicides, conventional and organic. While Oxidate didn’t perform well, keep in mind that it is a contact antisporulant and will kill spores on contact, but will not provide lasting control as a protectant. It has a place to manage spore load, but can’t be relied upon solely to prevent late blight.

Late blight can be managed in an organic system, but control measures need to be proactive and sustained. In the circumstance when late blight gets out of control, early harvest and crop destruct options must be considered to limit development of inoculum that could pose heightened risk for area producers. This is a community disease – management by all growers of susceptible crops is necessary.

Table 1. Tomato cultivars tested for late blight resistance against the US-22, US-23, and US-24 clonal lineages of Phytophthora infestans and their resistance/susceptibility response.


Table 2. List of OMRI approved copper fungicides. Please note that this list is not comprehensive, but rather represents those most commonly used and likely available copper formulations. Check with your certifying agency if you have any questions or concerns with product selection.

Figure 3. Comparison of common organic and comparative conventional fungicides for the control of tomato late blight (US-23 genotype) when applied before and after pathogen inoculation.

Frequently asked questions

Where did this late blight come from? It is uncertain as to where this late blight came from in 2017. We know the late blight pathogen can potentially come from late blight-infected plants (including tubers of potato and fruits

of tomato) that are overwintered in protective structures or in untended compost piles, infected tomato transplants or airborne spores from the region. Seed potatoes can also be a source. At this time, national reports of late blight have come from CT, FL, MA,

ME, MI, MN, NC, ND, NY, ON, PA, VA, WA, WI, and WV. The website: http://www.usablight.org/ indicates location of positive reports of late blight in the U.S. and provides further information on disease characteristics and management.


Where can I find more information on tomato and potato late blight symptoms and management?

http://www.extension.org/article/18351

http://www.extension.org/article/18361

http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/lateblight.html

http://www.plantpath.wisc.edu/wivegdis/

How do I destroy and/or dispose of my late blight-infected tomato plants?

There are several methods of destroying infected plants depending upon your scale and ability to dispose of plant material in your area landfill: 1) pull up plants by the roots, bag, leave in the sun for a few days for plant and pathogen to die, and put out for trash pickup. This method is OK for a few plants. 2) For many infected plants, plants can be cut at the base and allowed to die in place. Once plants are dead, you can go in and remove stakes, strings, and plastic and dead plant material can be incorporated into the soil. Shallow incorporation of debris is recommended to avoid creating a warm, sheltered environment which would keep the plant tissue and pathogen alive for extended periods of time beneath the soil surface. 3) Plants can be flame-killed with a propane or other torch; and 4) infected plants can be

pulled and placed in a small pile covered over with a dark colored plastic tarp and left in the sun. This will create heat in the pile from the sun beating on the plastic tarp and plants will die within a few days. The winter will provide an excellent freeze kill for exposed infected plants. Do not compost late blight infected plant material, as many piles may have warm centers that can allow plant material and the pathogen to remain viable. The goal is to kill the plants and this will kill the pathogen.

Are tomato fruits from late blight infected tomato plants safe to eat?

Healthy-appearing fruit from late-blight-infected tomato plants are safe for human consumption. If they have been infected, but aren’t yet showing symptoms, they won’t keep in storage. There are some concerns about canning infected fruit because bacteria can enter late-blight infected fruit and impact quality. UW-Extension food science extension specialist, Dr. Barbara Ingham recommends avoiding canning tomatoes that exhibit late blight infection. Further information can be found at: http://fyi.uwex.edu/news/2009/08/26/tomatoes-and-potatoes-infected-with-late-blight-are-they-safe-for-eating-or-preserving/

How fast will late-blight-infected plants die?

This depends upon how many points of infection the plant received, the cultivar (some are more susceptible than others), the history of use of protectant fungicides (such as copper), and on the weather. Hot, dry, sunny weather typically holds back late blight; whereas cool, rainy, overcast weather will cause late blight to progress rapidly killing the plant in 7 to 10 days.

I have tomato or potato late blight in my garden – will I get it next year if I plant tomatoes again?

Most likely the pathogen that we currently have in WI cannot survive outside of living plant tissue. Our strains or ‘types’ of late blight are US-8 and US-23. US-8 is known to be an A2 mating type and US-23 is an A1 mating type. What does this mean? Much like we have male and female ‘mating types’ in our human population, the late blight pathogen requires an A1 and A2 mating type to be present together to form persistent, overwintering, long term spores (oospores). Oospores can persist in soil for many years. Just three counties (Pierce, St. Croix, and Jefferson) have had reports of both mating types, however, we have not detected both types in the same field. Mating is a biological risk, however, we haven’t noted this condition this or past seasons. To reiterate, the late blight pathogen is not likely to overwinter in the soil on its own. It requires living plants or plant parts to remain viable and infective. Therefore, it is critical to kill infected tomato plants and plant parts such as fruit. Potato tubers can also serve as a source of overwintering inoculum and should also be destroyed if found to be infected with the late blight pathogen.

Can late blight be seedborne in tomatoes?

Generally, the late blight pathogen is not considered a seedborne pathogen in tomato.


When taking the family to the apple orchard each fall, there is a list of things you want to accomplish.

Pick a large bag of apples…Check! Eat a caramel apple…Check! Buy a gallon of freshly made apple cider…Check!

October is cider month and apple orchards all over Wisconsin are making cider to utilize their extra apples and to increase their sales. Even smaller orchards can boost their sales by buying pasteurized cider from larger orchards that wholesale it.

Fresh cider is the juice of the apple that includes all the pulp and particles from the pressing process. It differs from apple juice which is filtered and pasteurized to make it shelf-stable. Additionally, cider is a blend of different apple varieties which provides a more complex flavor as opposed to apple juice that is usually from a single variety. Apple cider is believed to have started with the ancient Romans who made a beverage out of crab apples. As you can imagine, fermentation would take place over time to make it ‘hard cider,’ but that’s another discussion.

At the 2017 Wisconsin Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Conference, the Wisconsin Apple Growers Association held their annual Apple Cider Contest. Fifteen entries were submitted in the two categories – Raw/Ultra Violet-treated Cider and Pasteurized Cider. This year’s contest was won by a couple of newcomers.

The unpasteurized cider winner was Mike Graham of Bearfruit Apple Company in Wausau. Mike is a smaller grower with one acre of semi-dwarf trees. He grows his apples for local farmers markets and “I give away a lot

to family and friends,” Mike says. His cider is based on what apples he has available. He presses his cider with a home-built grinder and hand press in 40 gallon batches. His winning cider was 1/3rd Cortland, 1/3rd HoneyGold, and 1/3rd Liberty. He said he would have added some Honeycrisp but he sold out of all those apples. Mike, a retired school teacher, entered for the first time this year and was shocked when he won.

The pasteurized cider winner came from Pieper’s Fruit Farm of Brownsville. John, Bonnie, and daughter, Amberly’s entry is a mix of Honeycrisp, Ida Red, Golden Russet and Dulcet apples. While they have been making cider since they bought the orchard in 1999, they have not been entering the cider contest regularly. Bonnie says they use later varieties to make their cider and use what’s available. John is the cider-maker and tries to use a mix of sweet and tart apples to make his 200 gallon batches. They used to sell wholesale but now all the cider is sold directly from the farm. “People would still come here to buy it anyway,” Bonnie explained.

A trip to the apple orchard just wouldn’t be complete without a gallon or two of fresh cider.

CIDER MONTHOctober is

The blueberry maggot fly was first detected in Wisconsin in the summer

of 2016. This direct blueberry pest, which is closely related to the well-known apple maggot, feeds inside blueberry fruit and is damaging to commercial blueberry production in the eastern and southern United States and eastern Canada. In coming years, it is expected to have a significant effect on blueberry production in Wisconsin.

Appearance: The adult blueberry maggot fly looks somewhat like a small housefly with dark bands on its wings, and is very similar in appearance to the closely related apple maggot. Despite being virtually identical in wing-pattern and appearance, apple maggots do not use blueberry as a host, so flies trapped in

blueberry fields are most likely to be the blueberry maggot. The larva, or maggot, is legless and has a single hook-like tooth at the mouth-end.

Host Range: Blueberry is the only commercial crop affected by blueberry maggot. Wild hosts include wild blueberries, lingonberry, dangleberry, deerberry and huckleberries.

Symptoms and Effects: Only a single larva feeds inside each fruit, and as the larva develops the berry will become soft. Damage may go unnoticed until post-harvest, when maggots crawl out of the fruit and become obvious in processed or fresh fruit sales.

Life Cycle: The adult blueberry maggot begins to fly in June or July, and continues through August. After

a pre-oviposition period of at least a week, during which the female feeds and mates, they move into blueberry fields to begin laying eggs. A mated female

BY CHRISTELLE GUÉDOT, UW-MADISON ENTOMOLOGY AND JANET VAN ZOEREN, UW EXTENSION


MaggotBlueberry

Blueberry maggot adult (above) and wing pattern comparison to apple maggot (below).

(Photos courtesy of Rufus Isaacs, Michigan State University and Cesar Rodriguez-Saona, Rutgers University, respectively)

Blueberry maggot larva in a blueberry.

(Photos courtesy of Rufus Isaacs, Michigan State University)


will lay a single egg under the skin of the fruit and can lay up to 100 eggs in nearly ripe blueberries during her approximately month-long life span. The blueberry maggot egg hatches within a week. Damage generally first appears in mid-July, and continues until blueberries have been harvested. Each maggot feeds entirely within a single blueberry during its two- to three-week development. After completing development, the larva drops to the ground and overwinters as a pupa in the upper few inches of soil.

A distinctive characteristic of the blueberry maggot is that, although most pupae emerge the following spring, completing one generation per year, some will remain underground for 2 or 3 years. For this reason, spraying to control blueberry maggot one summer will not necessarily eliminate your population for the next season, as there will often still be some pupae in the soil to emerge the following summers.

Scouting Suggestions: Scouting should begin several weeks before blueberries begin to ripen (usually in early June). Commercially available yellow sticky cards, along with a feeding attractant (ammonium acetate or ammonium carbonate), can be placed at a rate of 2 traps per 5 acres. Yellow sticky cards will be most effective if folded in a V-shape with the yellow side facing down. Ideally, these should be checked daily until first detection. The feeding attractant is not specific to blueberry maggot and there may be many other species of fly present on the card. For this reason, it is helpful to bring a hand-lens or magnifying glass when you check traps.

Following first detection, you can also test the fruit directly for infestation rates. To do so, collect approximately

100 berries from throughout your planting, and then spread the berries on a screen above a tray of sand. After four or more hours, you can strain through the sand to find the mature larvae that have dropped down from the berries to pupate. Alternatively, you can break the skin of the berries and mix the berries with a salt-water solution, which causes maggots to float out of the berries.

Control: Some cultural control methods can help prevent blueberry maggot infestations. These include:

• Removing weeds in the blueberry patch, as these can provide habitat for blueberry maggot.

• Removing wild blueberry and huckleberry alternate-host refuges near your plantings.

• Harvesting thoroughly, and solarizing or freezing any damaged or unsalable fruit. Never compost crop waste without first solarizing it, as blueberry maggot pupae can survive in the compost and infest crops in future years.

• Being careful to clean soil away from any equipment or honeybee hives that are moved between blueberry farms, so as not to introduce blueberry maggot pupae in the soil.

Chemical control is recommended if you find on average three or more blueberry maggot flies per trap per week. In general, spraying should begin about a week after the first blueberry maggot flies appear in your traps, and should continue every 7 to 10 days through harvest. Some of the reduced risk chemistries, such as Novaluron, Spinetoram, and Spinosad, are most effective when used as soon as flies

are found in the traps.

Because you will need to spray while berries are ripe, it is especially important to pay attention to the pre-harvest interval when choosing which chemistry to use. Additionally, it may be beneficial to choose an insecticide that also shows efficacy against spotted wing drosophila. Some insecticide classes that are effective against both blueberry pests include spinosyns, carbamates, and organophosphates. As always, it is recommended to rotate IRAC chemical classes to delay insecticide resistance, and to consider the effects on non-target and beneficial insects. Please check the 2017 Midwest Fruit Pest Management Guide for full product recommendations. If you suspect that you have found blueberry maggot in your blueberry plantings, please contact the University of Wisconsin-Madison/Extension Insect Diagnostic Lab at (608) 262-6510, [email protected] or http://labs.russell.wisc.edu/insectlab/contact-us/.

A blueberry maggot trap.

(Photos courtesy of Rufus Isaacs, Michigan State University)


2017 Wine is Wisconsin Wine Competition organized by UW-Madison Department of Food Science• Best Wine of Wisconsin: Door 44 Sparkler 2015 by Parallel 44 Winery and Vineyard

• Best Fruit Wine or Mead of Wisconsin: Honey Crisp Apple Harvest by Apple Barn Orchard and Winery

• Best Cider of Wisconsin: Bois Brule Hopped Cider 2016 by White Winter Winery

• Best Red Wine: Marquette 2016 by Danzinger Vineyards

• Best White Wine: Frontenac Blanc by Parallel 44 Winery and Vineyard

• Best Dessert Wine: Ice Wine 2015 by Parallel 44 Winery and Vineyard

Gold Medal Winners not already mentioned:

• White Blends: Ballet 2016 by Dancing Dragonfly Winery

• White Blends: Campus Craft White 2016 by Wollersheim Winery & Campus Craft

• LaCrescent: Lindy 2015 by Dancing Dragonfly Winery

• Method Champenoise: Cheers by River Bend Winery

2017 Wisconsin State Fair Wine Competition• Best of Show/Best Wisconsin Wine: Frontenac Blanc by Parallel 44 Winery and Vineyard

• First Time Exhibitor Excellence Award: SoLu Estate Winery & Meadery

• Best Label/Marketing: Fresh Strawberry and Estate Honey by SoLu Estate Winery & Meadery

Gold Medal Winners not already mentioned:

• Best of Division/Blush/Rose: Pink Door 2016 by Door 44 Winery

• St. Pepin: Blue Moon by Parallel 44 Winery and Vineyard

• Best of Division/Frontenac Blanc: Frontenac Blanc by Parallel 44 Winery and Vineyard

• LaCrescent: Double Gold LaCrescent by Parallel 44 Winery and Vineyard

• White Blends: Double Gold Campus Craft White by Wollersheim Winery

• Best of Division/White: Double Gold 44 White by Parallel 44 Winery and Vineyard

• Best of Division/Ice Wine: Double Gold Icewine by Parallel 44 Winery and Vineyard

• Best of Division/Red Berry Fruit: Double Gold Sweet Cherry by Spurgeon Vineyards and Winery

• Any Other Fruit: Cran Rhuby by DnA Vintners

• Other Non-Grape/Non Fruit: Rhubarb Wine by DnA Vintners

Congratulations to all the award recipients!

State Wine Competition

These wineries/wines were the winners in the:Winners

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Buy / Sell / HireFor Sale:

• 1995 Ford F700 24 ft van body loading dock height 132,000 miles $8,000

• John Deere 4020 Diesel Wide front end power shift, excellent condition $13,000

• John Deere 2240 Diesel $5,500• John Deere 15 foot rotary hoe $300• Knowles 12 foot springtooth worked 30 acres $1000• Befco 8 foot sickle mower excellent condition $2500• Knowles 16 foot springtooth with leveler $600• Assorted vegetable bins• Massey Harris 7 ½ foot plow disc $300• 12 ½ foot International Vibra Shank excellent condition $600• JD rotary hoe 15 foot $300

Call (920) 915-9773 or email [email protected]

For Sale:Consider buying Mature Blueberry Bushes and have 5 to 8 pounds of blueberries next Summer from each bush! Blueberry bushes for sale for transplanting Fall 2017 or Spring 2018. The bushes are in 8th year of growth (plus 2 year old plants from DeGrandchamp Nursery, planted in 2009). Commercial blueberry farmer retiring and selling approx 1,500 bushes of winter hardy varieties: Patriot, North Blue, Superior, Polaris, Chippewa, and Northland. Highbush varieties (about 30 each): Bluegold, Blueray, Bluecrop, Spartan, Nelson, Draper, Duke, Toro, Berkley, and Bonus. Late Varieties: Liberty, Aurora (66 each) and Elliot (33). All very healthy, well maintained, and well pruned. Used fertilizer and sulfer organic products. Skid Steer can assist with digging them up at this farm. $10 each. Willing to sell any combination or total lot. Located in Menomonie, Wisconsin. Photos available on Facebook at Blueberry Hills Farm Wisconsin. Call Mandy Klosterman at (651) 303-3372 or [email protected]

Wanted:Small to medium scale sorting, cleaning, packing machine. Looking for water dump or gentle dry bin dumper, brushes, drying, size sorting, packing tables. Small orchard looking to pack around 3000bu/yr. Let me know what you want to sell. Call or text Rami Aburomia at (608) 333-1866

News BriefsFragrant chemical found to control pestsMay help control spotted wing drosophila fly, brown marmorated stink bug

A scent that petunias and snapdragons release to attract pollinators may be an environmentally friendly control for pests like the spotted wing drosophila fly (SWD) and the brown marmorated stink bug.

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) chemist Aijun Zhang discovered the fragrant chemical methyl benzoate, which is also a popular ingredient approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in foods, cosmetics and shampoo, can kill these insects and others.

Few choices are available for controlling SWD, which is an invasive species from Asia. It has quickly spread across the United States and can cause significant damage to fruit crops, especially berries.

Zhang, who is with the ARS Invasive Insect Biocontrol and Behavior Laboratoryin Beltsville, Maryland, points out the possibility of a new bio-based pesticide—especially one based on an inexpensive chemical whose residue lasts a relatively short time in the environment—is exciting.

Recently, Zhang was granted a patent for insecticide use of methyl benzoate. ARS is seeking a company to license the technology and bring commercial products to market.

Originally, Zhang was identifying volatile compounds in apple juice that attracted fruit flies. Compounds found in rotting apples and other fruits usually attract flies. He found one compound—No. 19—strongly repelled SWD, and later showed it killed them as well. Compound No. 19 turned out to be methyl benzoate, with its characteristic wintergreen-spicy, floral-fruity aroma.

Methyl benzoate proved to be 5 to 20 times more toxic to eggs of brown marmorated stink bug, diamondback moth and tobacco hornworm than a conventional pyrethroid insecticide, a sulfur and pyrethrin mixture, or some organic products currently on the market.

Next, Zhang will test methyl benzoate’s effectiveness against mosquitoes, fire ants, gypsy moths and stored-product insect pests. All of these insects are developing resistance to standard pesticides.

Zhang is also investigating whether low doses of methyl benzoate could control Varroa mites, the No. 1 problem of managed honey bees today.

You can read more about this research in the June 2017 issue of AgResearch magazine.

For more information contact Kim Kaplan, ARS Office of Communications.

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News BriefsMidwest Specialty Crop ProducersThe Midwestern Regional Climate Center, the USDA Midwest Climate Hub, and National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) are partnering to determine data needs and develop additional tools, educational resources and other information for producers to better adapt to a variable and changing climate. Changing climatic conditions are having a wide ranging impact on agriculture in the Midwest including changes in crop yields, season length, and soil health.

To meet these changes, we will host several workshops with specialty crop producers and extension staff to determine specific data and tool needs as well as climate change education needs this coming winter. To decipher what specialty crop producers are currently using, and to facilitate the adaption and creation of new tools, the following survey has been created to help gather information. From the results of this survey, we will be inviting producers to workshops in December, 2017.

Please visit http://mrcc.isws.illinois.edu/events/SpecialtyCrop/index.html for more information and printable PDFs of our goals and objectives and the survey.

Driftless Wisconsin Wine & Cheese Trail LaunchThis new collaboration between the state’s renowned dairy industry and its growing wine industry invites travelers to visit estate wineries and local creameries, tasting wine and sampling cheeses that have received national and international acclaim. The Trail is made possible through a matching Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin Grant through the WI-DATCP.

The Trail is comprised of these businesses located roughly between Madison and La Crosse. The route provides a tour of the stunning natural beauty of Southwest Wisconsin’s Driftless Area, even more beautiful in autumn as the rolling hills glow with fall colors.

• Baraboo Bluff Winery, Baraboo• Arena Cheese, Arena• Branches Winery, Westby• Carr Valley Cheese, LaValle• Rock N Wool Winery, Poynette• Cedar Grove Cheese, Plain • Spurgeon Vineyards and Winery, Highland• Organic Valley, Cashton• Weggy Winery, Muscoda• Pasture Pride Cheese Cashton• Wollersheim Winery & Distillery, Prairie du Sac• Westby Creamery, Westby

• Vernon Vineyards, Viroqua• Nordic Creamery, Westby

Travelers can visit these locations year-round, but will receive a special welcome on Trail Event Weekends when each business will be open from 10 – 5 pm and will offer activities such as tasting specials, discounts, entertainment, tours, etc.

For additional information about the activities at each location go to www.driftlesswinecheesetrail.com. The Trail Weekends are free to attend; normal tasting fees and other fees may apply. Two Trail Event Weekends are scheduled for next year: April 13, 14 & 15, 2018 and October 12, 13 & 14, 2018.

Part of what makes this trail particularly interesting is that the participating businesses range from small- to medium-sized family wineries and creameries to Organic Valley, a $1B international organic co-op. Each has a unique story to tell and unique products to sample. The Trail offers multiple options for award winning cheeses including organic cheese and goat cheese. Wineries too offer an outstanding range of products – created from estate-grown cold-climate grapes and other fruits. Wines range from dry, oaked red wines to sweet white dessert wines, with many delicious options in between.

More information about the Trail can be found at driftlesswinecheesetrail.com and Facebook.com/driftlesswinecheesetrail. The Trail office is located at E6796 Old Line Road, Westby WI 54667. Phone (608) 634-9463; email [email protected].

Enhancing PollinatorsThe University of Wisconsin is conducting an assessment to determine practices currently being used in Wisconsin to enhance pollinators. We will use this information to direct further research and outreach efforts. Pollinators are defined as any animal that visits flowering plants and transfers pollen from flower to flower, thus aiding plant reproduction. Wisconsin based pollinators include bees, butterflies, moths, flower flies, beetles, wasps and hummingbirds. In Wisconsin, pollinator-dependent crops account for over $55 million in annual production, but at the same time Wisconsin has been at risk for honey bee colony loss. In April of 2016, Wisconsin produced the Wisconsin Pollinator Protection Plan (https://datcp.wi.gov/Documents/PPPComplete.pdf) which helps guide plans and practices for Wisconsin landscapes. Questions developed for this assessment are based on this Plan.

We are asking you to provide information into this assessment which should take about 20 to 30 minutes. Link to the assessment can be found at: https://uwmadison.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eUUzWXJkB2MwOIB

Please contact Deana Knuteson ([email protected]) for any questions.



211 Canal RoadWaterloo, WI 53594

PRSRT STDUS Postage

PAIDMerrill WI

54452Permit No 24

Business Directory

Nourse Farms, Inc.Nate Nourse, Sales Director

41 River Road, South Deerfield, MA 01373

Ph: 413-665-2658 Fx: 413-665-7888EMail: [email protected]

www.noursefarms.comThe Best Berry Plants.

Free Catalog and Plasticulture Guide

To Advertise:

To advertise in Fresh Magazine, call

(920) 478-4277

2018 Wisconsin Fresh Fruit & Vegetable

ConferenceJANUARY 21 - 23

at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells

See the latest schedule at www.wffvc2018.info