Project Plans FY09

Sustainable Tree Fruit Production and Marketing

Project Leader: Jon Clements

Participating Staff:

• Jon Clements

Participating Faculty: 

• Wes Autio, Plant, Soil and Insect Sciences
• Dan Cooley, Plant, Soil and Insect Sciences
• Duane Greene, Plant, Soil and Insect Sciences

Project Year: 2009

Brief Description

Fruit farms and orchards add significantly to the quality of life in Massachusetts and New England. The most obvious contribution is to open space through their scenic and historic vistas, while regular consumption of fruits leads to better human health. In addition, lands surrounding agricultural production provide buffer zones for ecosystem management, often providing important open space for native species of plants and animals and corridors for their movement or expansion.

For fruit farms in Massachusetts to maintain their economic viability and environmental sustainability, farmers must continually strive to improve production efficiency, expand species diversity, explore marketing opportunities, understand farm ecology, and evaluate profitability. The UMass Extension Sustainable Tree Fruit Production and Marketing Project provides ready access to current research information on new and alternative species and varieties, advanced horticultural management techniques, marketing and business management strategies, pest-ecology, and pest-management procedures. Research programs in the physiological management of vegetative growth, fruit growth, and post-harvest changes can give farmers important tools necessary to increase production efficiency while enhancing fruit quality. Important studies of pest ecology and control techniques provide approaches to pest management that optimize pest control, reduce chemical use and increase fruit quality. A successful partnership between Massachusetts fruit producers and UMass Extension will foster a more secure, diverse and healthful food supply for the Commonwealth.

Activities

• Write, edit, and publish 'Healthy Fruit' Newsletter
• Maintain and update UMass Fruit Advisor website
• Develop, coordinate, and teach 2007-08 MassAggie Seminars
• Growing season twilight meetings
• Grower visits/consultations
• Write, edit, and publish Fruit Notes
• Tree fruit research/demonstration projects at UMass Cold Spring Orchard,
• Publish and chapter editor for 2009 and 2010 New England Tree Fruit Management Guide
• Tree fruit research/demonstration projects at grower orchards
• Write and publish Best Management Practices for orchards
• Revise and publish updated Apple Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Manual

Inputs: Time and Effort

Outcomes:

This Project will document progress towards the following:

• Fruit growers will implement Good Agricultural Practices and Best Management Practices to avoid food-borne illness
• Fruit growers will implement up-to-date practices and standards for Integrated Pest Management in orchards.
• Participants adopt practices that ensure the economic viability of natural resource-based businesses.
• Participants develop and market locally generated products and services more effectively.
• Participants will adopt practices that lower the risk from and exposure to pesticides and fertilizers.

This project is a part of the Agriculture & Landscape program