October 2008 Regional Fruit Grower Newsletter

MICHIGAN SWEET CHERRY SUMMIT: EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR VARIETIES, ROOTSTOCKS, AND MARKETS FOR THE MICHIGAN SWEET CHERRY INDUSTRY
N.L. Rothwell, District Horticulturist

We will be hosting a Sweet Cherry Summit at the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Station on November 11, from 8:00-5:00 p.m., to discuss a roadmap for the Michigan Sweet Cherry Industry. We invite all sweet cherry growers, processors, and handlers to attend. The following information provides some insight for the meeting:

The MSU sweet cherry horticultural research subcommittee met in the spring to discuss the renovation of sweet cherry variety evaluation methodologies and priorities for Michigan’s sweet cherry industry. The following issues were seen as important issues for such an intensive workshop:

Michigan grows approximately 7,500 acres of sweet cherries (NASS Statistics, 2006), and ~97% of this is processed, mainly for brining (light sweets) and canning/freezing (dark sweets). Fresh market sweet cherries are primarily used for local or farm markets, pick-your-own, and very limited regional wholesale markets, but interest is increasing. Fresh market cherries may return high values but also have higher production inputs and labor requirements.

Historically, new sweet cherry varieties for Michigan have originated from three primary locations: 1) regionally important public breeding programs, 2) imports from foreign countries, and 3) identification of chance seedlings by growers. The only surviving public sweet cherry breeding program in the U.S. is the resurrected program at Washington State University, which is directed by the Washington industry. One hundred percent of this program is dedicated to fresh market production with an arid climate adaptation focus. The same is true of the Summerland (Canada) breeding program, which is directed by the British Columbia fresh sweet cherry industry. The cherry breeding program at Cornell University, which had both fresh and processing components as well as eastern climate adaptation, has been disbanded other than for evaluation of existing progeny.

Private sweet cherry breeding programs in the U.S. exist only in California, and again the concentration is on fresh market with an arid (and low-chilling) climate adaptation focus. To safely import new cherry varieties from foreign countries is often prohibitively expensive, where costs can be as high as several thousand dollars per variety. Identification of high quality chance seedlings remains a rare occurrence and one that is not a reliable method of finding new varieties. Consequently, the Michigan sweet cherry industry is at a crossroads regarding how to identify and evaluate new cultivars, particularly those for processing use in Michigan. In addition, identification of specific priority traits currently is needed in order to meet existing and/or future needs.

Growers of fresh market sweet cherries in the eastern U.S. increasingly are planting on dwarfing and semi-dwarfing, precocious rootstocks for earlier production and more efficient use of labor. Growers of processing varieties can use more vigorous rootstocks, but greater precocity is desirable to bring trees into bearing, and hence profitability, more quickly. Rootstocks that impart reduced size or earlier cropping can sometimes require dramatic changes in orchard management, and cultivar interactions with rootstocks can further alter successful adaptation of orchard strategies. To ensure continued success in Michigan orchards, new rootstock evaluations are a cherry research priority that goes hand in hand with adoption of new cultivars.

Sweet cherry variety and rootstock field research traditionally has been conducted at the NW Station (Rothwell), Clarksville Station (Lang), and the SW R&E Center (Shane), with the NW Station having the largest collection. These site variations and areas of personnel expertise have provided advanced information more rapidly and efficiently by discovering optimal and inferior traits due to frosts, droughts, summer heat and winter cold, rain storms, soil conditions, and insect/disease pressures. The synergy of this three-pronged approach provides Michigan’s cherry industries with greater resources than other states in the eastern U.S. and even more than western states with their narrow focus. Based on Michigan’s sweet cherry history and diversified future, further strategic coordination and joint development of new technological research approaches is justified.

As industry and research priorities have changed in the past decade, Michigan’s sweet cherry producers and MSU research/extension educators need to examine and redefine the industry’s goals and objectives for acquiring and examining new sweet cherry cultivars and rootstocks, as well as appropriate research efficiencies and synergies. The focus of this reassessment must include a clear vision for the direction of Michigan’s sweet cherry industries, including specific types of processing characteristics needed for the future as well as the growing potential for fresh market niches. A sustainable way to fund this type of research should also be a desired outcome.

We propose calling for a ‘Michigan Sweet Cherry Summit’ to develop a roadmap for the future of Michigan’s sweet cherry production. Just as market strategies and choices of cultivars and rootstocks have dramatically changed cherry production in Michigan and other states during the past decade, our sweet cherry producers, processors, and marketers must develop clear targets for adapting to these changes in order to remain competitive. By bringing together established and visionary cherry industry stakeholders with MSU researchers, we believe outcome-oriented strategic discussions will help set research priorities, outreach goals, and tangible partnerships for a more profitable and sustainable future.

Growers that plan to attend this workshop should RSVP with the NWMHRS (231-946-1510) by November 7^th. We hope to see many of you at this important meeting.

The deadline for applying for sweet cherry crop insurance is November 20. As many of you are aware, the old pilot program has been cancelled and a new one has been implemented.  If you are interested and have not applied for sweet cherry crop insurance, you should act now as new information is needed to provide an accurate quote.

Should you have any questions or require additional information, contact your GreenStone Crop Insurance Agent. For the Traverse City office, contact Travis Bratschi, Crop Insurance Specialist, at 946-5710, 944-8704 (cell) or travis.bratschi@greenstonefcs.com.

Recent revisions to the law regulating the registration and reporting of large quantity water withdrawals in Michigan have aroused a bit of concern and confusion. Most of this confusion centers on when certain changes will take place. The following is a simple overview of key dates and timeframes to keep in mind when registering and reporting your agricultural large quantity water withdrawal.

The good news is that if you have the capacity to withdraw 100,000 gallons of water a day (70 gpm), and have already been reporting your water use to the Michigan Department of Agriculture on a yearly basis, the changes in Michigan Water Use Reporting requirements should not affect you. All existing registered uses of waters of the state are essentially "grandfathered in" up to their registered baseline capacity. You will continue to report your yearly water use as before, no later than April 1, 2009, for the 2008 season. The information required is the same but there will be more effort and follow-up to insure that a latitude and longitude is received for all well/groundwater sources, if not previously included in your report(s).

There are several dates to be aware of for those of you who registered or reported for the first time after February 28, 2006, plan to install a new large quantity water withdrawal or plan to increase the capacity of an existing system. A summary of key dates are highlighted below.

If you registered your pump(s) for the first time between these dates you are and will continue to be subject to the definition of Adverse Resource Impact (ARI) that existed in the legislation on February 28, 2006. For this purpose, an ARI is defined as decreasing the flow of a stream, or the level of a body of surface water, such that the stream’s or surface water’s ability to support characteristic fish populations is functionally impaired. As of February 28, 2006, the operation of your pumping system could not cause an ARI to a designated trout stream.

Although these systems fall under this definition of ARI, they are also granted a rebuttable presumption that the new or increasing large quantity withdrawal will not cause an adverse resource impact if 1) the location of the withdrawal is 1320 feet from the banks of a designated trout stream; and 2) the withdrawal depth of a well is at least 150 feet. In such cases, to rebut there must be a preponderance of evidence that a large capacity withdrawal is causing or will cause an adverse resource impact.

The Department of Environmental Quality shall make available to the public for testing and evaluation an internet-based water withdrawal assessment tool. Use of the tool and subsequent approval to install a new withdrawal is not yet required. If, however, you are planning to install a new large quantity water withdrawal system before July 9, 2009, it is to your benefit to consult the tool to determine if a proposed withdrawal falls into a zone that may cause an ARI.

New or Expanding Large Quantity Water Withdrawals registered after this date will fall under the new definition of adverse resource impact. In short, this expands to include impacts on all fish populations based on a formula calculating decreased index flow of a defined surface water type resulting in a percentage reduction in either a characteristic or thriving fish population in that particular surface water. Note that is a very brief synopsis of a complicated definition. For the specific language of this definition of ARI, please consult the legislation (Part 327, Act 451 of 1994, as amended).

One year after the bill was signed by the Governor. This is the date by which the Water Withdrawal Assessment Tool must be fully operational. At this point, if you want to install a New or Expanding Large Quantity Water Withdrawal system you must first consult the tool or receive a site specific determination by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to obtain approval for the location and capacity of the withdrawal.

Once your large quantity water withdrawal is registered with the state, you will continue to report your water use on a yearly basis to the Michigan Department of Agriculture. The due date is April 1 of each year.

If you have any questions about Water Use Reporting for Agricultural Production, please contact Abigail Eaton at 517.930.3006 or eatona@michigan.gov.

IPM School will be a two and a half day event on February 16, 17, and 18. The event will be held at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station in Hickory Corners, Michigan. IPM School will include Dr. Mike Doerr from the Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center at Washington State University. Dr. Doerr has agreed to share his expertise regarding codling moth management. Dr. George Sundin will discuss concerns with antibiotic-resistant strains of fire blight. This year’s program will also feature a section on the importance of secondary pests, particularly as we phase out Guthion. Additionally, many Michigan State University experts and Extension staff will be on hand to present the results of their latest research and answer questions concerning the obstacles facing tree fruit growers today. We are looking forward to another successful program that delivers information you can’t find anywhere else. We hope to see many of you there!

9:00-12:00 – Review of the Core Manual Materials (2 commercial or private recertification credits will be offered)

12:00-1:00 – Lunch on your own

1:00-3:00 – Certification tests will be offered by MDA

There is no cost for the review session. If you will be taking the MDA exam in the afternoon, please have the exam fee(s) on hand. The cost for the private applicator exam is $50 and for commercial $75. The core exam will also be new this year. Please make your check payable to the State of Michigan and bring to the testing session along with your private applicator license.

To help you prepare for the exam, the Pesticide Applicator Core Training Manual can be purchased at your county Extension office or at the NW Michigan Horticultural Research Station. The cost for the new core manuals, (private, E-3007 and commercial, E3008) is $30. Please call Jackie Baase at (231) 946-1510 to register for the event at the NW Michigan Horticultural Research Station. Contact Gloria at the Antrim County office to register for the session at the Bank’s Township Hall at (231) 533-8818.

IRRIGATION WORKSHOP

Dr. Stuart Styles, P.E., D.,WRE
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

Dr. Styles is currently Director of the Irrigation Training and Research Center (ITRC) at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) and is also a professor in the Cal Poly BioResource and Agricultural Engineering Department. He teaches Principles of Irrigation, Hydraulics, and Agricultural Structures Design. His current research interests include emerging electronic flow measurement technologies. Dr. Styles has 20 years of field experience in irrigation as a consultant and engineer, former Chairperson of IA Certification Board of Governors, former member of the Irrigation Association Board of Directors, and in 2004 was awarded the Irrigation Association Person of the Year. Dr. Styles is a Registered Civil Engineer in California and is a Certified Irrigation Designer with BS and MBA degrees from Cal Poly and a Doctorate in Engineering from UC Davis, California.

http://www.itrc.org/faculty/styles.htm

Last Revised: 10-22-08