Report From The Great Lakes Expo

The Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable & Farm Market Expo offers a host of learning and networking opportunities, leaving even the most efficient of trade show-goers wishing they could be two places at once.

One of the educational sessions focused on exploring tree fruit innovations for the future and featured a panel of four members of the Young Growers Alliance (YGA). The YGA was initially organized by two Penn State Cooperative Extension educators and has grown to include approximately 100 members from several states. YGA members tour growing operations all over the world in search of the latest ideas and innovations. Most members are between the ages of 18 and 35.

The panelists were asked which innovation has caught their eyes most in their YGA travels. Across the board they agreed that although it’s more of a business principal than actual technology, the willingness to embrace change is paramount. One panelist pointed to a specific example of a grower who had grown nothing but kiwi and was in the process of tearing out its very last kiwi bush to replace all its acreage with new, more profitable fruits. The take-home message? Don’t be afraid to try new things. It might be just what you need to do to stay ahead.

One of the specific technologies panelists mentioned included hail nets, common in New Zealand, where growers don’t have crop insurance. Although they’re costly, they provide protection from hail, sunburn, and birds, as well as offer increased water efficiency.

Other innovations mentioned were electric-powered platforms with solar panels, and Darwin peach thinners, likely to become even more important as chemical thinners have the potential to be gradually phased out.

Another popular session focused on codling moth management in apples. Larry Gut from the Entomology department at Michigan State University shared some tips for effectively controlling this pest. According to Gut, an effective management program starts with a foundation of mating disruption.

In his research, Gut found that hand-applying seemed to be the most effective method, compared to aerosol emitters and sprayable capsules. In addition, whole-farm disruption is the best approach for controlling codling moth.

For real-time highlights from the show, follow associate editor Ann-Marie Vazzano on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AnnMarieVazzano.