In early 2015, a blueberry workshop will be held for Washington growers!
The planning is underway for the blueberry workshop for Washington blueberry growers. The workshop is geared toward organic production, but growers from all production systems are welcome! Most of the techniques covered are applicable to any system- organic, conventional, no-spray, biodynamic, you name it! So far on the itinerary, we have:
- A first-hand report of managing mummy berry on a large-scale organic farm
- A talk on mummy berry biology, environmental factors, and controls
- A talk on weed management on farms
- A discussion of spotted wing drosophila
- A discussion of other blueberry diseases including: Botrytis, Pseudomonas syringae, and silver leaf
For the discussions, grower questions will drive the direction of the conversation. So if you have any questions on diseases of concern, management, or specific symptoms you’ve noticed on your crop, come prepared to ask away!
In other news…
New Publication Coming in 2015!
I’m currently working on a publication intended for small-scale organic blueberry growers in the Pacific Northwest, although the included control tactics can be applied to all blueberry production systems. It briefly describes the mummy berry disease cycle and organic methods available for mummy berry control organized by the season in which you would implement them!
This will be especially helpful to any growers who have been unable to make it to our workshops or growers who attended, but would like to have a copy of the content with more detail and presented in an easily-accessible format.
It will include plenty of color photographs, diagrams, and tables to help you create a disease management regime that works for you! I’m hoping to have it finished and available online by early 2015!! And possibly, a Spanish version may be made available later in 2015. I’ll keep you posted!
