In this Issue:
VEGETABLE NEWS
APPLE NEWS
STRAWBERRY NEWS
Field Days
NOTE: THERE WILL BE 2 MORE ISSUES OF THE NEWSLETTER, AUGUST 30th AND SEPTEMBER 13th.
| Vol 1 No. 13 | August 16, 2004 |
FIELD DAYS
Fall Field Day: Organic Strawberry Production and Small Scale Strawberry Production in Alexandria
From the “Specialty Crops Management Newsletter,” August 2004 by Thaddeus McCamant, Northland Community & Technical College, Detroit Lakes, MN
The annual Specialty Crops Fall Field Day starts at 9:30 on Saturday, September 11 near the beautiful central Minnesota city of Alexandria.
The field day will start at Wilson's Organic Strawberries south of Garfield. Laura and Brian Wilson have been working with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture to study the feasibility of certified organic strawberry production in Minnesota. Brian and Laura will talk about their three years of hard work, weather troubles and the experience of certifying organic. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture's Sustainable Agriculture and IPM program is cosponsoring our time at Wilson's farm.
Next, we will travel to Walker's Berry Farm just north of Villard. Jeff and Cynthia Walker have been successfully growing one to two acres of strawberries for many years. Jeff and Cynthia started with Dell's cut and dried flower program, and they still raise and sell flowers in addition to strawberries. Jeff has an encyclopedic knowledge of ornamental horticulture and has used his knowledge to create some stunning perennial beds in addition to his cut flower beds. We will have a meal at Jeff and Cynthia's.
Directions to Wilson's:
- Take the Garfield-Lowry exit 6 miles west of Alexandria on I-94. Go north 1/2 mile to Sethney Lane. Take a left on Sethney Lane and drive to the top of the hill.
Directions to Walker's:
- From West: Take main Alexandria exit onto MN 29. Drive South 4 miles and take a left on Cty Hwy 4. Hwy 4 ends on Cty Hwy 27. Take a right. Drive 2 1/2 miles to 110th St (gravel road). Turn left.
- From East: Take Sauk Centre Exit from I-94. Go east on MN 28 to Villard. Turn N on Cty 28. Take a left on the gravel road where the Cty 28 curves to right.
Horticulture Day Open House: “Revitalizing Minnesota’s Rural Economy with Horticulture”
From Dr. Dave Wildung, University of MN
North Central Research and Outreach Center (NCROC)
1861 E Hwy 169, Grand Rapids, MN
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Continuous Tours: 2 pm to 5 pm (Wagon ride and Walking tours) including strawberry and blueberry culture, high tunnel vegetables, and much more!
No admission charge
Questions, call: 218-327-4490
Web site for NCROC: http://ncroc.coafes.umn.edu/
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSCo-Editors: Bill Hutchison, Department of Entomology,
University of Minnesota, hutch002@umn.edu
Jeanne Ciborowski, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Ag. Resources Division,jeanne.ciborowski@state.mn.us
Suzanne Wold-Burkness, Department of Entomology, University of
Minnesota, woldx018@umn.edu
The Newsletter is published weekly from May through August, cooperatively, by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and the University of Minnesota (U of MN). Reports are posted on the U of MN and MDA web sites on Fridays. If you have suggestions and/or comments, please send your contributions by 4 p.m., Tuesday to Jeanne Ciborowski, 651-297-3217, jeanne.ciborowski@state.mn.us , MDA, 90 W. Plato Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55107-2094. You can access the Newsletter at the U of MN web site in htm. format at: www.vegedge.umn.edu/MNFruit&VegNews/mnindex.htm and at the MDA web site in pdf. format at: www.mda.state.mn.us/biocon/fruitreports/default.htm
Partial funding for this publication is provided through partnership agreements with the Minnesota Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association and the United States Department of Agriculture – Risk Management Agency (RMA) and the RMA Community Outreach and Assistance Partnership Program. These institutions are equal opportunity providers.DISCLAIMER
References to products in this publication is not intended to be an endorsement to the exclusion of others which may have similar uses. Any person using products listed in this publication assumes full responsibility for their use in accordance with current manufacturer directions.
Last Revised August 13, 2004.
The University, including the Minnesota Extension Service, is an equal
opportunity educator and employer. ©1999-2004 Minnesota Extension Service,
University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. Contact
copyright@extension.umn.edu
for information on reproduction or use of this material.