In this Issue:
GUEST ARTICLE
Food Alliance - IPM at the State Fair!?!
VEGETABLE NEWS
GRAPE NEWS
STRAWBERRY NEWS
APPLE NEWS
WEB SITES
| Vol 2 No.13 | August 22, 2005 |
Food Alliance – IPM at the State Fair!?!
Ray Kirsch, Midwest Certification Coordinator for Food Alliance., 651-653-0618, ray@foodalliance.org
As many producers know, a strong IPM program pays dividends. It also takes a lot of work. What are the dividends for this work? Well, they certainly include saving money. If you don’t have to apply a treatment to your crops, you save money. They also include managing risks. If you know what’s happening in your fields, you have a better chance of avoiding losses.
A third dividend is getting paid for using IPM. Farms that certify their use of IPM – either through Food Alliance or organic certification – have a means to connect with consumers willing to pay a premium price for local, environmentally friendly foods. Certification makes this connection easy. Certainly IPM, which can be a complicated concept, benefits from the education and marketing efforts related to certification.
But even if you’re a producer who is using IPM and working hard to “get paid” through certification, you’ll be surprised when I tell you that IPM is hitting the big time – at the Minnesota State Fair. That’s right. On August 30 th, fair-goers will have an opportunity to taste local, Food Alliance certified foods prepared by local chefs. The event is a way to highlight the good work that local producers are doing (including IPM) and the delicious foods that they’re growing. The event is called Minnesota Cooks, and it’s sponsored by Food Alliance Midwest and Minnesota Farmers Union. You can read more about Minnesota Cooks at: www.landstewardshipproject.org/pr/05/newsr_050801.htm
At first, going to the state fair to get producers paid for IPM might seem over the top. But where better to connect with consumers about certification and IPM? And who better to help you get paid for IPM than local chefs who can make your products shine? In short, it’s an ideal combination.
So, if you’re thinking about expanding the dividends that IPM can deliver to your farm, consider Food Alliance certification. You’ll be saving money, reducing risks, and getting paid to boot. And it certainly helps to have the state fair and local chefs working for you. Unlikely IPM supporters you say? Not anymore.
To learn more about Food Alliance’s work with local Twin Cities’ restaurants, see: www.landstewardshipproject.org/pr/05/newsr_050802.htm
Editors note: This article and issue of the MN Fruit and Vegetable IPM News is sponsored, in part, by Food Alliance Midwest with support from USDA – Risk Management Agency. As with all sponsors, reference to products or services mentioned in this publication is not intended to be an endorsement to the exclusion of others which may be similar.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Co-Editors: Bill Hutchison (hutch002@umn.edu), Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, Jeanne Ciborowski, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Ag. Resources Management and Development Division, and Suzanne Wold-Burkness (woldx018@umn.edu), Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota
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., Wednesday 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/
Partial funding for this publication is provided through partnership agreements with the Minnesota Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (MFVGA) and the United States Department of Agriculture – Risk Management Agency (RMA). These institutions are equal opportunity providers.
DISCLAIMER
Reference 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.
The University, including the Minnesota Extension Service, is an equal opportunity educator and employer. ©1999-2005 Minnesota Extension Service, University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. Contact copyright@extension.umn.edu for information on reproduction or use of this material.