August 2022 - 1

University of Arkansas
prepares for fruit
breeding leadership
transition
High-Tech Tools
2022
8
10
Tech helps growers
produce better
blueberries
13
John Stanley to share tips
and tricks to becoming a
farm market expert
during Great Lakes EXPO
August 2022 | Volume 61 |
Issue 8
Grower innovations
displayed in IFTA
Summer Tour
Washington orchard tours focus on
apples, pears and cherries
Don Armock, managing partner with Riveridge Produce Marketing in Sparta, Michigan, views gala apples during a stop on the IFTA tour. Photos: Doug Ohlemeier
By Doug Ohlemeier
Assistant Editor
At the International Fruit Tree
Association's (IFTA) 2022 Summer
Tour, participants gained insights into
effectively growing apples, cherries
and pears.
During the July 17-20 tour, industry
participants visited Columbia River
Basin fruit growers who told them how
they're more efficiently growing tree
fruit, including using netting to protect
from sunburn and promote
even coloring.
At a Premier Honeycrisp orchard
at McDougall & Sons Inc., east of
Wenatchee, participants learned the
benefits and drawbacks of orchard
netting. After trying several different
netting configurations, McDougall
settled on a netting system that can be
quickly opened and closed with less
labor. He started with a netting system
that required numerous aerial work
platforms and deployment time.
While definitely reducing culls lost
to sunburn, it required too much time
and labor to retract the system and
delayed fruit color considerably, often at
See IFTA TOUR, page 5
Mark Longstroth, a 'wealth of knowledge'
for Michigan blueberries, honored
By Gary Pullano
Senior FGN Correspondent
Lauded for his eagerness to help
growers and the knowledge that helped
elevate the Michigan blueberry crop,
Michigan State University (MSU)
Extension small fruit educator Mark
Longstroth was honored for his
contributions over almost three decades.
The July 5 reception in Grand
Junction, Michigan, was part of National
Blueberry Month activities. The event
was at True Blue Farm, operated by
Dennis and Shelly Hartmann, who
is chairwoman of the U.S. Highbush
Blueberry Council (USHBC).
Rex Schultz, president of the Michigan
Blueberry Advisory Council (MBBAC),
presented Longstroth with the inaugural
Michigan Blueberry Service Award.
Michigan Sen. Aric Nesbitt, and Beth
Griffin and Pauline Wendzel from the
Michigan House of Representatives gave
Longstroth a tribute plaque that saluted
his 25 years of service to the Michigan
blueberry industry.
Longstroth has advised fruit growers
on pest control and cultural practices
to maintain healthy and profitable fruit
plantings. His most recent focus was
on blueberries, cranberries and other
small fruits. He has worked with grapes,
apples, cherries, pears, plums and other
tree fruits and has more than 40 years of
experience in fruit production.
Known for conducting regional
educational meetings for fruit growers
in southwest
Michigan,
Longstroth has
given numerous
presentations
on site selection,
mineral nutrition,
fertilization,
cultural practices
and insect and
disease control
for fruit crops. He
has been invited
to make presentations in other states,
MARK
LONGSTROTH
See LONGSTROTH, page 6

August 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August 2022