Mark Bolda wins NARBA award

Mark Bolda, University of California, farm advisor was presented with a Distinguised Service Award at the North American Raspberry and Blackberry Association Annual meeting in Portland. Although Mark works in CA, he has been an asset to the entire US caneberry industry. To see a story on his award go to:

http://www.growingproduce.com/article/32989/berry-organization-honors-swd-expert?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=AFG%20eNews%20Feb%2013%202013%20(1)&utm_content=

Mark presented a great talk "Caneberry CSI: Figuring out your mysterious problems in the  field" at the meeting. To see the example of the field work that was a basis for his talk, check out his blog:

http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8288

NARBA 2013 Pre-conference tour

In the picture above, taken at the NWREC, canes are trained in an "Arc-Cane" to the I trellis. This is the type of system that is used for their fields that are mechanically harvested. 

Last week the North American Raspberry and Blackberry Association (NARBA) held it annual meeting in Portland, OR. Prior to the meeting, Drs. Chad Finn and Bernadine Strik took 3 busloads of berry enthusiasts to the North Willamette Research and Extension Center (NWREC) and local farms.  We took a look at several research trials including an organic blackberry trial that is part of a large federally funded OREI grant, an organic blueberry trial, and Dr. Finns strawberry and caneberry breeding trials. More on the tours in a later post, for now, here are some amazing stats...

Collectively Oregon, Washington and British Columbia (Canada), produce most of the processed caneberries you eat in your jams, jellies, yougurts, ice cream and as those whole frozen berries.  Most of the raspberry production is in Washington and British Columbia, while Oregon has more blackberry production.

According to National Agricultural Statistics Service, in Oregon in 2011 there were:

1,200 acres of red raspberries, valued at $6,400,000. The majority of the production (5,000,000 lbs) was used for processing.

1,100 acres of black raspberries, valued at $5,510,000. The vast majority of this crop is also used in the processing industry.

There are 7,900 acres of blackberries, and about half (4,000 acres) are Marion(black)berries, the primary variety used for processing. The value of the blackberry crop in OR is $43,000,00.

Marionberry has been the primary blackberry used for the processing market for many years. However, the new cultivar, from Dr. Finns program, Black Diamond, is increasing in popularity.

NC Commercial Blackberry and Raspberry Growers 6th Annual Meeting

Sixth Annual NC Commercial Blackberry and Raspberry Growers Association Meeting

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Agenda:

9:45-10:15…..Registration

10:15-10:20…..Opening Remarks and Welcome. Daniel Shires, NC Cooperative Extension

10:20-10:50…..Labor Issues and E-Verify for NC Growers.  Bert Lemkes, Van Wingerden, Mills River, NC

10:50-11:35…..What YOU Need to Know about Labor Laws and Regulations. Beth Rodman; Agriculture Safety Officer; NC DOL

11:35-12:05- Caneberry Fertility. David Lockwood. University of Tennessee.

12:05-1:15…..Lunch, Trade Show, and NCCBRGA business meeting

1:15-1:35….. Caneberry Pruning Techniques. David Lockwood. University of Tennessee

1:35-2:00….Grower Panel on Pruning

2:00-2:30- Insect Update.  Hannah Burrack, Small Fruit Entomologist; NCSU; Raleigh, NC

2:30-3:00- Older Caneberry Plantings-what to do now.  Gina Fernandez; Small Fruit Specialist; NCSU; Raleigh, NC.

3:00-Adjourn

Cleveland County Extension Center

130 S Post Rd

Shelby, NC 28152

For more information contact:

Daniel Shires

Area Agent, Agriculture

daniel_shires@ncsu.edu

(704) 482-4365

WInter Caneberry Checklist

Blackberry and Raspberry Seasonal Checklist
Winter 2012-13
Gina Fernandez, Small Fruit Specialist
North Carolina State University

This checklist was originally developed for blackberry growers in North Carolina. Many of the items apply to raspberry production as well. You may have to adjust your work activities either earlier or later depending on your location. For more detailed information, check the Southern Region Integrated Bramble Management Guide and the Southeast Regional Bramble Production Guide at: http://www.smallfruits.org/SmallFruitsRegGuide/index.htm.

Check the items off as they get done. This list is very general, but should help get you to think about what types of activities occur at various times of the year. If you would like other items to be added to this list, send them to me and I will add them next time.

WINTER
Plant growth and development
√ Plant is not visibly growing during the winter months although many blackberries will retain their leaves through the winter
√ Some differentiation is occurring in the flower buds
√ Low chilling cultivars can break bud in January after adequate winter chilling. You can monitor chilling hours accumulated in eight states in the eastern US by accessing this site: http://www.nc-climate.ncsu.edu/cronos/blackberry/index.php

Pruning and trellising
√ Pruning should occur in late winter.  However, in some areas winter ice storms can do tremendous damage to plants and trellis systems. If you produce blackberries in one of these areas, pruning can take place early winter to help avoid severe damage.
√ Make trellis repairs after plants have defoliated but before pruning and training.
Erect types
√ Prune out the spent floricanes
√ Tie canes to wires in a fan shape
√ Cut lateral branches back to 8-12”
√ Thin canes to 6-8 canes/ hill (4 ft spacing)
Trailing types
√ prune out spent floricanes
√ tie or weave canes to wire so that they do not overlap
√ prune side laterals to 12-18”
√ thin canes to 6-8 hill (6-8ft spacing)
Primocane fruiting raspberries and blackberries
√ Prune (mow) primocane fruiting types to ground level

Weed control
√ Many summer weed problems can be best managed in the fall and winter using preemergent herbicides. Determine what weeds have been or could be a problem in your area. Check with local extension agent for cultural or chemical means to control these weeds.

Insect and disease scouting
Check the Southern Regional Bramble integrated Management Guide for recommendations. www.smallfruits.org

√ To learn more about the spotted wing drosoplila and how it may impact your fruit in 2013, check out Hannah Burrack blog, she has lots of links in addition to her blog posts
√ Scout fields for insect and disease damage and remove those canes
√ Remove wild blackberries and raspberries by the roots if they are within 600 ft of your planting during the winter or treat with glyphosphate in the autumn
√ Apply liquid lime sulphur or Bordeaux for disease control before new buds are 1/8”

Planting
√ Take soil tests to determine fertility needs for spring plantings.
√ There are some new raspberry and blackberry cultivars available in 2013. If you have not tried them or it is not know how they will do in your region, it is best to order a small quantity to see how well they will perform in your area
√ For larger growers, prepare list of cultivars for 2014 plantings and order now. Smaller quantities of plants can be order in early 2013 for spring 2013 planting
√ A commercial small fruit nursery list at http://www.fruit.cornell.edu/berry/nurseries/

Water management
√ Make repairs to irrigation system (check pumps, lines, etc)
√ Plants generally do not need supplemental water in winter

Marketing and miscellaneous
√ Order containers for next season
√ Make contacts for selling fruit next season
√ Attend grower meetings:
o The 2013 North American Raspberry & Blackberry Conference Meeting
√ January 27-30, 2013 in Portland OR. http://www.raspberryblackberry.com/local.cfm?doc=webdocs%2FNorthAmericanBerryConference2013.htm
o 2013 SE Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference
√ Jan 10-13, Savannah GA
http://www.seregionalconference.com/
o The North Carolina Commercial Blackberry and Raspberry Growers Association
√ Feb 19, 2013.  Shelby NC. For more information contact Daniel_Shires@ncsu.edu or Josh Beam <josh.beam@dole.com>

NOTE: NC Cooperative Extension will be taking over the Blackberry and Raspberry Information Portal in early 2013. The site will have essentially the same material, but a new look. Links will be provided from the old site to the new site.

***This information (originally written by me) also appears in the latest SRSFC newsletter******

Twilight Tour Henderson Co.

There will be a Twilight Tour TOMORROW evening in Henderson County.

Location: 284 Jacobs Apple Lane Hvl. Take Ext 49A, Hwy 64E off I-26 toward Edneyville, Right on Pace Rd (stop light at intersection), go -1/4 mil. take left on Lark Rd. (church on left) go 200 yds., take right on Jacobs Apple Lane. This is the new Reiter Farm. They are affiliated with the Driscoll Company.
We will start at 6:00PM. 

Hannah Burrack will be discussing insects pests including spotted wing drosophila
Gina Fernandez will be discussing managing plantings in a reduced crop year, diseases that have been diagnosed this spring, white drupelets, and ?

Sorry for the late notice, I just got the directions late yesterday. 

Frost 2012 damage to blackberry crop

I was able to visit blackberry growers earlier this week in Western NC.  The current situation is very complicated. I saw a lot of flowers and buds with blackened centers (Figure 1). The center part of the female part of the flower, (technically the pistal), it is attached to the receptacle. Both of these flower parts form the blackberry fruit that we eat, and....both were damaged.

Temperatures. Temperatures dipped to 25-27 F degrees and stayed there for 4-6 hours depending on location the first night, but temperatures likely varied due to location as was evidenced in variation in the amount of damage we saw. (In 2007, it got to 20 F and was widespread across the entire state, damage was severe and killed the entire fruiting shoot).

Crop stage and location. According to most growers, the crop was about 2 weeks early, so all cultivars were well ahead of their normal schedule and many were flowering.   Natchez was at or near full bloom and Ouachita had some open flowers and many flowers that were at popcorn stage. Navaho was behind with just a few open flowers. However, these stages varied depending on the location of the field, location within the field (higher spots had less damage), and location within the canopy (upper wire had more damage than lower wire). 

Crop damage. Damage ranged from very little to severe depending on the location  and cultivar.  In some cases, just the king flower was dead (Figure 2). In other cases, flowers only in the upper portion of the canopy were damaged. I estimate that in some severe situations, there was 80-90% damage and in others only 30-40% damage. 

As I mentioned above and in earlier posts, the 2007 freeze killed the entire primary shoot and the secondary buds emerged and were able produce a crop. However, this year only flowers were damaged, the primary shoots are still viable and they will likely remain attached to the canes. This will likely inhibit the growth of the secondary buds and the crop that they would produce. 

Figure 1. Blackberry flower after 2012 frost. Photo courtesy of Amy Lynn Albertson.

Figure 2. Navaho fruiting shoot. Area circled shows king fruit dead, but subbordinate flowers are viable. 

What to do this year? There are a couple of options, these are some that come to mind at this time.

• You could just wait and see what happens, some buds lower on the primary shoot may not have sustained damage as is seen in figure 2. They will produce fruit, in general the tips of the shoots have the most fruit, often 3-5, while lower down the shoots, only one fruit per node is produced. 
• Prune off primary shoots. You would have to do this close to the cane, but be careful not to prune or damage the 2nd bud (leave approx 1/4 inch). This MAY allow the secondary buds to develop.
• Prune out the entire canes, removing all the dead flowers and the canes that they are attached to. 
• In all cases, maintain a fungicide program, in the first two scenarios, you will have more dead tissue out there that will be susceptible to disease infection.  

Future? Wind machines or helicopters may help if inversions are present. Helicopters or wind machines are often used in peach orchards and grape vineyards. When inversions are present these machines are able to mix the air,  bringing the warmer air down and mixing it with the cooler air, and keeping the temperatures above lethal stages. 

We are also evaluating a movable trellis. This trellis can shift positions. So when it gets cold, the trellis can be laid down and row covers can be placed over the entire row. Finally, we can hope that we are not 2 weeks early in the upcoming years. The earliness of this years crop really elevated the amount damage we saw.

Video of Southside Farms on TV

Hi Folks, Here is the video that was mentioned in the previous post about Southside Farms. I tried to post just the segment of interest, but the whole episode comes up. The segment on the Southside Farms starts at about 6:30. I have worked with the Hardings for many years and helped them move from tobacco to fruit and vegetables. They have a retirement community within a few miles of the farm. The retirees (mostly northerners) are very devoted customers. For those of you from not around these parts, you may enjoy watching the entire video to see some of the other wonders of North Carolina. Enjoy!

Watch the full episode. See more NC Weekend.

NC Blackberry Farmer featured on UNC TV this weekend

Southside Farms will be featured on the UNC TV show, North Carolina Weekend tonight at 8:30 and tomorrow morning.  Southside Farms grows all sorts of produce, including blackberries. The show airs tonight at 8:30 and again tomorrow morning.  For those of you outside the viewing area, the show will be online soon (next week?) at http://www.unctv.org/ncweekend/.  Woot!