FAQ: Covid 19 for U Pick and Farmers Markets

NCSU has prepared FAQ infosheets for U Pick and Farmers Markets.
  
"THE GOOD NEWS COVID-19 is not a foodborne illness. It is extremely unlikely that someone will catch it through eating. The virus is most likely to cause illness through respiratory transmission, not eating. The routes to be concerned about include being in very close proximity to many people or coming in contact with high touch surfaces." (Quote from infosheets below)

Links with other information specific to U Pick and Farmers Markets:

https://foodsafety.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Farmers-Market_COVID-19_031320.pdf?fwd=no

https://foodsafety.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/U-Pick-Farms_COVID-19_031620.pdf?fwd=no

Additional Resources can be found at:

https://foodsafety.ces.ncsu.edu/covid-19-resources/

Blackberries buds vulerable to cold

Temperatures early Sunday morning may be low in blackberry fields in western NC. Remember that the killing temperature for a blackberry bud is 27-28F.  Check your buds Sunday afternoon or Monday. Damage will look like this. The darkened center of the bud shows that the receptacle has been damaged and no fruit will develop from the bud. The smaller bud on the right, has no darkened center and it will produce fruit.

Blackberry production in NC is on the charts!

This is a great article reviewing the growth of the blackberry over the past 10 years and how NC fits in over a season.

Mexico and California dominate the markets, but the SE has its role. I find it interesting that GA has a single peak in production, while NC is steady over its season (3rd chart in the article link below).


https://www.freshfruitportal.com/news/2019/07/02/blackberries-in-charts-california-leads-impressive-category-growth/

Thirteenth Annual NC Commercial Blackberry and Raspberry Growers Association Meeting

Thursday February 13, 2020

Bladen County Extension Office Auditorium

450 Smith Cir #N8, Elizabethtown, NC 28337
NOTE LOCATION IS ELIZABETHTOWN

Agenda:
8:30-9:00	Registration
9:00-9:10	Opening Remarks and Welcome-Ethan Lineberger, NCCBRGA President
9:10-9:45	Controlling Broad mites in Blackberries and Exirel Update-Dr. Hannah Burrack, NCSU
9:45-10:15	Short and Stout: Vegetative Growth Management in Blackberry- Dr. Tom Kon, NCSU (ZOOM)
10:15-10:30	BREAK
10:30-10:50	Public Varieties Update-Karen Blaedow, NC Extension-Henderson Co.
10:50-11:10	Double Crop Fertility Trial Findings-Dr. Kristin Hicks, NCDA
11:10-11:30	Pest Management Strategic Plan (PMSP) Update-Dr. Sara Villani, NCSU
11:30-12:00	NCCBRGA Business Meeting
12:00-1:00	Lunch and Vendor Visits
1:00-1:10	A Word from our Sponsors
1:10-1:25	On Farm Readiness Review Program-Sarah Cope, Outreach Coordinator, NCDA&CS
1:25-1:40	FSMA Inspections and Produce Safety Rule Overview-Allison Pitts, Produce Compliance Officer, NCDA&CS
1:40-2:10	Blackberry Fertigation-Jeremy Barnes, Helena Chemical
2:10-2:30	Leaf Sampling for Nutrient Management and Building a Great Spray Program-Alan O’Neal, Coastal AgroBusiness
2:30-2:45	New Legal Requirements for Using Paraquat-Daniel Shires, NC Extension-Cleveland Co. You are invited to attend the thirteenth annual NCCBRGA meeting. As always we have an interesting and educational program scheduled. The meeting will be held in the Bladen County Extension Auditorium at 450 Smith Cir #N8, Elizabethtown, NC 28337 on February 13.  In order to plan for the meal, you will need to RSVP by Friday, February 7 by calling 704-482-4365. If you have any questions, need directions or if you would like to sponsor the meeting, feel free to call. There will be a $20 registration fee per person for the meeting. We will also be collecting, 2020 NCCBRGA annual membership dues. NCCBRGA membership dues are $50 per farm. These monies are vital to the continued success of the association and its members. Your membership dues allow us to have annual production meeting in addition to field days. The monies also support various research and academic projects. In addition, make sure to thank and visit our numerous sponsors, which will be set up in the back of the auditorium! I look forward to seeing each of you at the meeting.

Blackberry Pruning Workshop

In collaboration with Caswell County Cooperative Extension, there will be a Blackberry Pruning and Care Class on January 22, 2020.  The class will be hosted by the folks at the Caswell Blackberry Farm in Prospect Hill, NC. See the invitation above for more details. Come join Daniel Ostrowski, Caswell County Extension agent and Gina Fernandez, NCSU Extension Specialist at the Caswell Farm. Wear warm clothes and BYOP (Bring Your Own Pruners).

North American Raspberry & Blackberry Association 2018 Raspberry & Blackberry Pricing Survey

The North American Raspberry and Blackberry Association conducted a pricing survey in 2018 of their members. More than 140 people responded from 7 regions of the country including the SEUS. In addition to pricing, they asked about production practices, years of production, acreage and more. Here is a link to that survey. 

https://www.raspberryblackberry.com/wp-content/uploads/2018-Raspberry-and-Blackberry-Pricing-Survey-Report-public.pdf

Thanks to NARBA for letting us share this data. 

Blackberry growers and industry stakeholders we need your help!

The blackberry industry has changed dramatically in the past 15 years. The research and Extension community wants to be proactive in meeting the needs of this growing industry. Dr. Margaret Worthington, University of Arkansas, is heading up a USDA funded project that is gathering the concerns and priorities of growers and stakeholders. A first step is to collect information in the survey below. The following  paragraphs are from a letter that Margaret has asked us to share. Please take some time during these next few weeks to fill out this short survey. -GF

You are invited to participate in a short 10 minute survey of U.S. blackberry growers and related industry professionals (nurseries, supplies, shippers, marketers, industry associations etc.) in order to help us improve awareness of the current status and needs of the U.S. blackberry industry. The data from this survey will help determine priorities for future research and breeding efforts. This survey is funded by a USDA-NIFA Specialty Crops Research Initiative planning project that seeks to 1) assess national blackberry production, identify challenges, and predict future trends and 2) engage stakeholders from diverse production regions to identify priorities for breeding, research, and extension.

Your answers to these questions will be kept confidential to the extent allowed by law and University policy and will not be reported in a way that identifies you or your specific farm or organization. Patterns and themes across groups of blackberry industry stakeholders will be reported to help identify gaps or bottlenecks where additional resources could benefit the blackberry community. You must be at least 18 years old to participate in this research. Participation is completely voluntary; you have the right to say no, or to change your mind at any time and withdraw. You may choose not to answer specific questions or to stop participating at any time. Participants who complete the survey before February 1, 2020 can chose to participate in a random drawing of three Amazon gift cards (one valued at $50 and two at $25) at the end of the survey. 

For questions about the survey research or assistance in accessing and completing the survey, please contact the project director, Margaret Leigh Worthington, mlworthi@uark.edu, 479-575-2122.  English and Spanish versions of this survey are available on paper. Please email or call Margaret Worthington to request a hard copy of the survey in English or Spanish. 

Stakeholder involvement is critical for the success of this project.  Thank you in advance for your participation!  

Here is a link to the survey: 

https://uaex.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6lG17QzdNt99qVT