Fruit ICM News

In This Issue:

Calendar
Winterizing Equipment
Mulching Strawberries
Apple Assistance Conference Agreement
H-2A Legislation
Korean Fuji Apple Imports
Wholesale Fruit Prices

Calendar

February 7-9, 2001: Ohio Fruit Growers Society Congress, in conjunction with the Ohio Vegetable and Potato Growers Association and Ohio Direct Marketing Association, in Toledo. Wednesday - general sessions, trade show opens, tree fruit marketing & cider sessions. Thursday - breakfast & society business meeting, tree fruit session, trade show, joint tree fruit and roadside marketing session, cider session, general sessions. Friday - tree fruit session, general sessions. More information will follow at a later date.

January 29-31, 2000: Indiana Horticultural Congress. For more information, contact Mario Morales at (765) 494-0342.

February 19 - March 4, 2001: New Zealand Fruit Tour Fully Subscribed: There has been a good response to the tour and all spots are filled. They have 31 people signed up. If you would like to go but haven't sent your name in, you are welcome to be wait listed in case someone cancels. To those who have registered, look for an information packet in the mail in about 2 weeks time. If you have any questions, call Peter Hirst at (765) 494-1323.

Winterizing Equipment

Freezing temperatures are just around the corner. Sprayers and irrigation equipment should be winterized soon. Temperatures about 28 degrees F or below can cause significant damage to equipment. Drain all water from lines and follow manufacturer's recommendations on winterizing pumps.

Mulching Strawberries

If you haven't already done so you should make arrangements for your mulch supply now. Strawberries are typically mulched with clean wheat straw; clean meaning that it does not contain excessive weed or wheat seeds. Any straw is suitable as long as it is heavy enough to resist blowing off in the wind and is free of troublesome weeds. Some growers grow their own rye crop for mulch. When harvested in the soft dough stage it contains very little seed capable of germination. A good rule of thumb is that it takes 1.5 to 2 tons of straw per acre of strawberries.

Mulch should be applied after several hard freezes in the high 20s have occurred over a short period of time (a week or two). This usually occurs in mid to late December. Once these freezes occur strawberry plants will be completely dormant. It is important not to mulch too early because the plants need the exposure to cold and shortening day length to properly harden off for winter. On the other hand you want the mulch on before any sub-zero temperatures occur.

Apple Assistance Conference Agreement

The Agriculture Appropriations Conference Committee agreed to a final version of the fiscal 2001 agriculture spending bill during the first week of October, which includes $100 million in market loss assistance for apple growers and $38 million in crop loss assistance for apple and potato growers.

The House of Representatives and Senate are both expected to approve the conference agreement later this week. Although the White House has expressed several objections to the bill, President Clinton is expected to sign it into law.

The following is a brief description of the conference agreement's apple assistance provisions.

Market Loss Assistance:

• The Secretary of Agriculture will use $100 million of Commodity Credit Corporation funds to make payments to apple producers.
• Payments will be made on a per pound basis equal to each producer's 1998 and 1999 production of apples.
• Growers will establish eligibility for the payment based upon either crop year or an average of the two years.
• Payments will be made on that amount of a farm's production that does not exceed 1.6 million pounds (roughly 40,000 bushels).

It is anticipated that USDA will need to craft and publish a formal administrative rule in the Federal Register, conduct a sign-up for apple growers, and calculate the per pound payment for each producer before distributing any funds.

Crop Loss Assistance:

The Secretary of Agriculture will use $38 million of Commodity Credit Corporation funds to compensate apple and potato producers for quality losses to either or both their 1999 and 2000 crops due to fireblight or weather-related disaster, including but not limited to a hurricane or hail.

• Growers will be eligible for these payments regardless of whether they harvested their crop.
• Payments will be made to the extent that the producer received no other compensation or assistance for the loss under any other federal program, other than the federal crop insurance program.

Again, it is anticipated that USDA will have to craft and publish a formal administrative rule in the Federal Register, conduct a sign-up for apple growers and calculate the payment for each producer based upon the overall amount of losses claimed before distributing any funds.

Please contact US Apple at (800) 781-4443 if you have any questions or require additional information.

Editor's Note: Documentation of crop loss will be important to establish your eligibility for assistance. Be sure to maintain records as well as photographs of affected trees.

H-2A Legislation

Negotiations continue among House and Senate members and key staff representing growers and farm worker advocates to reach an agreement that can be attached to a year-end legislative vehicle. So far, major reforms of the H-2A program (including reforms to the program's wage standard, the so-called Adverse Effect Wage Rate, or AEWR) as well as proposals to allow currently illegally-documented workers to gain legal work status are still under discussion. The product of these discussions would most likely to be attached to the Commerce, Justice, State appropriations bill (H.R. 4690).

At the same time, congressional leaders and representatives of the White House are actively discussing how immigration issues will be resolved in the context of the Commerce, Justice, State appropriations bill. The White House, at the urging of Senate democrats, is insisting that amnesty for certain Nicaraguan, Guatemalan, and Liberian nationals; adjustment of green card filing deadlines; and other immigration-related issues be included. Congressional leaders are insisting that H-2A reform be part of any deal to move the Commerce, Justice, State appropriations bill.

You are encouraged to contact your members of the House and Senate and request them to urge House and Senate leaders to ensure that H-2A reform is included in the immigration package that will be a part of the Commerce, Justice, State appropriations bill. Be sure to include your name, address and telephone number on any correspondence. Additional contact information may be discovered by viewing each member's web site through http://www.house.gov or http://www.senate.gov. Some members without public e-mail do accept messages from their web sites.

Korean Fuji Apple Imports

USDA has reopened the comment period on a recent proposal to ease requirements for Korean Fuji imports. The proposal would eliminate the current cold treatment and fumigation requirements to kill harmful tree fruit pests before Korean apples are exported to this country. US Apple believes the proposal lacks the necessary scientific justification to ensure that U.S. production will not be seriously harmed by the potential introduction of exotic pests from Korea. In addition, USDA's proposal fails to address the possibility that Chinese Fuji apples will be shipped to Korea, relabeled, and re-exported to the United States. Chinese apple imports are presently prohibited by the United States.

Finally, Korea prohibits U.S. apple imports and would impose a 47 percent duty if U.S. apples were allowed entry. Korea refuses to lift its ban on U.S. apples despite our industry's repeated attempts to address that country's alleged quarantine concerns. Meanwhile, Korean apples would enter the United States duty-free. This is not fair trade!

USDA will likely implement its proposal to ease the requirements for Korean apples unless it receives an overwhelming number of complaints from America's apple growers. Apple industry members are urged to submit their comments by the October 23rd deadline.

Instructions for comments:

• Comments must be received by October 23.
• Comments should refer to Docket No. 97-065-1.
• Include three copies along with your original comments.

Additional industry information is available via the Northwest Horticultural Council's website at http://www.nwhort.org/nhcpositions.html.

A copy of the Federal Register notice can be viewed on the Internet at:

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/rad/webreport/html.

For more information, please contact USApple at (703) 442-8850 or Dennis Hannapel, Phytosanitary Issues Management Team, Plant Protection and Quarantine, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA, 4700 River Road, Unit 140, Riverdale, MD 20737-1236, (301) 734-4308.

Terminal Market Wholesale Fruit Prices
October 12, 2000

Ted W. Gastier
Extension Agent, Agriculture
Tree Fruit Team Coordinator
Ohio State University Extension Huron County
180 Milan Avenue
Norwalk, OH 44857
Phone: (419)668-8210
FAX: (419)663-4233
E-mail: gastier.1@osu.edu

Copyright © The Ohio State University 2000

All educational programs conducted by Ohio State University Extension are available to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, gender, age, disability or Vietnam-era veteran status.

Keith L. Smith, Associate Vice President for Ag. Adm. and Director, OSU Extension.

TDD No. 800-589-8292 (Ohio only) or 614-292-1868