Fruit ICM News

Volume 4, No. 39
November 24, 2000

In This Issue:

Calendar
Ohio IPM Crop Elements Now Online
New Insurance Pilot: Quality/Premium Losses
FMC to Split Machinery, Chemical Business
Elf Atochem Becomes Cerexa
FTC Clears Spinoffs in Syngenta Formation
Wholesale Fruit Prices

Calendar

December 12: Small Fruit Production School, at the Licking County Extension Office. This school will address the fundamentals in getting the right start in small fruit production and will focus on production issues. Cost will be $12.00 for lunch, refreshments, and handouts. For more information, contact Howard Siegrist at 1-888-838-0219, Extension 6900.

January 8-9, 2001: Kentucky State Horticultural Meeting, for more information contact John Strang, University of Kentucky (606) 257-5685.

January 29-31, 2001: Indiana Horticultural Congress, at the Adams Mark Hotel in Indianapolis. The Congress is for participants; let them know what issues you would like them to address. Check the website often for updates: http://www.hort.purdue.edu and follow the link for Indiana Horticultural Congress.

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.

Ohio IPM Crop Elements Now Online

http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~ipm/element/index.htm

A group of contributing authors, including Celeste Welty, Mike Ellis, Diane Miller, Dave Ferree, Dick Funt, and Doug Doohan; and editor Ted Gastier have created IPM elements for tree fruits. The purpose of these documents is to consolidate current Ohio information on integrated approaches to pest management. One of the intended results is to form a general working definition of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices on specific crops. The second intention is to develop a system of assessing how far growers are along the IPM continuum, and if their operation has adopted enough core practices to qualify them as IPM practitioners under these guidelines.

Growers can use these documents and the six subheadings (Educational IPM Considerations, Soil and Nutrient Management and Cultural Practices, Pesticides and Pesticide Records, Disease Management, Arthropod Management (insects and mites), and Weed Management as a checklist of possible IPM practices. There is a point value associated with every IPM practice; the higher the number, the more important the practice. Growers should count only the points of activities they perform on a crop. The goal is to accumulate 80% of the points in each of the six areas and/or 80% of the total points available, which is simply the sum of the scores from each section (comprehensive).

This document is intended to help growers identify areas in their production system that possess strong IPM qualities and also point out areas for improvement. Growers can attempt to incorporate the majority of these specific techniques into their usual production practices, especially in areas where they fall short of the 80% goal.

New Insurance Pilot Covers Quality, Premium Losses

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved a new apple crop insurance pilot program designed to significantly expand coverage for losses of fruit quality and to reimburse growers at rates more reflective of market prices.

The new program will cover losses of fruit quality due to a variety of natural causes, beyond the current coverage for only hail, wind, or freeze damage. The new program will also compensate growers for losses of higher-valued premium fruit, a distinction the current program does not make.

The pilot program was the result of a collaborative effort between US Apple and USDA. Growers in the pilot program areas in California, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington will be eligible for the expanded coverage of the 2001 apple crop.

FMC to Split Machinery, Chemical Business

FMC Corporation recently announced a strategic restructuring that ultimately would split the corporation into two independent publicly-traded companies: a machinery business and a chemicals business.

The machinery company will comprise FMC's Energy Systems and Food and Transportation Systems businesses. In total, these businesses represent about $2 billion in 1999 sales and more than $160 million in operating profit. The chemicals business, totaling about $2 billion in 1999 sales and more than $280 million in operating profit, will be composed of FMC's specialty and industrial chemicals businesses, as well as its Agricultural Products Group. Within Specialty Chemicals, FMC applies leading-edge technology.

Elf Atochem Becomes Cerexa

As of January 1, 2001, Elf Atochem Agrichemicals Division will become Cerexa, an independent, wholly owned subsidiary of Atofina Chemicals. The division's current management team will operate Cerexa, said Peter T. Bromley, president and chief executive officer. The restructuring enables Cerexa to focus solely on the agricultural market. Cerexa will also have the necessary resources to dedicate itself to serving as a platform for growth through strategic acquisitions that will strengthen its core products, said Bromley.

FTC Clears Spinoffs in Syngenta Formation

The United States Federal Trade Commission has approved a consent decree in connection with the spinoffs from Novartis and AstraZeneca. The two firms have combined to form the new company called Syngenta. The approval follows the agreement of the two companies to divest or license globally certain of their crop protection products, including the sale of the Novartis fungicide Flint to Bayer and the sale of AstraZeneca's acetochlor herbicide products to Dow AgroSciences.

The merger was announced late in 1999 and has had to clear a series of regulatory hurdles that included FTC concerns about antitrust violations.

Confused by these mergers? Check out Herbicide Company "Genealogy" by Arnold P. Appleby, Prof. Emeritus, Crop Science, Oregon State University at http://www.css.orst.edu/herbgnl/descr.html

Terminal Market Wholesale Fruit Prices
November 22, 2000

Chicago http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/HX_FV010.txt
Apples: market about steady
Cartons cellpack New York US Fancy McIntosh 80's 22.00 96's 21.00 Cartons 12 3-lb film bags Illinois US Fancy Jonathan 2 1/4" up 10.00 US One Golden Delicious 2 1/2" up 10.00	Bushel cartons loose Illinois US Fancy Red Del. 2 1/4" up 10.00 US Fancy Jonathan 2 1/4" up 10.00 Michigan - No grade marks Golden Delicious 2 1/2" up 10.00
Detroit http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/DU_FV010.txt
Apples: market about steady
Cartons 12 3-lb filmbags Michigan U.S. ExFcy Red Del. 2 1/2" min 10.50-12.00 Golden Delicious 2 1.2" min 11.00-12.00 Gala 2 1/2" min 13.75-14.50 Rome 2 1/2" min 10.50-12.00 McIntosh 2 1/2" min 12.00-13.00 Jonathan 2 1/2" min 11.50-12.50 Empire 2 1/2" min 10.50-12.00 Idared 2 1/2" min 11.50-12.50 U.S. Fancy Red Delicious 2 1/2" min 10.00 Rome 2 1/2" min 10.00	Bushel cartons loose Michigan US Fancy Red Delicious 2 3/4" up 10.00-12.00 US Fancy Red Delicious 3" min 11.50-12.00 Golden Delicious 2 3/4" up 11.50-12.00 Rome 2 3/4" up few 10.00 3" min 11.50-12.00 Idared 2 3/4" up few 10.00 3" min few 12.00 Cartons cellpack New York US ExFancy McIntosh 100s 17.50-18.00 Empire 100s 17.50-18.00
Pittsburgh http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/PS_FV010.txt
Apples: market steady
Cartons traypack New York U.S. ExFancy McIntosh 100s 22.50 120s fair cond. 10.50 U.S. Fancy McIntosh 80s 13.50 100s 13.50	Cartons 12 3-lb filmbags New York U.S. ExFcy Red Delicious 2 1/2" min 8.50-9.50 U.S. ExFcy Golden Delicious 2 1/2" min 8.50-9.50 U.S. ExFcy McIntosh 2 1/2" min 8.50-9.50 Jonathan 2 1/2" min 8.00-8.50 Jonagold 2 1/2" min. 11.00-11.50 Stayman 2 1/2" min 9.00-10.00

The Ohio Fruit ICM News is edited by:

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

Information presented above and where trade names are used, they are supplied with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by Ohio State University Extension is implied. Although every attempt is made to produce information that is complete, timely, and accurate, the pesticide user bears responsibility of consulting the pesticide label and adhering to those directions.

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

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