- Michigan Apple Industry
Works on Pest Management Strategic Plan
Associate Editor
Leaders in Michigan’s apple industry met on June 28 in Clarksville to begin the preparation of a document that will identify regulatory, research and educational needs of the Michigan apple industry over the next five–10 years. Present at the meeting were growers, shippers, packers, chemistry company representatives and Extension staff. The meeting was facilitated by Wilfred Burr, entomologist from the USDA and hosted by the Michigan Farm Bureau.
Pest management programs will need to increasingly rely on new chemistries and other selective tactics rather than broad spectrum insecticides, according to Larry Gut, assistant professor of tree fruit entomology at Michigan State University (MSU) who put together a working draft for the pest management plan.
Burr has facilitated 14 similar meetings with commodity groups around the country. “We were under pressure to do something along the transition line,” said Burr. He said he usually likes to spend one day and a half in the meetings. Representatives in Michigan spent four hours to cover codling moth, the major pest in apples and will give input by mail and e-mail for the remaining 12 pests listed before a final document is prepared by MSU.
Those at the meeting rated the effectiveness of organophosphates, chlorinated hydrocarbons, carbamates, synthetic pyrethroids and other chemistries used in Michigan on codling moth.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is in the process of re-registering pesticides under the requirements of the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA). This entails examining dietary, ecological, residential and occupational risks posed by the use of certain pesticides, according to the report.
Burr said the final report prepared by the Michigan apple industry will hopefully be used by the EPA before they make decisions on specific pesticides.
“Most important would be that EPA would look at it. It might inspire them to expedite registrations,” said Burr. The report will identify priorities and critical needs. “Registrants can look at this and decide may be there’s a niche market to fit this. The report might identify future markets for registrants,” said Burr.
Burr said one commodity group used a pest management plan to apply for and receive $100,000 in grant monies. USDA will hopefully use this document for future research funding.
Burr said he likes to get input from the growers first. “In 99% of cases growers’ wishes, desires and priorities match what the industry comes up with. The industry is not as fractured as one might think,” Burr said.
Burr said many commodity groups, such as carrots in Michigan, plan to put the document on the USDA web site. Some Michigan apple industry representatives expressed their reluctance to put the document on the Web. “There was some hesitation whether nor not they want to lay the whole deck on the table. It would open up the industry to scrutiny,” Burr said. Burr said he favors putting the document on the Web but others are concerned they may be misquoted by environmental groups.
The U.S. Apple Association (USApple) plans to coordinate two reports, one for the states east of the Mississippi River and one for states west of the Mississippi. Burr said he feels it is also important for individual states to create their own reports because of the various peculiarities of growing apples in each state.
Apple producing states in the Mid-Atlantic/Appalachian and Southeast and the Northwest have already gone through this process, according to Burr. Jay Brunner, from Washington State University helped put together the Northwest Pest Management Strategic Plan with input from apple industry leaders in Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho and Utah.
“The report is being used by apple industry leaders to set priorities for research. It also formed the basis for competitive grants submitted to the Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service (CSREES),” said Brunner. A copy of the Northwest report by e-mail can be obtained by accessing an order request at http://opus.tfrec.wsu.edu/regstrat.html.
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