Northern Utah Conventional Peach Orchard Costs and Returns, 20 Acres, 2015

This publication contains average costs and returns for establishing and maintaining a 20-acre peach orchard in Northern Utah. Unless otherwise indicated, information in this publication is based upon grower surveys and pricing data collected in 2014. The establishment and operating costs are meant to be “representative” of a Utah peach orchard, but should be adjusted where necessary to reflect individual situations. Site selection, peach variety, pest management and other practices will also affect the establishment and operating costs of an orchard and should be considered by the producer

APPLE INDUSTRY STRATEGIC PLANNING AND INTEGRATION WITH UNIVERSITY RESEARCH

Agribusiness,

Demonstrating a Perimeter Trap Crop Approach to Pest Management on Summer Squash in New England

Perimeter trap cropping (PTC) involves using a trap crop, and possibly other border defenses, to encircle and protect the main cash crop like fortress walls. Six growers in Connecticut used PTC to protect commercial summer squash plantings from cucumber beetles and bacterial wilt damage. Grower surveys were used to compare PTC program results to the conventional multiple-full-field-spray system formerly used on the farms. Most growers using PTC stated that this system improved and simplified pest control, reduced pesticide use (93%) and crop loss, and saved them time and money compared to their conventional program

Improving Winter Grain Yields, Quality, and Nitrogen Use Efficiency Using Adaptive Management

Small grains have gained importance in New England agriculture over the last decade due to expanding demand for local sources for food and feed. Growers are particularly interested in grains that are planted in the fall (winter wheat, spelt, triticale, rye) because they provide numerous rotational benefits, produce high yields, scavenge residual soil nitrogen (N), and protect the soil from winter erosion. Recent grower surveys indicate that N fertility management is a key production challenge for winter grains, which involves providing enough N at the right times to optimize yields and, in the case of bread wheat, grain protein. Readily available N applied at planting is subject to over winter losses via leaching and volatilization; and mineralization of organic N sources is difficult to predict and lags behind crop demand in the early spring. The goal of this project is to develop an adaptive N management strategy to improve N-use efficiency, reduce environmental N losses, and increase revenue for winter grain production. The adaptive N procedure uses early season tiller counts to determine N needs of the wheat crop. This approach is used successfully in other humid regions of the U.S. and has shown promise in local preliminary trials. On-farm trials are being conducted to develop this new N management tool for New England grain farmers. Therefore, in April 2014, the University of Vermont Extension- Northwest Crop and Soils Program established an on-farm trial at Four Star Farms in Northfield, MA

Shifts in herbicide use, tillage practices, and perceptions of glyphosate-resistant weeds following adoption of glyphosate-resistant crops

A survey was conducted by phone to nearly 1,200 growers in six states (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, Nebraska, and North Carolina) in 2005. The survey measured producers’ cropping history, perception of glyphosate-resistant (GR) weeds, past and present weed pressure, tillage practices, and herbicide use as affected by the adoption of GR crops. The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of GR crop use on producers’ tillage practices; changes in herbicide use patterns after adoption of a GR crop; effect of grower awareness of GR weeds on sources of information growers’ use; and growers’ perceptions on resistance management based on knowledge of GR weeds in their farming operation. The adoption of GR cropping systems contributed to large increases in the percentage of growers using no-till and reduced-till systems. Tillage intensity declined more in continuous GR cotton and GR soybean (45 and 23%, respectively) than in rotations that included GR corn or non-GR crops. Tillage intensity declined more in the states of Mississippi and North Carolina than in the other states, with 33% of the growers in these states shifting to more conservative tillage practices after the adoption of a GR crop. This was in part due to the lower amount of conservation tillage adoption in these states prior to GR crop availability. With respect to herbicide use patterns, frequently used herbicides for fall applications were 2,4-D and glyphosate; these herbicides were often used for preplant, burndown weed control in the spring. As expected, crop rotations using GR crops had a high percentage of respondents that made one to three POST applications of glyphosate per year. Overall, glyphosate use has continued to increase, with concomitant decreases in utilization of other herbicides. Concerning grower awareness of GR weeds and perceptions of resistance management in 2005, the majority of the growers (88%) were aware of a weed’s potential to develop resistance to glyphosate, while 44% were aware of state-specific, documented cases of glyphosate weed resistance. Growers that have had experience with GR weeds were more knowledgeable about resistance management practices that could be used to mitigate them

Agricultural Weed Assessment Calculator: An Australian Evaluation

Weed risk assessment systems are used to estimate the potential weediness or invasiveness of introduced species in non-agricultural habitats. However, an equivalent system has not been developed for weed species that occur in agronomic cropland. Therefore, the Agricultural Weed Assessment Calculator (AWAC) was developed to quantify the present and potential future adverse impact of a weed species on crop production and profitability (threat analysis), thereby informing or directing research, development, and extension (RDE) investments or activities. AWAC comprises 10 questions related primarily to a weed’s abundance and economic impact. Twenty weed species from across Australia were evaluated by AWAC using existing information and expert opinion, and rated as high, medium, or low for RDE prioritization based on total scores of 70 to 100, 40 to <70, or <40, respectively. Five species were rated as high (e.g., Lolium rigidum Gaud.), eight were rated as medium (e.g., Conyza spp.), and seven were rated as low (e.g., Rapistrum rugosum L.). Scores were consistent with the current state of knowledge of the species’ impact on grain crop production in Australia. AWAC estimated the economic or agronomic threat of 20 major or minor agricultural weeds from across Australia. The next phase of development is the testing of AWAC by weed practitioners (e.g., agronomists, consultants, farmers) to verify its utility and robustness in accurately assessing these and additional weed species

A MARKETING SYSTEMS APPROACH TO REMOVING DISTRIBUTION BARRIERS CONFRONTING SMALL-VOLUME FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GROWERS

Industrial Organization, Marketing,

What Is the Value of Wild Bee Pollination for Wild Blueberries and Cranberries, and Who Values It?

Pollinator conservation efforts and growing interest in wild bee pollination have increased markedly in the last decade, making it increasingly important to have clear and practical estimates of the value of pollinators to agriculture. We used agricultural statistics, socio-economic producer surveys, and agronomic field research data to estimate traditional pollination value metrics and create novel approaches to the valuation of the ecosystem services provided by wild pollinators. Using two regionally important United States (USA) crops—Maine wild blueberry and Massachusetts cranberry—as models, we present the perceived values of wild bee pollinators from the perspectives of both consumers and producers. The net income attributable to wild bees was similar for wild blueberry ($613/ha) and cranberry ($689/ha). Marginal profit from incrementally adding more hives per ha was greater from stocking a third/fourth hive for cranberry ($6206/ha) than stocking a ninth/10th hive for wild blueberry ($556/ha), given the greater initial responsiveness of yield, revenue, and profit using rented honey bee hives in cranberry compared with wild blueberry. Both crops’ producers were willing to annually invest only $140–188/ha in wild pollination enhancements on their farms, justifying government financial support. Consumers are willing to pay ≈6.7 times more to support wild bees than producers, which indicates a potential source for market-based subsidies for invertebrate conservation

RISK MANAGEMENT POTENTIAL OF PRECISION FARMING TECHNOLOGIES

Initial ideas on risk management uses of precision agricultural technology focused on site-specific treatment of problem areas to reduce the probability of low yields and returns. Recent discussions deal with sensor and remote-sensing information to improve marketing and "as applied maps" as trace-back mechanisms to manage liability. A theoretical model is presented that suggests that there are plausible circumstances under which precision farming can reduce temporal yield variability. Empirical evidence from an on-farm trial of site-specific P&K management in the Eastern Cornbelt supports the hypothesis that precision farming can have risk-reducing benefits.food safety, GIS, GPS, crop insurance, marketing, precision farming, site specific management, risk, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Risk and Uncertainty,