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2018 Saskatoon Pesticide Recommendation and Use Restrictions for The State of Michigan

The 2018 Saskatoon Pesticide Recommendation and Use Restrictions for Michigan are now available!  Thank you Dr "Duke" Elsner of Michigan StatRead More...
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2017 Pest Management Information: Weeds, Insects & Unwanted Animal Consumers

POSTED IN For Growers, For Members ON 3/14/2017

Pest Management is an annual challenge for those who love to eat saskatoon berries.  While saskatoons are native to North America, there are several native, as well as invasive, pests that can challenge a healthy harvest.

Saskatoon Pest Management specialist

Dr. Erwin “Duke” Elsner, PhD

Dr. Erwin ‘Duke’ Elsner just released this year’s list of produce-rescuing recommendations, based on Michigan agricultural standards. This includes several organic options. The point of this list is to help growers identify diseases and insects that can damage plants and fruit, and then select responses for each based on the growers preferences and unique conditions.

Part of the effort here is to be very careful to encourage pollinators and other helpful insects. You can find more about how to develop pollinator habitat in our blog posts from last winter.

May you all have more than enough saskatoon berries to enjoy this coming summer!

2017 Saskatoon Disease and Insect Pesticide Recommendations

Saskatoon Fungicides 2017

Saskatoon Herbicides 2017

Saskatoon Insecticides 2017

Northwestern Michigan Orchard & Vineyard Show

POSTED IN Uncategorized ON 1/12/2017

Come join us for the Concurrent Saskatoon Session on Wednesday, January 18th, 2017 at The Grand Traverse Resort and Spa. Our day-long session will include presentations on insects (identifying, impacts and options), pruning, SBINA activities over the last year, and the Novel Berry GREEEN Grant. For more information, check out our calendar post at http://saskatoonberryinstitute.org/events/ and click on the event listed for January 18, 2017.

SBINA’s 2017 Annual Meeting

POSTED IN Uncategorized ON 1/12/2017

Attention members: Our annual meeting will be held on Thursday, January 19th, 2017. You should have already received an announcement via email, so this is a reminder. You can get more detail at http://saskatoonberryinstitute.org/events/  Click on each event to see more information about times, locations and descriptions.

Northern Michigan Small Farm Conference To be Held on Saturday, January 28th, 2017

POSTED IN Uncategorized ON 1/12/2017

The Saskatoon Berry Institute of North America will have a booth at the Northern Michigan Small Farm Conference (http://www.smallfarmconference.com). Along with about 100 other organizations, we are promoting farming as a career (including second careers), and encouraging education and development of peer communication. Come see us on Saturday, January 28th, 2017 at The Grand Traverse Resort and Spa (https://www.grandtraverseresort.com).

Frozen Saskatoons Available in Michigan

POSTED IN For Consumers ON 8/18/2016

If you missed the fresh saskatoon season, you can still get frozen saskatoons in Michigan.

In northern Michigan individuals, chefs, restaurants and food processors can purchase frozen saskatoons at Oleson’s Food Store in Petoskey – 2000 US-31, Petoskey, MI 49770

In southern Michigan restaurants and food processors can purchase frozen saskatoons from Del Bene Produce.

Frozen saskatoons can be used in sauces, vinaigrette, baked goods, ice cream, beverages and or there tasty dishes.

Saskatoon Berries, like many other common foods, contain cyanide

POSTED IN For Consumers, For Members ON 8/9/2016

The topic of cyanide is not often associated with food consumption, but we have received questions from readers, so the following is an effort to pull together Apple Cyanidevarious sources for those interested in learning more. This is not common dinner table conversation material, but if you are interested in this topic, we hope that you will find this helpful.
 
Saskatoons contain cyanogenic glycosides (mostly in the seeds), which can become cyanide. Saskatoons have this in common with a variety of other popular fruits such as apples, cherries, apricots, peaches and plums, as well as lima beans, spinach, soy, barley, flaxseed, cassava, bamboo shoots and almonds. As a non-scientist, the big question in my mind is whether it is present at a harmful level. Many people who have been eating saskatoons for a life time show little concern. Whether their viewpoint is based on knowledge or ignorance is, I suppose, the core question.
 
Peach Nectarine Apricot CherryCyanide gas also exists in cigarette smoke, the manufacture and burning of plastics, and the film development process. We are not aware of any case where these processes have ever resulted in cyanide-based illness, nor do we encourage the general public to experiment with these situations. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention provides some material at http://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/cyanide/basics/facts.asp. This site shares a great deal of content with the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry and the National Terror Alert Response Center.
 
Processed forms of cyanide have been used as deadly poisons at various times in world history. While those consequences should not be ignored or whitewashed, they do not represent cases of ‘accidental’ poisoning. It is true that many common substances, when processed and/or concentrated and/or consumed in vast quantities, can kill, including water.
 
We do not have a nutritionist on staff here, so cannot provide our own authoritative answer regarding the risks involved in eating saskatoons, but others have addressed this question in the past, and we list the sources we know about in this article.
 
Cornell Cooperative Extension in New York had this topic come up, and provided some feedback at: http://smallfarms.cornell.edu/2011/10/03/juneberries-–-they-go-where-blueberries-can’t/ Please note that “Juneberry” is the name that many New Yorkers use for Saskatoons. This article is packed with good information. Arsenic is covered in the comments below the article, particularly in response numbers 17-19.
 
It would appear that the way the cells in the body metabolize cyanide is key. Some sources look to cyanide as a cancer killer, as does this article: http://www.naturalnews.com/035554_laetrile_cancer_cure_cyanide.html Others say that the healthy cells in the body have little to no trouble cleansing out the cyanide consumed in a ‘normal’ daily diet.
 
Cooking can change the chemical equation of cyanide, so the answers for raw and prepared foods are a bit different. The following article, while not written about saskatoons, refers to the relationship between arsenic and heat: http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/food/are-stone-fruit-seeds-poisonous.
 
To date, we are not aware of any otherwise healthy person becoming sick from saskatoons, or apples, or cherries (or any of the other foods listed above), because of naturally occurring cyanide, when they were eating a near normal quantity in their diet.
 
We continue to look for information on this question, and welcome your data-based feedback.

How Rainfast Are Your Applications?

POSTED IN Uncategorized ON 7/22/2016

Growers can take steps to take care of their bushes, but how rainfast are your efforts?

Screen Shot 2016-07-22 at 11.25.26 AMAs growers know, pesticides are a double-edged sword. One wants to provide as much good fruit as possible to customers (who among us likes to eat damaged fruit?) while, at the same time, assuring that the fruit is healthy for consumption. Of course this is not a simple calculation. Atmospheric conditions, including rain, wind and temperatures need to be factored in – a factoring that sometimes needs occur daily as the weather changes.

Then there are the variables for different types of treatments, because not all treatments have the same characteristics regarding weather. And, off course, application methods must be considered, a challenge even for the most experienced.

So here are two resources that you may find helpful in your planning:

Rainfast Characteristics of Insecticides on Fruit from John Wise, Michigan State University Extension, Department of Entomology

Minimum Interval From Application to Rainfall for Post Herbicides provided by Sims Fertilizer and Chemical, Osborne, KS

Have You Figured Out When to Water?

POSTED IN For Growers ON 7/22/2016

It’s Friday, and that means its the day each week when I will water the office plants. Why on Fridays?  Why not?  Of course, I am not building a commercial food empire with the window full of greenery here.

How about you? Do you have a plan for when to irrigate your saskatoons? What is your plan based on?

thumbMichigan State University/Purdue Extension Irrigation Educator highlights resources available for fine tuning your irrigation schedule.

When should you start irrigation?

How much water should you add? 

What resources are available to help decide when and how to water?  

Check out this article to see how you might tune up your irrigation schedule and improve your harvest:

http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/irrigation_scheduling_tools_provided_by_purdue_and_msu_extension?utm_source=Organic+Ag+-+MSU+Extension+News+-+07-21-16&utm_campaign=Organic+Ag+07-21-16&utm_medium=email

 

 

How to Save More Berries From The Birds

POSTED IN For Growers ON 7/14/2016

Struggling with bird management? Kathy Heidenreich of Cornell University published an article a

Research Support Specialist/Plant Pathologist New York State Agricultural Experiment Station-Cornell University Department of Plant Pathology

Cathy Heidenreich, Research Support Specialist/Plant Pathologist
New York State Agricultural Experiment Station-Cornell University
Department of Plant Pathology

few years ago that many saskatoon growers may find helpful. This document lists and review common fruit eating birds as well as a variety of bird management tactics. The goal is to reduce loss in commercial fruit fields while avoiding any sort of injury to the birds.

Too see the full article go to Bye Bye Birdie – Cornell

“Novel Berry Crops” Grant for MSU Research

POSTED IN Uncategorized ON 7/3/2016

Saskatoon berries, goji berries, honeyberries, aronia berries — unfamiliar names to Michigan growers and consumers, but perhaps not for long. Michigan State University is about to launch studies on these novel berry crops, looking for the best varieties of these berries for the state’s climate, soils and marketing opportunities.

Screen Shot 2013-07-02 at 8.07.32 AM

Saskatoon berries

Saskatoons are the best known of these crops in North America, with over two million pounds produced annually in Canada. The various named varieties were derived from wild selections of Amelanchier alnifolia, a shrub native to several western states and Canadian provinces.

Saskatoons are closely related to the Juneberry or Serviceberry of eastern North America. They look very much like blueberries in appearance, but their flavor is uniquely different (some call it sweet nutty almond). Unlike blueberries that can only be grown on acidic soils, saskatoon berries can tolerate a wider range of soils in the neutral to alkaline range.

Saskatoons ripen earlier than most blueberries and are excellent eaten fresh or in pies, jellies, jams, syrups and wine. Human health benefits are associated with their high contents of phenolics, flavonols and anthocyanins.

Michigan currently is the leading producer of saskatoons in the United States, even though there are fewer than 20 acres in full production in the state.

Dr. Erwin "Duke" Elsner, PhD

Erwin “Duke” Elsner, PhD

About as many more acres will be reaching productive age in a short time. A team of Michigan State University campusfaculty and field staff recently received grant funding for a saskatoon berry variety trial to be conducted at four sites in the state. The sites are at Traverse City, East Lansing at the MSU Horticulture Teaching and Research Farm, Bay Mills in Chippewa County and the Upper Peninsula Research and Extension Center in Alger County.

Six promising varieties will be tested at each site. Each of these sites also will have a small variety trial of eight honeyberry, five goji berry and two aronia berry varieties. All of these berry crops are known to be very cold tolerant, so we are expecting good survival and fruiting almost anywhere in Michigan.

Honeyberry/Haskap

Honeyberry/Haskap

Honeyberries (Lonicera caerulea), also known as haskaps, are native to northern Europe, Asia and North America.

Plants are adapted to many soils and produce small, elongated blue berries that are typically sweet and mild. Their flavor lies somewhere between blueberries and raspberries.

Goji berries

Goji berries

 

Goji is a traditional Chinese berry that is increasingly in demand globally for perceived medicinal properties. This fruit is a member of the Solanaceae family and it has a mild tomato-like flavor.

Demand in the U.S. and globally has exploded because of perceived health benefits.

Aronia+cluster+and+leaves

Aronia/Black Chokeberry

Aronia or black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) is a Rosaceae species native to North America and Europe. It is widely grown in Eastern Europe and Russia. The fruit primarily is used for juice, but blended with juice from other less astringent fruits. Aronia has a very high anti-oxidant content.

Saskatoon berries soon will be ripening in the Grand Traverse region. Listings of growers offering U-pick berries and other saskatoon products can be found in the calendar of events page of the Saskatoon Berry Institute of North America’s web site: http://saskatoonberryinstitute.org/events.

Erwin “Duke” Elsner is a small fruit educator for the Grand Traverse County MSU Extension.

To see this article on The Record Eagle website regarding the Novel berry Crops grant, go to: http://www.record-eagle.com/news/business/agriculture-forum-studies-to-launch-on-novel-berry-crops/article_929e37d7-6738-5278-a73d-7a97d5689e39.html

2018 Saskatoon Pesticide Recommendation and Use Restrictions for The State of Michigan

POSTED IN For Growers ON 4/13/2018

The 2018 Saskatoon Pesticide Recommendation and Use Restrictions for Michigan are now available!  Thank you Dr “Duke” Elsner of Michigan State University Extension!

Dr. Erwin “Duke” Elsner, Michigan State University Extension and Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Center

To see the document click on this URL: 2018 Saskatoon Pesticide Recommendations and Use Restrictions

Blockchain On The Farm?

POSTED IN For Consumers, For Growers ON 2/9/2018

You have heard of blockchain, right? 

The best known blockchain is Bitcoin, but this is NOT a get rich quick blog.

The concept of Blockchain provides a resource to have access to a lot of information that you wished you could have had in the past. For instance, when you bought that lug of blueberries, did you wonder if they all came from the same source? Did you think about the fact they could have been allowed to warm up during shipping? Did you wish you knew what day that they were picked?  The world is getting closer to providing these answers and many more.

Consumers will, for the most part, be thrilled, but what about the growers? Well, in this case, if you are hoping to work with other growers for a bulk order going to a major processor, you will be thrilled too.

This article, from Modern Farmer, lays out more detail on how Blockchain (even totally separated from financial transactions) will be a big help, but will also change the way we farm every day:

The Blockchain Comes to Agriculture

 

2018 Northwest Michigan Orchard and Vineyard Show Program Detail

POSTED IN Uncategorized ON 1/12/2018

The link below provides a pdf of the program for the 2018 Northwest Michigan Orchard and Vineyard Show.

Saskatoons are a featured part of the program, though a variety of fruits will be discussed. 

2018 Northwest Michigan Orchard and Vineyard Show

The Saskatoon Berry Institute of North America will have a booth at the show, as well as participate in the various programs.

Michigan – the largest saskatoon producing state in the US?

POSTED IN For Growers ON 1/11/2018

While there are several commercial growers in the lower peninsula of Michigan, most saskatoons in the upper peninsula are for personal harvesting. That may be changing soon, as more information becomes available regarding the potential for saskatoons growth among Yupers.

Michigan State University has been providing essential research and services in the development of this fruit that is relatively new in Michigan as a commercial crop.

The biggest problem so far is that growers cannot grow enough to satisfy the demand. But as an industry, we are working on that. Large customers wait in the wings as we see increasing acreage being planted.

If you are a Yuper, or even if you are just interested in getting some of this yummy fruit for commercial or personal purposes, you can learn more through the following article from The Daily Mining Gazette: 

http://www.mininggazette.com/news/2018/01/up-looks-like-berry-good-ground-for-saskatoons/

 

Zach Douglas, CEO, Retires to Grow Saskatoons

POSTED IN For Growers ON 1/11/2018

Zach Douglas, CEO of MacMaster Innovation Park in Saskatchewan, retires from a career in research park development in order to start a career as a saskatoon orchardman.

Mr. Douglas noted that the research park has come to fruition.  Now he changes his focus for the future to fruit itself.

To read the article by Mark McNeil go to: https://www.thespec.com/news-story/8033224-founding-ceo-of-mac-innovation-park-retiring/

Overnight Baked Oatmeal with saskatoon berries

POSTED IN For Consumers ON 1/11/2018

Hey fans, here is a recipe that practically makes itself, and brings you yummy, warm food for these cold winter mornings!

Warm, yummy breakfast with saskatoon berries

Catch the recipe and the video at:

CTV News Regina

If you are ready to try this out, please let us know, and we will see what we can do to come join you!

Bon appetite!

Are You Ready To Look At Growing Saskatoons Commercially?

POSTED IN For Growers ON 12/26/2017

You can learn more about growing saskatoons commercially at the 2018 Northwest Michigan Orchard and Vineyard Show in Traverse City, MI on January 16th & 17th.

Growing saskatoons can produce over 10 pounds of fruit each season

Ripening saskatoons on the bush

For more information, go to: http://msue.anr.msu.edu/events/2018_northwest_michigan_orchard_and_vineyard_show

You can also learn more on this website by going to About Saskatoons

Consumers and processors need more growers to take advantage or the developing interest in commercial quantities of saskatoons.

Saskatoons (Amelanchier alnifolia) at the Great Lakes Expo 2017

POSTED IN For Growers ON 12/1/2017


There are 3 ways to learn more about saskatoons (Amelanchier alinifolia) at the Great Lakes Expo 2017 in Grand Rapids, MI from December 4th – 7th, 2017:

  1. On Tuesday at 2:00 PM you can hear Saskatoon Berry Establishment Practices, by Robert Spencer, Alberta Agriculture & Forestry, Alberta, Canada.
  2. Blue Sky Berries will have a booth (number 1507). Blue Sky Berries is a grower and nursery as well as a U-Pick farm and processor of frozen fruit
  3. Saskatoon Berry Institute of North America officers and members will be onsite, both for the Tuesday presentation and on the Tradeshow floor.

The Expo focuses on fruit, vegetables, Farm Markets and Greenhouse Growers.

Please let us know if you want to schedule a time to talk to someone during the Expo.

Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) Was Not An Issue For Saskatoons in 2017

POSTED IN For Growers ON 11/3/2017

While Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD), an invasive species of fruit fly, did significant damage to fruit crops in Michigan in 2017, including cherries, raspberries and blueberries, there were literally zero reports of damage to saskatoon berry crops.

Saskatoon berries are harvested earlier in the summer than many other fruit varieties, which may have helped some. However, the SWD counts rose much earlier this year than in the past few years, which provided opportunities for damage, yet growers were spared.

The saving grace may be related to the character of the fruit itself. While saskatoons look much like blueberries, they are actually a pome fruit, a family of fruit that includes apples and pears.

The combination of season timing and fruit characteristics provide hope that, in this changing environment, saskatoons will remain a good crop for production, consumer satisfaction and economic return for growers.

For more information on Spotted Wing Drosophila in Michigan, go to http://www.ipm.msu.edu/invasive_species/spotted_wing_drosophila

To learn more about saskatoon berries, keep reading on this site, and visit one or more of our members in July 2018 that offers U-Pick and/or a variety of products made with yummy saskatoon berries.

 

Background (From Michigan State University)
The Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) is a vinegar fly of East Asian origin that can cause damage to many fruit crops. This small insect has been in Hawaii since the 1980s, was detected in California in 2008, spread through the West Coast in 2009, and was detected in Florida, Utah, the Carolinas, Wisconsin and Michigan for the first time in 2010. Because the flies are only a few millimeters long and cannot fly very far, natural dispersion between states is unlikely. Human-assisted transportation is a more likely cause of the recent rapid spread. It appears that this insect has become widely established through North America.

Novel Berries Will Have Half-Day Breakout At The Great Lakes EXPO

POSTED IN For Growers ON 11/3/2017

The 2017 Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable, Farm Market, and Greenhouse Growers EXPO will include a half-day breakout sessions on Novel berries on Tuesday, December 5, 2017 from 2:00 – 4:20 PM.

This breakout will include presentations on: , including: saskatoons, haskaps, aronia and goji berries.

 

ABOUT THE EXPO

The Expo is held annually in Grand Rapids, MI at Devos Place Conference Center and The Amway Grand Plaza Hotel.

4,200 people from 42 states and 8 Canadian provinces attended the 2016 Expo.

the 2017 Expo will include 70+ education sessions and workshops and 450+ tradeshow exhibitors.

Come learn more about how these berries can help you diversify your crops and affect your financial future.

 

TO LEARN MORE

http://msue.anr.msu.edu/events/great_lakes_fruit_vegetable_farm_market_and_greenhouse_growers_expo

2017 GL EXPO Education Program

TO REGISTER

To register, go to: https://www.regonline.com/registration/Checkin.aspx?EventID=2026846

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Recent Posts

  • 2018 Saskatoon Pesticide Recommendation and Use Restrictions for The State of Michigan
  • Blockchain On The Farm?
  • 2018 Northwest Michigan Orchard and Vineyard Show Program Detail
  • Michigan – the largest saskatoon producing state in the US?
  • Zach Douglas, CEO, Retires to Grow Saskatoons

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