various 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.
Cyanide 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 
As 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.
Michigan State University/Purdue Extension Irrigation Educator highlights resources available for fine tuning your irrigation schedule.
Some good news for this year!
POSTED IN For Consumers, For Growers, For Members ON 6/23/2018
Well, the weather appears to have been helpful for saskatoons as well as other seasonal fruit.
First off, at least some farms are seeing their fruit come in earlier than last year! Check out our directory for U-Pick locations, and by the end of this week the calendar on our website should also include actual hours for U-Pick for our members.
Secondly, a new dreaded pest seems to have been kept at bay. While Spotted Wing Drosophila (one of the newer fruit flies in the North America) had very little impact on saskatoons for most farms last year, Michigan State University reports that their development is even father behind schedule than last year, apparently related to weather. For more on that, follow this link:
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/michigan-spotted-wing-drosophila-update-june-19-2018
So plan ahead! Figure out how you can get your fresh fruit before it runs out! Last year the season, for many growers, was only about three weeks long, and much of the fruit was picked before the end of the second week. Best wishes to you all in getting your 2018 supply in a timely fashion, and enjoying saskatoons fresh, and in so many yummy recipes!
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:
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:
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.
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:
- On Tuesday at 2:00 PM you can hear Saskatoon Berry Establishment Practices, by Robert Spencer, Alberta Agriculture & Forestry, Alberta, Canada.
- 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
- 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.
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