Project Plan FY08

Sustainable Tree Fruit Production and Marketing

Project Leader: Jon Clements

Project Year: 2008

Brief Description

Fruit farms and orchards add significantly to the quality of life in Massachusetts and New England. The most obvious contribution is to open space through their scenic and historic vistas, but it is also well known that regular consumption of fruits leads to better human health. In addition, lands surrounding agricultural production provide buffer zones for ecosystem management, often providing important open space for native species of plants and animals and corridors for their movement or expansion.

For fruit farms to stay in business, it is necessary to preserve and enhance their value. It is, therefore, necessary that they be able to maintain economic viability and environmentally sustainability, so farmers must continually strive to improve production efficiency, expand species diversity, explore marketing opportunities, understand farm ecology, and evaluate profitability. To do this, they must have ready access to current research information on new and alternative species and varieties, advanced horticultural management techniques, marketing and business management strategies, pest-ecology, and pest-management procedures. Research programs in the physiological management of vegetative growth, fruit growth, and post-harvest changes can give farmers important tools necessary to increase production efficiency while enhancing fruit quality. Important studies of pest ecology and control techniques provide approaches to pest management that optimize pest control, reduce chemical use, and increase fruit quality. A successful partnership between Massachusetts fruit producers and UMass Extension will help foster a more secure, diverse and healthful food supply for the Commonwealth.

It is clear that a diversity of fresh, high-quality fruits available to the consumer results in high levels of consumption. New varieties of apples, peaches, and cherries (and other tree fruit) will give fruit farmers the means of enhancing fruit production, quality, and therefore consumption.

Activities

• Write, edit and publish 'Healthy Fruit' Newsletter
• Maintain and update UMass Fruit Advisor website
• Develop, coordinate, and teach 2007-08 MassAggie seminars
• Growing season twilight meetings
• Grower visits/consultations
• Write, edit and publish Fruit Notes
• Tree fruit research/demonstration projects at UMass Cold Spring Orchard
• Publish 2008 and 2009 New England Tree Fruit Pest Management Guide in collaboration with other New England states

Inputs: Time and Effort

Reporting Year	Faculty Days	Extension staff days	Volunteer Days	Seasonal/ Hourly/Tech Staff Days	Clerical staff days	Student days
2008	120	180	0	0	30	0

 

Outcomes

• Participants adopt practices that ensure the economic viability of natural resource-based businesses.
• Participants develop and market locally generated products and services more effectively
• Participants will adopt practices that lower the risk from and exposure to pesticides and fertilizers
• Participants have the knowledge and skills to promote, implement or adopt sustainable resource management and environmental best management practices for operating Natural Resources-based businesses

This project is a part of the Agriculture & Landscape program