Monday, February 02, 2009
The Mid-Atlantic Specialty Crops Research Initiative Workshop, taking place March 3 - 4 in Harrisburg, Pa., will be utilizing the latest technology to facilitate strategic planning sessions. Joseph Walk, manager of the Penn State Management Development's Team Innovation Center, will be using GroupSystems software to assist participants in generating responses to statements regarding the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to the Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Network. With extensive leadership and communication skills developed by more than 20 years of service in the military, Walk brings a unique perspective to management and technology. He excels in tackling problem-solving issues and is a welcomed addition to the workshop. (more)
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences will play a key role in a new research effort to support and enhance the nation's specialty-crop production. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Specialty Crop Research Initiative has allocated $28 million nationally for this federal fiscal year, and Penn State is the lead institution or partner on three projects funded for about $7 million of that total. Specialty crops are defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, nursery stock and floriculture crops. This year's federal farm bill was the first to include dedicated federal research funding for these crops. (more)
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
More than a third of all farm sales comes from specialty crops such as fruits, vegetables and tree nuts. With consumers increasingly demanding food that is safe, nutritious and locally grown, the Mid-Atlantic specialty crop industry is sure to grow. According to Kathleen Kelley, project coordinator and associate professor of horticultural marketing and business management at Penn State, consumer demands are increasing as well as rising transportation costs for producers in California, Florida and the Southern Hemisphere countries who supply fresh fruits and vegetables to the Mid-Atlantic region. (more)
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
In Pennsylvania, 400,000 tons of tree fruit such as apples, peaches, cherries and pears are produced each year, with more than 50,000 orchards and vineyards spanning the state. Internal fruit worms such as Oriental fruit moth and codling moth pose a serious economic threat to this valuable industry. According to Jeff Mizer, Penn State extension education in Snyder county, fruit-damaging worms not only reduce marketability of the fruits they infest, but can cause the rejection of entire truckloads of apples at processing plants, which has occurred in Pennsylvania and other states. "In Snyder County, 11 orchards are working together under a Penn State apple worm monitoring project. The project was previously funded by Penn State and the PA Horticulture Association of Pennsylvania, but starting in 2006 the project was funded by the growers themselves," said Miser. (more)
