Fruit

Farm Made: A Guide to On-Farm Processing for Organic Producers

There are two obvious barriers organic producers face when they consider on-farm processing. The first is psychological. On-farm processing can appear intimidating and beyond reach, on one hand; on the other, it may seem unnecessary to someone who is already “adding value” by raising crops or livestock organically. The second barrier—a more pragmatic one—is the lack of good, producer-friendly information on small-scale organic processing and handling.

Breeding day-neutral strawberry cultivars for organic production in the Pacific Northwest

This award continues OFRF support for a breeding effort to develop strawberry varieties that produce fruit over a 4-5 month period in the Pacific Northwest. In contrast, June-bearing strawberries only produce fruit for about one month. Increasing the availability of local, organic, high-quality strawberries from late spring to mid-fall will increase demand, overall consumption, and value of this crop.

Midwest Apple Producers Receive Season-long Mentoring Via Conference Calls

Summary

The Apple Grower Hour

Coordinator: Lisa DiPietro, The Wisconsin Eco Apple Project, University of Wisconsin Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems
Stakeholders: Eastern U.S. and in particular Upper Midwest organic apple producers

Integrating Biological Control with Trap Crop Management in California Organic Strawberries

Summary

Investigator: Sean Swezey, Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, University of California, Santa Cruz
Project locations: Pacific Gold Farms, Watsonville, California