Fruit and Vegetable News

 Annalisa  Hultberg, Extension Educator, food safety It is important to sanitize food contact surfaces on the farm to reduce the levels of disease - causing organisms, such as E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria that can be on surfaces and spread to our fresh vegetables. It can also help increase  produce shelf life and reduce the spread of plant diseases around the farm.   Here are some tips on sanitizing efficiently and effectively to keep your customers and product healthy. Why sanitize? Sanitizing reduces the contamination level on surfaces by killing  microorganisms that cause disease. Sanitizers are most effective  when surfaces are clean and free of soil and residues.  So, make sure to clean surfaces before you sanitize! Here are the steps: remove visible soil, scrub with detergent and water, rinse again, and then sanitize the surface. The surface will not be totally free of microorganisms, but  they will be greatly reduced. If don...

Photo: Flowers that were fed on by tarnished plant bug nymphs during bloom develop into "catfaced" fruitlets. University of Maine Extension.   Author: Annie Klodd, Extension Educator - Fruit and Vegetable Production Key Points: Tarnished plant bug (TPB) is the most economically significant pest of strawberries in the Midwest Keep pollinators in mind when spraying for TPB in strawberries, since they are both present during bloom Both synthetic and organic insecticides can be toxic to bees Multiple conventional insecticides control TPB, and they vary in pollinator risk level. Beleaf and Rimon have the lowest pollinator risk while also being effective on TPB. The most effective organic insecticide on TPB, based on existing research, is azadirachtin. Scout weekly to determine the need to spray for TPB Manage weeds in and around the field to reduce TPB populations   Tarnished plant bug (TPB) is a significant insect pest of strawberries that remains a concern as long as strawb...

  Marissa Schuh, IPM Extension Educator, mschuh@umn.edu As early-planted cole crops continue to chug through the growing season, all the insect pests that love to eat them are also out.  Let’s review who we’re seeing now and if we can do anything about them. Cabbage Maggot Cabbage maggot feed on the roots, weakening and often killing plants. Photo: Marissa Schuh, UMN Extension. Can anything be done now? No. You’re busy, so let’s cut to the chase: once you see cabbage maggot feeding in the roots, there isn’t much to be done.  Make a note to brush up on cabbage maggot control options next winter and try something different next spring. Flea Beetles Flea beetle feeding causes numerous, small holes in leaves. Photo: Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org Can anything be done now? Yes. This is a pest that we do have options for, though the window for much of the feeding has passed.  The larger the crops are, the more resistant they are to feeding, thoug...