Organic hurdles

Growing apples in the eastern United States under USDA organic certification standards is not easy, and it’s still not clear whether there is much future in it outside of a few niche markets. The recent invasion by the brown marmorated stinkbug poses one more hurdle, a high one, since this fruit feeder is difficult to control even with synthetic pesticides and is only minimally deterred by approved organic insecticides such as neem oil and pyrethrums. Weekly applications of Surround (kaolin clay) may be the organic grower’s best chance at controlling BMSB. There is a small, solid core of consumers who want […]