Assessing Freeze Damage on Fruit

Commercial and home fruit growers across the state have been assessing potential damage to their crops after last week's overnight freezing temperatures.  While a freeze/frost event this time of year is certainly not unusual, what was unusual is how far ahead of schedule fruit crops are this year compared to normal. 

To help growers better assess damage to common tree and small fruits, Purdue Extension Specialists Bruce Bordelon, Peter Hirst, and Jon Obermeyer have produced a series of videos addressing last week's freeze and the effects on apples, peaches, grapes, strawberries, and blackberries. 

The videos are available on the Purdue Extension Entomology YouTube channel.  Links to each specific video are below:

Assessing Spring Freeze Damage to Apples
Assessing Spring Freeze Damage to Peaches
Assessing Spring Freeze Damage to Grapes
Assessing Spring Freeze Damage to Strawberries
Assessing Spring Freeze Damage to Blackberries

Weekly Outlook - Has the 2011 Corn Crop Been Rationed?

Corn prices declined substantially over the past week. May and December 2012 futures have declined by $.26 and $.22, respectively, following the release of the USDA’s WASDE report on April 10.

Recent weakness in old crop prices started with the USDA’s unchanged forecast of year-ending stocks of 801 million bushels. Following the smaller-than-expected estimate of March 1 stocks revealed on March 30, the market had anticipated that the April WASDE report would contain a larger forecast of feed and residual use and a smaller forecast of ending stocks. Additional price weakness has been attributed to weakness in the financial markets associated with a slowdown in the Chinese economy and concerns about the Spanish debt as well as prospects for increased corn acreage in China. New crop prices continue to reflect the larger-than-expected planting intentions revealed on March 30, an early start to the planting season, and the recent improvement in soil moisture conditions in a large part of the Corn Belt.  <Read More>