Outcome of Midwest Apple Producers Receive Season-long Mentoring Via Conference Calls

Due to their many pests, apples are one the most difficult fruits to grow organically. These calls helped organic growers overcome some of the pests barriers. After reviewing the results of the survey it was successful in:

1. Helping Upper Midwest organic apple growers improve their orchard management systems
2. Exposing conventional apple growers to organic orchard systems

Additionally, surveys show that growers listening to the calls improved their sampling, monitoring and timing, and there were at least two conventional growers listening in on the calls.

It was anticipated that the numbers of growers using the calls would increase each year based on word of mouth and that growers would become more invested in the calls as they got more familiar and confortable with the format.