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Maturity Report for week of 9/11/00

McIntosh harvest has started in earnest across the state. The majority of Macs will be picked over the next two weeks. Fruit is currently destined for CA storage or retail and wholesale markets as demand warrants. Maturity has advanced somewhat, however, little pre-harvest drop has been observed except in Marshall McIntosh. Fruit size and red color are generally very good. Gala is ready to be harvested in lower elevations -- remember, the best judge of Gala maturity is a distinct change in background color from green to yellow. Gala generally requires multiple harvests based on this color change. Honeycrisp at lower elevations are showing a wide range of starch-index readings. You are advised to keep a close eye on Honeycrisp. Taste and starch-index readings are the best indicators of Honeycrisp maturity as color varies significantly. Optimum Honeycrisp harvest usually coincides with the peak of McIntosh harvest. Cortland and Macoun are still quite immature.

Average Starch-Index Readings for 9/11/00

Hawley Marshall McIntosh 3.6 Rogers McIntosh 3.6 Honeycrisp 1.1 Macoun 1.5	Shelburne Marshall McIntosh 5.0 Pioneer Mac 4.0 Honeycrisp 3.8 Gala 3.2
Deerfield Marshall McIntosh 6.0 Rogers McIntosh 5.4 Redcort 1.4	Belchertown McIntosh 5.5 Marshall McIntosh (ReTain) 4.5 Gala 5.8
Fitchburg McIntosh 6.2 Cortland 1.4 Macoun 2.5	Sterling McIntosh (ReTain) 4.8 Redcort (ReTain) 1.2 Macoun 1.6
Peabody Marshall McIntosh 5.4 Cortland 2.8 Macoun (ReTain) 1.8 McIntosh (ReTain) 4.2

E-COMMERCE SEMINAR SERIES FOR AGRICULTURE BUSINESSES

Cosponsored by the UMass Electronic Enterprise Institute and UMass Extension

Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel, Marlboro, MA
5-7:00 PM Refreshments included

Nov 1: Introduction to e-Business
Nov 15: Basic Computer Literacy
Nov 29: Selling Electronically: More Than Just a Web Site
Dec 13: Selling Electronically: Technology Infrastructure
Jan 10: Selling Electronically: Supply Chain Management
Jan 24: Shopping for a Web Designer
Feb 14: Marketing on the Internet
Feb 28: Business Impact of the Internet: A Look at the Horticulture/Agriculture Industry
March 14: Maintaining and Growing Your Internet Business
March 28: Networking in the Internet World

Cost: $75.00 per session, $650.00 to attend all 10 seminars. For members of the Electronic Enterprise Institute and the Massachusetts E-Commerce Association $60.00 per session, $500.00 for all seminars. Send payment payable to UMass Division of Continuing Education, Goodell Building, UMass, Amherst, MA 01003. For a course description flyer call Alice Szlosek 413-545-2484 or Kathleen Carroll at 413-545-0895
This seminar series is designed to help small businesses learn how to evaluate, incorporate and implement electronic enterprise strategies into their operations. Green industry and agriculture businesses are encouraged to attend. Topics include: Introduction to E-Business, Basic Computer Literacy, Selling Electronically: More than just a web site, Selling Electronically:Technology Infrastructure, Selling Electronically: Supply Chain Management, Shopping for a Web Designer, Marketing on the Internet, Business Impact of the Internet: A Look at the Horticulture/Agriculture Industry, Maintaining and Growing Your Internet Business, Networking in the Internet World.

Healthy Fruit is written by Dan Cooley, Ron Prokopy, Jon Clements, Starker Wright, Arthur Tuttle, Wes Autio, Bill Coli, and Duane Greene except where other contributors are noted. Publication is funded in part by the UMass Extension Agroecology Program, grower subscriptions, and the University of Massachusetts IPM Program. A text version can be e-mailed to you if you contact Doreen York. Please cite this source if reprinting information.

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