Area of Expertise Teams Keys to Success

Vegetable

• CAT conference calls

• CAT Alert newsletter

• Great Lakes Vegetable Grower News












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The Team has engaged in a variety of activities to meet this goal.


They participate in a weekly Vegetable Crop Advisory Team (CAT) conference call and publish a CAT Alert newsletter during the summer growing season to share information of concern and interest to vegetable growers.
Monthly articles are written for the Great Lakes Vegetable Grower News.
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Area of Expertise Teams Keys to Success
Vegetable
• Educational sessions
• Cooperative research
• European corn borer pheromone trapping project
• Planning session
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Educational sessions have been held at the Great Lakes Vegetable Growers and Farm Marketers Convention as well as in counties and regions across the state.

Team members have conducted cooperative research involving campus and field staff.

The Team organized and sponsored a plasticulture school, entitled "Vegetable Production Using Plasticulture." This one day workshop was offered twice in 1998. It provided participants with an in depth look at the individual components of a plastic mulch based production system and its applicability to their farms. This educational effort was awarded the Epsilon Sigma Phi State Team Award.

The Vegetable AOE Team sponsored an annual European corn borer pheromone trapping project at 13 locations in nine counties throughout Michigan. The trap count results are published weekly in the CAT Alert newsletter. They help vegetable growers understand corn borer activity in their areas.

In November 1998 the Team sponsored a one day planning session. Representatives from the vegetable industry were invited to meet with MSU Extension field and campus staff to discuss research issues and the educational needs ofthe industry.