Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/283151
J eff Leonardini's offi ce is the company pickup truck. As the integrated pest management manager for Washington Fruit and Produce Company, he may travel hundreds of miles in a day, visiting orchards from the Oregon-Washington border to north central Washington. Armed with a mobile phone, laptop computer, and iPad, Leonardini uses several apps and websites daily during the growing season. Many of the orchard offi ces that he visits now have wi-fi , making it easy to connect to the Internet in remote locations. Good Fruit Grower asked Leonardini and other industry people who are on the go about their favorite apps and websites. Agrian (www.agrian.com) is a com- puter program and mobile app that has an extensive pesticide label database (reentry intervals, postharvest intervals, maximum residue levels, and more). Leonardini can fi ll out his pesticide recommendation forms, sending an e-mail copy to the grower, packer, or main offi ce. The pesticide label database, with more than 6,100 labels, is one of two in the country indemnifi ed by pes- ticide manufacturers (manufacturers are under contract to keep labels current). Two grower versions—Agrian Grower (free) and Agrian Documented Grower (an annual fee)—allow users to create fi eld reports; send them elec- tronically to handlers, shippers, processors, buyers or regulatory agencies; and receive recommendations from crop consultants in a secure data- sharing network. Pesticide maxi- mum residue levels can be tracked to know which blocks are eligible for export and GIS/GPS mapping tools allow recording of such data as trap counts, disease incidence, and fi eld scouting. "If there's a question with what was applied in a par- ticular block, that information is already in a fi le-sharing format," Leonardini said. "Nobody has to track me down to fi nd out what was applied." AgWeatherNet (www.weather.wsu.edu), hosted by Washington State University, provides access to weather information specifi c to most orchards, as well as growing degree-day information, and disease and pest models. Weather Underground (wunderground.com) is available in mobile and website formats for local and long-range weather forecasts, reports, and maps. CropNutrition (www.cropnutrition.com) provides general nutrition guidelines and an effi cient fertilizer use guide. Decision Aid System (http://entomology.tfrec.wsu. edu/das) is a web-based program that integrates phenol- ogy models for insects and diseases with management recommendations. The system has models for codling moth, obliquebanded leafroller, Pandemis leafroller, western cherry fruit fl y, apple maggot, San Jose scale, campylomma bug, Lacanobia fruit worm, fi re blight, and storage scald. Models for peach twig borer, cherry powdery mildew, and apple scab will soon be added. COG Pro (www.cog-pro.com) is an application for recordkeeping that works both for organic certifi cation and GAP standards. It's a favorite of Karen Warner, who operates Big Head Farm near Benton Harbor, Michigan, where she grows a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and herbs, and markets them in Chicago. Warner uses an iPad when in the fi eld, but likes the fact that data can be uploaded to COG Pro from Word documents and even handwritten notes. Basic information about facilities, materials, and varieties planted—things that often don't change year to year—is recorded in the "logbook" under farm infor- mation. Once a fi eld is recorded and identifi ed, seasonal activities, such as fertility inputs, fi eld work, pest control, yield data, and fi eld plans, can be input. TimeStation (www.mytimestation.com) is an app for recording hours worked by employees. At the farm mar- ket of L.H. Piggott and Girls near Benton Harbor, Mich- igan, the 92 employees who pick and pack fruits and vegetables don't need to queue up to punch a time clock. The crew chief logs them in on his cell phone by scanning a card or entering a Personal Identifi cation Number. "It's really nice for outdoor work," says Jason Byrd, who oversees workers in the fi eld. "If someone has to leave for some reason, it's easy to log the person out and back in again." 22 APRIL 1, 2014 GOOD FRUIT GROWER www.goodfruit.com Orchard Equipment TECH-FLO ® ZETA ZINC 22 ASK YOUR P.C.A. OR CALL NUTRIENT TECHNOLOGIES TOLL-FREE: 877/832-4356 FOR THE DEALER NEAREST YOU. Just because you put a foliar zinc on doesn't mean the job's done. Some zinc products are so ineffective they are better suited as sun- screens or paint. In trial after trial, TECH- FLO ® ZETA ZINC 22 (22% Zinc) has been shown to be the most effective foliar zinc product on the market today, getting the zinc into the tree where it is needed. For the best value for your nutritional dollar, choose TECH-FLO ® ZETA ZINC 22. UNSURPASSED FOLIAR ZINC PERFORMANCE! …PUTTING ZINC ON PUTTING ZINC IN… PUTTING ZINC IN… Handy apps With a smartphone, you carry your life in your pocket. by Melissa Hansen and Richard Lehnert Take a tour of smartphone trap monitoring at mytraps. com