About the people and organizations behind blueberries.msu.edu

The content for this website was developed by a team of blueberry faculty specialists, extension personnel and support staff at Michigan State University with financial support from Project GREEEN at Michigan State University and the Michigan Blueberry Growers Association. The web site was designed by Phillip Wharton and is managed by Daniel Svoboda.

Faculty specialists

Jeff Andresen is the State Climatologist for Michigan and a faculty member in MSU's Department of Geography. He is an agricultural meteorologist whose primary focus has been the influence of weather and climate on agriculture, especially within Michigan and the Great Lakes Region. Current and past areas of research interest include weather and risk management in agricultural production systems, winter hardiness and mortality of crops and insects, and the use of weather data for determination of plant disease risk. Dr. Andresen is in charge of the Michigan Agricultural Weather Network (MAWN) that provides free and up-to-date weather data in numerous locations throughout Michigan.

James Hancock is the Small Fruit Breeder and a faculty member in the Department of Horticulture at MSU. His research interests focus on highbush blueberry breeding and genetics to improve fruit quality, increase disease resistance, expand soil adaptations and delay bloom in the highbush blueberry through the use of wild species, in particular Vaccinium darrowi. He developed a molecular map has been developed of an interspecific hybrid using RAPD markers to answer questions about inheritance patterns and facilitate the transfer of useful traits. Other research areas include Molecular mapping of the strawberry genome, the role of polyploidy in plant evolution and reconstruction of the cultivated strawberry.

Eric Hanson is the Small Fruit Horticulture Specialist and a faculty member in the Department of Horticulture at MSU. His research addresses all horticultural aspects of production, including fertilization, irrigation, and weed control in blueberry, strawberry, raspberry and cranberry. In addition, he provides expertise in the area of fertilization and nutrition requirements of tree fruit crops and grapes. He organizes educational meetings for growers, develops bulletins and popular articles on fruit production topics, and serves as a resource person for grower meetings throughout the country. He also conducts field trials to demonstrate new production technologies to growers and compare the effectiveness of herbicides and herbicide combinations for weed management in blueberries.

Rufus Isaacs is the Small Fruit Entomology Specialist and a faculty member in the Department of Entomology at MSU. His research addresses the biology, behavior, and ecology of insects in small fruit crops, and his applied work aims to develop effective insect pest management programs for growers of these crops. He is actively pursuing improved strategies for management of the Japanese beetle and other insect pests of blueberries. His current research also addresses the role of wild bees in pollination of blueberries. On-farm research is emphasized as the best way to learn the real-world pest challenges that growers face, and because this is the best venue to evaluate the efficacy of proposed pest management advances.

Annemiek Schilder is a Small Fruit Pathologist and a faculty member in the Department of Plant Pathology. She is responsible for research, extension, and teaching in the area of diseases of small fruit crops (blueberries, grapes, strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, currants, and gooseberries). The goal of her research program is to diversify options for disease control while improving fruit yield and quality. Her research efforts focus on elucidating pathogen biology and the conditions that promote disease, developing reliable methods for pathogen detection, evaluating the efficacy of cultural and biological control methods and reduced-risk fungicides, and developing sustainable integrated disease management programs.

John Wise is the Research Director of the Trevor Nichols Research Complex and a faculty member in the Department of Entomology at MSU. Dr. Wise is the Research and Extension Coordinator of the MSU Trevor Nichols Research Complex (TNRC). His mission is to develop effective pest management strategies in cooperation with MSU researchers and serve as a source of extension information for Michigan fruit industry’s pest management decision-makers. His primary research interest is to further understand the unique activity characteristics and performance boundaries of new insecticide chemistries on Michigan fruit insect pests. Wise also serves as a Field Research Director in the national IR-4 residue program, which is the primary avenue by which new reduced-risk pesticides are registered with the EPA for minor-use crops. In addition, he is involved in the pest-scout training programs at the newly established “Angus J. Howitt IPM Training Room” at the TNRC.

MSU Extension Personnel

Carlos Garcia-Salazar is the Small Fruit Extension Agent for Ottawa County, Michigan. He provides extension programming to small fruit growers in Ottawa County where blueberries are a major fruit crop. Carlos organizes grower meetings and farm visits, and has been instrumental in getting the Blueberry IPM Scout Training program established. This bilingual (English-Spanish) training program aims to train growers and farm workers to scout blueberries fields for insect pests, diseases, weeds, and other problems. He is also involved in various research projects on integrated insect pest management of blueberries.

Alvan Gaus is the Extension Educator for Commercial Horticulture in Berrien County. He provides educational programming to the commercial horticulture industries (mainly small fruit, tree fruit, and nursery) throughout Berrien County, where blueberries are an important crop. Al deals with all aspects of blueberry production and organizes grower meetings during the growing season.

Mark Longstroth is the Extension District Horticulture and Marketing Agent for Southwest Michigan. He provides extension programming to commercial fruit growers in Southwest Michigan where blueberries are one of the major fruit crops. Mark's programming focus in blueberries is helping growers integrate cultural practices such as pruning, fertilization, insect and disease control into an economically viable and sustainable system of blueberry production. Mark maintains his grower contacts through meetings, farm visits, web postings, email updates and newsletters. He has a series of blueberry-related web pages at: http://web1.msue.msu.edu/vanburen/bluebweb.htm

MSU IPM Program communications staff

Joy Landis is assistant coordinator and communications manager of the MSU IPM Program. She has worked with faculty and agents on several publications for fruit growers, including the CAT Alert newsletters and the Pocket Guide to IPM Scouting in Highbush Blueberries.

Rebecca Lamb is a communication specialist in the MSU IPM Program. In addition to being the Assistant Editor for the CAT Alert newsletters, she has also worked on the layout and design for pocket scouting guides. She has also assisted in developing pages for this web site.