to coincide with bloom, a time when orchards 

 are very attractive. In facihtating planning for 

 these events University of Massachusetts 

 distributed information to collaborators on how 

 to stage and run a field day, and how to write a 

 press release. In addition, we provided 

 examples of press releases and other related 

 materials. Press releases sent, informational 

 handouts about each farm, and educational 

 materials handed out at the events included: a 

 3-page fact sheet on disease-resistant apples, a 

 fact sheet on IPM in Connecticut Apple 

 Orchards, an "IPM Impacts" fact sheet, a 8- 

 page handout on the Maine IPM Program, fact 

 sheets defining relevant terms, a seven-page 

 handout on insect and mite pests of apples, an 

 apple pest chronology calendar and a descrip- 

 tion of selected biological control agents (both 

 taken fi-om the New England Apple Pest 

 Management Guide), and a summary of 

 comparative results (at the Massachusetts site 

 only). 



Each field day consisted of a "walking tour" 

 of the demonstration block with stops at 

 various points of interest. For example, 

 Connecticut collaborators (L. Los, G. Nixon, J. 

 Clark and S. Olsen) staged a self-led walking 

 tour which directed attendees through the 

 orchard to view 12 different IPM "stations". 

 Each station had a poster (approximately 2x2 

 feet) which explained an important apple pest 

 and included pictures of life stages, damage, 

 etc. Next to each poster, insect traps with 

 appropriate insects affixed, or weather moni- 

 toring equipment for monitoring apple scab 

 infection periods were displayed. In addition to 

 displays within the orchard, the Connecticut 

 IPM group provided two large display boards in 

 a movable stand used for the orchard's pick 

 your own operation. One board displayed the 

 impacts of all IPM projects in the state, and the 

 other dealt with beneficial insects. A total of 

 about 700 people either came by the booth or 

 took the walking tour. The large turnout was 

 partly due to having a "built-in" audience 

 available at a large pick-your-own orchard on a 

 good fall day. Results were such that 

 Connecticut plans to hold a similar event (self- 

 funded) next fall as well. 



The Rhode Island field day also consisted of 

 stops at sites in the IPM blocks, as well as 

 samples and displays (i.e., display board of 

 "Pest Control Then and Now", photos of insect 

 and disease pests, fi-uit and leaf damage, 

 beneficial insects, samples of scab-resistant 

 cultivars, and several insect monitoring traps). 

 An estimated 1,000 people participated in the 

 field day, and the event received publicity on 

 local TV channels. In addition, a front-page 

 article about the project also ran in the 

 Woonsocket Call. 



Although attendance at the Massachusetts 

 field day was less spectacular, the University of 

 Massachusetts Daily Collegian (circulation of 

 17,000 throughout the 5-college area) sent a 

 reporter who later wrote an article. New 

 Hampshire had the greatest success in 

 publicizing IPM by virtue of one front page 

 article in the, July 16 Concord Monitor 

 (circulation 23,500), a second fi-ont page article 

 in the September 24 Sunday Union Leader, one 

 Associated Press article sent out on the wire 

 and at minimum picked up by the July 17, 1995 

 Union Leader (cir. 89,000), and reported on by 

 WTSN, Dover, NH (listenership 63,000), a live 

 interview on WNHQ, Milford, NH on July 17 

 (listenership 45,000), and a second AP article 

 picked up by the September 25 Union Leader. 

 In addition to the two IPM demonstration sites 

 identified earlier, two other sites (the Hardy 

 famiiys Brookdale Fruit Farm in Hollis, and 

 Chuck and Diane Souther's Apple Hill Farm in 

 Concord) also participated in the media tours. 



Cooperators in Maine arranged for the 

 Governor to proclaim May 24 as "Maine IPM 

 Technology Day", and the Commissioner of 

 Agriculture delivered the Governor's proclama- 

 tion at the event. The field day was announced 

 to the apple grower community at the Trade 

 Show in January, at the preseason IPM 

 meeting in March, in the Pesticide Control 

 Board Communicator newsletter, in the Apple 

 Pest Report newsletter, at meetings of the 

 Maine State Pomological Society Executive 

 Council, and was advertised in several 

 newspapers. The event was attended by about 

 75 persons and featured displays from the 

 Maine State Pomological Society; the USDA/ 



Fruit Notes, volume 62 (Number 2), Spring, 1997 



15 



