than 1% of the produce 

 tested has pesticide levels 

 over USDA tolerances. 



When asked if an IPM 

 certification and marketing 

 program would be useful, 

 68% of growers responded 

 favorably, 24% negatively, 

 and 8% were undecided. 

 Seventy-five percent of the 

 growers indicated that they 

 would enroll in an IPM certi- 

 fication & marketing pro- 

 gram (Table 3). Interest in 

 enrolling in a program was 

 consistent across commod- 

 ity groups and marketing 

 channels. 



When asked how grow- 

 ers should be certified in 

 IPM, 38% indicated that 

 growers should pass a test of 

 IPM knowledge, 38% indi- 

 cated that growers should follow specific crop 

 production standards, and 5% thought that 

 growers should hire a consultant. Of those 

 growers who indicated that they would partici- 

 pate in a certification program, 45% indicated 

 that growers should pass a test of IPM knowl- 

 edge, 64% indicated that growers should follow 

 specific crop production standards, and 5% 

 thought that growers should hire a consultant. 

 Among cranberry growers, an industry with a 

 well developed crop consultant system, 25% 

 preferred the use of an IPM consultant; how- 

 ever, 58% of cranberry growers favored the use 

 of crop standards. In general, growers who had 

 used consultants for 1991 were more likely to 

 prefer the use of consultant as a qualification 

 standard (44%), but 50% still preferred the use 

 of crop standards. Younger growers and those 

 with more education were more likely than older 

 growers or growers with less education to prefer 

 the written test option. A significant problem 

 with tests as a "standard" is that tests would 

 favor more academically-oriented participants, 

 whether or not they put into practice what they 

 know of IPM. 



When asked who should certify crops as 



IPM-grown, 39% of growers favored the Massa- 

 chusetts Department of Food & Agriculture, 

 39% favored a farmers organization, 5% favored 

 a private organization, 11% responded other, 

 and 17% were undecided. Cranberry growers, a 

 group with a strong growers association, gener- 

 ally preferred (50%) certification by a farmers 

 organization. Of the growers who would enroll 

 in a certification program, 46% favored the 

 Department of Food & Agriculture. In the 

 survey of consumers and the food industry in 

 New England, state departments of agriculture 

 were preferred by 56% of the respondents and 

 farmers organizations by only 12%. 



Asked what an IPM certification program 

 should provide to growers that would be of the 

 most use, 69% indicated educational materials 

 for growers, 58% indicated courses and work- 

 shops about IPM, 35% indicated promotional 

 materials to retail and wholesale outlets, and 

 42% indicated educational materials for con- 

 sumers. Growers placed the same relative im- 

 portance on the choices, regardless of commod- 

 ity, marketing, or gross sales. Growers with 

 more education and those with fewer years in 

 farming preferred more marketing materials. 



10 



Fruit Notes, Fall, 1992 



