Dale Wenzel and
Larry Smith made it back from the Colorado berry fields safely.
Jim Sumler remains there to "berry-sit" the new plantings until time to
bring them home. Larry and Dale worked hard getting them th
ere
and planted, and were even dedicated enough to stop at Dairy Queens
along the way to lower their body temp to help keep the plants cooler.
Even
further from home was Natalia Peres and Craig Chandler, as they made the
news in Australia with a two-week visit to continue their research into
crown rot, a major disease
threat
for strawberries. Along with Chip Hinton, executive director of
the Florida Strawberry Association, they visited the Nambour DPI
Research Station to examine strawberry crops and come up with a solution
to the problem before it gets out of control. They will
also be working collaboratively with research in areas of pest control,
nutrition and fruit quality.