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MSUE says Great Lakes specialty crop producers are ready for new innovations

An ag economist says Extension specialists are identifying how to bridge the gap between available innovations and the needs of specialty crop growers in the Great Lakes region.

Michigan State University’s Tor Tolhurst tells Brownfield, “It’s very helpful that these new technologies are being developed, but it’s harder to adopt them in the Great Lakes area in the Northeast because of the diversified nature of production, the scale of production, and the different conditions and crops that we’re working with and growing.”

Tolhust says a team is coming together to work through current barriers and make equipment more applicable.

“I think it’s something that in the next five years you’re going to see Extension become involved in and help making the information and evaluation of these technologies reliable and open for the broader public good,” he explains.

He says technology that supports a smaller workforce and cuts chemical use have been top priorities.

“There’s a wide range of things that people are interested in, but spraying is really the thing that growers are willing to sort of take as the first step into this next generation of technology,” he shares.

Brownfield interviewed Tolhust during the recent Great Lakes Tek Flex hosted at the Michigan State University Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center in Benton Harbor.