The Bottom Line No.9 (link to full issue), August 5, 2024

In this issue: Changes to the H2A program effective August 29!  August 6th is farmworker appreciation day. The economics of SWD netting of blueberries, Lean Management, Webinar for the 2024 H-2A Farmworker Protection Final Rule.

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Research

To Net or Not to Net? Managing Spotted Wing Drosophila in Organic Blueberries

Heather and I have been out visiting berry farms for the past two weeks and we are right in the middle of blueberry and spotted wing drosophlia (SWD) season so this month’s Smart Marketing article from the Dyson School looking at the economics of exclusion netting in organic blueberry production was very timely. They looked at different price, variety and market channel scenarios and factored in the additional cost of using exclusion netting or the reduced cost of not using organic insecticides compared to the baseline use of organic insecticides.

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Tool of the Week

Applying principles of Lean Management to improve your bottom line.

Lean Management is a business concept intended to improve processes and increase productivity. It can be defined as “the dynamic process of continuous improvement by empowered employees, in a culture of mutual trust and respect, focused on eliminating waste and maximizing value for our customers”