Just in time to send out important information to farmers
hit by Hurricane Floyd, the Southern Region Small Fruit
Center is up and
running.

The virtual center, begun Sept. 17, was a year in the
making. It’s the product of a
joint effort by the University of Georgia, North Carolina State
and Clemson.

Under a two-year agreement, each institution supported the
creation of the Web site and
supports its maintenance with a combination of staffing or
funding. It costs $100,000
annually to operate the center.

“Our Web site is the CNN of the small fruit
world,” said Barclay Poling,
director of the center at N.C. State. “We’re reacting to
the hurricane now, putting
out advisories to growers almost at the speed of
thought.”

That speed will be a boon to small-fruit farmers and the
county Extension Service
agents who serve them in the South. Small fruits include
strawberries, blueberries,
blackberries, raspberries and grapes.

The Web site is a repository of the latest research
information on horticultural
practices, pest control, cultivation techniques, marketing
news, weather and activity
within the small crop community.

The vision for an on-line information site came from James
Fischer, director of
Clemson’s Agricultural Experiment Station, at a meeting last
June.

Fischer said a virtual center would be the best way to keep
farmers and extension staff
in touch with each other and with land-grant universities.

“With the Southern states working together, we think we
can build a stronger
small-fruit industry across the region,” Poling said.

The center’s goal is not only to provide the latest
information to commercial growers
and extension agents, but to encourage economic opportunities
for farmers through
expanding small-fruit production.