Tunnel tour

Haygrove Tunnels is organizing a tour to the United Kingdom to give U.S. growers an opportunity to see tunnels used on British farms. The tour, which is scheduled for September 27-30, will highlight cost-effective production methods, tunnel innovations, and research results.

The cost is $599 for double occupancy. Air fare is not included. The sign-up deadline is August 14.

For information, call (866) 429-4768 or check the Web site at www.tunnelbuzz.com.

Pesticide analysis

Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., has introduced a Pesticide Analyzer Reference Package. It is designed to help laboratories in the analysis of pesticides using the Thermo Scientific TSQ Quantum GC triple quadrupole GC-MS/MS, which is the standard for high-throughput multi–residue screening.

Pesticide analysis can be challenging for laboratories and operators due to the large number of pesticides with a wide variety of chemistries, the company states. The Pesticide Analyzer Reference Package incorporates method information, consumables, and procedures to facilitate analysis of challenging compounds.

For more information, call (866) 463-6522 or check the Web site at www.thermo.com/gcfoodsafety.

Bird scare system

Bird Gard, LLC, has introduced its Super Pro Wireless bird scare system for protecting crops. Each basic system includes one transmitting unit and one receiving unit, connected by a radio frequency signal, and broadcasts sounds up to a distance of 1,000 feet in any direction.

For more information, call 888-332-2328 or check the Web site at www.bird gard.com.

Organic miticide

An organic miticide called Biomite is available from Monterey AgResources. It is designed to control several species, including the European red mite and two-spotted spider mite. It is registered for apples, grapes, pears, stone fruits, nuts, and nursery and ornamental crops.

According to information from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, it was the first pesticide registered that contained citronellol, a fragrant chemical that occurs naturally in many plant oils, as well as in black tea, wine, and in certain fruits. Biomite is designed to interfere with mating of the mites.

For more information, check the Web site at www .montereyagorganics.com.

Case printer

Produce Jet LLC of Reedley, Californiam, has introduced inkjet case coding systems designed specially for the fresh produce industry. Using RSI Systems’s hardware and system software, the company has developed custom application software for printing mandated traceback information, as well as other alphanumeric information, graphics, and bar codes on various box and case styles.

For more information, check the Web site at www.producejet.com.

AgAlertz

Washington State University’s AgWeatherNet team, in collaboration with 4Quarters of Yakima, Washington, has released a beta version of AgAlertz, a client-defined library of weather-related products driven by weather data collected by AgWeatherNet.

Clients can configure location-specific alerts relating to weather conditions (temperature, wind speed, or wind direction, for example) and disease models. Alerts can be delivered by automatic e-mail, text messaging, or synthesized voice messages to a cell phone. AgAlertz was an offshoot of value-added product development efforts between 4Quarters and AgWeatherNet that were funded by the Washington Wine Industry Foundation. It will be free this season for beta testing and will probably become available by subscription next year.

For additional information, visit http:// agalertz.com.

Ripeness meter

The DA-Meter, a handheld nondestructive fruit ripeness tester, is available from TR Turoni S.r.l. in Forli, Italy. The instrument, which was developed at the University of Bologna, Italy, measures the chlorophyll content of fruit, providing a precise index of a fruit’s maturity.

The DA-Meter can be used at harvest to measure sample apples on the trees and identify the best time for picking. It also can be used in storage to monitor the maturation of the fruit, and at retail to select the ripest products to sell.

The battery-operated instrument has two gigabytes of memory and a USB port enabling it to be connected to a –computer.

For information, check the Web site at www.trsnc.com, or e-mail info@trsnc. com.

Easy-clean filters

Netafim USA has introduced a line of easy-to-clean screen filters. The Scan-Kleen Screen Filters do not need to be disassembled for cleaning. Simply open the flush valve and turn the handle to rotate the dirt collector. Water flow is not interrupted during cleaning. The Scan-Kleen Screen Filters are available in several styles, sizes, and screen mesh options, and are used as primary filters for well water with small amounts of sand or with reservoir water with small amounts of algae.