In 2007, Cornell University, University of Massachusetts, red tomato™ (a nonprofit produce marketing corporation), and the IPM Institute of North America, Inc received a two-year grant to develop a protocol for producing and marketing “eco apples™” in the northeast. Red tomato’s mission is connecting farmers and consumers through marketing, trade and education and a belief in family farms, and a locally based, ecological, fair trade food system. The goal is to create a market niche for “eco apples™” that will resulting in premium prices and access to high quality, markets such as Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s. Red tomato’s apple sales grew from $130,000 in 2004 to $600,000 in 2006. The program grew from Six New England growers with 441 acres in 2006 to 771 acres and 12 growers in 2007. Participating growers complete a self-assessment, pay an annual certification fee and submit scouting and pesticide application records. The protocol will be adjusted annually by red tomato employees, participating growers, and university personnel. Pesticides are classified into 3 categories: green, use with justification; yellow, use when green materials are not available or effective; and red, do not use.

Previous studies have shown that apple growers in New York and other northeastern states can use Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs with reduced risk (RR) pesticides that are less toxic to humans and safer for the environment than conventional materials and obtain comparable pest control. Unfortunately, these RR programs are more expensive than those using conventional materials and may require more scouting and monitoring, which also increases growers’ costs. These increased costs are a deterrent to widespread implementation of these types of programs, but it is likely that growers would adopt this technology if they could receive higher costs for apples produced under these types of protocols. Although organic produce usually commands premium prices in selective market outlets throughout the United States, it is very difficult to grow organic apples in the Northeast because of the extensive complex of insect pests and diseases within the region. Therefore, we decided to start a project with a non-profit produce marketing organization, Red Tomato, to determine if northeast growers using an IPM protocol with RR materials could market their fruit as Eco-apples at premium prices that would offset their increased production costs for implementing this system.

In 2007, four farms in NY put a total of 62 acres in the project. Three of these growers were wholesale marketers, and one grower marketed fruit at their private fruit stand. In New England five farms with approximately 500 acres participated. The northeast growers included both wholesalers and direct marketers. Participating growers generally achieved comparable levels of pest control to those of conventional producers. Costs of the programs and returns to participating growers are still being calculated. Although complete information about volumes of EcoApple sales by Red Tomato from participating growers will not be available until summer of 2008 when marketing of fruit currently in storage is completed, reports of early sales in the fall of 2007 increased from previous years.

This program should result in participating growers marketing apples for premium prices to high quality, selective markets, such as Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. The ultimate goal is to create a marketing niche for apples grow under an IPM protocol, such as EcoApples, that can be sold in high quality market outlets for prices comparable to those of organic apples. Although economic data is not yet available for the 2007-2008 season, Red Tomato sales of EcoApples have steadily increased during the last several years. For example, in 2004, the company sold $130,000 of apples. In 2006, 24,000 cases of apples were sold for $600,000. From January-June of 2007, 5,354 cases of apples were marketed for $112,858, and 24,000 cases of apples were sold in September of 2007.