Eco Apple^TM Program

What is the Eco Apple™ program?
Eco Apple is a unique partnership between farmers, scientists, and nonprofits, developed and managed by Red Tomato.

Eco Apple apples are grown using ecological farming methods by family farms in the northeastern United States. By meeting strict requirements for orchard care and pest monitoring, Eco Apple farmers aim to reduce the use of high toxicity pesticides, contribute to a bountiful supply of quality, local foods, and improve farmworker safety, soil and water resources, wildlife habitat and biodiversity. Get the 2009 Eco Apple™ Protocol and Grower Self-Assessment or the Eco Apple™ Quick Guide to learn more.

The Eco Apple program also contributes to farm stability and farmland preservation in the region by developing markets for locally grown produce and rebuilding the infrastructure needed to get local apples to buyers in the region. 

Where are Eco Apple™ apples grown?
Eco Apple orchards in 2009: Alyson’s Orchards, Walpole, NH; Breezy Hill Orchard, Staatsburg, NY; Clark Brothers Orchards, Ashfield, MA; Connecticut Valley Orchard, Westminster Station, VT; Indian Ladder Farms, Altamont, NY; Lyman Orchards, Middlefield, CT; Rogers Orchard, Southfield, CT; Saxtons River Orchard, Saxtons River, VT; Scott Farm, Dummerston, VT; Sunrise Orchards, Cornwall, VT; Truncali Farms, Marlboro, NY.

Eco Apple orchards are small to medium-size family-owned farms; (one, Scott Farm, is owned by a preservation land trust.) All are in the northeastern U.S. Only apples grown by orchards which are certified as partners in this non-profit marketing program are labeled Eco Apple.

Eco Apple™ farms are certified and inspected by the IPM Institute of North America.
Thorough tracking and reporting by each orchard along with on-site orchard visits verifies that the farmer has followed a rigorous Integrated Pest Management (IPM) protocol. The protocol is developed in partnership with farmers, scientists and other agricultural professionals, and is designed and tested by scientists from the University of Massachusetts and Cornell University to reduce the most toxic pesticides used in apple orchards.

The Eco Apple program is supported in part by USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Conservation Innovation Grant Program, the USDA Crops at Risk Program, the USDA Northeastern IPM Center and the EPA Region I Strategic Agricultural Initiative Grant Program. Research partners include scientists at the University of Massachusetts, Cornell University and others.

How are Eco Apple™ farmers rebuilding diverse, earth-friendly local agriculture in the northeast U.S.?
Most of the apples now sold in the United States are grown in Western states or imported from overseas. Eco Apple apples are sold primarily in the region where they are grown. That’s important to consumers who are concerned about pesticide use but also want food produced closer to home. Because the northeast is one of the best places in the world for growing apples, some Eco Apples are also shipped to apple lovers in other regions of the U.S., and there are efforts underway to develop Eco Apple programs in other regions as well. Regional apple farmers, like most family farmers, face challenging pressures in a competitive market. Eco Apple is one way to rebuild a strong local, agriculture in the Northeast.

How are Eco Apple™ apples different from regular apples?
Eco Apple farmers use advanced Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to control insect pests, weeds and diseases in their orchards. They rely primarily on the least-toxic and natural methods such as biological controls, along with extensive monitoring of trees, pests and environmental conditions. Conventional chemical pesticides are used only in limited, very specific circumstances. Some pesticides that are allowed in conventional production, such as neurotoxic and broadly toxic organophosphates, are prohibited altogether for the Eco Apple program. These practices and the least-toxic products can be considerably more expensive and labor-intensive, and require more monitoring, than conventional programs. Conventional producers may also use IPM practices, but Eco Apple growers use ONLY the strict practices outlined in a written protocol.

How are Eco Apple™ apples different from certified organic apples?
Eco Apple apples are not the same as organic, but many of the methods used by Eco Apple growers and organic growers are the same. Certified organic producers are regulated by strict USDA National Organic Program standards that apply to apple producers nationally and even worldwide. They allow the use of some pesticides and substances, and prohibit the use of others. Some Eco Apple growers also grow organic apples. But organic apples are extremely tough to raise in commercial quantity and quality in the northeastern United States, due to pests specific to this climate, such as the plum curculio beetle and apple scab.

Eco Apple farmers use an advanced IPM protocol for pest control that is designed for apple production in the northeastern United States. For some pests and diseases, organic-approved pesticides must be applied in large quantity and frequency. For example, organic-approved pesticides such as sulfur can have detrimental ecological impacts if used in the quantities required for commercial production. For those situations, Eco Apple producers choose the least toxic, minimal-impact methods based on what is best for the orchard ecosystem.

How are Eco Apple™ standards set?
An important part of the Eco Apple program is an annual review of the protocol, working closely with a group of scientists from Cornell University and the University of Massachusetts, who are researching new pest management strategies and looking for alternatives that protect health and environment. Changes in climate, pest resistance, and apple varieties are some other reasons the standards must be reviewed and updated. The goal is to constantly push toward least-toxic, most ecological practices, and to improve continuously as we learn more about reduced-risk alternatives and what it takes to implement them and grow high quality apples.

The Eco Apple advisory group, which includes growers, scientists, and others, also recommends priorities for further research and helps to push for funding and support for research into ecological methods.

What criteria are used to determine pesticide use and restrictions for growing Eco Apples™?
There are more than 1,200 pesticides allowed for use on apples! This list includes both synthetic and natural products used in conventional and organic production. Pesticide options currently in use or suggested by growers or others in this region, are evaluated for potential to contaminate groundwater, pest resistance, and for hazards to humans, natural enemies and other non-targets. They are also evaluated for necessity to produce quality apples in the Northeast in commercial quantities.

One of the tools used to analyze pesticide hazards is the database at www.pesticideinfo.org. This on-line tool, created and maintained by the Pesticide Action Network of North America, collates information from recognized authorities such as international watchdogs and state and federal regulators such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

All pest control methods are used only after systematic scouting and weather monitoring, and when pests exceed science-based thresholds.

Trust the farmer. Know the orchard. LOVE the fruit.