Aug 26, 2016

Ron Perry stepping down from full-time duties

Ron Perry, a long-time professor of horticulture at Michigan State University (MSU), retired from his full-time duties Sept. 1.

Perry, 69, has been working with Michigan’s fruit industry for 36 years – and plans on at least a few more.

“Ron has spent a lifetime working for the tree fruit industry, and did pioneering work on rootstocks as well as over-the-row harvesting,” said Phil Korson, president of the Cherry Marketing Institute.

Perry grew up among orchards in California’s Santa Clara Valley. His family grew prunes, apricots, sweet cherries and walnuts. Because he was familiar with orchards and enjoyed science, he decided to pursue a bachelor’s degree in fruit production from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California, where he graduated in 1968.

After being drafted the next year, Perry served three years in the U.S. Army. It was there he discovered he liked teaching (he was in charge of a non-commissioned officer leadership academy for medics, where he supervised instruction, taught classes and helped develop the curriculum). When he left the army, he went to Texas A&M University, where he earned his master’s and Ph.D. in horticulture while lecturing and working as a research technician in the hort department.

Perry joined MSU in 1980. Based on the main campus in East Lansing, his job evolved over the years – eventually combining research, Extension duties and teaching, all while working closely with the state’s tree fruit industry, he said.

Among other topics, Perry has conducted research on soil, rootstocks and the development and management of high-density orchards. He’s studied grapes, cherries and peaches, but industry demand pushed him more and more toward apples.

“Working closely with the fruit industry has always been the most enjoyable part of the job,” Perry said. “It has meant working closely with Extension educators and growers to solve problems and help our industry transition into the new era.”

Perry served as chairperson of MSU’s Department of Horticulture from 2000 to 2007. In that role, he served as a representative on the Michigan State Horticultural Society (MSHS), the Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council and other commodity organizations. He also served as executive secretary of the International Dwarf Fruit Tree Association (known as IFTA today) from 1986 to 1989.

Perry said the biggest accomplishment in his career probably was helping the tree fruit industry – particularly apple growers – transition from medium-density to high-density orchards. “(Perry) has helped Michigan apple growers produce high-quality fruit in an efficient way, as demands increase for economically and environmentally sustainable management schemes of production,” said Diane Smith, executive director of the Michigan Apple Committee.

Another accomplishment for Perry was creating the MSU Fruit Schools. The program educated more than 750 Midwestern growers from 1984 to 1998, and generated spinoffs such as the IPM Fruit School. He also is proud of his nearly seven years as chair of MSU’s hort department, where, working with faculty and college administration, he led the hiring of about 10 new faculty members, he said.

Perry’s leadership of the hort department during a transitional time was crucial, which is why MSHS gave him a Distinguished Service Award in 2007, said Allyn Anthony, the hort society’s executive secretary.

Perry helped facilitate the adoption of dwarfing rootstocks by the sweet cherry industry, largely through his work with NC-140, a multi-state research project focused on rootstock improvement. In 2015, NC-140 received an Experiment Station Section Award for Excellence in Multi-state Research (out of about 250 projects in the United States). Perry, still an academic adviser for NC-140, was extremely proud of that achievement.

Perry might be leading the tart cherry industry toward high-density orchards, too. Since 2008, he’s been studying the feasibility of an over-the-row harvester for that crop. Korson first approached Perry about the project after witnessing similar technology in Poland. Perry and his team started looking for mechanical harvesters that could be adapted to the job, and partnered with MSU cherry breeder Amy Iezzoni to utilize dwarfing rootstocks she had developed. After eight years of trials, Perry thinks high-density, over- the-row mechanical harvest could be the future for tart cherries – much more so than the traditional trunk-shaking method, where growers have to wait six years before the lower-density trees are even ready for harvest. Today, there are three growers in the state testing about 80 acres of high-density, mechanized tart cherry orchards, he said.

Perry has been planning his retirement since spring 2015. He and Jim Flore, another long-time MSU hort professor who’s stepping down this year, coordinated their retirements to facilitate the hiring of qualified people to replace them. The new faculty members, Todd Einhorn and Courtney Hollender, won’t have the exact same responsibilities as Perry and Flore, but will work just as closely with Michigan growers – and will hopefully do some cutting-edge research of their own, Perry said. The veteran researcher won’t disappear completely. After he retires from his full-time position, MSU will hire Perry on a part-time basis for at least three years. He will stay in East Lansing and continue to teach his popular Exploring Wines and Vines course, and will continue to play an integral role in the tart cherry harvester project.

Perry has won several industry awards over the years, including two this year: Cherry Industry Person of the Year and a Distinguished Faculty Award from the MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Alumni Association.

Perry and his wife, Ann, a retired teacher, have two sons and three granddaughters.

— Matt Milkovich, managing editor