Fruit Growers News

Farm a model of diversified fruit production

Brenton Roy’s family has been farming in Washington state’s Yakima Valley for four generations. At 37, Roy is continuing the tradition as the owner of Oasis Farms in Prosser, Wash. When Roy’s family first started farming in the valley, they grew hops. He still grows that crop, but his farm has diversified into tree fruit, grapes and berries – all spread over more than a thousand acres. Fifteen years ago, when Roy came back from college, his parents were eager to move on to other things. By the time he was 25, he had taken over the farm completely. He was pretty young to be running the business by himself, but he learned quickly. Taking over the farm so young made it easier for Roy to hire Derek Hill straight out of Washington State University, where Hill studied viticulture and enology. Now 28, Hill has…  » Read more

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Apple committee wants to extend AZM deadline

In 2006, EPA decided to phase out the use of azinphos-methyl (AZM), known commercially as Guthion, on apples. The final phase-out date of Sept. 30, 2012, is on the horizon, but the Michigan Apple Committee (MAC), for one, would like to see use of the broad-spectrum insecticide extended. “Our growers and their scientific advisors continue to see a strong need for AZM beyond” the phase-out date, wrote Denise Donohue, MAC’s executive director. “The product is essential to helping growers address the pest pressures in their orchards.” Donohue wrote that Feb. 17 in a letter to Richard Keigwin, director of EPA’s special review and re-registration division. Her goal was to schedule a meeting with EPA officials to go over the committee’s concerns, but nothing had been scheduled as of late April. When it made the decision to phase out AZM in 2006, EPA recognized the impact…  » Read more

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Wishnatzki Farms re-brands for consumers

Florida’s Wishnatzki Farms had its humble beginnings on the streets of New York City in the 1920s, when Harris Wishnatzki sold produce from a pushcart. In the later part of that decade, he traveled to Plant City, Fla., to meet with strawberry buyers, fell in love with the area and decided to stay. Gary Wishnatzki runs the company these days, and it’s now the largest shipper of strawberries in Florida. It has more than 2,000 acres of strawberries, with partners across the country and in Chile. The company packs for more than 100 growers across the United States and Chile, and ships about 3.5 million flats of strawberries, 6 million pounds of blueberries and 1 million packages of vegetables a year. Last year, Wishnatzki Farms launched its new consumer brand, Wish Farms, featuring Misty the Garden Pixie. The purpose is to give consumers a memorable…  » Read more

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Washington winery expands family enterprise

Once a week, Greg Fries makes the drive from a winery in Dundee, Ore., to a winery in Prosser, Wash. The drive takes about four hours. He stays for a night or two. Greg, 39, doesn’t visit to drink wine and hang out. He owns both wineries, along with other members of his family. He, and his family, is involved in every aspect of both operations. His dad manages the vineyards. His sister is in charge of hospitality. His wife handles public relations. Greg was the winemaker for years, but lately he’s been helping out in the vineyards. Greg’s parents first planted vineyards in Oregon’s Willamette Valley in 1985. Eight years later, the family founded a winery, called Duck Pond Cellars, in nearby Dundee. About the time Duck Pond Cellars was founded, Greg’s dad, Doug Fries, bought some land in eastern Washington and planted Merlot…  » Read more

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Website knows everything about peaches

Desmond Layne, an Extension fruit specialist with Clemson University in South Carolina, wanted to create a one-stop-shop for peach lovers, a website that commercial growers, backyard gardeners and consumers could visit to learn everything they needed to know about the fruit. He seems to have succeeded. The website, called Everything About Peaches, was launched in July 2010. As of late April, it had tallied more than 18,000 visits from 76 countries, Layne said. Layne created the website as part of his duties as Clemson University’s peach specialist. He worked with a web development team from the university, which helped him with design and formatting. Now that the site is up and running, Layne provides the content and the web team helps him put it up – and makes it look good, he said. The information on the site is broken into three sections: one for…  » Read more

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Use smartphones to make your orchard, market interactive

Even if you don’t own a smartphone, it’s a safe bet your customers do. According to a recent survey by The Neilsen Co., one in every two Americans has a smartphone of some kind, or will by this fall. Now, you can put your customer’s phone to work in your orchard, and put more money in your pocket. There’s an app for that Maize Quest, known for its corn mazes, has created a tool called Interactive Orchard, for use in orchards and farm markets. The tool allows a smartphone user to take advantage of a Quick Response code (QR). The QR is a link to other media contained in a two-dimensional barcode. Your customer scans the barcode by using the camera from the phone. The code is then read by a free downloadable program, or app, that most smartphone users already have on their phones.…  » Read more

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Usage, population, sprawl push advancements in irrigation

Plants need water to grow, but as global demand for quality fruit has increased in the last 50 years, the need to have the proper amount of water for successful plant growth has increased, too. Waste not No irrigation system will apply water without some waste or losses, because the cost to prevent all losses is prohibitive, according to a study published by the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS). Some water losses are expected and accepted in proper irrigation system design, installation and management. Water is a finite resource and is always in the wrong place, according to Mark Huntley, director of the Irrigation Association. As the world’s population continues to grow, the demands on water continue to grow. It’s a global issue, not just limited to the United States. Technological advancements have reduced water usage and waste, which ultimately…  » Read more

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Marketing orders, agreements perform different functions

Federal marketing orders and agreements were first authorized in the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937. The chief role of such programs is to “help provide stable markets for dairy products, fruits, vegetables and specialty crops,” according to USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), which manages federal orders and agreements. Marketing orders are binding on all individuals and businesses classified as “handlers” (usually processors) who fall under the order’s jurisdiction. Marketing agreements are voluntary, involving growers and handlers who agree to participate, said Michael Durando, chief of AMS’ Marketing Order Administration Branch. Through the years, a number of orders and agreements have been organized under the 1937 act. Some have survived; some haven’t. Currently, there are 32 federal marketing orders for fruit, vegetable and other specialty crops, but no marketing agreements, according to Durando. Marketing order duties include market and production research, data collection, volume control,…  » Read more

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