Fruit Growers News

UK farm needs a few good sweet cherries

A couple of years ago, G.H. Dean & Co. decided to invest “quite significantly” in sweet cherries. As part of the plan, the family farm in Sittingbourne, England, will plant up to 120 acres of cherry trees in the next few years, according to Managing Director Oliver Doubleday. G.H. Dean has been growing cherries for decades, but Doubleday would like to be more strategic about future plantings, putting in “good-size” blocks that contain as few varieties as possible. “The traditional approach, where you muddle all the varieties together, doesn’t work,” he said. A heterogeneous block that contains early, middle and late varieties is “hopeless” to manage. Inputs have to be applied at different times, which gets needlessly confusing, Doubleday said. “By having a more intelligent approach to the orchard design, we ought to be able to optimize our timing” when it comes to tasks like…  » Read more

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President’s visit a boost for Illinois farm market

Bruce was knee-deep in vines, picking watermelons, when his cellphone rang. “Is this Bruce Curry?” a voice asked. “Yes,” Bruce affirmed. “Mr. Curry, I’m calling from the White House.” “You mean the one in Washington, D.C.?” Bruce Curry owns Country Corner Farm and Farm Market, an 80-acre farm in Alpha, Ill., near the Iowa border. The caller went on to identify himself as a representative of the president of the United States. He said they had been looking at the farm’s website, and wanted to know if President Obama could visit his farm and hold a town hall meeting on his property. Bruce asked them to send him an email, and he’d look at it after he finished picking his watermelons. How would you respond if someone called and asked if the president could visit your farm next week? Once Bruce Curry verified that the…  » Read more

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McDonald’s adding apples to every Happy Meal

In July, McDonald’s announced that it would include apple slices in every Happy Meal by next year. Packages of apple slices were being phased in starting in September, according to the New York Apple Association (NYAA). “We’re very excited about this,” said Peter Gregg, NYAA’s communications director. “This is very big news for apple growers in the U.S.” McDonald’s doesn’t track sales of the popular kids’ meal, said Ashlee Yingling, media relations representative for McDonald’s U.S. According to NYAA, however, the restaurant chain sold 220 million Happy Meals in the United States last year. It’s too soon to speculate on just where all those apples will come from, Yingling said, but the U.S. industry is hopeful. “With the current sliced apple products sold at McDonald’s, they use a lot of Gala and Empire apples, which we grow a lot of here in New York,” Gregg…  » Read more

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Arizona farm reinvents to stay successful

When you think of Arizona, you don't immediately think of fruit and vegetable farming. That is probably part of what has made Schnepf's Farms in Queen Creek, Ariz., successful, according to Mark and Carrie Schnepf. This year marks the 70th anniversary of Schnepf Farms, which began with Ray and Thora Schnepf. It wasn't easy and it wasn't always successful, though. Mark and Carrie will be the first to tell you that. Over the years, the farm has evolved and tried many things. "You've got to be willing to reinvent yourself when you and your farm need to change," Mark said. "You have to be willing to innovate and grow with what your customer wants and be willing to accept diversification. Over the years, the farm has changed and what we've grown has changed." Carrie echoed Mark's sentiment. "You've got to be thinking ahead about what…  » Read more

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Changing consumer demand affects small fruit

A lot has changed for small fruit over the last few decades, but those changes were quite different, depending on the crop. Strawberries The biggest changes for strawberries came about in the 1970s, when there was a huge buildup in the pick-your-own (PYO) market, said Tim Nourse, owner of Nourse Farms in western Massachusetts. Nourse should know. He’s been in the industry for 43 years, and his company is one of the major suppliers of small fruit plants in the United States. “PYO was definitely the big game in town back then,” he said. Not only was PYO a great sales mechanism for growers, it also spurred the advancement of breeding, Nourse said. It was during this time that the North American Strawberry Growers Association (NASGA) formed, mostly out of necessity. “USDA made it known that they didn’t intend to replace Don Scott as a…  » Read more

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Healthy living boosting small fruit sales

Research showing the health benefits of eating small fruit is making for a bright picture for berry production going into the next several decades, said Eric Hanson, a horticulturist with Michigan State University. Add to that the increasing desire of consumers to buy locally grown produce and it makes for an interesting outlook for small fruit growers. Eating healthy Research continues to show that there are increased health benefits to eating berries. Tim Nourse, owner of Nourse Farms, a berry plant grower in western Massachusetts, said it’s essential for growers to keep abreast of the latest research and use that information to sell their produce. “If you’re going to grow and sell berries, you need to know about the healthy aspects of eating them,” he said. “Your customers will.” The belief that food products have medicinal properties has been a part of folk medicine for…  » Read more

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USDA directory reveals 17 percent growth in farmers’ markets

More than 1,000 new farmers’ markets have been recorded across the country, according to results released in USDA’s 2011 National Farmers Market Directory. According to the annual report, a total of 7,175 farmers’ markets operate throughout the United States, an increase from the 6,132 markets reported the previous year. “The remarkable growth in farmers’ markets is an excellent indicator of the staying power of local and regional foods,” said Kathleen Merrigan, deputy secretary of USDA. “These outlets provide economic benefits for producers to grow their businesses and also to communities by providing increased access to fresh fruits and vegetables and other foods. In short, they are a critical ingredient in our nation’s food system.” Updated market listings were submitted to USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service by farm market managers on a voluntary, self-reported basis between April 18 and June 24, as part of USDA’s annual outreach…  » Read more

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U.S. fruit exports trying to catch up to imports

It’s safe to say U.S. fruit exports have grown in the last two decades. But not as fast as imports. In 2010, the total value of U.S. fruit exports (including fresh, dried, frozen, canned, juice, wine and other categories) was roughly $7.6 billion, up from about $2 billion in 1989. Meanwhile, the total value of fruit imported into the United States (same categories) grew from roughly $3.7 billion in 1989 to more than $15 billion in 2010, according to USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). The growth of fruit imports in that period can be explained in part by growing minority ethnic populations and an increased demand for new products, according to USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS). That demand has created new markets for domestic fruit growers, but they find themselves competing with an ever-expanding volume of imported fruit. For example, nearly half of the fresh…  » Read more

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Fruit growers have a lot to learn at the 2011 Great Lakes EXPO

This year’s Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market EXPO will offer a variety of educational sessions and special events. There should be something of interest for everyone attending. The 2011 EXPO is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 6, through Thursday, Dec. 8. Here’s just some of what is being planned. Education sessions A number of commodity sessions will be offered, including tree fruit, wine and juice grape sessions on Tuesday, apple sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday, blueberry, cherry and stone fruit sessions on Wednesday. An organic tree fruit session is planned for Thursday as part of a full-day program for organic growers. For cider makers, a sweet cider session will be offered on Wednesday and a hard cider session on Thursday. Sessions on topics of general interest include a session on food safety audits on Tuesday and a session on hoop houses and high and…  » Read more

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Special events scheduled for Great Lakes EXPO

The 2011 Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable & Farm Market EXPO includes many special events. Here are some of them. Midwest Pickle Association, Pickle & Pepper Research Committee (members only) Tuesday, Dec. 6, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Gallery Overlook Room G-H, DeVos Place Convention Center (upper level) Members of the Midwest Pickle Association are invited to attend this special reporting and business program. The program schedule will be as follows: Cucumber research reporting session and working lunch (11 a.m.-2:30 p.m.); brine cutting demonstration (2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.); Pickle & Pepper Research Committee meeting (3:30 p.m.-4:15 p.m.); MWPA business meeting (4:15 p.m.-5 p.m.). Grape Industries Luncheon Tuesday, Dec. 6, 11:15 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Gerald R. Ford Ballroom, Amway Grand Plaza Hotel This luncheon program is co-sponsored by the Michigan Grape and Wine Council and National Grape Cooperative for the purpose of discussing topics of importance to the juice and wine…  » Read more

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