Nov 4, 2011

New hort president: Growers rely on Extension

For Ed Robinette, this has been a pretty good year. His family business, Robinette’s Apple Haus & Winery, celebrated 100 years of being a west Michigan fruit grower.

Long-term success takes leadership, and the growing community in his state has taken notice of Robinette’s leadership skills. He is the president of the Michigan Cider Maker’s Guild, and the incoming president of the Michigan State Horticultural Society (MSHS).

When Robinette begins his term as president of MSHS in 2012, his goals will be quite clear. With legislative cutbacks forcing changes in Extension and other services Michigan growers have come to rely on, he wants to make sure MSHS members know what’s going on.

“We rely on the research that comes from Extension,” he said. “Will that information be relayed to the growers? How so? My goal is to make for better communication between Extension and the members.”

Labor is a major concern for growers these days, Robinette said. On his farm, there hasn’t been much of an impact because it’s a smaller operation and a large part of the crop is u-pick. MSHS is, however, a member of the National Council of Agricultural Employers, and as president, Robinette will work to help support the mission of that organization.

“There is a lot going on legislatively,” he said. “It all centers on what happens in Washington, D.C.”

Another issue facing Robinette and MSHS are invasive pests such as Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) and Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB). So far, BMSB hasn’t been a huge issue in Michigan, Robinette said. But SWD catches in traps are on the rise.

“It is a definite concern,” he said. “We’ve heard of the effects BMSB has had on the mid-Atlantic region. We’re working with legislators, growers and the university to keep everyone aware of the issues if they become serious problems here.”

As for damage from pests on his own farm, Robinette said the deer damage has been incredible this season. The problem is compounded by the size of the farm and the location in a suburban area.

“Where we’re located, we just can’t control them much,” he said.

With other pests, he has to be careful when it comes to spraying.

“My customers live right around me,” he said. “We have to be extra careful with spraying and with noise. For the most part, everyone is understanding.”

Growers need to support their customers, Robinette said. They can do so by developing new activities and agritourism venues to get them on the farm.

“People are more separated than ever from life on the farm,” he said. “As growers and farm marketers, we need to understand that when they come, the customers are just trying to get back at least a taste of that life.”

As president of MSHS, Robinette wants to get out the message to growers to listen to what the customer wants and needs. He warns growers to not try to compete with the big grocery stores from a price point, because that is a competition growers will always lose.

“Provide the utmost quality in the fruit you grow and sell,” he said. “That is the key to being successful.”

By Derrek Sigler, Associate Editor