Building Pennsylvania Orchards For The Future

Young Grower Alliance

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There is a rather interesting story as to how a team of tree fruit researchers at Penn State University (PSU) came together to help lead and advise the state’s growers into the future. Dr. Jim Schupp, Matt Harsh (Penn State Economic Development Extension Educator at the time), and Extension educator Dr. Tara Baugher all came from fruit-producing families that had discontinued farming (much to their disappointment). As a result, they were particularly passionate about helping young growers in the state return to the family farm and find a way to contribute to its success. Along with Sidney Kuhn, a young family farmer herself, and a number of other partners, they decided to work together to secure the future of the specialty crop industry by providing Extension programming to a new generation of growers.

Today, these efforts have come to fruition in a number of different ways. One is the Young Grower Alliance (YGA), which was formed in 2005 as a coalition for specialty crop growers who were at the start of their horticulture careers and looking to connect with others working in a similar profession and living a similar lifestyle. Another is the partnership between PSU and many of these same growers in using Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) funding from the Natural Resources Conservation Service to develop a series of standardized apple orchard systems. The purpose of these systems is to demonstrate new innovations in high-density plantings, and how they are being fashioned to accommodate the future use of automated technology.

Innovation And Communication

The Young Grower Alliance currently includes more than 175 growers from the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond. As Baugher notes, the early conversations between PSU educators and local young growers led to the development of a grassroots initiative to “Retool the Pennsylvania Fruit Industry” by creating a spirit of innovation. “The State Horticultural Association of Pennsylvania (SHAP) responded enthusiastically by establishing a YGA committee and providing an annual source of funding,” says Baugher. “‘Bringing in a New Generation of Horticulturists’ is now one of four state-wide Extension programs to ‘increase environmental, economic, and social sustainability’ of the tree fruit industry.”

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Two of YGA’s young leaders cite the valuable resources and information Baugher and others at PSU bring to the table. “Because the Penn State staff know so many growers and other Extension personnel (from all over the country), they are great resources for making the connections with tour hosts, or workshop presenters,” says Sidney Kuhn of Kuhn Orchards in Orrtanna, PA. “They have done an amazing job of spreading the word about the group, and encouraging young growers to join.” Kuhn is the YGA liaison to the SHAP.

Ben Wenk of Three Springs Fruit Farm in Wenksville, PA, current YGA team leader, says many YGA members have worked with PSU on research trials. This includes not only the CIG program mentioned previously, but also the cooperation between growers and researchers to combat the brown marmorated stink bug, which has wreaked havoc in this area the past couple years. “Our membership at the family farms was active in providing blocks for university research,” says Wenk.

For her part, Baugher’s role is to provide Extension team leadership on program development and implementation. “With industry, county, university, and grant funding, we were fortunate to be able to create a new Extension position to coordinate and build on this effort,” says Baugher. “The Young Grower Alliance’s cooperative effort has expanded to other land grants, including Cornell, Michigan State, and Washington State Universities, and the U.S. Apple Association now has a leadership development effort for the next generation.”

The heart of YGA lies in its events, which include field days and tours of orchards in Pennsylvania, across the country, and even overseas. Wenk notes that the value of these tours comes in two different ways: the networking and sharing of information among peers, and the new innovations that can be discovered. For example, during a panel discussion at this year’s Mid-Atlantic Fruit & Vegetable Convention in Hershey, PA, Wenk talked about a recent trip to New Zealand, where he met growers who were “willing to adapt, find niches, and be quick to change their operations based on opportunity.” Being exposed to this environment had a profound impact on everyone who attended, says Wenk.

Closer to home, Wenk and other YGA members have seen in-field demonstrations covering everything from the Darwin string thinner, to cherries grown under high tunnels, to netting systems for bird protection. But perhaps even more important than seeing these advancements, Wenk says he’s been able to network and form close relationships with fellow growers. “Most of our membership is willing to take the time to help each other out,” says Wenk. “We’re seeing a lot more of these innovations adopted because of the networking and cooperation within our group.”

Baugher says the benefits of the YGA extend beyond just its core members. “If you talk to members of their parents’ generation, you will find that they have been inspired by the next generation that has brought innovation in the form of crop diversification and new marketing strategies back to the farm,” says Baugher. “Producers who at one time were hesitant to encourage their young family members to train for a career in horticulture have reconsidered.”

In its ongoing efforts to develop the next generation of horticulturists, Baugher says PSU has a strategic plan to reach out to young tree fruit growers at the start of their horticulture careers, multi-generational members of farm families pursuing successful enterprise transitions, and Hispanics and other individuals from diverse backgrounds interested in advanced horticulture training. “Proposed impacts include increased industry leadership activities, increased ability to develop farm transition plans, and enhanced ability to move into upper management and farm ownership positions.”

This succession planning has been a critical element of YGA’s mission, says Kuhn. “YGA has hosted at least three workshops that I can remember that focused on succession planning, and all were very valuable and had a little different focus, from looking at the family relationship side of a transition to the more legal/planning side of a transition,” she says. “We feel comfortable sharing with each other since we are all working toward the same goals, to eventually become the operators of our own businesses.”

Down the road, Wenk emphasizes that while YGA consists mostly of tree fruit growers, the group is open to anyone. “One thing about our group that remains constant is that we’re as inclusive as possible. If you’re growing anything, even if it’s not tree fruit, you may have something to contribute,” he says. “We’re anxious to tour, and you can learn a lot by going to see a similar but completely different operation. We all have the same goals, even if we grow different crops.”

A Spirit Of Outreach

The Young Grower Alliance (YGA) is not limited to educating its own members. In 2010, the YGA partnered with Project Gettysburg-Leon on a service project to help underserved farmers in Nicaragua by teaching them to diversify their crop offerings, become more competitive in the market, and improve their own diets. “It’s a chance for those of us who are educated in agriculture and have experience to use that knowledge to give back and help some folks who don’t have the nice growing conditions we might take for granted,” says Ben Wenk of Three Springs Fruit Farm.

One of Wenk’s colleagues at Three Springs, Alana Anderson, made a trip to Nicaragua earlier this year. She says conditions such as poor water quality, volcanic soil, and a heavy rain season make growing a challenge. In addition, the village they are working in, Talolinga, is situated at the top of a mountain. Even if fruit can be grown properly, getting it down the road and to the market must be done in treacherous conditions.

Anderson says YGA’s visitors are working with a young farmer named Javier, training him to be able to provide an Extension-like presence to other growers in the area. They have even translated a pest management guide into Spanish to be used as a resource. “Javier has taken everything he’s learned and put it into practice,” says Anderson, who along with Wenk is hoping to make another trip in early 2013. Stay tuned for updates on the progress of their efforts.

Note: To watch videos of Bruce Hollabaugh explaining CIG systems, and Penn State’s Jim Schupp discussing maximing light penetration in a high-density orchard,.

Models For The Future

The use of Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) is another way Penn State is working with its local growers to invest in the future. “I believe that we must recognize the need to preserve our laboratories and classrooms in the field,” says Baugher. To make this possible, CIG funding was obtained to establish 12 model orchards for testing and providing education on Dr. Jim Schupp’s “orchard blueprint” for successful intensive apple systems. These are 1-acre plantings that initially were used to test and demonstrate new practices to increase production efficiency and environmental stewardship. These practices include using GPS guidance to lay out the orchards, integrating rotation crops as biofumigants, and using a fuel consumption calculator to demonstrate energy efficiency in reduced fuel use.

Most of the plantings have been half-acre blocks of both Honeycrisp on M9 and Cameo on M9 337, although some of the participating growers have upped the blocks to an acre each. The support structure is a four-wire trellis, and the growers are testing two training systems: a tall spindle and a modified palmette.

Bruce Hollabaugh of Hollabaugh Bros. Fruit Farm in Biglerville, PA, is one of the growers involved in these CIG plantings. Having worked with Penn State in the past on research projects, Hollabaugh Bros. expressed early interest in getting involved with the CIG plantings.

For Bruce Hollabaugh, who had only been back at the farm for a short time after earning his horticulture degree, the experience of setting up CIG test blocks was invaluable. “For me, this planting and grant was the epiphany that gave me the drive and the knowledge base to say that even if I don’t model every one of our orchards exactly like these plantings, it helps me understand where I want to go with our plantings and what I want to do horticulturally with apples down the road.” Hollabaugh also says the resources and experience that Schupp, Baugher, and the rest of the PSU team bring to the table are critical. “I like to think that we are learning together.”

Penn State tree fruit specialist Dr. Rob Crassweller, who was also involved in establishing these trials across the state, says one of the benefits of the plantings is that growers can compare uniform systems on sites that may differ in soil, slope, and other growing conditions. “One of my next steps is to develop a set of best management practices the growers can follow, covering everything from energy usage to inputs.”

Hollabaugh notes that in applying these systems, he’s been able to see the tree differently, and understand the relationship between fruit, vegetative growth, and tree manipulation. “You could say it is horticulture in its truest sense, manipulating the tree to get the desired effect,” he says. Hollabaugh also notes the importance of matching cultivar and rootstock to planting space in the soil.

Paving The Way

Although these CIG plantings have been in the ground for a few years, the learning process for all involved is only just beginning. For example, at Hollabaugh Bros., Bruce has planted several more acres in a similar trellis system. He continues to work with the PSU team in making evaluations on training, thinning, pruning, and harvesting.

Crassweller says that he’s seen a change in attitude among the growers involved in the program. “New people are coming on, and they are starting to adopt new higher-density plantings and embracing them quicker than ever.”

The true potential of these systems will come as they are utilized to test new technologies developed by multi-disciplinary research teams, including the use of autonomous platforms. This is an area Hollabaugh is particularly interested in getting involved in. “There’s a lot of growers already using platforms, and now there are two more things we’re trying to do: make them automated so they do a lot of things by themselves and reduce operator time, and allow two platforms to be used independently of each other,” he says. Further down the road, Hollabaugh and others will also evaluate harvest-assist technology, such as the device developed by DBR Conveyor Concepts in Michigan.

Hollabaugh cautions that given the current labor situation, there is some fear that “we are embarking into something that we may need additional labor time to manipulate. The benefit has to come from the earlier production from the orchard, and the improved quality of the fruit, in order to justify spending the extra money,” he says. “As we go forward, we need to accept the fact that technology will make this much easier and more efficient.”

One thing is certain: The Extension team at Penn State will be working side by side with growers involved in the CIG program to make sure the principles behind it come to fruition.

Without Peer

The cover story of American/Western Fruit Grower’s July 2011 issue, “Extension Threatened,” included comments from growers across the country on the value university Extension programs and educators provide to their operations. A number of the growers we talked to, not just in Pennsylvania but in surrounding states as well, were not shy about crediting the continuing efforts of Tara Baugher and the rest of the tree fruit team at Penn State University. As one grower said, “Tara Baugher has done some work with us on training systems, rootstock evaluations, and systems trials. Along with Jim Schupp. she’s helped us change the way we produce apples as a company. Tara and Jim are top notch in their ability to work with and relate with growers, and get information to us. Tara is without peer in terms of an Extension educator and what they should be.”

Baugher is quick to return the appreciation. “Our growers are always willing to open their field classrooms to others, whether local or visiting producers.” She also emphasizes the importance of the entire team at Penn State, from Jim Schupp to entomologists Greg Krawczyk, Larry Hull, and David Biddinger, professor Robert Crassweller, marketing specialist Kathleen Kelley, and many others who are involved in current and future tree fruit objectives.

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