Golden Ticket

Severe winter weather in Grand Rapids, MI, caused some attendees to leave the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable & Farm Market Expo early this past December, but not Alvin Blok of Blok Orchard, the winner of American Vegetable Grower (AVG) and American Fruit Grower’s (AFG) annual John Deere Gator Giveaway, sponsored by Wilbur-Ellis Co.

Blok was walking the trade show, when David Smith of the Michigan Vegetable Council drew his entry card from the drum that was located at the AVG/AFG booth. “I was surprised,” says Blok, who adds that he doesn’t typically sign up for drawings because he hasn’t been very lucky in the past. “I figured I’d never win, but this year when I walked by, I decided to fill out the card.”

When Blok Orchard in Ada, MI, was founded in 1965, it included about 20 acres of apples and a few acres of peaches. The business has since expanded to include 40 acres of apples, 3 acres of peaches, and now vegetables including tomatoes, corn, squash, peppers, and melons, which the business began growing in 2000 to supplement the farm market stand.

Blok says the Gator will come in handy for going out to the field to pick vegetables to bring back to sell at the stand, which has proven to be quite profitable for the operation. “We still sell most of our apples to the stores — about 80% or 85% — but we like the fruit stand business,” he says. The Gator, Blok adds, will be a nice addition to the operation.