Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
ers. Apple scab, brown blight on stone fruits, and other fungal and bacterial
pathogens are also more common and severe in the humid East.
As far as regions go, you should not let potential pest and disease prob-
lems be the deciding factor on whether to grow fruit organically. New fruit
varieties, more effective organic pesticides, and improved cultural practices
allow you to grow organically, regardless of your location.
Access and Utilities
For commercial growers, transportation is a critical factor. You need to be
able to get equipment, supplies, and workers into and out of your orchard
easily, safely, and economically. Research also shows that much of the bruis-
ing and loss of quality to apples and other tree fruits occurs during trans-
portation from the orchard to the packing house or other market outlet.
Rough roads are a prime culprit, along with rough-riding trucks and oth-
er transportation equipment. Dust from dirt roads adjacent to orchards can
contaminate fruits, requiring additional cleaning and handling to prepare
them for market.
Wherever possible, paved roads offer a cleaner and smoother alternative
to dirt or gravel roads. Paved roads may also mean being close to a popula-
tion center or on a heavily traveled highway (think customers). If you must
farm where paved roads are unavailable, try to select locations where the
unpaved roads are well maintained and dust abatement programs are used.
You may also want to consider your proximity to other growers. While
having your orchard be unique to an area may give you marketing advant-
ages through lack of competition, you also face disadvantages. Those disad-
vantages increase with the size of your orchard. In established fruit growing
regions, growers typically form cooperatives that enable them to collectively
bargain with vendors for reduced rates on supplies and equipment. Cooper-
atives can also provide for sharing occasionally used, high-cost equipment,
and for sharing farm workers. Food cooperatives can be excellent markets
for your fruit. Such cooperatives may be hard to find in regions with few fruit
growers.
