1:32 PM (5 hours ago) to me

Hi Matthew! I will be happy to answer your questions to the best of my ability. On Feb 25, 201 , at !02 "M, Matthew # $uran wrote! % From! Matthew # $uran % &mail! 'uranmatthew(05)*mail.+om % ,ub-e+t! % % Messa*e .o'y! % $ear /nne, % % My name is Matthew # $uran i am a senior at $el 0alle Hi*h s+hool i ha1e some questions that i want to as2 you. My tea+her Ms. /lti3er sai' that I +oul' as2 you some questions. % % My questions are! % 1. what is the total +ost of an apple trees apples 1alue if *rown from a see'. 4ommer+ial apple or+har's 'o not *row trees from see's. 5ust be+ause you plant a see' from a +ertain 1ariety, say #e' $eli+ious, 'oes not mean that is what will *row. 4ommer+ial *rowers want to 2now for sure what 1arieties they are *rowin*, so we pur+hase all of our trees from a fruit tree nursery. 6hey are trees that are 172 years ol' an' the 1ariety has been *rafte' onto the root sto+2 that we request. / tree for transplant +osts 8(79. Here in /ri3ona we will ha1e years of *rowin* e:pense plus the +ost of the tree before we har1est our first apple. I 'on;t ha1e a brea2'own per tree, but annual *rowin* e:pense in+lu'es irri*ation, wee' +ontrol, nutrient sprays, trainin* an' prunin* the tree. My estimate is that we woul' ha1e 8100<tree in1este' before the first har1est. % % 2. what are the most many 'an*ers that +an happen when ha1in* an apple or+har'. 6he bi**est 'an*er that we fa+e in /ri3ona is loss of the +rop 'ue to a sprin* free3e. /pple trees only bloom on+e a year, in late Mar+h 7 early /pril. =e ha1e lost 100> of our fruit +rop to free3es at least 5 years out of 2?, an' smaller losses numerous times. Farmer 5ohn +onstantly monitors the or+har' year7 roun' wat+hin* for inse+t 'ama*e an' tree 'iseases. Hail storms in the summer are a 1ery real threat. It -ust ta2es a @0 se+on' hail storm while the fruit is *rowin* to wipe out your +rop for the year, worst +ame, or lower it from fresh eatin* quality to -ui+e quality in the best +ase. % % @. how mu+h lan' 'oes it ta2e in or'er to ha1e an apple tree or+har'. Or+har's +an be any si3e. =e ha1e about 25 a+res of apple trees, with trees plante' 200<a+re. Most new or+har's are plante' on a 200 tree<a+re up to 1,000 trees<a+re. 6he hi*her 'ensity or+har's plant small trees an' support them with a trellis an' wire system instea' of free7stan'in* trees. % % . what are some safety tips before startin* an apple tree or+har'. I +an;t thin2 of any safety tips other than plantin* in an area with *oo' water an' air 'raina*e. "otential farmers also nee' to reali3e that they are *oin* to spen' a lot of money in the first 5 years before they

ha1e any in+ome, an' in+ome after that is not *uarantee'. % % 5. what are the by stan'ar's of pro'u+in* the apples that are from an apple tree or+har'. 6here are 'ifferent stan'ar's for or*ani+ally *rown an' +ommer+ially *rown. =e are not +ertifie' or*ani+, so I +an;t spea2 to that. In a +ommer+ial or+har' you nee' to 2eep re+or's of any nutrient sprays, pesti+i'e strays an' fertili3ers use'. #e+or's are 2ept as to the 'ate of har1est, row an' se+tion of the or+har' that ea+h bin of apples +ame out of an' a re+or' of the pi+2er that har1este' that bin. Our or+har' is 1ery 'ifferent. =e are not +ertifie' or*ani+, but use or*ani+ metho's of pest +ontrol. =e ha1e thousan' of people ea+h year +ome to pi+2 their own apples, an' 100> of our +rop is pi+2e' an' sol' here. =e will ne1er be a +ertifie' or*ani+ or+har'. =e li1e in a 'esert en1ironment an' ha1e rattlesna2es in the or+har' on a re*ular basis. .e+ause we are +on+erne' about the safety of our +ustomers an' want them to ha1e a +lean or+har' to wal2 in, we use #oun'7Ap for wee' +ontrol, whi+h is not an or*ani+ herbi+i'e. It is spraye' only on the wee's an' not on the fruit or tree. Mowin* the or+har' 'oes not 2eep it +lean enou*h to be able to see sna2es +lose to the trees. % % (. how many poun's of apples +an an apple tree or+har' ha1e if they are ta2in* +are of properly. On a *oo' year, with *oo' weather +on'itions from bloom to har1est, a healthy tree +an pro'u+e 1507 200 poun's of apples. % % ?. /n' is there by any +han+e that i +an 1isit 6e:as /BM uni1ersity +olle*e station so that way % i +an ha1e proof that i 'i' a+tually 1isit a pla+e that 'oes apple tree or+har's for my senior pro-e+t. I;m in /ri3ona an' not asso+iate' with 6e:as /BM. Hope you ha1e fun with this pro-e+t! /nnie % % % % sin+erely! % Matthew # $uran %