ORGANIC
TREE
by Bridget O’Meara
The OTFA Winter Meeting
was held Friday, February
27, during the 2010
Organic Farming
Conference in La Crosse,
WI. The primary purpose
of the official meeting
(which preceded a lively
Scion Wood Exchange and
cider tasting) was to elect a
new Board of Directors.
Absentee ballots were sent
out in advance so that the
votes of all participating
members could be counted
at the meeting. After some
discussion of the process,
OTFA members cast their
votes. When the results
were tallied, the top five
candidates were Jackie
Hoch, Tom Rosenfeld,
Greg Mund, James
Lindemann, and Tom
Galazen.
The new OTFA Board
officers based on who
received the most votes
from OTFA members are:
President: Jackie Hoch
Treasurer: Tom Rosenfeld
Secretary: Greg Mund
Congratulations to the new
OTFA Board of Directors
FRUIT
A SSOCIATION
OTFA U PDATE
and Thank You to all the
OTFA members who
participated in elections!
After the elections (and
before cider), members had
an opportunity to learn
more about OTFA’s
current projects and to sign
up to work on the
Education Committee or
the Research Committee.
Since the annual meeting,
committee work has
progressed.
The Education Committee
has developed focus for the
annual grower seminars,
which will be held in
conjunction with the 2010
Great Lakes EXPO and the
2011 Organic Farming
Conference/Organic
University. Two OTFA
sponsored field days have
been organized and the
dates/ locations of
additional orchard walks
and events of interest will
be posted on the website.
Committee members will
provide guidance on a new
Fact Sheet on Transitioning
to Organic Production as
well as on Just Picked
content. If you are an
OTFA member and would
like to participate in this
committee, please contact
J UST P ICKED
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 2 SPRING 2010
I NSIDE TH IS ISSUE :
Greg Mund at
grmund@aol.com U SI NG 2
B IOLOGICAL
The Research Committee H EALTH AS AN
continues the work begun E FFECTIVE
by Harry Hoch and Bridget M EANS FOR
O’Meara to initiate an A BATING T R EE
Organic Tree Fruit F R UIT D ISEASE
Research Collaborative.
The results of the Grower I NTEGRATING 6
Survey have been compiled O R GA NIC P OR K
and will be distributed to AND A PPL E
the committee for analysis P RO DU CT IO N —
T HE W OR K
of grower interests and
C ONTINUES
research needs. These
results will be published on
B O AR D M EMBER 7
the OTFA website and in P RO FIL E
Just Picked at a later date. An
Organic Tree Fruit
MOFFA’ S F AMI LY 8
Research Catalog of F ARMERS O F THE
growers, researchers and Y EAR
research projects is also
being developed. If you are F I EL D D AYS IN 9
an OTFA member and 2010
would like to participate in
this committee, please C ALE NDAR 10
contact Jim Lindemann at
jfl0102@yahoo.com OTFA 11
M EMBER SH IP
If you are a grower or a
researcher and you are
interested in participating in
on-farm organic tree fruit
research (OTFA
membership is not
necessary), please contact
Bridget at
OTFAinfo@gmail.com
(Continued on page 2)
P AGE 2
OFTA U PDATE C ON CLUDED
(Continued from page 1)
A Policy Committee that will guide the organization in its development of policy positions on Organic issues will be formed at a future
point. In the near term, the OTFA needs to focus on building organizational capacity and carrying out the grant-funded work.
Many thanks to outgoing acting Board of Directors, Maury Wills, Jim Koan, David Sliva, Tom Rosenfeld and Harry Hoch. They are the people who have led
the progress of our group. OTFA is now a formal association, bylaws have been approved and funding to continue the work and growth of the association is in
place.
T HE H OLISTIC A PPROACH : U SING B IOLOGICAL H EALTH
M EANS FOR A BATING T REE F RUIT D ISEASE
by Michael Phillips
All growers likely can agree that “orchard health” implies building
some degree of innate resistance on the part of fruit trees to fungal
and bacterial disease. It’s a concept readily understood with respect
to our own bodies, after all, when germs come on the scene and our
immune systems respond accordingly. Nothing is ever guaranteed
but inner fortitude is definitely a leg up. We’re about to take a
deeper look at how biological health in the orchard provides a simi-
lar advantage for our trees and what precisely we can do to steward
certain helpful associations. What follows is not a rejection of min-
eral fungicides by any means but rather a whole new way of thinking
about disease and the choices we make as organic orchardists.
Holistic methods emphasize building system health across the board.
I’m a big believer in understanding how things work so growers can
then visualize the effectiveness of ideas, both old and new. Innova-
tion to fit the situation at hand is a huge part of what we do in our
orchards. Nature is dynamic. . . climate is changing. . . and every
ecosystem is localized. Shaping a better biological reality lies at the
heart of good management choices. We rely on both science and
intuition to perceive an ever-evolving course of action. Years go by
in tweaking effective methods with respect to nuance and health-
gained subtleties. What counts are a bountiful fruit crop that delights
our customers and packs a nutritional wallop—and damn straight—
makes a respectable living for our own families. What follows is my
thinking on using orchard health to grow that kind of harvest and a
report to date of how it’s working here in Lost Nation.
Action Central
A scab ascospore erupts forth from pseudothecia on fallen leaves
(from the year before) on a rainy spring day. Significant odds guide
this harbinger of fungal disease to an unfurling leaf where prolonged
wetness facilitates hyphal growth of the spore. Enzymes are required
to “crack the cuticle” and thus access nutrient resources within a
single leaf cell. An infection occurs if everything goes along for a
long enough time (the so-called wetting period) and no biological
J UST P ICKED
AS AN E FFECTIVE
processes or allopathic fungicides interrupt the pathogenic intrusion.
Bacteria work openings in the tree’s vascular system in a similar
fashion.
Old School Organics
The traditional organic approach to defeating this disease plan util-
izes copper early on, then various formulations of sulfur and/or lime
sulfur. Copper works akin to a blunt barrier by unfavorably altering
surface hospitality. Sulfur works as a protectant fungicide in altering
solution pH thereby inhibiting the production of penetration en-
zymes. Lime sulfur brings an eradicant edge by actually penetrating
the leaf tissue and thus whacking that hyphal start out of the ballpark
if applied within the first 24 to 36 hours following successful wet-
ting. All these mineral fungicides have significant impact on soil and
arboreal organisms, return bloom, beneficials, yield, fruit finish, and
perhaps even your happiness.
We agreeably opt for compromise in using these medicines as ram-
pant disease would be a far worse scene. Yet before we go on let me
support that impact statement with some words from Dave Rosen-
berger at Cornell several years back in a New York edition of Scaf-
folds:
Scab-susceptible cultivars such as McIntosh have
no place in organic orchards because they will
require constant spraying with sulfur and liquid
lime-sulfur (LLS).Repeated applications of sulfur
and/or LLS will reduce yield by at least 20 to
25%, and there are no other organically approved
fungicides that will control apple scab. Further-
more, the fuel costs associated with spraying sul-
fur and/or LLS 10 or 15 times during the season
will only increase in coming years. If consumers
begin buying products based on energy use or
carbon footprint, then organic apples sprayed 15
times per year with sulfur may ultimately prove
no more acceptable than conventional non-organic
apples.
P AGE 3
I can and have argued with extension bias on numerous occasions.
You see such substitution approaches to organics most often in or-
chard operations transitioning from IPM for the better market price.
Last edition of this newsletter, Harry Hoch shared his means of limit-
ing sulfur and lime sulfur applications by accurately gauging wetting
periods and mature spore presence. I advocated much the same stance
in my book The Apple Grower by emphasizing minimal micronized sul-
fur (2 to 4 applications at most) as a more successful means of getting
the job done. But the point remains there are impacts and all this
costs money for nothing more than “disease control” if all goes right.
The Heart of Holistic
A number of tangents lie exposed in that ascospore scenario that sug-
gest courses of action beyond the typical allopathic dose.
Hyphal intrusion initiates production of secondary plant metabo-
lites that provide a systemic immune response for the tree. This
phytochemistry can be stimulated by applying certain plant extracts
and foliar nutrients.
Numerous other microorganisms play both a competitive role
and a symbiotic role through full arboreal colonization of the
tree canopy.
Balanced tree nutrition can best be brought about by fungal duff
management favoring beneficial fungal species. I will be very brief
on all three points here, relying on the majority of you to perceive
what orchard ecologist George Bird at Michigan State University has
been teaching for years to be true. Interdependent and interconnected
networks of living organisms interact together to bring the overall system to a
fuller or better state. The question before us now becomes what hap-
pens when we honor such wisdom?
Stimulating the immune response of the tree can be done by intro-
ducing the very compounds a healthy tree produces in response to
disease presence. These so-called phytoalexins are various terpenoid
and isoflavanoid compounds. . . which happens to be among the at-
tributes proffered by pure neem oil. Similarly, the cuticle defense of
the leaf which must be overcome by spore enzymes can be supported
by boosting levels of silica. Fermented herbal teas of horsetail and
nettle are premium sources of bioavailable silica for the summer
months.
Sustaining critter health throughout the tree canopy requires that we
understand what depletes arboreal colonization as well as what nour-
ishes this critical holistic force. I utilize activated effective microbes
(boosted by a molasses feed) to introduce “biological reinforcement”
onto the scene—others choose to do this with aerated compost teas
ala Elaine Ingham of the Soil Food Web—but the fundamental miss-
ing link by purists has been food resource reserves to keep the arbo-
real communities running in full gear. The fatty acids in unpasteur-
ized liquid fish and pure neem oil are the fuel behind prolonged colo-
nization.
J UST P ICKED
Ecosystem relationships at ground level also have absolute relevance
to how the tree stands up in the face of environmental disease pres-
sure. Here we enter into emulating the forest edge with respect to
fungal dominance of the soil microorganism community. Healthy
fruit trees rely on both mycorrhizal and saprophytic fungi to access
balanced nutrition which in turn creates that internal fortitude I
spoke of earlier. You simply can’t buy this kind of nutrition in a bag!
Fungal duff management is all about feeding fungal allies through the
use of woodsy mulches (read my lips: ramial wood chips) and those
fatty acids of fish and neem dripping to the ground when sprayed to
the point of run-off.
The Four Holistic Sprays of Spring
The establishment of a holistic approach to disease begins with four
health-supporting sprays for our fruit trees early in the growing sea-
son. I absolutely forego copper and lime sulfur by doing this. More
research is needed around the need for a timely application or two of
micronized sulfur on the most susceptible varieties towards the tail
end of bloom and before the final ascospore release of the season
after 760 degree days (as calculated by the New England method for
tracking ascospore maturity). Sometimes weather patterns induce
serious disease risk—we all understand that—thereby calling for a
shot of old-time assurance despite what it does to canopy coloniza-
tion in the short term. Yet we can ride through more extenuating
circumstances than not simply by emphasizing orchard health across
the board.
These fixings of orchard health consist of pure neem oil, unpasteur-
ized liquid fish, and a diverse complex of microbes. This is primarily
a nutritional brew for beneficial fungi that also happens to stimulate
tree immune function. A competitive arboreal environment will
ward off pathogenic disease and all the more so when fruit tree phy-
tochemistry is activated. The primary infection period for most tree
disease is effectively straddled by these sprays. Yet there’s more to
this story. The nitrogen boost (from the fish) going into bloom will
strengthen pollen viability and meristem development for return
bloom. Foliage pests will be impacted by azadirachtin compounds in
the neem which inhibit the progression of egg to larvae to adult. . .
thus these holistic spray applications serve as a biological replace-
ment for petroleum-based dormant oil as well. Early season moth
cycles get disrupted, setting up “lesser generations” the rest of the
season.
Now for the specifics about timing and rates. The bud stages given
here are for apple but can be bounced a week earlier for stone fruit
where other diseases have proven a concern. Apple timing is abso-
lutely correlated to the primary infection period of most fungal dis-
eases and appropriate for berries as well.
Week of Quarter-Inch Green. The soil is a sleepy place com-
ing out of the dormant season, even after sap flow has begun in the
(Continued on page 4)
P AGE 4
T HE H OLISTIC A PPROACH C ONTINUED
(Continued from page 3)
tree. This first application works in part as a catalyst spray to get both
soil and arboreal food webs engaged. Buds are showing solid green
tissue, somewhere between green tip and half-inch green. Pick a
warmer day than not within this time frame to thoroughly wet down
the entire branch structure and trunk and ground surface within the
dripline of each tree. Target any fallen apple and pear leaf piles from
the previous fall to facilitate pseudothecia decomposition. Both the
neem rate and the liquid fish rate can be doubled for this one applica-
tion only as phytotoxic risk to exposed foliage is minimal.
Early Pink. Leaf tissue has filled out considerably at the base of
blossoms, with that first smile of pink revealing itself in the apple
flower. We’re still in catalyst mode as regards the trunk and ground
but also tuned into the competitive benefits of arboreal microbe com-
munities on the leaf and flower cluster surfaces. Don’t wait too long
for this as neem oil and effective microbes should never be applied
directly on open king blossoms.
J UST P ICKED
Petal Fall. Spraying to the point of runoff is now the name of
the game, with lots of leaf and fledgling fruitlets to cover thor-
oughly. This is an important renewal spray as the bloom period may
have been extended by cool weather. You will need to average what
marks orchard-wide petal fall between early varieties that finish
blooming well before later varieties. Weather plays a big role in this
interpretation as rain “tickles the fancy” of pathogenic fungi espe-
cially at this moment in the season. Timing here is a dance between
the need to potentially smother excess bloom (via the fatty acids)
and interject a sulfur application after the holistic application be-
cause of a “guaranteed” major spore release.
First Cover. Ditto. But wait. . . some of you may not realize what
an orchardist means by the term cover spray. This marks 7 to 10 days
following the petal fall application. Spray strategies for certain pests
(particularly the use of refined kaolin clay for curculio) overlap at
this time. . . bringing the concept of multi-faceted nuance into full
play.
P AGE 5
Community Orchard Rates
This assumes a hundred gallon spray tank capacity to cover one acre
of trees. A half gallon of pure neem oil mixed with a quarter cup of
soap emulsifier mixed into 100 gallons of water achieves a phyto-safe
0.5% neem oil concentration. Two gal-
lons of liquid fish and one gallon of acti-
vated EM completes the brew.
I can’t emphasize enough that the bene-
fits of whole plant medicine only come
when using cold-pressed 100% neem oil
rather than any of the patented neem
extract products! Please see my website
and/or book for instruction on how to
mix pure neem oil properly and subse-
quently clean out sprayer lines after-
wards. You’ll also find a complete re-
source section for biologically-approved
suppliers.
Summertime Contingencies
We have done wonderful things to get
microbial allies into the orchard system
with these four holistic sprays. The ma-
jority of plant surfaces have been colo-
nized going into bloom and beyond
petal fall despite the vagaries of weather
and ultraviolet degradation and limited
use of mineral fungicides. Now we must
be sure to feed and nurture their exis-
tence through the growing months
ahead when other disease-causing or-
Michael Phillips picks organic apples at Lost
ganisms come onto the scene. Some Nation Orchard. (photo: Frank Siteman)
may think this sounds dubious—even
preposterously risky from a commercial
perspective—yet ultimately we can either fight “microbe reality” with
heavy-hitting spray materials or work from a deeper level of under-
standing.
Arboreal brews now go totally herbal. Pure neem oil continues to be
at the heart of an on-going nutritional spray program along with cer-
tain herbal teas. Basically, what’s being achieved during these months
when the fruit sizes up is ensuring good calcium levels, interrupting
the summer moth complex, and boosting resistance to rots and other
surface diseases like sooty blotch. I aim to keep a 14 day application
schedule through the rest of June, all of July, all of August to achieve
a respectable fruit finish for community sales. Commercial fruit
growing demands such additional attention be directed at aesthetic
disease pressure. . . which may not matter quite so much in home
plantings. . . making the recommendation for summer health sprays
just that.
Having whetted your whistle about the homegrown herbal approach
(I hope) calls for sharing a bit more detail. Fermented teas of horsetail
are included 2–3 times in the sprays following petal fall. The silica
content of Equisetum arvense is high, and it turns out that silica plays a
J UST P ICKED
role in the cuticle defense against particular summer fungi that
“smudge” the surface of apples and pears. Fermented teas of nettle
could actually be used anytime but I wait to do this in conjunction
with horsetail. Nettle is pure tonic nutrition for plant and food web
alike. Comfrey packs a wallop of calcium
in its deep green leaves and this gets
included each time with the pure neem.
Making a fermented herb tea is simple.
Fill a five gallon bucket with fresh herb,
lightly packed. Boil a pot of water to
pour over the leaves (as opposed to boil-
ing the herb in the water) as this maxi-
mizes nutrient extraction. Now fill
bucket to brim with un-chlorinated wa-
ter. Let set for a full week, loosely cov-
ered to prevent significant evaporation.
This fermentation period makes the con-
stituents that much more bioavailable for
foliar absorption. These teas are
"diluted" in that I add the strained tea
from each bucket for each herb being
used to each 100 gallon batch of spray.
Stirring the Biological Stew
Often we refer to reducing overwinter-
ing disease inoculum as good sanitation
practice. This involves flail mowing,
spreading woodsy compost, lightly lim-
ing atop fallen leaves, and spraying nitro-
gen-rich compounds to facilitate leaf
decomposition. All important and useful
techniques. . . I just prefer calling this
“stirring the biological stew” in order to
keep the concept of fungal duff support
upfront in my conscious efforts to always build biological connection.
Fall pulsing agents have treble the relevance. I time this application of
neem oil and liquid fish when approximately 60 percent of the leaves
have fallen off the apple trees. Lots of dynamics are going on follow-
ing harvest. I spray the entire tree and remaining leaves as it’s this
“stocking of the arboreal pantry” that helps our allies buckle down in
the bud crevices for the dormant months ahead. I definitely make the
ground wet, targeting fallen leaves to increase decomposition with
the fatty acids and thinking about the fall root flush now hitting its
stride. A brew of non-aerated compost tea (or effective microbes, if
you still have some product remaining from spring) would be an es-
pecially great addition for furthering leaf decomposition and boosting
end-of-season diversity yet again.
The Lost Nation Experience
Whew! Getting through the theory and practicalities of the holistic
approach barely leaves a guy room to expound on what my own fruit
looks like. Unlike Harry—with his admirable records of fruit inspec-
(Continued on page 6)
P AGE 6 J UST P ICKED

T HE H OLISTIC A PPROACH C ONTINUED

tion by variety for scab lesions—I cannot offer such a thorough re-
view. Going into harvest is scramble time between juggling carpentry
work to be able to have the time to pick fruit, setting up the barn for
marketing those apples, our ongoing medicinal herb harvest, and my
girls getting ready to go back to school. I will be subjective instead
and that’s that.
The last few years have seen cleaner and cleaner crops overall com-
pared to my immersion into organics some 20 years ago with a mostly
McIntosh/ Cortland orchard down the road. I felt good about the
results of my minimal sulfur approach as the apple crop from my
home farm orchard came into full swing. I was seeing scab on the
order of 5 to 10 percent with the usual lesion upswing in varieties like
Gravenstein, Pink Pearl, and Gala. The one strain of McIntosh here
(unknown but that’s not the important factor) tends to be exception-
ally clean, on the order of a couple percentage points of light scab at
most. I’ve maintained these numbers while reducing sulfur applica-
tions to three at most while evolving the holistic straddle regimen.
(Continued on page 12)

I NTEGRATING O RGANIC P ORK AND A PPLE P RODUCTION —

T HE W ORK C ON TINUES
--By Deirdre Birmingham
As you may have read in six of the past Just Picked newsletters, or
heard on NPR, or read in any of the fruit grower magazines, there is a
very interesting effort afoot, started by OTFA member Jim Koan of
Al-Mar Orchards in Flushing, Michigan, to integrate the organic pro-
duction of pork and apples.
A new round of funding from the CERES Foundation of Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, is enabling Jim and the research team from Michigan State
University to continue and expand their research on integrated pork
and apple production for the next three years.
In addition to Jim Koan, Steve Tennes of Country Mill Orchard in
Charlotte, Michigan, is
also seeking to integrate
pork into his organically
managed apple or-
chards, but without
owning the pigs. A
nearby pork producer
who is transitioning to
organic brings the pigs
to Tennes’ orchard to
feast on the June drops
and later the dropped
apples post-harvest.
Last year was the “proof
of concept” stage to see
At Al-Mar orchard, the area not grazed
if this arrangement had
by hogs had five times the curculio
damage as the grazed areas. Hogs
potential. Tennes and
rooting around the apple trees also hog producer, Aaron
saved Koan from having to rototill Keilen, found it does.
around each tree to suppress weeds in The project will further
the grazed organic orchard. study this arrangement.
The multi-disciplinary research team from MSU includes Matt Gri-
eshop, Professor of Organic Pest Management; Tree Fruit IPM Coor-
dinator, David Epstein; Entomology Graduate Student, Krista Bueh-
rer; Swine Scientist, Dale Rozeboom; and Plant Pathologist, George
Sundin.
If funded, a sister proposal with the USDA Organic Research and
Education Initiative will support an agricultural economist, animal
behaviorist, and marketing expert to conduct further study of the
system.
Some of the team’s winter organizing meeting held March 9 was
spent on pig behavior. Pigs are intelligent and social animals, and
growers must understand more than their nutritional needs in order
to get all the benefits possible from running them in the orchard.
Gene Garthe, of Garthe Farms in Leelanau Peninsula, participated in
the meeting due to his interest in the potential multiple benefits of
this integrated system (and his wife’s interest in pig-prepared garden
plots). Participants discussed briefly the possibility of the pigs going
from Tennes’ orchard to Garthe’s orchard and then to another or-
ganic orchard. This would reduce the risk of the pastured pigs carry-
ing pseudo-rabies back to the herd, which could possibly be picked up
from their exposure to wildlife in the orchard. It’s a creative group!
Another proof of concept project may be in the offing.
The research team will continue the work on the six two-acre plots
established at Jim’s last year. They will evaluate not only the pig’s
impact on the population of plum curculio (PC), but the potential
benefits of reducing apple scab inoculum, codling moth (CM) and
weed populations, and hog impacts on soil quality. There are two
treatments in this experiment: pigs grazing and no pigs grazing.
There are three plots of each treatment, with the two treatments
randomized over six plots. The same plots will be used from year to
P AGE 7
year to look at the effects over time.
From 25-30 pigs between 40-80 lb. weight will be in the pig-treated
plots at three times:
Green tip - to trample if not eat fallen apple leaves and thereby
reduce the scab inoculum on these leaves.
“June drop” - to eat the aborted apples and thereby the PC and
CM eggs they might contain.
Post-harvest - to eat fallen apples and leaves.
The hogs are removed at least 90 days before harvest to comply with
the National Organic Standards. Both orchards are certified organic.
While plum curculio, codling moth and weed populations will con-
tinue to be monitored, new research will track primary scab infec-
tions and changes in soil quality, particularly nitrogen mineralization.
The latter will happen primarily through the pigs rooting behavior.
Soil and leaf tissue lab analyses will be done to monitor N, P, and K
levels.
The pigs will be monitored too. They will be monitored for rate of
growth, feed requirements, and their health, particularly parasites
from being in the orchard.
Importantly, Grieshop will also track the economic costs and benefits
of the system. Jim is already successfully marketing his apple-
pastured, certified organic pork directly to consumers and to restau-
rants.
Both apple growers will continue their usual insect pest and disease
management programs. The pigs are being evaluated for the addi-
tional benefits they bring to each orchard’s pest and nutrient man-
agement systems.
In search for literature on integrating swine with tree fruit produc-
tion, Epstein and Grieshop had to dig pretty deep. As Jim Koan says,
“This is something our great-grandparents and older did. No one
wrote it up as it was just a common sense way of farming.” The early
founders of modern-day organic farming, Sir Albert Howard and
Lady Eve Balfour, wrote that integrating animal and crop production
was essential to maintaining healthy farms. Epstein and Grieshop also
found that from 1700 to the 1900’s hogs were commonly grazed in
orchards. In fact Thomas Jefferson grazed hogs in his orchards at
Monticello with pest, weed and nutrient management in mind, and
in 1868 scientists reported, “the best and most scientific fruit grow-
ers utilized hogs for CM and PC control.”
“But that is not the only reason we think rotational grazing could be
reinvented as an alternative pest management strategy for these im-
portant pests,” says Grieshop. “The results of our first three years
give us optimism and the next three will be defining.” One impor-
tant aspect that needs to be expanded on is how hogs might be incor-
porated into a diversity of plant agriculture systems, and particularly
smaller scaled farming operations. The eventual vision for such sys-
J UST P ICKED
tems would be one where hogs and other animals provide tillage,
pest management and cultivation, and nutrient management services
while also providing the farm with additional salable products.
Deirdre Birmingham is an OTFA member who is on the steering
committee for this research project on behalf of OTFA and will
communicate the project’s progress to its members via Just Picked.
Board Member Profile: Tom Galazen
Tom Galazen lives on land homesteaded by his grandparents near his
hometown of Bayfield, WI, where he operates Northwind Organic
Farm. The mostly wooded 115-acre farm lies among rolling hills and
is adjacent to thousands of acres of county forested land. Since 1986,
Tom has raised apples, pears, cherries, apricots, peaches and berries
using organic methods and permaculture concepts, where appropri-
ate. He currently manages about 125 fruit trees, mostly larger semi-
dwarfing. In addition to fresh seasonal fruit, homemade jams, pre-
serves and cider, he also grows vegetable that he sells through a CSA
and at farmers markets.
Tom is an expert on self-sufficient living and his off-grid farm is
powered by wind and solar. A long-time activist, advocate, organ-
izer and pioneer of ecological cultural change, Tom gives farm tours,
conducts workshops on a wide range of topics and hosts an annual
seed saving workshop, swap and potluck for area gardeners. He also
teaches courses on self-sufficient lifestyles via webinars with Mid-
west Permaculture and presents
at the Organic Farming Confer-
ence hosted annually by MOSES.
Tom has a B.S. in Political Sci-
ence and Environmental Geogra-
phy from UW-Eau Claire, WI,
where he was also a participant
in a Pesticide Study Group. He
has served on the Bayfield Farm-
land Preservation Committee
and the Town Land Use Planning
Committee and has been in-
volved in a number of groups
and ad-hoc environmental efforts
over the years.
Tom Galazen grows a diversity
of fruits and vegetables on his
off-grid farm near Bay Field, WI.
P AGE 8 J UST P ICKED

MOFFA’ S F AMILY F ARMERS OF

THE Y EAR : J IM AND K AREN K OAN ,
A L -M AR O RCHAR DS
Long-time organic apple growers Jim and Karen Koan were
recently honored as the 2010 Michigan Organic Food and Farm
Alliance (MOFFA) Family Farm of the Year. The award was
presented at a luncheon at the Kellogg Hotel and Convention
Center on March 7 during the 2010 Michigan Organic Confer-
ence. Three generations of the Koan family including: Jim,
Karen, Jim's father Albert and the five Koan children were pre-
sent for the award.

The Koans have operated Al-Mar Orchards, a second generation

apple farm, for over fifty years. The orchard is located just out-
side of Flushing, MI. Jim and Karen began the transition to or-
ganic farming about ten years ago and since then Al-Mar has
grown to be the largest organic apple farm in Michigan. The Front row left to right: Jake (son), Monique (daughter) and Samantha
Koans have proven themselves leaders in the Michigan organic (first grandchild); Back row left to right: Zach (son), Mignon and
movement through their tireless efforts to improve both organic Michele (daughters), Karen, Albert (father) and Jim
apple production and marketing practices and through collabo-
rations with a number of Michigan State University researchers in innovative on-farm research projects.

In addition to selling apples, the Koans also produce organic pumpkins, organic farmhouse soft and hard ciders as well as organic pork. In ad-
dition to the Organic Farm Family of the Year Award, posthumous organic achievement awards were presented to the families of Doug
Murray and Nancy Jones-Keiser.

We are all big supporters of MSU.

Monique received her Phd. in
analytical chemistry from there.
Michele received her DVM from
there.
Zach is just graduating with a BS in
Agri-business from there.
Mignon just got her teaching degree
from MSU with a major in Spanish.
Jake is just finishing the two year
program in Horticulture and going
back into the four year MSU
program.
We all thank MSU for the
opportunity to learn and then to
teach others.
~ Jim Koan
P AGE 9
S AVE THE D ATES ! T WO OFTA S PONSORED F IEL D D AYS
Saturday, June 19
A summer tour at Earth First Farms in
Berrien Center, Michigan
Earth First Farms is a certified organic apple orchard
and vegetable farm only 100 miles from Chicago. The
45-acre farm, located in Berrien Center, Michigan, has
been owned and operated by the Rosenfeld family
since 2005. The farm encompasses more than 4500
fruit-bearing apple trees, a field of strawberries, and a
diverse vegetable crop that varies annually. In addition
to a tree rental program, they sell apples, cider, pies,
and vegetables at several farmers markets and inde-
pendent retailers in Chicago.
The Field Day will be targeting beginning growers –
topics will include:
- Planting trees
- General organic orchard management
- Steps to establish a cider press operation
- Organic issues with transition of an existing orchard
vs. starting new
- High-level discussion of how to market organic fruit
- Resources on learning about organics
More information to follow.
Field days, like this one at Hoch Orchards and
Gardens in 2008, are a great place to get
practical information, see organic
management practices in action and meet
other growers.
J UST P ICKED
IN 2010
Wednesday, August 11
A summer tour in Decorah, Iowa
Come for a tour of the
Seed Savers Historic Orchard
In 1900 there were about 8,000 named varieties of apples in the U.S., but the vast
majority are already extinct and the rest are steadily dying out.
In an attempt to halt this constant genetic erosion, Seed Savers exchange (SSE) has
obtained all of the pre-1900 varieties that still exist in government collections and
large private collections, but has only found about 700 that remain of the 8,000
known in 1900. SSE has developed the most diverse, public orchard in the U.S.
where those 700 different varieties of 19th century apples are on display. SSE’s
Historic Orchard also contains many old grapes, including more than 100 breeding
lines from the collection of famed grape breeder Elmer Swenson.
Then tour the Sliwa Meadow Farm.
Perry-O and David will share some information about pear varieties, pear root
stocks, orchard floor management, and newly completed deer fence around the
south orchard and vegetable garden.
Kathleen Delate from Iowa State University will join us to update the group on
organic fruit research and touch on what's going on in other states too (OFRF
work).
More information to follow.
P AGE 10
E VENTS C ALENDAR —S UMMER 2010
Whole Tree Construction
May 15 | La Crescent, WI
Hoch Orchard will host a full day workshop with Roald Gunderson of
Whole Trees Architecture and Construction, sponsored by the Drift-
less Folk School. Attendees will learn about the whole-tree construc-
tion concept and design, see the construction techniques, and actually
help assemble part of the building. This event will include a locally
grown lunch made at the orchard. For more info, call 608-452-3894
or visit www.driftlessfolkschool.org or www.wholetrees.com
Introduction to Biodynamic Agriculture
May 22 | Caledonia, IL
Join us for an introduction to the comprehensive ecological methods
behind the Biodynamic farming movement inspired by Rudolf
Steiner. Explore the farm and learn how soils, plants, animals, and
people together form a dynamic living organism. Hands-on activities
will include preparation-making, applications to compost and fields,
plant observations, and learning how to use planetary calendars.
815.389.8455 http://www.csalearningcenter.org/node/2055
J UST P ICKED
Fruit: Crop Selection and Walking Tour
June 5 | La Crescent, WI
This event, sponsored by Land Stewardship Project, will be held at
Hoch Orchards and Gardens. It is targeted to LSP’s Farm Beginnings
graduates but is open to the public for a $35 fee.
507-523-3366 parker@landstewardshipproject.org
Effective Spray Use and Calibration Workshop
June 10 | Sturgeon Bay,WI
Dr. Andrew Landers from Cornell University will train growers on
proper calibration and effective use of spray equipment to ensure
proper spray patterns and coverage of their trees. This workshop is
limited to 24 participants so registration will be accepted on a first
come basis. To learn more about the workshop, contact Regina
Hirsch at the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, UW-
Madison, 608-265-3637 or rmhirsch@wisc.edu
OTFA Field Day
June 19 | Berrien Center, MI
Summer tour at Earth First Farms (see related write up PAGE 9).
P AGE 11 J UST P ICKED

OTFA M EMBERS HIP F ORM

The Organic Tree Fruit Association (OTFA) is professional association dedicated to serving the interests of organic tree fruit
growers and serving the organic tree fruit industry through education, research and advocacy.
You don’t need to be a grower to join. If you want to learn more about organic tree fruit issues or would simply like to support
organic tree fruit growers, please join OTFA as an Active Non-Grower Member or as an Associate Member.

Please note: Active Grower and Active Non-Grower Memberships include full voting rights within the organization. Associate
Membership does not include voting rights. All Membership levels receive a $10.00 discount at OTFA events.
ACTIVE GROWER MEMBER = $50.00 ANNUAL FEE, PLUS $1.00 PER BEARING ACRE (AS INDICATED BELOW)
ACTIVE NON-GROWER MEMBER = $50.00 ANNUAL FEE
ASSOCIATE MEMBER = $25.00 ANNUAL FEE

NAME ____________________________________ FARM NAME________________________________________________

ADDRESS________________________________________CITY/TOWN___________________STATE ZIP_____________

PHONE___________________ EMAIL_______________________________
TYPE(S) OF TREE FRUIT GROWN
# OF BEARING ACRES_______ #OF NON-BEARING ACRES______

SEND THIS FORM WITH YOUR CHECK TO:

OTFA C/O BRIDGET O’MEARA 1223 ST. CROIX STREET, HUDSON, WI 54016

Michigan Pollinator Short Course Permaculture Design Certificate Course

June 24 | East Lansing, MI August 9-20 | Saukville, WI
Lead by Jennifer Hopwood, Midwest Pollinator Outreach Coordi- Offered by the Global Environmental Education Center (GEM),
nator for the Xerces Society. This day-long short course will equip this intensive, 72-hour course in the design and use of sustainable-
conservationists, land managers, farm educators, and agricultural living systems will be held at the University of Wisconsin-
professionals with the latest science-based approaches to increasing Milwaukee's Saukville Field Station. 715-346-4266 http://
crop security and reversing the trend of pollinator decline, espe- www.uwsp.edu/cnr/gem/PermacultureCourse/
cially in heavily managed agricultural landscapes. 517-324-5265 PermacultureHome.htm
http://www.xerces.org/enewsletter/mishortcourse.html
OTFA Field Day
August 11 | Decorah, IA
Tour heritage orchard at Seed Savers Exchange and Sliwa Meadow
Seed Savers Exchange 30th Annual Farm (see related write up PAGE #).
Conference and Campout
July 16 - 18 | Decorah, IA
Seed Savers Exchange Harvest Festival and Studio Arts Tour
Bud Grafting Workshop offered
October 2 | Decorah, IA
during conference to first 50 who
Antique Apple sampling, over 30 varieties of antique apples to sam-
register.
ple!
REGISTER NOW at 563-382-
Fun for the whole family includes pumpkin carving, harvest soup
5990 and ask for Kathy. All con-
cook-off, hay rides, and the great pumpkin roll! For more details
ference details and online regis-
visit http://www.seedsavers.org and click on calendar of events or
tration forms at http://
call 563-382-5990.
www.seedsavers.org
 O RGANIC T REE F RUIT
A SSOCIATION
OTFA c/o Bridget O'Meara
1223 St. Croix St.
Hudson, WI 54016
OTFAinfo@gmail.com

JOIN OTFA TODAY!

MEMBERSHIP FORM ON
PAGE 11.

H OLISTIC A PPROACH C ONCLUDED

(Continued from page 6)
In 2009 it rained incessantly in the months of May and
June, creating what can readily be acknowledged as the
“scab year from hell” in the East. My four holistic applica-
tions were made on May 2, May 12, May 23 (early petal
fall), and June 3. I didn’t act allopathically until May 25,
when I applied 10# of micronized sulfur per acre in antici-
pation of a major wetting event on May 26 when four
inches of rain fell over the course of the next three days.
Come the end of June I found one Honeycrisp apple with
scab while thinning, McIntosh looked its usual happy self,
but varieties like Gravenstein were starting to show enough
black spot to have me worried about secondary infection. I
applied herbal remedies (including neem) on June 23, July
9, and August 1, not as often as intended but just how life
worked out last year. Moth suppression was fantastic with
no additional treatments beyond the neem presence. Scab
in Gravenstein rocketed up to 60 percent but it was light
and didn’t spread to neighboring varieties. Calcium defi-
ciency in the form of mild bitter pit became apparent in
heavy-cropping varieties like Sweet 16 by harvest time.
All in all, something positive is happening here. I recognize cer-
tain varieties may require that additional sulfur punch for a mar-
ginal wetting period halfway through bloom. Yet at the same
time I also want to cold turkey isolated trees of less susceptible
varieties and apply no sulfur whatsoever. I also recognize the
need to be more consistent with my herbal intentions every two
weeks, especially comfrey to get a better leg up on calcium dis-
tribution in the tree. These shortcomings of mine are simply how
“unfunded research” goes at this time in Lost Nation Orchard.
Take to heart what makes sense here. Keep me informed of your
observations and insights. These are indeed cool times to be do-
ing what we do.
Michael Phillips owns and operates Lost Nation Orchard, Groveton, New
Hampshire He is the author of The Apple Grower (Chelsea Green
Publishing, revised edition 2005) and the forthcoming book Organic
Home Orchard (available Spring 2011) He also leads the community
orchard movement at www.GrowOrganicApples.com