* -mm- a • Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 19,2001, Grower and Marketer-3
Neighbors Are My Customers’
(Continued from Page 1)
ideas includes looking at
better ways to manage weeds,
either by pesticide use or
mechanized weeders or a
combination of the two.
One exciting development,
he said, was the addition of
25-50 trees of peaches which
will come during apple
season in October. This new
variety is one of 50 varieties
of peaches grown at the farm.
“We have had success with
September peaches and are
looking to launch out into
possibly October. We planted
them last year and will know
a few years down the road.”
Another long-range idea is
a possible greenhouse expan
sion.
“I see technology changing
in the greenhouse industry.
We handle over 100 varieties
of just herbs. I feel like, after
all these years, I’ve just
scratched the surface,” he
said.
A better flower display and
a facelift for the entire outer
wall of the stand is also on
Erb’s “to- do” list. The early
sweet corn enters the scene
on June 21, followed by other
varieties which will fill the
market until the end of Octo
ber.
The fall crop includes
pumpkins, gourds, Indian
and popcorn. “In the fall, the
whole season is different,”
said Erb.
Among the produce varie
ties, as with many stands,
sweet corn is king. Although
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peaches are also an import
ant crop, corn leads in terms
of dollar value and sheer
acreage, said Erb.
A Business Of Variety
“We have a network of
employees who help do dif
ferent things,” he said, es
timating that the business
employs 25-30 seasonal
workers. “We have high
school and college-age stu
dents along with retirees who
work a variety of schedules to
fill niches.”
The variety of employees
also means a variety of inter
ests. “We have some employ
ees who love to come to the
farm and get dirty, and
others that love to interact
with the customers,” he said.
Erb enjoys production over
administrative responsibili
ties. He uses words such as
“exciting,” “invigorating”
and “challenging” when he
speaks about his job.
“The challenge is with all
the variety we deal with
Apple Crop Outlook, Marketing Conference Aug. 16-17
MCLEAN, Va. The U.S.
Apple Association (USApple)
announced that its 2001
Apple Crop Outlook and
Marketing Conference will be
Aug. 16-17 at Chicago’s Fair
mont Hotel.
US Apple’s annual confer
ence combines market out
looks and networking, and is
the premiere gathering of the
apple industry in the U.S.,
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such as energy costs, weather,
new varieties of plants, new
technology to have a con
sistent, quality produce.
That’s what keeps me inter
ested.”
A focus on harvesting the
fruit when it is at the peak of
ripeness is a hallmark of the
stand, and what makes the
fruit so popular with the cus
tomers.
“I’m growing a product
that’s here today and had
better be eaten by tomorrow
at the latest,” said Erb.
“We’re trying to give the
community the next best
thing to having a peach tree
in the back yard.”
Erb’s parents, Ruth and
Roy Erb, began farming in
1938. The next year they sold
produce off the back of a
truck or with a sign out on
the road, inviting customers
back on the farm. By 1954, a
roadside stand was built at
the location of Brooklawn
Farm’s present stand.
and perhaps the world. More
than 350 industry leaders
from the U.S. and around the
world, representing all seg
ments of the apple industry
production, processing,
sales and marketing at
tended the 2000 conference.
“USApple’s meeting pro
vides significant value year
after year,” said USApple
President and CEO Kraig R.
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Truly a roadside stand: one of the stand’s seasonal
employees, Dora McAlpin, Millersville, operates the
cash register.
Naasz. “The latest U.S. and
world apple market intelli
gence combined with unpar
alleled networking
opportunities make this
meeting a one-stop source for
apple industry information.”
The 2001 conference will
again feature current, first
hand information needed to
compete in today’s global
apple marketplace. Outlooks
for the U.S., European, Chi
nese, Canadian and Mexican
crops will be detailed. Other
sessions will focus on apple
processing demand, apple
juice concentrate issues, re
gional crop discussions and
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As in the past two years,
the conference will again in
clude the association’s
annual business meeting, and
presentation of the industry’s
two top awards: the Ameri
can Fruit Grower magazine’s
Apple Grower of the Year
and The Packer/The Grower
publications’ Apple Person of
the Year.
USApple will distribute
registration information to
members and past conference
attendees this spring. Other
interested persons can con
tact USApple at (703) 442-
8850 for more information.
Lancaster
Farming
web site