812-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 9, 2002 Growers Offer Perspectives On Mid-Atlantic Fruit And Vegetable Convention LOU ANN GOOD Food And Family Features Editor HERSHEY (Dauphin Co.) It’s cold. Spring is weeks away, but for hundreds of growers, this is the season to plan and lay the ground work for a productive growing season. One of the most important tasks is attending the three-day Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention conducted last week in Hershey. Packed with inform ation on every grower-related subject, convention participants pick and choose workshops. “The most important thing is that this conference has the best speakers around,” sad Ed Ah rens, Manchester. “They hold my attention and can really explain things.” “Sometimes we learn even more over lunch than in the Tom King introduces cherry juice concentrate during “show and tell” at the trade show. Researchers at Michi gan State University have discovered that tart cherries contain natural anti-inflammatory compounds 10 times more active than aspirin and it contains potent anticancer agents. Many people suffering from arthritis and gout are drinking tart cherry juice for relief from pain. King Or chards, a family-owned and operated fruit farm in Central Lake, Michigan, sells the cherry concentrate. According to Ed Ahrens, Manchester, the annual con vention offers the best speakers around to enable grow ers like him to understand and apply the knowledge. classroom.” said Alyssa Holsing er. She, her husband Jeff, and his brother Earl work for Raab Fruit Farms, Dallastown. “If any one goes away from here and claims they didn’t learn anything new that means they have no interest in farming,” Jeff said. Dan Brubaker attended the conference to learn more tips about growing raspberries on his Denver farmette. Cut flowers is a thriving busi ness. But growers sometimes find out the hard way that everything isn’t all beauty in the posey patch. Flowers that bloom beauti fully one day may wilt the next. Profuse beautiful blooms may be stymied by weak stems. The “hot” selling flower in the market place last year may result in to tally flat sales this year. To help growers grapple suc- cessfully with problems, work shops examine both field and market potentials. New cultivars are introduced annually. The convention is the place to hear about these and to leant the pluses and minuses of growing the new stock. During the workshops, pre senters often ask opinions from the audiences. Trial gardeners who have gained experience with new cultivars sometimes give glowing recommendations of some varieties and completely nix the reputations other new culti vars. The important thing is that growers specify exactly why or why not they do not like a partic ular cultivar. This input enables other growers to make an edu cated decision on whether or not they want to try the cultivar. What works for the home gar dener may not be viable for a production grower. For example, the dianthus new strain gives higher yields and produce earlier. Dr. Robert Berghage, Penn State presenter, said that he was pleased with the cultivar in the school’s trial gardens. However, another grower said that al though the dianthus is an attrac tive flower, they would never plant it for cut flower production. It requires too many stems, which are thin to start with, to make an attractive bouquet. New cosmos cultivars were also introduced. But that variety also requires too much cutting for the production grower who wants to gather bouquets quickly. Enchinacea purpurea plant produces abundant flowers the second season, but growers need to be aware that the blooms will be scarce the first year. Bob Ambrose from Ridgeview Acres Farm, Stahlstown, shared how he grows Lisianthus in the field, which is quite different than the greenhouse. Ambrose explained how to de termine the best place to obtain seed at resonable cost and that some varieties are available only as plugs through select compa nies. Ambrose said that growing phases and transplanting may be handled perfectly but post har vest is the most critical operation of all. “If you screw this up, you have wasted all preceding efforts and may lose your customers for not only Lisianthus but every thing else you are selling,” he warned. Tty to avoid cutting at noon. But no matter when you cut, take buckets of lukewarm preservative into the field and place the blooms in solution immediately after they are cut not after cut ting S or 10 blooms. As soon as the bucket is rea sonably filled, place it in the shade for four hours or more, de pending on ambient conditions, before going in the cooler. He recuts only if making bou quets; otherwise the blooms are sold as they come from the field after bunching and sleeving. Ambrose said growers must in vest in a cooler for conditioning and more flexibility in harvesting and selling. “Generally when we have Lisi anthus, the whole world is awash in the stuff and summer whole sale price is 30-50 cents per stem. “Our best outlet is a farmer’s market. Your customers may not familiar with Lisianthus initially, but when they get a two week vase life, they will become enthu siasts. Having established a mar ket, we are able to get $1 per stem,” Ambrose said. Although thrilled with the workshops, Alyssa Holsinger said she often learns even more conversing with other growers during lunchtime. Earl Holsinger, left, and his brother Jeff discuss some of the tips for raising better raspberries that they plan to use at Raab Fruit Farms where they both work. Dan Brubaker, Denver, said learning goes on and on in sessions and out of them during the Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention. Another favorite spot for grow- flammatory compounds 10 times ers was the trade show, where more active than aspirin. Tart they saw new equipment and cherries also contain potent anti products to make their job easier cancer agents. Many people suf and the crop better. In addition, fering from arthritis and gout are many items were on display for drinking tart cherry juice for re growers to purchase for resell to lief from pain. King Orchards, a increase roadside marketing po- family-owned and operated fruit tential. farm in Central Lake, Michigan, One of these products was tart served free samples and offered cherry juice concentrate. Re- the cherry concentrate for resale, searchers at Michigan State Uni- For more information, call versity have discovered that tart 1-877-937-5464 or check out the cherries contain natural anti-in- WebSitewww.mi-cherries.com.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers