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.