Crossing
(Continued from Page El)
“They have been very gener
ous with me.”
Some of Tom Jr.’s educa
tion was gathered as he spent
three years in California on
unrelated projects and jobs.
He came home from Cali
fornia with savings and asked
his parents for five acres.
Soon, however, “they were not
only a part of it but into it
really into it,” he said. “Before
I knew it, Dad was out there
plowing.”
The waving green plants
are testament to what hard
work, research, and planning
can do, according to Tom
Carroll Sr.
“If novices can have the
LOVES A 'Tl&tr SPOT.
You grow the fruit of the land. And that usually puts you in a tight spot.
A regular tractor in your orchard or grove or vineyard can be like a bull
in a china shop. What’s why Massey Ferguson makes the MF 3300
Series of specialty tractors, just for operations like yours. The F Series,
for traditional and wider vineyards. The S Series, for orchards and
groves. The V Series, or narrow, modern vineyards. And the GE Series,
with its extra-low profile, for modern and traditional orchards and vine
yards. Stop by today, and get the skinny on the MF 3300 model that’s
right for you.
SEE YOUR NEAREST DEALER FOR DETAILS
PEOPLE’S SALES
& SERVICE
Oakland Mills, PA 17076
(717) 463-2735
MEYERS
IMPLEMENTS, INC
400 North Antrim Way
Greencastle, PA 17225
(717) 597-2176
M.M. WEAVER
& SON
N Groffdale Rd
Leola, PA 17540
(717) 656-2321
MANOR MOTORS
3655 Rt. 553
Penn Run, PA
(724)254-4753
Vineyards , Winery A Family Endeavor
level of success that we have
had, farmers are going to have
a much bigger leg up with
their knowledge” and under
standing of the soil, he said.
“This is the hardest thing
I’ve ever done in my life,” said
Tom Carroll Sr. “If we can do
this, for farmers that know the
soil and equipment, this is a
home run.
“We have the utmost re
spect for farmers now,” he
said. “I’m proud to be called a
farmer. We have such love for
farming now, for the farmers
we know.
“We may be the new breed
of farmers (using computers,
the weather station, and other
technology), but I would be so
proud to be called a farmer.
MILLER NORTHEAST C.J. WONSIDLER
EQUIPMENT CO. DIST. & EQUIP. 1975 Ti jmbauersville Rd
Stauffer Road Rt 106
Bechtelsville, PA 19505 West Clifford, PA 18413
(610) 845-2911 (570) 222-9090
(570) 222-9020
LONGENECKERS
INC.
Rt 866 South
Williamsburg, PA
(814) 793-3731
LEBANON VALLEY
IMPLEMENT CO.
700 E Linden St
Richland, PA 17087
(717) 866-7518
TAYLOR
EQUIPMENT, INC.
FIELDS 1300 Washington Rd
IMPLEMENT STORE Westminster, MD 21157
Eighty Four, PA 15330 (410)848-4474
(724) 222-1154
ECKROTH BROS.
FARM EQUIPMENT
RD #2, Box 24A
New Ringgold, PA 17960
(570) 943-2131
4910 Kernsville Rd
Orefield, PA 18069
(610) 366-2095
wELpr
WHAT TO OH. «JZZ»Mr
“We feel that what we’re
trying to do here could be
used as a model and can con
vince others that “they can do
it with limited agriculture ex
perience,” said Tom Jr..
“There’s no fancy equip
ment,” said Tom Jr., who pur
chased all the necessary
equipment online.
Weeding, pest control,
training, and trellising vines
require a lot of “hands-on at
tention,” which proved to be
too much for one person.
Jaime “JJ” Juarez joined
the vineyard staff a full-time
employee. The assistant vine
yard manager is also quickly
becoming an assistant wine
making manager.
Crossing Winery is process
*
A x
w
* I *
ft
¥
Quakertown, PA 18951
(215) 536-1935
4000 Brown Rd
Taneytown, MD 21787
(410)751-1500
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 7, 2002-E3
ing grapes from two or three
other area growers for 2002
and 2003 and is planning to
start integrating fruit from
their own vineyards.
What’s In The Soil
A focus of growing good
grapes starts with “what is in
your soil,” said Tom Jr.
He began the process with a
local extension agent to help
him draft a program for weed
control. “It all started with
analyzing soil and checking
soil structure and type,” he
said.
A backhoe’s holes, dug in
several places to measure soil
structure in several areas, re
vealed the beneath-the-soil se
crets of makeup of the pro
posed vineyard.
Soil samples began two
A weather station reads and records a host of
temperature, sun, and rainfall data. “The problems
that a vineyard will encounter are very site-specif
ic,” said Chris. “What might be right for a grower up
the road might not be right for you. You must know
your microclimate.”
Farmers
WANTED
To sell what you grow or produce at outdoor farmers’ markets in
Philadelphia, Montgomery, and Chester counties and in New
Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware and work with the Farmers’
Market Nutrition Program.
To take home as much as $1,500 a day at peak season (farmers'
daily sales average over $650).
Small farms are welcome! Several of our most successful farmers
grow on less than 10 acres.
To tour a farmers’ market, call The Food Trust at (215) 568-0830
Ext. 25 or (800) 417-9499 or e-mail contact@thefoodtrust orq
years prior to planting. Amel
iorating the soil to get the
proper pH with lime was fol
lowed by the process of sub
soiling, moldboard plowing,
and disking the field.
Discovering that their soil
hosted Penn silt loam type
helped Tom Jr. decide which
rootstocks to order. Too vigor
ous, and the vines will be too
abundant and prevent the
grapes from getting enough
sunlight. Too weak, and pro
duction will not be up to po
tential.
They decided to cultivate
an assortment of American
varieties, French hybrids, and
vinifera plants. Although
The Food Trust j
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