Tuesday June 27th
Registration at 7:00 AM
Busses load at Sheraton at 7:30 AM
Busses leave Sheraton at 8:00 AM
1st stop: Gunnison Orchard, Crown Point, NY
Gunnison Stop
1: Hugh and
Will Gunnison will discuss the circumstances leading to the erection of
extensive deer
fencing in 1999. A specialized imported post-driver will be exhibited.
Mike Fargione, CCE Hudson Valley Fruit Program, will
review the pros
and cons of alternative deer control methods. Mike and Kevin Iungerman
consulted with the
Gunnison's on their deer control need. Caleb Torrice, CCE Oswego County,
will be on hand
to describe dog deer control method pioneered by his dad, orchardist Jack
Torrice.
Gunnison Stop 2: Terence Robinson will discuss and
demonstrate the
lessons being learned from nearly 10 years of the extensive Vertical Axe
CG rootstock
trial at the Gunnison Orchards in Crown Point.
History of Gunnison
Orchards
Gunnison Orchards is a 6th-generation enterprise, the
original farm
having been started in 1626. The orchard is located just below the 18th
century
Fortifications at Crown Point. This, along with the Valcor Island to the
north, and Forts
Ticonderoga and William Henry (on Lake George) to the south, mark the
epic and protracted
struggle played out between the two super powers of the time, France and
England, during
the French and Indian war and the later American revolution. Originally
the farm produced
hay and boarded horses for the extensive teamster operations which then
served area mining
operations but which eventually played out in the 1990's. The first
orchard on the site
was planted by Albert Gunnison about 1900 but it was not until his son
entered into the
operation that the orchard began to realize commercial success.
Depressed times in the 1930's saw a shift into egg
farming, with hen
numbers reaching 4000 at the high point. In the early 1950's emphasis
turned once again to
orcharding on the 60 acres; horse barns which had once been converted to
hen houses were
in turn converted to apple storage. Hugh Gunnison, Albert's grandson,
entered the
operation in l958, and in time added additional acres, new storage, and a
packing house.
Today the farm encompasses several sites totaling over 500 acres; 160
acres are planted to
apples, another 160 acres have the potential for apples, but part of
this, and much of the
land balance, is managed for timber.
Much like other orchards in these northern reaches,
McIntosh is
substantially planted, perhaps 60%. Empire, Cortland, and Delicious make
up another 13%,
10% and 5% respectively, but none of these three figure in replant plans.
McIntosh will be
replanted, to be joined now with Honeycrisp. Other existing varieties
fill out the
balance.
Approximately 50% of the orchard is planted on
seedling stock; another
10% to 15% is on interstems (M.9/MM.111 or M.9/MM.106); and 20% is on
M.7. Over the last
few years, planting has shifted to W.9 or Bud.9, which together now
account for nearly 20%
Located on the farm is the cooperative research trial planting of Empire
on the various
Cornell CG series dwarfing rootstocks. Planted in 1991, the trial
includes (of the CG
series) 13, 30, 41, 65, 77, 88, 103, 202, 210, 222, 707, 935, and for
comparison, M.7,
M.26, M.9, Bud.9, and Mark rootstocks. Gunnison Orchard has a regular
cold storage
capacity of 65,000 to 70,000 bushels and an additional 40,000 bushels of
CA capacity.
Larger crops are stored across Lake Champlain at the nearby Shoreham Coop
in Vermont.
2nd stop: Sentinel Pine Orchards in Shoreham, Vermont
Lunch will be at Sentinel Pine Orchards and, because it is so far out in the country, a box lunch will be served. This block was planted in 1977, and it is prone to leaning due to the winds coming from the lake. Many different types of support materials have been tried throughout the years. This will be a demonstration of what works and does not work. In addition, last fall, Hurricane Floyd caused many trees in this block to lean over. Repair techniques used to upright the trees will be discussed. We will also see another block planted in 1995 consisting of closer row spacing on wire trellis and pressure-treated posts.
History of Sentinel Pine
Orchards
Sentinel Pine Orchard is a 280-acre apple orchard located in Addision
County, a
traditional apple growing area of the state. This orchard is one of the
largest apple
orchards in the state. This orchard has a long history of cooperation
with UVM in
conducting research. Most of the research on ReTain in Vermont was
conducted at this
orchard. Currently, this orchard is one of eight orchards participating
on research to
help us, UVM researchers and extension personnel, to evaluate the
profitability of
wholesale versus retail apple marketing strategies. W. Blodgett Sr.
started Sentinel Pine
Orchards in 1964 with 70 areas of mostly seedling McIntosh. Today, Bill
and Whit Blodgett,
his sons, run this operation which produces a yearly average of 86,000
bushels of which
approximately 70 percent is McIntosh. The apples are grafted on a wide
variety of
rootstocks ranging from M.7 to M.9. The apples grown at this orchard have
been stored and
packed for the past 25 years.
Lunch - West Meadows Farm
in New Haven, Jim
and Karen Gallot Managers
Roasted Turkey Breast Sandwich on Wheat Bread and Lettuce
Tri-Color Salad with Apples and Cucumbers
Fresh Plum Tomato Salad
Cranberry Relish
Fresh Apple Cake with Caramel Frosting
Assorted Sodas in Can
Focus of the Visit
View orchard's innovative 1PM practices, including entire orchard under
AMF trapout using
Ladd traps mating disruption, many DRC on trial, and experiments with
Surround as a
replacement for Imidan. Petal fall and first cover are the only
'standard' insecticide
applications.
History of West Meadows
Farm
This is a 27-acre orchard planted in 1979. Older plantings are on M.7
whereas newer
plantings are on M.26. Most of the fruit is sold at the wholesale market
through the
Shoreham Cooperative. There is a small retail operation on the
premises.
LAST STOPS ON OUR TOUR:
Ben and Jerry's ice cream tour consists of a short movie, a tour of the facility, and of course a sample tasting.
Cold Hollow Cider Mill is the largest cider operation in New England. During peak season they process 1,200 bushels of apples per day, producing approximately one-million gallons of cider. Most of the apples used in their operation come from the Champlain Valley. Cold Hollow has been in operation for 25 years and it is one of the top three tourist attractions in the state next to Ben and Jerry's and Shelburne Farms. In addition to the cider mill, there is a retail store where Vermont specialty foods are sold. There will be a tour of the facilities and a video of the operation.
Tour Participants please note: The Final stop for the summer tour can be an and/or. You can do both, but since Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Plant can only accommodate 25 people at one time, we will need to coordinate this. The tour of plant lasts about 15 minutes. Please be sure to mark your registration form if you want to visit B & J's.
Kevin Lungerman and Elena Garcia have cooperatively planned Monday and Tuesdays itinerary with Kevin focusing on New York and Elena handling the Vermont details.
