Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/232761
We've Got You COVERED! —Jim Koan Koan grows most apples in moderately highdensity trellised systems. He uses some tillage, but mostly mows for orchard floor management. Moreover, he said, penicillin and streptomycin are natural products, produced in nature by natural processes. Koan said that, in three days of testimony, NOSB heard mostly from consumers and environmental groups—and he and one grower from Washington State were the only producers who testified. Koan's use of pigs in the orchard is also limited by organic standards, and he can't have pigs there late enough to consume all the dropped apples. He doesn't believe that animal manure in orchards is a threat to consumers. He noted that Amish farmers, who use horses when they grow fruits and vegetables, have to use dung bags on their horses, collecting the manure dropped in the field. "Organic people did that," he said, with more than a little disdain. • Impressive coverage with a CHINOOK Blade • Protect Over 15 Acres PHOTO BY RICHARD LEHNERT "Agriculture is by its nature disruptive of the natural environment. People need to remember that." • Powerful V10 Engine with or without catalytic converter Introducing our newest dealer: Windworx, LLC Wind Machine Sales and Service www.hfhauff.com hfhauff@gmail.com Toll Free: 855-855-0318 Better standards Koan believes a mission of organic farmers should be to better understand the ecosystem and try to work within it. It is not to be fearful of natural fertilizers like manure, or antibiotics, or synthetic chemicals. His "situational ethics" on organic rules reflect the difficulty eastern growers, with their humid climate, have in meeting rules that work more easily in arid climates. If eastern consumers want to both "buy local" and "buy organic," something has to give. Koan would like his "do the best you can" ethic to prevail. He can get pretty hot discussing these topics, but when he cools, he remains optimistic. "Organic isn't the perfect world, but it is better than what most conventional farmers are doing now, "he said. "But our goal should be to use the best thing at the best time, and the standards should be based 100 percent on science." He believes that organic farming and conventional farming will come together. Koan and entomologist Dr. Mark Whalon at Michigan State talk a lot and discuss developing a kind of integrated fruit production system based on points. If you have to use streptomycin to save a crop, you do it, but it costs you some points. If you need Guthion (azinphos-methyl) to stop an epidemic of apple flea weevil, you do it, but it costs you points. At the end of the year, you total the points and see whether you can safely sell your fruit. "Do you know that apples are now on the top of the dirty dozen list for pesticide residues?" he asks. "That's because they're a long-season crop that needs to be sprayed many times for many reasons. Growers need to be able to use the best tools possible at the best time possible. That may include a select few conventional chemicals. Agriculture is by its nature disruptive of the natural environment. People need to remember that." Agriculture is disruptive, but that doesn't mean growers should sterilize their orchards with poisons and then start over from scratch, he said. "Farmers of the future will be adopting practices from both parties to become more sustainable farmers." • www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER JANUARY 1, 2014 23