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FLORIDA growers diversify with peaches Florida’s climate enables its peach growers to meet early market windows but also presents horticultural challenges. by Mercy Olmstead advantage of Florida’s unique climate to meet early market windows. And, although their varieties have been grown worldwide, Florida’s ability to produce true tree-ripe fruit is gaining the attention of domestic consumers. In the early 1980s, the peach industry in north Florida totaled approximately 4,000 acres. However, F New, low-chill peach varieties, such as Tropic Beauty, have enabled growers in Florida to grow peaches as an alternative to citrus. eNews Sign up to receive our free e-newsletter with the latest news from the tree fruit and wine grape industries, and links to our Web exclusive articles and features. The redesigned Good Fruit Grower Web site, with its breaking news, blogs, and archived articles, will keep you informed between our print magazine issues and connected with the fruit growing community. www.goodfruit.com 26 JULY 2011 GOOD FRUIT GROWER updates unfavorable market conditions, poor variety selections, and successive major freezes reduced the acreage in the state to fewer than 500 acres. Improved varieties with superior fruit quality and lower chill- unit requirements have piqued the interest of fruit growers in the state. This interest has led to approxi- mately 900 planted acres, with main production areas in the central and south-central areas of the state. About 25 percent of these are newly planted orchards that will come into bearing in 2012. As the peach acreage increases in the south, with the availability of low-chill varieties (those with fewer than 200 accumulated chill units), growers are able to produce tree-ripe peaches early in the sea- son, after Chile and Argentina have left the market and before domestic production in the Southeast region or California begins. In addition, the subtropical climate in Florida enables growers to leave the fruit on the tree longer than in other growing regions, allowing for both sugar accumulation and flavor development. Florida peach orchards are planted in a traditional open vase system, although there are a few growers experimenting with higher density systems, like perpen- dicular-V. Trees are kept to a height of eight feet to mini- mize ladder use in the orchard. The major challenge in this system is the incredible vigor that comes with grow- ing trees in a subtropical climate. While other production areas often have four to five feet of canopy growth per year, Florida peach trees are producing canopy growth in the range of seven to nine feet per year. Frost protection is accomplished through overhead irrigation, since the freezes in certain parts of the state have been advective (windy), rather than radiative (where warm air rises on calm nights). The major drawback to this method is that successive nightly freezes have caused major scaffold damage due to limb breakage, as well as problems with water availability for freeze protection of other major crops. The heavy use of water for frost/freeze protection has caused a number of problems with the opening of numerous sinkholes, often in suburban areas. Diversification Farm diversification was a reason that Wes Borders planted peaches at Neat N’ Sweet Farms. Neat N’ Sweet Farms in Kathleen, Florida, produces summer squash, melons, strawberries, and, at one time, juice oranges. However, when international competition reduced the profitability in oranges destined for processing, Borders started searching for an alternative crop. Having done his research and spoken with professors at the University of Florida, he convinced his father, Dudley, to plant a few acres of peaches. A few acres grew quickly to 60 acres, replacing all of the juice oranges. Wes Borders said this addition to the farm portfolio keeps the Borders family busy with year-round production and farm operations. There have been successful years to validate Borders’s www.goodfruit.com lorida is known for several things, such as citrus production, Walt Disney World, and alligators, but less well known is that it has a growing peach industry producing excellent quality fruit. The stone-fruit breeding program at the University of Florida has more than 50 years of breed- ing experience producing high-quality, low-chill peach, nectarine, and plum varieties. Dr. Ralph Sharpe, Dr. Wayne Sherman, and currently Dr. Jose Chaparro, have directed their efforts to take Click on any article or photo to learn more at www.goodfruit.com. Apple crop varies across the country harvest is running 10 days ahead of normal. Growers in New York had one of the best growing seasons in a long time. In Michigan, a May freeze shortened the crop by about half. In Washington, an unusually cool, wet spring and late summer resulted in smaller fruit and some russeting, but good color on the red varieties. A Mike Nicholson checks Rubens apples in a north central Washington orchard. WASHINGTON’S GRAPE HARVEST IS OFF TO A SLOW START Washington State’s grape harvest is finally underway after one of the latest starts in many years. Wine grapes throughout the state are now being picked and juice grape will start in full crush September 27. Mike Concienne of National Grape Cooperative Associa- tion (Welch’s) in Grandview reports they will crush Niagara juice grapes first and then move into Concords the first week of October. The targeted October 3 Concord start date will be the latest start for Con- cords since 1971, he said, adding that the average start date is September 18. Wine barrels at Maryhill Winery wait to be filled, just as many of Washington State’s wineries wait for grapes to crush. WASHINGTON RECEIVES FUNDING The WSDA has received $3.7 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Agri - culture to allocate to projects to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. CONTACT Mail: Good Fruit Grower WSU RECRUITING GRAPE AND TREE FRUIT EXTENSION EDUCATORS Washington State’s grape industry has several opportunities to participate in the interview process for the viticulture exten- sion specialist posi- tion. Michelle Moyer, graduate research assistant from Cornell University, will visit Washington this week, meeting with WSU staff and industry. Moyer received her bachelor’s of science degree in 2005 from the University of Wis- Michelle Moyer consin, Madison, and has been at Cornell since then working on her master’s and doctorate degrees in plant pathology. WSU is readvertising the open tree fruit Extension position for Yakima County. Dr. Jim Olmstead, the last person to hold the position, left in the summer of 2009 to be the blueberry breeder at the University of Florida. pple growers around the country have been facing different challenges this season. In Pennsylvania, apples are running small because of a two- month dry spell in late summer and Phone: 509-853-3520 105 South 18th Street, Suite 217 1-800-487-9946 Yakima, Washington 98901 FAX 509-853-3521 Internet: www.goodfruit.com Staff e-mail directory Melissa Hansen Courtesy Chelan Fresh Marketing mercy olmstead