Good Fruit Grower

54 FEBRUARY 1, 2017 GOOD FRUIT GROWER www.goodfruit.com LAST BITE More Young Growers at goodfruit.com/yg Chris Oakes grower / Lyndonville, New York age / 31 crops / Apples, cherries, wine grapes and peaches business / Lynoaken Farms Inc. family background / Chris is a fourth-generation farmer who works with many of his relatives along Lake Ontario. He's learned from his grandfather James and father, Darrel, that being active in industry groups and extension agriculture programs has helped them to adopt new growing techniques and to diversify the farm's crops. " " " " How did you get your start? Out of college, I worked in landscaping for four years and discovered I had a knack for growing things. I fi gured out I knew a lot about plants that not everybody understood. I decided I really enjoyed being outside — getting my hands dirty — so I returned to the family farm. Coming back, my fi rst job was as a tractor driver. I was the low man on the totem pole. Now, as my dad has transitioned out, I've gained more responsibili- ty and currently am the production manager of our whole operation. What is your region like? We're about 4 miles from Lake Ontario, which really defi nes our soil type. We call this area the fruit belt. All the fruit is generally close to the lake because of the lake effect that keeps spring frosts away. Lake Ontario is so deep it retains a lot of heat. In the spring and fall that heat keeps frost away. What changes are occurring at your farm? We are moving to diversify our business. We've planted a test block of hard cider varieties and then planted a small vineyard to see if we can vinify in our area. Thankfully, we've seen an explosion in the hard cider market, so we are actively planting a large amount of acreage of cider because we see the potential for growth. As far as wine, we've found it's been a trial and error process. Some varieties just don't grow in our climate because our winters are too cold. But we've found some that grow really well, like Riesling, Cabernet Franc along with some hybrid varieties. What kind of challenges should young growers be aware of? The transition process, something we are going through now, is diffi cult. There's a lot of emotions involved. But as a family business, it's not just an average kind of job for us. We're working with family. Relationships can get irreparably damaged by some things that can be said. Try to reach out to as many resources as possible. Hook up with other people who've gone through the farm transfer pro- cess. Discuss your issues, talk with each other and have open conversations — being honest with each other about your expectations and what your desires are for the future of your business. It's not all about numbers and who's going to pay the money and when. It goes deeper than that. It goes right to the heart. " Be prepared to put in the hours to make sure the crop is there and always be ready for adversity. PLAY goodfruit.com/yg scan to watch the interview www.gslong.com SPONSORED BY by TJ Mullinax More from this interview and other Young Growers at goodfruit.com/yg.

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