Good Fruit Grower

46 AUGUST 2017 GOOD FRUIT GROWER www.goodfruit.com LAST BITE More Young Growers at goodfruit.com/yg Tim Akita grower / Dallesport, Washington age / 31 crops / Cherries business / Akita Orchards family background / Tim is a fourth-generation farmer who has a bachelor's degree in biology and a doctorate in chiropractic medicine. He returned to the farm, working both as a chiropractor in The Dalles, Oregon, and running the family farm that his great-grandfather, Nobuhei Akita, had begun in 1931. The farm exports its fresh cherries primarily to Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea. " " " " How did you get your start? I remember being told a story about my grandfather, that when he was wanting to take over the farm, great-grandfather told him to go out and walk the land, feel the soil and gain an understanding what's going on out on the farm. I think that point of view is just as true now with current growing practices. When we go out looking at the trees, we may fi nd one tree is healthy and the one right next to it isn't. So, we must observe the changes in the farm, fi gure out where our problems are and come up with an action plan to correct it. My understanding of chemis- try and biology has been very important, helping me understand what's going on with the plants, especially plant health and nutrition. One of my goals is to raise healthy trees. I feel like if we have healthy trees then the overall health of the orchard will be better. What are your primary challenges? Imagine trying to plant a cherry tree on a beach. We farm in what is basically sandy loam. The result has been me considering soil amendments like compost and how that can benefi t our trees, increase yield and grow larger fruit. To deal with our diffi cult soil, we've been focusing not only on macronutrients but micronutri- ents, trace minerals and biostimulants. Improving soil nutrition is part of a plan to feed the trees and stimulate shoot and root growth. Ultimately, I think the healthier we can make a tree, then it'll result in less fungicides or insecticides I'll need to put out. It'll also set us up to begin getting away from convention- al chemicals and using more natural solutions. Are you looking at modern systems when you plant? Our old orchard was spaced about 30 feet by 30 feet, and that's a pretty wide spacing. Now we're looking at more high-density plantings to increase our tons per acre over- all. Because we have fl at ground, we are looking at adding a trellis system that could allow mechanized pruning to help improve effi ciencies overall on the farm. In the future, I could see us going maybe 7 or 8 feet, by 12 feet and even tighter if we do a trellis. What would you tell younger growers? My science background helped when I returned. When it comes to how the chemicals interact, how nutrients are ab- sorbed by plants, that kind of knowledge has been important. I believe having a business degree would also be helpful in trying to manage a farm. I feel farming is a labor of love. My key points of successful farming would be to have knowledge of science, business and loving what you do. " You cannot be good at farming if you don't like to get out there every single day and put the work in. 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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