Good Fruit Grower

December 2013

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Good Fruit Grower of the Year Colombini, THE COLLABORATOR California orchardist has helped bring Northwest and California cherry industries together. by Melissa Hansen —Denny Hayden J PHOTO BY T.J. MULLINAX "It's made me think, yeah, why am I doing this?" eff Colombini believes he learns more by seeing what others are doing than staying home on the farm, using the same growing techniques his father used. That's why he made his first trip to the Pacific Northwest 20 years ago, continues to attend Northwest cherry meetings, and why he got involved with a national apple organization. From his travels, he's learned new growing techniques to improve fruit size and quality, but he's also learned that not all techniques transfer to his growing situation. "New ideas require constant testing because they may not always work under our soils and climate," said Colombini, president of Lodi Farming Company. Denny Hayden, tree fruit grower from Pasco, Washington and previous recipient of the Good Fruit Grower of the Year award, met the California orchardist during one of Colombini's trips to the Northwest. Hayden, a member of the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission's cherry committee, has become a frequent visitor to Colombini's orchards and experimental block in Lodi, California. The management team of Lodi Farming, from left to right, Ray Avansino, Ezequiel Escamilla, and Jeff Colombini, stands in front of the hub of the company's operations—a white eraser board. The board, color coded by crop, lists upcoming farming tasks that need to be coordinated. "Jeff is a solid grower in both cherries and apples. He experiments a lot on his own," Hayden said. "Through the years, we've [Northwest growers] spent a lot of time going around the cherry industry in Our Reputation Is Everything To Us! ® 3210, SEMI MOUNT Performance You Can Count On! 3008, SWING HITCH 3210: 10.5' WIDTH 290 Series 290 Series: 5', 6', 7' WIDTHS 3209: 9' WIDTH 3008: 8' WIDTH Burrows has been a FULL-SERVICE Bush Hog Dealer See us in Wenatchee, Washington, December 2–4, 2013, at the Washington for OVER 46 YEARS! Going on NOW! State Horticultural Show, for all your equipment needs. When you buy BUSH HOG, you get great performance NOW AND FOR YEARS TO COME. 5 Year Limited Gearbox Warranty 52 DECEMBER 2013 GOOD FRUIT GROWER www.goodfruit.com

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