Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/215151
Chinchiolo likens their weed control program to painting the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. "You finish on one end, and then it's time to start again at the other end." A problem in one block of their organic cherries is black cherry aphid. "If it was a conventional block, it would be real easy to clean up," he said. "But between the ants and the aphids, it's tough." Alternate bearing In the organic apples, the biggest problem is keeping the apples bearing annually. Chinchiolo has used both lime sulfur and oil to discourage biennial bearing, and found that lime sulfur alone works better in his orchards. Of late, he's turned to postbloom girdling to keep apple production on track. About ten days after bloom, he scores or girdles the trunk near the ground, a technique that also can be used in conventional blocks to control vigor. "It's a pretty powerful tool, but the downside is that you have to do it every year. In a sense, you get addicted to it, and if you miss a year, you can miss a crop," Chinchiolo —Steve Chinchiolo said. "You have to wean yourself off slowly by switching to a narrower girdle knife and then only girdling the bigger trunks in the block." Chinchiolo uses the girdling technique primarily in his organic Gala and Fuji blocks. Gala works well for his organic production because the variety is early and he doesn't have to carry the crop as long as other varieties like Cripps Pink. Gala is also more tolerant of fireblight than Cripps Pink. He has a small block of Honeycrisp and GoldRush apple trees that have potential for the organic market. "If the organic market stays as good as it has the last few years, I hope to transition more to organic, though I'd have to buy a few more weed whackers." Alex Chinchiolo, who's taking an active role in the operation, explained that for their organic production, they want to get the orchard up and running before they transition to organic. "We want to develop good roots and a good foundation before we go organic," he said. "I'm under close scrutiny because I farm both conventionally and organically." FARMERS' MARKETS provide feedback teve Chinchiolo of River Bend Orchards in Ripon, California, has sold fruit through farmers' markets since the late 1980s. While the direct marketing represents only a small portion of his total crop sales, the markets connect him with consumers and marketing trends. Today, they sell both organic and conventional fruit weekly in two local and five Bay Area farmers' markets. Chinchiolo starts the farmers' market season with cherries and adds peaches, nectarines, pluots, and apples as fruit are harvested. He uses a small, refrigerated van as cold storage for fruit held for the farmers' markets. Success at a farmers' market is all about getting into markets that have a large enough population base and crowds, Chinchiolo explained. His location in Ripon is about 80 miles from San Francisco, which has a much larger and more affluent population than the nearest major city of Modesto. "Not all of the markets we go to in the Bay Area are high end. Some are working markets where the shopper does his or her weekly grocery buying. At other markets, there is more social interaction with the customer and deeper concern about where the fruit comes from and how it was grown. We also sell more organic fruit at these markets." Direct sales are small for Chinchiolo but nonetheless play a big role. "Our farmers' market is a minor part of our crop sales, but it plays a major part in terms of the feedback that we get from our customers," Chinchiolo said, adding that he uses consumer feedback to help shape planting decisions. His organic fruit easily outsells his conventional, even though he charges 20 to 25 percent more for organic. "Sales at the markets are a good indicator of the demand for organic," Chinchiolo said. —M. Hansen S • ANTONIO CARRARO Welcomes introduces the New TGF 9800 S To Our Dealership Family Low Hour Rental Returns Starting at Only $ 27,995 Priced at . . . $ 35,800 ABERDEEN CHEHALIS ELLENSBURG LYNDEN OKANOGAN POULSBO MOUNT VERNON OLYMPIA QUINCY SNOHOMISH SUMNER 509-728-3018 509-728-3016 58 DECEMBER 2013 GOOD FRUIT GROWER 75 PTO, 4WD with all the standard features YAKIMA 509-797-5806 509-322-1540 www.goodfruit.com