Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/418083
www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER DECEMBER 2014 39 JoAnn, farm with their son, Steve, 40, who has taken over management and is gradually buying out his parents' interest. Steve is bringing in his son, Mitch, 22. The new building that they will use for controlled-at- mosphere (CA) storage next year has the names Harold, Steve, and Mitch emblazoned under the Thome Orchards name. At the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable, and Farm Market Expo in Grand Rapids in December, Harold Thome will receive the Distinguished Service Award from the Michigan State Horticulture Society in rec- ognition of his accomplishments, both in the orchard and as an industry leader. The 220-acre Thome farm has about 135 acres suitable for apples, and about 125 are in production. "We're con- tinually removing and replanting, when we can get the trees," Thome said. "We believe in keeping our orchards young, but trees right now are hard to come by. We try to stay abreast of new technology and new varieties." About a decade ago, the Thomes moved to high-den- sity plantings on two-wire trellis and bamboo stakes. All their plantings since then have been on a 3-by-12- foot spacing. "But we're still living with our old 6-by-16 spacing on some of our acreage," he said. Last year, when Cornell University's Dr. Terence Robinson wanted to show Fruit Ridge growers his idea for using summer hedging to shear slender spindle trees into fruiting walls, he held his demonstration on the Thome farm. Hedging was done on a block of five-year-old Brookfield Gala apples. "Where we hedged last summer, it's very impressive," Thome said. "We're going that way." Thome is an early adopter in the sense that he tries new things quickly, but he tests before he plunges too far. He'll try a few acres of a hot new variety, for example, but he's cautious about planting more acres until he's assessed their performance. He's a believer in finding the right trees for a site. He planted Honeycrisp about 10 years ago, but has only about three acres now and grumbles about hav- ing to stem clip the stems at harvest. He has one of the country's first plantings of the new Royal Red Honeycrisp from Willow Drive nursery. Harold Thome and Phil Schwallier discuss the high quality of the Lindamac apples being picked that day. Thome will receive the Distinguished Service Award at the Michigan Expo in December. Like you, we're seasoned experts. For over a hundred years, we've cultivated and deepened our understanding of the complexities of agriculture operations, so we can provide you with the most informed and personalized financial solutions for your business, whether you're a grower, processor, packager, or distributor. And our broad team of specialists is ready to help your business thrive. To learn more, call Mike McKay at 800-346-8828 or visit key.com/agribusiness. All credit products are subject to credit approval. Key.com is a federally registered service mark of KeyCorp. ©2014 KeyCorp. KeyBank is Member FDIC. KeyBank is an Equal Housing Lender. E80053