Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/514197
46 JUNE 2015 GOOD FRUIT GROWER www.goodfruit.com LAST BITE More Young Growers at goodfruit.com/yg Evan Kruse grower / Roseburg, Oregon age / 34 crops / Diversifi ed farm with fruits and hay business / Kruse Farms other experience / Fourth generation grower who also manages a large farm market PLAY goodfruit.com/yg scan to watch the interview " " " What was the learning curve like returning to the farm? When I came back to the farm, I realized how complex it is, compared to when I was a kid. I really like to dig into things but I have to limit myself. I can't put all of my attention into my cherries like a farmer who only grows cherries because of all the other crops I need to tend. For instance during cherry harvest, I'm planting other crops for the farm, and I don't have the resources to give my all to only one crop. I've been trying to fi gure out how much of my time I need to give to each crop and divide my time appropriately. For the future, I know it'll be important to develop systems that allow a less skilled worker to take some of the tasks off of me. How does your management style differ from your father's or grandfather's? I've been looking at newer growing methods. My grand- father, who's 84 now, has been open to new ways. The latest peach orchard we planted is a high-density; it's not trellised or anything crazy, but it's higher density that's getting away from the open-vase design. It was planted to help eliminate some labor costs and gain some effi ciencies and look at a different way of managing the orchard. I would say one of the things I've learned is the old ways of farming are there for a reason. Simply kicking a tradition out takes a lot of thought. If you've done something a certain way for a long time it should take more than a research paper to change your ways. Traditions are the way they are because they're tested over time. That said, there's danger in not looking or considering new ideas. For our farm, there's a pretty good balance between old and new methods and being able to try new things. What are you looking at 5–10 years from now? One of the things we are looking at is how we manage our retail farm market. Our main goal is to grow as much as we can for retail. We also get a lot of crops from around the area. If we cannot fi nd area grown fruit, I'm going to look at growing it, especially if I cannot fi nd enough volume to supply the market. by TJ Mullinax More from this interview and other Young Growers at goodfruit.com/yg. " ... there's danger in not looking or considering new ideas. www.gslong.com SPONSORED BY