Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/572389
www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER OCTOBER 2015 31 "She said, 'These tools are very nice, but these magazines—I will treasure them,'" Smith recalled. Her daughter translated all the articles from English. Deteriorated On their trip to re-sign the memorandum of under- standing earlier this year, Smith and Koempel were accompanied by Ron Skagen, Wenatchee banker and PUD commissioner; Doug England, manager of Manson Growers Cooperative on Lake Chelan and a Chelan County commissioner; Josh Jorgensen, general manager of Mission Ridge ski area, Wenatchee; retired judge Tom Warren of Chelan; and Smith's son David. England said when the Russians left the country in 1991, they took all the orchard equipment with them, and in the early days of independence the Kyrgyzs broke up the concrete irrigation ditches to remove the metal rebar for scrap. "When you drive around, there are thousands of acres of dead orchard, just because they could not get water to them," he said. But Smith said there are some bright spots emerging. Most of the new orchards being planted are stone fruits. "We stopped at one apricot orchard, and the guy was using drip irrigation, and it was impressive how he's taken a tough piece of land and turned it into a nice orchard," Smith said. "There are these pockets of ingenuity out there." That's how the Washington fruit industry developed a hundred years ago, he noted. "You have pockets of ingenu- ity and somehow critical mass is achieved and an industry emerges. I think there's a growing awareness in Kyrgyzstan that that has to happen somehow, but what they could really use is technical assistance and education." Smith was impressed with a pear variety he didn't recognize that was shaped similar to a Bosc but had a smooth skin, with a definite blush on one side, and could be eaten right off the tree. He visited a man who had fruit trees in his backyard, including this pear variety. "I asked him about it," Smith said. "He said, 'It's no good.'" The tree had so much fruit that the weight had tipped the tree over—a problem Smith had never encountered in pears before but wished he had. "Here's this remarkable pear, which overproduces, but if you're not focused on selling it and making money from it, the volume you get from it becomes secondary," Smith said. "It just told me how much educational work there has to be done." However, the attitude of the growers has changed since his first visit, he noticed. "When we went over five years ago it was: 'Have you got any money to invest?' Now, they understand they have the raw materials—the land, and water, and cli- mate—and they need technical assistance in how to raise crops. How do you maximize the profit potential through the use of science?" Since their return, the group has been considering how the community in north central Washington can help the Kyrgyzs rebuild their tree fruit industry. England said he hopes exchange visits can be arranged and believes students from each country have much to learn. For example, the orchards in Kyrgyzstan were not sprayed, and the U.S. visitors were told that codling moth is controlled by a natural enemy. Smith said they're not sure where the memorandum of understanding will lead yet. "But we know it's going to be a learning experience. Ultimately it has to be beneficial to both sides." • "I started thinking, 'Are there opportunities for us, as Americans, to build a closer relationship with Muslim people on a whole different level than we have currently experienced?'" —Randy Smith • Enter different row spacings: the controller automatically maintains your rate per acre. • Compensates for changes in ground speed. Automatic Rate Controller Option 400 gallon TTN profile Powerblast 400 gallon wheel-well Pulblast • 52" outside tire width w/11Lx15 tires • adjustable width wheel centers Rears Airblast Sprayers POWERBLAST PULBLAST Interchangeable axial flow fans to match blade pitch and air volume to your application and horsepower. Electric fan clutch Rears Constant Velocity Hitch powers through 90° turns Rears centrifugal pump and Rears gearbox: manu- factured by Rears for more than 40 years. Simple pressure adjustment to maintain accurate calibration in different row spacings. This is a time tested design for a wide range of applications. Variable pitch fans available in 28" & 36" dia. 100 - 600 gallon units with tank profiles for your application. Rears Constant Velocity Hitch available for most Pul-Blast models Piston actuated diaphragm pump or Rears centrifugal pump. Agricultural Equipment and Dealer information 800.547.8925 made in made in u s a u s a made in u s a Towers bring the nozzle closer to the spray target. Tower height and profiles to match your application. Tune air volume: adjustable air doors independently control target zones Match Rears' aggressive air delivery engineering to your application with Vertical Wall, Over-the-Row, or Grape Elbow towers.