Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/603228
www.goodfruit.com Good Fruit Grower DECEMBER 2015 77 "I thought I would work at Boeing until retirement age and then I could come back and farm until all the money I made in the city was gone," he quipped. But after the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, Boeing began to downsize its senior management. Godwin suddenly had the opportunity to take early retirement at the age of 39 and realize his dream of being an orchardist and living in the small community where he grew up. He and his wife, Gwynne, returned to Tonasket with their two daughters and began a process of buying and leasing orchards. The years 1998 to 2000 had been a tough period for apple growers, particularly for those with Red Delicious. "It was a down cycle," Godwin said, "So when I came back there were a lot of distressed farms and property for sale at discounted prices. That's part of the rea- son I was able to buy back in when I did." Their first orchard was 25 acres of Red and Golden Delicious. Godwin immediately began replacing the Red Delicious with cherries, which would come into production faster than apples and generate money to renovate the rest of the orchard with more profitable varieties. He and his wife did most of the work, including harvest, with the help of one other person. "It was one of those sweat-equity deals," he recalled. "We wanted to start small and try to stay solvent because of the ups and downs of the industry, so we've expanded, but very cautiously. That's the way we've approached all of our projects as we've taken them on. When we do our analysis, the farm has to pay for itself and pay for future expansion." But opportunities for expansion in Tonasket are limited. Okanogan County used to be a major apple-growing region, but production has shifted farther south over the past few decades. There are no big tracts of land with water available, so the Godwins had to acquire acreage in small pieces and now farm at six loca- tions in the area. They own 106 acres and lease 20 acres. In addition, Godwin and his brother Allen, who is a field horticulturist for Chelan Fruit Cooperative, jointly own Box Canyon Orchard, which their par- ents, Calvin and Jean Godwin, ran until they retired last year. Godwin thinks it's still possible to make a living on a 100-acre farm, but it needs to have the right varieties and planting systems. "I would not want to do it on a hundred acres of Reds," he said. Portfolio Honeycrisp was one of the first vari- eties he planted when he bought his orchard. He still thinks there's a good future for the variety, despite increasing volumes, but he's also planting new managed varieties in order to diversify and obtain an advantage. They include SugarBee, a variety produced exclusively by members of Chelan Fruit Cooperative, where he takes his fruit. (See "SugarBee causes a buzz" on Page 80) He looks at his farm as an investment portfolio. Pears are his bonds: They don't make a huge amount of money, but they always make something. Cherries are the high-risk stock: Some years can be very good but there's always the chance of a lost crop, and he'd be nervous about planting too many. Apples are the middle ground. All of his apples are organic, as are some of his cherries and pears. Although he'll continue to expand if the opportuni- ties arise, his focus is not on farming more acres but on expanding production on current acreage and increasing yields, which he sees as market insurance. "If I have a five-acre block and I pick 50 bins to the acre and I have a neighbor who has a five-acre block and he picks 100 bins per acre, he can sell his fruit for half the price and make the same amount of money," he explained. "And I think that's exactly what's happening to us in Okanogan County," he said. "We have a lot of old, traditional orchard with 30 to 50 bins per acre and you go to the Columbia Basin and everyone's growing 60 to 80 bins, so they can sell for a third to a half as much and make the same amount of money. The NUTRI-CAL Di erence UNLOCKING THE KEY TO CALCIUM Signi cantly Improves Quality, Firmness, and Storage ® Make Sure You Always Ask For ® Make Sure You Always Ask For ® Make Sure You Always Ask For C.S.I. CHEMICAL CORP. 800-247-2480 • www.nutri-cal.com 10980 Hubbell Ave. , Bondurant , Iowa 50035 PACIFIC NORTHWEST Walt Grigg: 509-952-7558 C.S.I. CHEMICAL CORP. 800-247-2480 • www.nutri-cal.com 10980 Hubbell Ave. , Bondurant , Iowa 50035 PACIFIC NORTHWEST Walt Grigg: 509-952-7558 Attention Growers: Beware of low quality, cheaper, and unproven products. Nutri-Cal has 30 years of grower tested results including university and independent research to support their claims. NUTRI-CAL gives you the BEST RETURN for your INVESTMENT ! NOT JUST ANOTHER CALCIUM ! Beware of low quality, cheaper, and unproven products. university and independent research to support their claims. NUTRI-CAL gives you the BEST RETURN for your INVESTMENT ! See us at the NW Hort Expo Booth 320