Good Fruit Grower

February 15, 2017

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38 FEBRUARY 15, 2017 GOOD FRUIT GROWER www.goodfruit.com LAST BITE More Young Growers at goodfruit.com/yg Alfredo Jeronimo grower / Wenatchee, Washington age / 30 crops / Apples and cherries business / Kyle Mathison Orchards, Inc. family background / Alfredo grew up working in orchards alongside his father. After starting a family, Alfredo followed his interests in the packing side of the industry and is currently pursuing goals in orchard management. " " " " How did you get your start? My family started off as cherry pickers after they moved up to Washington from California. I did a lot of things helping in the orchard. I was a swamper during cherry season, hauling the lugs and dumping them into the bin trailer to fl agging for Dad. I did just about all the jobs you do in the orchard, from winter pruning, carrying the chainsaws, loppers and other equipment, too. I knew this work. I had to fi nd a job somewhere after high school. By the time my son was 2 years old, I needed to fi nancially provide for him, and with the warehouse being the main source of work in the Wenatchee Valley, I decided to skip college and go straight into the workforce. The thing that's pushed me is my desire to learn. I felt like working in the warehouse industry was a fi nal stop for me, and I wanted to expand my horizons, gain more knowledge about the tree fruit industry. What did you learn from that early work experience? Some of the supervisors in warehouses have similar knowledge that I've gained. I set myself apart by being approachable to everyone. Some of the stuff that's helped me in the industry is learning new things and being open to new techniques. Most of all, being a good foundation for people coming up in the industry. Let others experience all the knowledge and growth that you've experienced throughout your career. How does being bilingual help you? It's important not just because the industry has grown a lot, but because there's still a lot of mis- communication at times. I thought I would bring great abilities to the packing warehouse, especially considering there weren't too many English fl uent operators of that sort. I was the main person growers went to talk to — which was my main motivation at the warehouse, bridging the gap between growers and the packing house. What excites you about farming? It's exciting to think about how much production we can get out of our acreage and what new things can be done to produce more tonnage, stuff like that. This industry is a tight-knit group of good people — people who you get to learn from, who've been doing it for years. It's just a great ex- perience. I want to be my own producer in the next fi ve years starting my own farm. I want to be out there with the big guys. " ...people need to pursue an education. You need to be well rounded when working in an industry like this. PLAY goodfruit.com/yg scan to watch the interview www.gslong.com SPONSORED BY by TJ Mullinax More from this interview and other Young Growers at goodfruit.com/yg.

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