Event Details
Date
July 13, 2019
Time
2pm - 6:30pm
Host
Lake Ontario Fruit Program5th CCE LOF Hispanic Summer Fruit Tour
July 13, 2019
This tour (including food, cake, and beverages to be offered at the end of the tour) is FREE thanks to funds and support provided by the Cornell Small Farms Program and by Orchard Dale Fruit Farm. Pre-registration is not required for the tour. For additional questions, contact Mario Miranda Sazo mrm67@cornell.edu, (315) 719-1318.
Stop 1. 2:00-2:45pm: Sandy Knoll Farms, 11960 Platten Rd, Lyndonville, NY14098. Luis Garza is an orchard manager who has worked for several years for grower/owner Patrick Woodworth. Luis and his wife Marlene Garza (who worked at Sandy Knoll Farms and currently works at Lake Ontario Fruit Inc.) graduated from the first Master Class offered last year and will be sharing their learning experience. At this site tour participants will visit a block of Gala and Honeycrisp on M.9 rootstock. There will be discussion of precision hand thinning with motorized platforms, use of mechanical summer pruning implemented for several years, grafting to one-, two-leaders, and irrigation. Nicole Waters, Cornell Small Farms Program will introduce the coming 2019 Master Class program and application process (translated to the Spanish language by Mario Miranda Sazo, CCE LOF).
Stop 2. 3:00-3:30pm. Perez Farms. 2112 Yates Carlton Townline Rd., Waterport, NY14571. Jose Perez came to NY as an orchard worker in 1994 and rapidly positioned himself as a key and reliable Spanish-speaking employee. Today he owns several acres of high density apple plantings started in 2013. At this stop you will see how Jose Perez mentored Luis Enrique Morales to become a key Hispanic employee. The benefits of why Luis should be nominated for the coming 2019 Master Class will be discussed with Nicole Waters from the Cornell Small Farms Program (translated by Mario).
Stop 3. 4:00-4:45pm. Lamont Fruit Farms, Inc. 12703 Stillwater Rd., Waterport, NY14571. Jose Iniguez came to the U.S. and began working as a picker in Mattawa, WA, and then moved to New York in 1994. Today he is a successful production manager, co-owner, partner, and a critical component of the innovative production team at this farm. At this stop tour participants will learn how to prepare and be fully ready for apple harvest in 2019. Several practical tips for higher labor efficiency will be provided by Jose. We will visit a side-grafted block and discuss the pros and cons of a new management technique being trialed by Jose the first year after grafting.
Stop 4. 5:00-6:30pm. Orchard Dale Fruit Farm Inc. 1287 Oak Orchard River Rd, Waterport, NY 14571. Food and beverages will be provided at the end of the tour. The funds for Jacinto's farewell celebration and gifts are provided by Cornell Small Farms Program and grower host.
Agenda (PDF; 869KB)
