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Diversifying often easier to say than do Up Front


By Bryden Winsby W


hen it comes to coping with steadily diminishing returns from apple orchards—or


any other agricultural enterprise, for that matter—there is no one-size-fits- all solution.


For many operations,


diversification can lead to financial security. It can take one or more forms, but essentially involves reallocating resources—from growing different crops and engaging in value-added activities to providing services to other farmers. But it’s no magic bullet. Not everyone succeeds. There can be many factors at play, some of them very challenging.


Glenn and Loretta Cross aren’t the first fruit growers to realize the positive potential of diversification and they certainly won’t be the last. Their struggle to succeed is the subject of our cover story by Associate Editor Judie Steeves. Function Junction, the Crosses’ operation just off Highway 33 in the Rutland area of Kelowna, isn’t unique and it isn’t fancy. It’s the result of hard work and


determination to keep doing what they do best. Their customers will attest to the fact that what they do is pretty darn good.


The rewards certainly haven’t been huge financially, and there have been frustrations, some of them unanticipated, along the way. Frustration might also apply to Neal Carter’s struggle to gain acceptance for the non-browning apple developed by the company he heads, Okanagan Specialty Fruits. The genetic modification technology developed by OFS has generated considerable controversy, inside and outside the industry, as regulatory agencies in both Canada and the United States consider it for approval.


It’s a touchy topic, as Contributing Writer Susan McIver knew when she began working on her story for this issue. OFS has gone to considerable lengths to dispell concerns about the Arctic apple, contending that extensive research and testing have led to confirmation that it is safe and can have benefits across the supply


4 British Columbia FRUIT GROWER • Fall 2012


chain, promoting increased apple consumption in the process.


Critics, however,


remain skeptical about GM products and some want a


moratorium placed on this one. They’re


worried not just from a scientific standpoint, but also about the potential impact in the marketplace, where consumer fears about GM technology, unfounded or not, could prove disastrous.


Genetically modified or not, culls probably will be part of every grower’s life for some time to come. Helping get more from them is the impetus behind Kristen Wurtele’s mobile juicing operation. The Vernon entrepreneur can produce five or 10- litre pasteurized containers of juice that will keep without cold storage for a year on the shelf and that are good for three months once open, unrefrigerated.


Getting optimum apple size and quality is the topic of Peter Waterman’s orchard management column. He advises that, as we head into fall, there’s no time like the present to take a hard look at


pruning practices, which affect not just next year’s crop, but subsequent ones as well.


On the grape and wine side of things, meanwhile, Summerhill Pyramid Wines has never been the most conventional in the province, but it has been a leader on the organics front. If you’ve never heard of Demeter certification for something call biodynamics, you can read about it here first.


And if you have been wrestling with how determine the best time to pick grapes, Gary Strachan offers some salient suggestions, including use of the ‘flavour wheel.’


Once the grapes are harvested, the process of creating wine can be relatively straightforward. Or not, as Gary explains. For each grape variety and each region, there is a range of wine styles that can be made. Finding the right one can mean knowing how to extract the flavours you want and suppress the flavours you wish to avoid.


Read on...


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