BCFGA Convention


New uses eyed for test orchard PICO unveilsmulti- faceted business plan to grow, demonstrate and provide training on newest varieties.


By Bryden Winsby D


elegates to this year’s annual convention of theB.C. Fruit Growers’Association gave the


green light to newuses for aBCFGA- owned test orchard. Abusiness plan put forward by the


Okanagan Plant Improvement Corporation (PICO)metwith no objections and fewquestions following a presentation byKeithCarlson, PICO’s recently-appointed chief executive officer. The 40-acre orchard occupies an 87-


acre site north ofOliver, near thewell- knownCovert Farms operation. It is being leased to LualOrchards Ltd. and that lease is due to expire inNovember of this year. Carlson said PICO’s operation of the


orchardwould have several key purposes: •Commercial-scale testing of new


varieties. • Incentive for growers to adopt new


varieties. •Demonstration and training on new


varieties. • Testing for newdevelopments in the


apple industry, such as planting and training systems and rootstock-scion combinations. The orchard has 16 acres in soft fruit


and 24 acres of apples. There’s an additional eight acres of virgin soil that could be added. Carlson explained that under the plan,


existing treeswould be removed at the end of the 2015 season and new plantings phased in over four years— five acres in cherries and the rest in apples.By 2025, he said, therewould be a highly productive 40-acre apple block with the newest varieties. It’s expected the operationwould be in


the black by 2021. During the initial yearsmoneywill be


required for capital investments, planting and grafting.An estimated $187,000 in capital spendingwill


British Columbia FRUIT GROWER • Spring 2014  15 Keith Carlson


include fencing, tractors, pumps and and equipment. Funds for thiswould come fromPICO’s operational cash flow. Costs for the lease (paid to the


BCFGA) and orchardmanagerwould amount to about $100,000 per year, paid for throughwholesale of apples. Carlson noted that there is about


$750,000 available in government funding and tax benefits.Additional money under the federalAgriInnovation Program(AIP)may be available from 2018 to 2021. The opportunity for PICOto embark


on this venture is a response to the challenges involved in growing new


virgin land to be cleared of brush and prepared this year to accommodate a nursery for trees to be planed in the orchard. At the end of 2015, all the soft fruit


would be taken out and the area prepared for planting. The old apple blockwould stay in production until it is grafted or replanted. During 2015, 10,000 apple rootstock


and 730 cherry rootstockwould be planted. A further 20,000 apple rootstock would be planted in the nursery in both 2016 and 2017. These would be budded with new varieties developed at PARC. In 2017, five acres would be planted


with apples and two with cherries. In each of the next two years, 10 acres will be planted with apple trees from the nursery.


varieties—market uncertainty, adaptation to individual growers’micro- growing areas, packaging and storage issues, and horticultural concerns associatedwith learning about fruit bred at the PacificAgrifoodResearchCentre (PARC). The test orchardwould allowPICOto


growthe newest selections onmulti-acre plots thatwould provide enough fruit to conductmarket-entry and sensory evaluations, packaging and storage trials, and develop best horticultural practices. The plan calls for five acres of the


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