Concerning the spacing discussion below, it is worth noting
that fertilizer and pesticide costs are not insignificant in the
overall cost of orchard management. One can make some adjustments in
pesticide rates based on tree size and (with a smart sprayer) by not
spraying gaps between trees. Nevertheless, each added acre of orchard
will add significant carrying costs. Pesticide/fertilizer costs
alone, without the associated costs for labor and equipment, are now
approaching $1,000/A for orchards in the northeast. (I'm sure some
folks are doing it for less, of course.)
Based on pesticide costs alone, I'd much rather grow 10,000
bushels of apples on 5 acres as compared to 5,000 bushels on 10
acres. At $1000/A, pesticide costs will average 50 cents per bushel
for the high-yield orchard and $2/bushel on the low-yield orchard.
Most NY growers 30 years ago were happy with 5,000 bushels from 10 A,
whereas the better NY growers now average 10,000 bushels on 5 acres,
and that will become more common in the future as older plantings are
phased out. Someone direct-marketing their apples may be able to
survive despite spending $2/bushel in pesticide costs. However, the
carrying costs of low-density orchards will inevitably strangle
producers hoping to compete in the wholesale market.
Apple tree spacings recommended for NY orchards may not work
in rich soils in the midwest, especially where the growing season is
longer than in NY. However, I doubt that anyone can remain
competitive in the wholesale apple market if their tree spacing does
not allow for the high yields that are becoming common in other
regions. The trick may be to move to rootstocks that are even weaker
than those used in NY and WA.
Besides pesticide costs, other factors may also limit
profitability of older orchard systems in the near future. Labor and
fuel are both likely to become increasingly scarce (perhaps $10/gal
fuel when the current upheavals in Arab countries reach Saudi
Arabia??). High-density orchards will require both less fuel and
less labor (at least when calculated on a per-bushel basis) than
older lower-density systems. It's really hard to prune and harvest
trees on 18-ft centers from a moving platform, and I suspect that
moving platforms will become essential for improving production
efficiency over the next 5 years.
Widely spaced trees that get 20 ft tall may still be a great
strategy for marketing apples to consumers who will pay you for the
experience of walking through a traditional orchard to pluck apples
from branches above their heads. Otherwise, I suspect that era is
GONE !!
_My experience, Spacing has to do with what you have to pay for land
and how much you want to reduce labor,how important coloring is,,
Wide planted trees are easier to prune,pick,good to color all around
the tree,(lower cull rate),less transfer of fire blight and alot
easier to get good spray coverage. As long as I have many unplanted
acres left on my ground,I will space wide, I have Gala on B-9 and
m-9 at 6 foot spacing, should have been 12 feet,Goldens on G11 at 8
feet, should have been 14.Some of my rows were 18 feet,just right,
some were 14 feet,disaster, If you have reasonable priced land give
yourself plenty of room.Quit thinking X number of bushels per
acre,that;s a trap, think bushels per orchard. lee Elliott,,
Winchester,IL
apple-crop mailing list
<http://us.mc354.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=apple-crop@virtualorchard.net>apple-crop@virtualorchard.net
<http://virtualorchard.net/mailman/listinfo/apple-crop>http://virtualorchard.net/mailman/listinfo/apple-crop
--
**************************************************************
Dave Rosenberger
Professor of Plant Pathology Office: 845-691-7231
Cornell University's Hudson Valley Lab Fax: 845-691-2719
P.O. Box 727, Highland, NY 12528 Cell: 845-594-3060
http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/pp/faculty/rosenberger/
_______________________________________________
apple-crop mailing list
apple-crop@virtualorchard.net
http://virtualorchard.net/mailman/listinfo/apple-crop
