Michigan Fruit Grower and Expert Educator Among Honorees at Great Lakes Expo
December 13, 2022 Steve Thome, an apple grower in Alpine Township, MI, received one of two Distinguished Service Awards presented by the Michigan State Horticultural Society Dec. 7 during the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable, and Farm Market Expo banquet in Grand Rapids, MI.
Steve Thome
Thome is a fifth-generation apple grower, tracing his roots back to 1846 in Alpine Township, part of the Fruit Ridge, Michigan’s largest apple-producing region. He took over day-to-day management of the family farm in 1997, following in the footsteps of his father, Harold, the American Fruit GrowerSM Apple Grower of the Year in 1992. Over the years, the farm raised fruits, vegetables, row crops, dairy, and beef cattle before focusing on apples.
He spent two years after high school studying heavy equipment service at Ferris State University in Michigan and worked as a mechanic for a truck company for two years before returning to the farm. Thome has served as President of the Michigan State Horticultural Society and chairman of the Michigan Apple Research Committee. He is currently serving on the Michigan Tree Fruit Commission, Jack Brown Produce board of directors, and he chairs the Alpine Township Planning Commission.
The other Distinguished Service Award went to Bill Shane, Extension Specialist and Coordinator of Michigan State University’s Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center in Benton Harbor, and a longtime columnist with American Fruit Grower® magazine.
With a regular focus on stone fruit, he wrote his first column — “Lessons Learned From Mother Nature In Peach Breeding” — for American Fruit Grower on March 4, 2014. His story began with a quote from Yogi Berra: “You can observe a lot just by watching.”
Bill Shane
In his final work before retiring from writing, in October 2021, Shane wrote about the Asiatic garden beetle and its effect on stone fruit growers.
In 1992 Shane assumed the role of MSU District Extension Fruit Production and Marketing Agent at the Southwest Michigan Extension Center. Now a Senior Extension Tree Fruit Specialist and the station’s coordinator, he directs the MSU peach variety improvement program and guides the peach breeding program. He co-released the peach variety ‘Beaumont’ with MSU Horticulture Professor Amy Iezzoni, the nation’s only tart cherry breeder, with more selections soon to be named and released.
Shane’s research and Extension work has focused on discovering causes and solutions for disorders affecting crops. He has developed predictive models for disease and fruit maturity, including a peach maturity model. He has identified new insect pests and plant diseases, including the first reports of black stem borer and Asian garden beetle in Michigan tree fruit plantings. As an Extension specialist, he has worked closely with the commercial fruit industry, providing help with all aspects of commercial production.
Shane was born in Watervliet, a small town in Southwest Michigan. His father co-owned a farm supply business and helped him acquire a summer job with a newly formed MSU tree fruit integrated pest management project. This led to an undergraduate degree in botany and plant pathology at MSU. Shane earned his master’s degree in plant pathology at North Carolina State University, focusing on tree fruit diseases, and later his doctorate in plant pathology from the University of Minnesota.
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