There’s a lot of truth to the old saw about job-seeking: It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. When you think about it, the statement rings true for many things. If you don’t know the who, how are you going to learn the what? (See IFTA Thoughts, below slideshow.)
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About 50 members of the International Fruit Tree Association toured California's Central Valley recently under a broiling July sun, learning how stone fruit, in particular, is produced by growers in one of the world's top production regions.
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Lodi Farming’s Jeff Colombini of Lodi, CA shows off what’s become something of a rarity in California’s San Joaquin Valley – an apple orchard. While other growers have switched to mechanized crops such as almonds, Colombini, a former chairman of USApple, is determined to hang on. That said, he’s also growing a newer crop for the U.S., olives for premium extra virgin oil. (Photo: David Eddy)
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Tim Sambado, President of Prima Frutta in Linden, CA, shows off a cherry orchard planted at a higher elevation, away from his other orchards. The block is so exposed, he decided from the beginning to cover it completely with netting. (Photo: David Eddy)
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Drew Ketelsen of HMC Farms in Kingsburg, CA talks about his experiences in converting all the company's peach, nectarine, and plum (shown here) orchards so they can be machine-farmed. In the background is IFTA Research Director and tour chief Greg Lang of Michigan State University, a former American Fruit Grower columnist. (Photo: David Eddy)
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Though HMC's Ketelsen says orchard netting represents a high initial investment, it does allow him to sleep peacefully because these plums are protected against hail, etc. (Photo: David Eddy)
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Kevin Day, retired University of California Cooperative Extension farm adviser and current American Fruit Grower columnist, shows off the "Peach and Nectarine Orchard of the Future." The orchard, which was planted 10 years ago, has been valuable in showing growers the performance of various rootstock/variety combinations. (Photo: David Eddy)
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Erick Stonebarger, Chinchiolo Stemilt California of Lodi, CA, shows tour guests how much a cherry tree will grow in California in a single year. (Photo: David Eddy)
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Johnny Diepersloot of Kingsburg Orchards in Kingsburg, CA, tells tour-goers he wishes he could ship more fruit, such as these red nectarines, to Asia. What's preventing him? "It's all politics," he says, shaking his head. (Photo: David Eddy)
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Red nectarines such as these, which have nearly 100% color coverage, would do well in Asia, says Kingsburg's Diepersloot. (Photo: David Eddy)
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Leith Gardner took over Zaiger Genetics in Modesto, CA a few years ago after her dad, the founder, passed away. Here in the greenhouse, she shows tour-goers how fruit trees get their start. (Photo: David Eddy)
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After the young trees sprout in the greenhouse, they are constantly watered, getting a spritz of water every minute. (Photo: David Eddy)
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Tour attendees were eager to take part in the fruit tastings at Zaiger Genetics in Modesto, CA.(Photo: David Eddy)
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The fruit sampled by the tour-goers included plum cherries, as Zaiger has been crossing they two types of fruits for decades. This particular plum cherry is exclusive to a single grower, John Warmerdam of Hanford, CA, who calls them Very Cherry Plums. (Photo: David Eddy)
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John Warmerdam, Warmerdam Orchards of Hanford, CA, says growing and selling Very Cherry Plums have been an interesting experience - and highly profitable. This past year, he says they were selling at retail for $3.99 a pound - one dollar more per pound than cherries. (Photo: David Eddy)
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The tour ended, appropriately enough, at a farm that emphasizes the flavor of the fruit above all else. Family Tree Farms, Reedley, CA, built their own research center right on Highway 99 - the valley's main artery. Their slogan, appropriately enough: "The Most Flavorful Fruit in the World." (Photo: David Eddy)
(IFTA Thoughts, cont.) At least that’s my experience. I learn what I know about the fruit business through the people who work in this wonderful industry. Obviously certain folks – primarily growers, but also Extension and suppliers – know more about the what I’m seeking than anyone else. It’s why I recently went on a tour of my own backyard. (I have to confess, the idea of frequently tasting some of the best stone fruit anywhere did cross my mind.)
When the International Fruit Tree Association (IFTA ) announced it was holding its annual summer tour in California, I wasn’t planning on attending. IFTA was going through the Northern San Joaquin Valley – and in fact would go right through my town, Modesto – and at a time of year I wouldn’t recommend because of the heat. (We ended up catching the break, as after a 10-day near-110-degree grilling, the high temp dropped to a comfortable 85°F on the tour’s first day.)
When the IFTA agenda came out, it did little to change my mind. I had been to many of the stops on the tour before, and in fact had featured four of the operations on the cover of American Fruit Grower. One is HMC Farms, who I first profiled when they went high-density a half-dozen years ago. Another, Family Tree Farms, I profiled on the cover so long ago that the head man, David Jackson, still had black hair. Chinchiolo Stemilt California is another operation I profiled in the days before we posted all stories to this website, and like Family Tree Farms, I’d enjoy a return visit. Zaiger Genetics is right here in Modesto, and I stopped by many times to talk to their wise founder, the late Floyd Zaiger. (In fact, my first story about Zaiger was back in the year 2000, with the headline “Chums and Plerries?”)
Wine Grape Growers in Texas Under Pressure From Pierce’s Disease
This is just a sampling of images from this latest tour, and they simply cannot do justice to all you will learn on an IFTA tour. It’s not just about visiting the world’s premier orchards, it’s about visiting them along with some of the world’s sharpest growers. You can learn a lot on a bus ride.
015My Take on One Tasty IFTA Summer Study Tour
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David Eddy is the editor of Meister Media Worldwide's American Fruit Grower®magazine. See all author stories here.
July 23, 2024 
