November 2020 - 1

Lanternfly study views
insecticide, biopesticide
Tree Fruit Variety
Showcase
8
19
1A
Annual awards
program recognizes
the next generation of
leaders
November 2020 | Volume 59 |
Issue 11
The pick
of the crop
Will Bristol to lead Michigan State
Horticultural Society
Will Bristol with some of the season's best in late August. Photos: Brookwood Fruit Farm
By Stephen Kloosterman
Associate Editor
A grower among growers, Will Bristol
will help lead Michigan's tree fruit
industry through 2021.
Bristol is a fifth-generation grower
of tree fruit in eastern Michigan's
Lapeer County - an hour's drive north
of downtown Detroit - but he's well
known around the state. A job as a
precision agriculture lead for Nutrien
Ag Solutions means he's often visiting
or ringing up other growers in other
Michigan growing areas.
He replaces Brett Anderson of Sparta
as president of the Michigan State
Horticultural Society (MSHS), which
represents roughly 1,600 of the state's
growers, sponsoring research projects
and scholarships, as well as partnering
with Michigan Vegetable Council to
organize the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable
and Farm Market EXPO in December
each year.
While it's been a strange year, Bristol
is poised well to represent the growers,
having known many of the other leaders
since high school, possessing a working
knowledge of precision agriculture, and
having dealt with some of the peculiar
oddities of running an orchard and farm
market during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A family farm history
The Bristol family has been growing
fruit for centuries - predating their
settlement of Almont, Michigan, and
even immigration to the continent.
" We joke, you know, we've been
fruit farmers since we were in
England 13 generations ago, so we
think we're finally getting good at it, "
Bristol said.
" Five generations ago, on the other
side of the road, my family was
farming, " Bristol said. " My family's
been in this same one-mile stretch
for eight generations now. We settled
this town, actually, and before that
we were fruit farmers for seven
generations in Connecticut, coming
to America in 1640. So, we've got a
long history. "
One barn on the site goes back to
1910 - a traditional horse barn with
four stalls and hayloft, it is used to
park a tractor in the winter. Today,
Brookwood Fruit Farm consists of
about 100 acres - 40 of which are
dedicated to fruit trees, primarily
apples but also peaches and tart
cherries, and a few pears. A small
number of pumpkins are also grown
for the farm's retail operation.
One of the interesting features
of the farm is a pick-your-own
operation for tart cherries. A loyal
customer base is made up of eastern
Europeans who use the cherries in
baking and liquors, Bristol said.
Customers may pick for 2-2.5 hours
before taking the cherries to be
pitted there on the farm.
" I always compare apples to being
a marathon, " Bristol said. " Tart
cherries (season) is a sprint. Within
seven to 10 days, that entire crop is
picked and gone. "
But the farm is mostly about the
apples - a large number of varieties
are grown, such as Northern Spies,
See SOCIETY, page 6
November 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2020
