September 2019 - 5

ONTARIO
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uses a 1% Cueva (Certis USA) treatment
and alternates a fire blight or powdery
mildew spray with this planting.
" I don't know if I'd do Honeycrisp on
G.41 again, " he said. " I'm a B.9 guy. I think
B.9 has saved me more than once. "
Controlling vigor that disrupts branch
orientation and training has been a big
concern. " These things have grown like
crazy since the day they were planted, " he
said. " I got so concerned about the top wire,
I forgot about the bottom. "
His new plantings are primarily B.9 with
some G-series roots thrown in for Gala,
Honeycrisp and Ambrosia. Hedges uses
bamboo for tree training, building the
anchors twice, not training the tree.
Italian flavor
In Georgian Bay's Meaford area, IFTA
tour attendees were transported into
the future of local fruit production.
Sandy Creek Orchards is an orchard
development funded by Italian investors.
The fledgling operation mimicked similar
orchard systems found in western South
Tyrol, Italy, including the use of concrete
posts and hail nets.
When Italian investors were looking
for a good site for a state-of-the-art apple
orchard, Ian Furlong, a row-crop grower
who manages agriculture investments,
Ian Furlong operates Sandy Creek Orchards in the Georgian Bay's Meaford area.
worked with the investors to identify a site
for a modern apple orchard.
" I always knew this farm would be a
better value as another crop, " said Furlong,
who serves as the operations manager,
working with farm manager and Italian
import Stefano Paoli.
Furlong said Paoli " has an aggressive
approach to trees. He wants to set
maximum growth this year and crop
next year. "
" This is coming from a European
management system, " Furlong said. " When
I say we need to take it slow; I mean we
need to see what can be done here. "
Furlong said Paoli intends to plant 2,700
trees per acre in a pedestrian orchard where
trees would be about 7 feet tall.
" I'd rather start them at the top and slow
them down than to start slow and see what
they can do, " Furlong said.
The land had previously been an orchard
for 50 years before being converted to cash
crop in recent years. Fifteen acres of new
high density tree plantings - 10 feet by 26inch
spacing - began in 2018.
The investment is substantial, Furlong said.
" You are absolutely right if you think
it's not cheap to float cement posts over
on a boat, " said Furlong, who manages
Sandy Creek Orchards for Italian
investors. But the owners wanted to grow
in a familiar system.
Furlong said the new plantings cover
about 35 acres, with the intent to expand over
the next 10 years to 350 acres.
Last year, 15 acres of Honeycrisp on
M.9 were planted. This year, 20 acres of
Honeycrisp were planted on M.9 and B.9.
The cement poles, shade cloth and other
materials required to function like an Italian
tree fruit operation were shipped from Italy
by FruitTop. Only the trees were sourced
from North America, Furlong said.
" Every last bolt, nut, and zip tie, " Furlong
said. It likely cost 30% to 40% more to import
all the materials. He estimated the costs per
acre - not including the land or tree expenses
- at $30,000 in Canadian currency.
Furlong saw orchards in South Tyrol on
their third or fourth replant using 60-yearold
cement posts.
" It was a no-brainer to justify the added
expense. You have to milk that tree for 20
years to make up that expense, " Furlong said.
Water, supplied by a pond, and frost
protection are a large part of the orchard
system, where overhead cooling and a drip
line are utilized. The FruitTop package also
includes black hail netting - pre-engineered
for a static load.
The hail nets are reinforced by being
weighed down using clip releases and the hail
falls through to avoid damage.
He said black hail netting was chosen
because it can reduce red coloring by
about 25%.
Furlong was glad to have started off on a
smaller scale.
" My 15-acre experience of trees last year
was a learning experience, " he said. FGN
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FGN | SEPTEMBER 2019 | 5

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September 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2019