Multimedia Archive - Fruit Growers News

Branded vs. Generic {Sponsored}

Tue, 14 Dec 2021 15:15:30 +0000

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21st Annual Great Lakes Expo Banquet – December 8, 2021

Fri, 10 Dec 2021 15:57:46 +0000

Here are some images from the 21st Annual Expo Banquet, held in Grand Rapids, Michigan, at the Amway Grand

Hotel during the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo.

– Stephen Kloosterman, associate editor

Music was provided by the Jenison High School Orchestra.

The event is held in the Ambassador Ballroom of the Amway Grand Hotel.

Will Bristol

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2021 Farm Market Bus Tour

Thu, 09 Dec 2021 22:39:25 +0000

More than 100 farm marketers from around the country toured some of West Michigan’s market-savvy farm markets on the Great Lakes EXPO Farm Market Bus Tour. The tour is presented by Fruit Growers News and Vegetable Growers News. The Bus Tour visited Tom Otto’s Turkey Farm, Cotant’s Farm Market & Greenhouse, MOO-Ville Creamery, Cornwell’s Turkeyville, Shades of Lavender, and Berry Bros Retail.

Michigan State University Extension staff were moderators for this year tour, including Garrett Ziegler, Ben Phillips, Mariel Borgman, and Ron Goldy. The full-day bus tour was held on Monday, Dec. 6, the day before the EXPO.

Click an image to enlarge. Photos: Ana Olvera

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2021 Fruit + Vegetable 40 Under 40 Reception

Thu, 09 Dec 2021 01:12:12 +0000

The Fruit + Vegetable 40 Under 40 Class of 2021 was honored during a reception at the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable & Farm Market EXPO on Tuesday, Dec. 7. Gary Pullano, editor of Fruit Growers News, and Stephen Kloosterman, associate editor of Fruit Growers News, presented the honoreers with a certificate and gift bag. Learn more about the Class of 2021 by visiting fruitgrowersnews.com/40under40.

Photos: Eric Hadden, FGN multimedia designer

Click an image to enlarge.

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A Look at the 2021 GLEXPO Farm Market Bus Tour

Wed, 10 Nov 2021 21:26:14 +0000

Join Fruit Growers News and Vegetable Growers News for the GLEXPO Farm Market Bus Tour and visit some of West Michigan’s market-savvy farm markets. The tour will be moderated by Michigan State University Extension staff.

The full-day bus tour will be held on Monday, Dec. 6, the day before the EXPO is open. Visit fruitgrowersnews.com/bustour to register. Early bird registration ends Nov. 15.

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Wed, 08 Sep 2021 14:40:36 +0000

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Michigan State University (MSU) AgBioResearch Earl and Linda Peterson West Central Michigan Research and Extension Center

Fri, 06 Aug 2021 17:51:52 +0000

A new tree fruit research center, the Michigan State University (MSU) AgBioResearch Earl and Linda Peterson West Central Michigan Research and Extension Center, had a grand opening event Aug. 5.

The new facility includes several buildings with plantings on a 68-acre lot that adjoins the north side of the Michigan Asparagus Research Farm in Oceana County outside the town of Hart.

Photos: Stephen Kloosterman

Andy Riley

Some of the board members and staff.

Patricia Parsons

Richard Raffaelli, center, receives an award.

Doug Buhler

Earl and Linda Peterson cut the ribbon at the new research station that bears their name. with them are MSU’s Doug Buhler, left, and Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Director Gary McDowell.

Gerrit Herrygers

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Pomesters’ RidgeFest 2021

Fri, 30 Jul 2021 18:21:20 +0000

Demonstrations of equipment and cutting-edge technology complemented a cheery social setting as the Michigan Pomesters’ RidgeFest 2021 farm tour event was held Thursday afternoon, July 29.

Kicking off with lunch, the event included a demonstration of computer vision technologies and a demonstration of different sprayers. The wagons drove through orchards in the Grand Rapids area. Apple cider was in plentiful supply, and the event ended at Ed Dunneback & Girls Farm Market where apple grower Gunnar Nyblad & The Grizzly Boys performed music.

Here are some of the sights and details of the event.

– Stephen Kloosterman, FGN Associate Editor

Lunch was at Thome Orchards in Comstock Park.

Michigan State University Extension educator Phil Schwallier presented his former staff member Denise Ruwersma with the Michigan Pomesters’ Fruit Person of the Year award. He described her as a “diamond” and told a hilarious tale about Ruwersma being told to measure tree trunks when it turned out the orchard had recently been fertilized with turkey manure. “Denise continued to measure the trunks,” he said. Ruwersma joked she’d had some “shitty” jobs but loved working with the apple growers. “I couldn’t think of better people,” she said.

An educational table was set out with a demonstration of some iodine starch tests of apple ripeness.

This classic McCormick-Deering orchard tractor was at Thome Orchards.

Bernard J. Thome and Kristen Thome hosted the next stop on the RidgeFest farm tour.

Anna Wallis, an apple production specialist for Michigan State University, led a session with presentations from several companies with products and data analysis services for precision agriculture.

A drone-mounted platform for remote sensing technology was demonstrated by staff of Bruno Basso’s laboratory at Michigan State University.

The drone pilot showed the crowd a tablet screen as the drone hovered above.

Farm Vision, a technology for visually measuring fruitlet growth rates and estimating crop level, gave a demonstration.

The Farm Vision system gathers data via a phone camera set up in a handheld rig.

VIVID Machines gave a presentation on the use of multi-spectral imaging systems that gather data on orchards to inform precision growing decisions such as thinning. The cameras can be mounted and carried in a variety of ways.

Fruit Scout allows growers to take pictures of their tree trunks and fruit with a card nearby for reference, and upload them to a platform for analysis.

Rob Steffens Orchards hosted a stop on the RidgeFest tour.

Eight different sprayers were demonstrated with commentary from equipment dealers, manufacturers, or the growers who owned the equipment.

AG-Tec

CURTEC C-3000

PRECISE Manufacturing Expt. 400-8

TURBO-MIST S30P500NTS

Blueline

PROVIDE AGRO HSSCF2000

MUNCKHOFF Varimas 3

PHIL BROWN WELDING Concept

The sprayers were around afterward for closer inspection.

This block of Red Ridge Gala was of interest on the tour.

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Agriculture Secretary Perdue makes stops in west Michigan, northern Indiana

Fri, 21 Aug 2020 19:06:09 +0000

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue was in Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, Michigan, with Representatives Bill Huizenga and Fred Upton on Aug. 21 to visit Crossroads Blueberry Farm and Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes, a partner in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Farmers to Families Food Box Program, which has distributed over 65 million food boxes in support of American farmers and families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Perdue also planned to hold an agriculture and manufacturing town hall at CTB Inc. in Milford, Indiana, with Representative Jackie Walorski and Indiana Director of Agriculture Bruce Kettler.

Perdue and Huizenga toured Crossroads Blueberry Farms and participated in an agricultural roundtable discussion in West Olive.

Perdue even took the time to take his first attempt at navigating an Oxbo mechanical blueberry harvester.

– Gary Pullano, FGN Managing Editor

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International Tree Fruit Association Precision Vision 2020 63rd Annual Post Conference and Tours

Mon, 17 Feb 2020 21:13:17 +0000

The International Tree Fruit Association’s “Precision Vision 2020,” 63rd Annual Post Conference and Tours took place from Feb. 13-14 in northwest central Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. #ifruittree

– Stephen Kloosterman, associate editor

The first stop on the tour were the Riveridge Orchards and Cider Plant.

Justin Finkler of Riverridge receives a gift from IFTA President Lisa Jenereaux.

Riverridge Orchards use a V-style trellis system, unlike most other Michigan growers.

Justin Finkler of Riverridge describes orchard operations.

The Riverridge stop on the tour included a brisk walk across the orchard.

Some of the linkages in Riverridge’s V-type trellis system.

This is the Automated Ag platform picker that’s compatible with the cutting-edge Cyclone harvest assist system. Finkler said they will be using it next year.

Rennhack Orchards was the next stop on the tour.

Dave Rennhack gave a pruning demonstration.

Dave Rennhack

Winds on Thursday made for remarkably cold tour conditions.

Andy Riley, his father and son showed attendees their Wildfire Galas in west central Michigan.

Michigan State University Extension agent David Jones (speaking) assists growers in west-central Michigan. With him is IFTA President Lisa Jenereaux.

Mike Van Agtmael of Van Agtmael Orchards in Hart, Michigan.

Mike Van Agtmael shares a laugh with IFTA attendees.

A group shot of some of the attendees of IFTA 2020 Precision Vision at Van Agtmael Orchards.

Eric and Elizabeth Roossinck

The sun briefly broke out for a few minutes during the tour.

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