Hello Wisconsin Fruit Newsletter subscribers! I am excited to welcome you to our new article series called “Notes from The Field: A Grower’s Perspective”. The goal of this series is to engage and foster connections between growers during the field season. Where did this idea come from? It came from all of you, the subscribers at Wisconsin Fruit News, and the greater Wisconsin fruit growing community. Each season we will follow a different fruit crop grower in the state and learn how they navigate in-season challenges and find opportunities for enhancing the longevity, sustainability, and productivity of their operations. This season we will be following Steve Louis, the President at Oakwood Fruit Farm in Richland Center, WI.

The mention of a product is NOT an endorsement. This article series is NOT intended to provide recommendations; simply to hear from other growers about in-season tasks on their farm. Always follow the instructions on product labels and consult weather stations (ex. NEWA) in your area for current weather forecast and disease prediction models.

Steve and I had our first chat on the afternoon of April 12^th. After some quick exchanges about the wintry spring weather, we discussed the current tasks going on at his orchard. This time of the year is focused on finishing up pruning and sweeping the brush in preparation for the new season. With wet weather in the forecast, dormant sprays are not an option, but he will continue to monitor weather conditions. The cool, wet weather conditions also mean waiting to apply copper until there are no more freezing nights. Several early varieties like ‘Zestar’ and ‘Pink Lady’ are at silver tip while other varieties are moving into silver tip. Once these cool and wet conditions let up, Steve will consider an application of copper and oil to the entire orchard. This copper application will help provide some early season control for fire blight. With the devasting incidence of fire blight that many growers experienced last year, early-season applications of copper may be an important consideration for some growers. For more information about fire blight prevention and control in the 2022 growing season, check out a special issue of Wisconsin Fruit Newsletter next week.

Looking forward to the end of April into early May, Steve is preparing to plant new trees once the ground is ready (i.e., not saturated). Early season fungal disease control will also kick into gear during this part of the season with the first application of fungicide (ex. mancozeb), as well as a 2% oil application to help with aphid and mite eggs. With several conventional miticides no longer available, Steve finds that a well-timed oil application can be very effective, further predatory numbers are high and this has helped reduce pest pressure in the orchard.

That’s all for now! Check out the notes from my next chat with Steve Louis in the third issue of Wisconsin Fruit News on May 6.

This article was posted in Notes from the Field and tagged Grower's Perspective, Leslie Holland, Notes from the Field, Oakwood Fruit Farms, Steve Louis.