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  • May 1st 2010 Issue
  • Story by Richard Lehnert

    • Meeting the organic challenge

    A Minnesota grower is finding ways to succeed at producing apples organically.

    Harry and Jackie Hoch (center) gather in their orchard for a family photo on Easter weekend, where unusual 80-degree weather advanced the season, requiring sprays for disease control on the apricots and plums. With them are Harry’s mother, Jackie Senior, and their daughters Missy (far left) and Angi. Photo courtesy Hoch Orchard To grow fruit organically and profitably in the humid Midwest and East, where diseases and insects flourish, growers need to work hard if they are to compete with growers in the West. Production costs in the West are lower, and packout of quality fruit is higher. “We’re making […]

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    Production, Apples, Pest Management, People, Diseases, Richard Lehnert
    Picture of Richard Lehnert
    Richard Lehnert
    After growing up on a Michigan dairy farm, Richard Lehnert began writing about farming in 1962, while still a junior studying journalism at Michigan State University. He worked at newspapers for a year before joining the staff of Michigan Farmer, where he spent 26 years, the last 15 as chief editor. He was a member of the staff of Good Fruit Grower from 2010 until 2015. Read his stories: Story Index
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