Good Fruit Grower / April-1st 2005 /  Auvil Fruit Company's apple factory

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Auvil Fruit Company's apple factory

An older block of Granny Smith has been producing more than 100 bins per acre.

Del Feigel, manager of Auvil Fruit Company's orchard at Vantage, Washington, started slowly, quoting production figures greater than most of us achieve but some visualize: 37 bins of Gala in the third leaf; 62 bins in the fourth leaf, and 74 bins projected in fifth leaf.

In another part of the orchard, "lower-producing" Fuji had 73 bins per acre in 2003, followed by 75 bins per acre in 2004.

Then the numbers moved upward as he described growing practices that dictate the specific number of properly positioned pieces of fruit per tree. Another Gala block had production of 94 bins per acre in 2004 from a 1996 planting. Thus there were no raised eyebrows when he noted an older block of Granny Smith had been producing more than 100 bins per acre with 128 bins per acre in 2004.

That certainly qualifies the 1,050-acre Auvil Fruit Company Vantage ranch as an apple factory.

The principal story, as a three-bus entourage of interested visitors during the International Dwarf Fruit Tree Association annual convention learned, is the precision with which apples are grown.

Begun in 1980 as an expansion of the original Auvil Fruit Company in Orondo, north of Wenatchee, the Vantage operation, about 70 miles southeast of Wenatchee along the Columbia River, seeks perfection in fruit growing.

Uniformity

Perfection means uniformity. Uniformity means being able to determine at pruning time how many apples there will be per tree in the inverted-V training system. Uniformity means blossom thinning and chemicals to reduce growth without reducing fruit size. It also means being able to take much of the decision making out of routine jobs. Therefore, similar to grape pruning, apple pruning at an Auvil orchard is quick and easy with few rules.

The "monogamous" orchards thus lend themselves to piecework pay for almost all activities--a system approved by both workers and managers.

Feigel led the group through scenarios with different varieties of apples at various spacings, trees all very close in the row by most standards. They debate whether spacing should be 18 inches between trees or more, but not more than 30 inches, and whether there should be 12 feet or 14 feet between rows.

He described a very sophisticated irrigation system operated with computerized automation. Water comes from wells and is utilized for irrigation, frost control, and overtree summer cooling. Most irrigation uses drip systems while the other operations generally utilize microjet sprinklers.

Platforms

Feigel had crew leaders demonstrate a self-propelled motorized platform used for thinning and pruning. When the first crop from 2003-planted cherries at spacing of four and a half feet by 16 feet is harvested in 2005 (estimated crop of three tons per acre), it is presumed the platforms can also be used in that endeavor.

While most of the apples are on Malling 9 rootstock, there is also considerable acreage on Mark rootstock, which performs similarly. And the older blocks on M.26 have performed well.

The inverted-V system has rows spaced principally at 12 feet, and tree height is about 13 feet. All trees are trained to a post and wire system using 8 wires. Fruiting is encouraged low in the tree.

Growth control has been successful using Apogee (prohexadione calcium) applied at 12 ounces "with plenty of water"--once just before bloom and a second time about a month later, in mid-May. Thus, there is a minimum of unwanted growth. However, the Apogee is directed to the lower portion of the tree with the sprayer fan turned off because the central leader's growing point does need to grow.

Auvil's Vantage ranch is early; apples often bloom by April 15. The warm site, along the Columbia River, has advantages, but also disadvantages, including sunburn and incessant winds.

The principal variety has been Granny Smith, currently at 400 acres. However, Fuji has now bypassed Grannies, and there are also more than 120 acres of Gala. Recent plantings include Cripps Pink and Honeycrisp.

Experimentation

The ranch is also an experiment station of sorts. Originally, trees were planted in double rows (beds) a few feet apart and leaned to the sides for tying to wires on slanted posts. The company has now settled on planting in single rows with every other tree leaned in the same direction.

Blocks are planted east and west. A rootstock evaluation plot contains a number of new and old understocks. And there is experimentation with fabric row covers to reduce the problem of controlling weeds when trees are very small.

While for those who choose higher density plantings, discussion focuses on whether to plant understocks, then graft in the field, plant rootstocks with bench grafts, or to plant "sleeping eye" budded trees, Auvil Fruit uses all approaches. As an example of the pay system, workers are paid 9 cents per tree to plant a rootstock and 12 cents if it contains a bud and is thus a "sleeping eye."

Maximize sunlight

Angle of the post-and-wire inverted-V support system is not scientifically defined, but Feigel believes there needs to be open space above the top wire at about four feet. A goal is to have dappled sunlight reaching the ground at all times.

Auvil's Vantage ranch is quite isolated, thus it has on-farm worker housing as well as a fleet of transport buses. The farm also has cold storage facilities. All packing is at the original Auvil Fruit Company headquarters at Orondo about 20 miles north of Wenatchee. There are more than 200 acres of orchard at the Orondo location where Auvil Fruit was started by Grady Auvil in 1928.

Known as perhaps the most innovative apple grower in the northwestern United States, Grady's handiwork at the Vantage operation can still be seen, even though he passed away in 1998 at age 93.

Furthermore, based on continued innovation, it can be presumed Grady would approve of the present Auvil Vantage operation.

This and other IDFTA conference tours were organized by Tom Auvil, nephew of Grady. Tom, a long-time fieldman and field department supervisor in the Wenatchee region, is presently employed as horticulturist by the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission.

Tom is also a veteran IDFTA board member and has served the industry for many years as a member of the Tree Top board.

Auvil stressed to the tour group that the Vantage ranch is an example of balancing extra costs with projected extra income while attempting to grow very high-quality apples in volume. He noted that all need to look at profit as a motive for orchard growing practices. In his analyses, early yield is pertinent and "all systems are damaged by delay of yield."