Happening this month

This month on the farm

December is the month that management focuses on hand thinning the crop to ensure  that the correct numbers of fruit is left on the trees so we meet the size and volume objectives per orchard. This is easier said than done and some orchards have been thinned three times to finally hit the numbers. Timing of this action is critical and we have up until the end of December to make an impact, so every day counts and we have started working on weekends to get the job done. The fruit load looks good on all FRUITWAYS farms and we are hoping for a crop that will fill our pack houses and supply our marketing team with the volume they require meeting their objectives.

On Melwood we have picked 94 tons of blueberries to date with good pack outs and quality, and management is confident that the 2011season will be the most successful to date. May this be a precursor for the 2012 Apple and Pear season that will kick off in roughly 5 week’s time.