Members: Dream Apple Farm Field Day

Agenda

9:00am	Registration and coffee
9:15am	Introduction to Dream Apple Farm - Peggy & Ed Callahan
9:30am	Where have all the flowers gone? Fruit bud development in a changing climate – Amaya Atucha
10:15am	Summer Pruning- Better Weather Than Winter Pruning! - Amaya Atucha
11:00am	Break
11:15am	There's a Fungus Among Us: Lesser Known Fungal Diseases in Apples - Leslie Holland
12:00pm	Lunch- Catering provided by Chalkboard Kitchen, featuring organic ingredients
1:00pm	Rotating Field Sessions: Summer pruning, mechanical hedging (with demo), fruit bud development - Amaya, Ed Fungal disease scavenger hunt and organic management - Leslie, Peggy
3:00pm	Close

Session Descriptions

Where have all the flowers gone? Fruit bud development in apples in a changing climate. Amaya Atucha

In 2021 orchards across our region had significant declines in apple blossoms, which many orchards attributed to a late frost. In our orchard we had a similar decrease in return bloom this year. Dr. Atucha will discuss how fruit buds develop, and what may have actually caused the lack of blossoms in 2021. She will explore how apple growers can prepare and adapt to expected changes in weather.

Summer Pruning- Better Weather Than Winter Pruning! Amaya Atucha

During our apple education we learned that pruning was only done in the winter. Who knew that we could stay warm and prune in the late summer? Dr. Atucha will talk about the risks and benefits of summer pruning, including the proper timing and techniques used. The session will also include discussion of mechanical hedging, which dramatically reduces pruning time and "sets the box" for a fruiting wall.

There's a Fungus Among Us: Lesser-Known Fungal Diseases in Apples. Leslie Holland

Apple orchardists are familiar with common fungal diseases like apple scab, cedar rust, and sooty blotch/flyspeck. But Mother Nature has way more fungal spores up her sleeve! Dr. Holland will discuss lesser-known varieties of fungal disease in apples, paving the way for an upcoming research collaboration between OFGA and UW Madison investigating organic management of these diseases.

Speakers

Hosts Ed & Peggy Callahan started Dream Apple Farm in 2012 on a distressed farmstead property with a historical connection to the city of Port Washington. The mission of Dream Apple Farm is to grow certified organic amazingly tasty fruit for their local community. They grow over 30 different varieties of heritage and disease resistant apple varieties in a high-density system on their 7 acres and grow raspberries in a hoop house as well as rhubarb. All fruit grown on the farm is certified organic by the USDA and the Real Organic Project.

Ed & Peggy offer their fresh apples and value-added products for sale at DreamPort Harvest Market, their brick and mortar store in downtown Port Washington, along with local farm fresh produce, milk, meat, cheese, eggs and much more! DreamPort Harvest Market also has an active scratch kitchen, making sweet and savory treats and dishes from our farm ingredients.

Amaya Atucha is an Associate Professor in the Department of Horticulture and a UW-Extension fruit crop specialist. She completed her undergraduate studies in Chile and received a Ph.D. from Cornell University. Her research focuses on fruit crop ecophysiology and small fruit production.

Leslie Holland is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology and a UW-Extension fruit crop specialist. She completed a M.S. in plant pathology at Washington State University and a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology at the University of California, Davis. Her research focuses on fruit rot and false blossom in cranberries. She also works on diseases which have an economic impact on apple and small fruit production.