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Sustaining success with a soil-first farming system — Video

by 22 April 2024 · Fruit

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This state-of-the-art fertigation system was an investment for Sauk Farm, a 20-acre organic tree fruit farm in Washington’s Skagit Valley, but grower Griffin Berger says it’s a critical part of his approach to “build resiliency in the trees.” (TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)This state-of-the-art fertigation system was an investment for Sauk Farm, a 20-acre organic tree fruit farm in Washington’s Skagit Valley, but grower Griffin Berger says it’s a critical part of his approach to “build resiliency in the trees.” (TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)
This state-of-the-art fertigation system was an funding for Sauk Farm, a 20-acre natural tree fruit farm in Washington’s Skagit Valley, however grower Griffin Berger says it’s a vital a part of his method to “construct resiliency within the timber.” (TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)

No recipe exists for regenerative natural apple rising within the western foothills of Washington’s Cascade Vary, a world away —
climate-wise — from the apple trade’s epicenter east of these mountains. 

“We don’t have the posh of 5 generations of data,” stated Griffin Berger, who co-owns Sauk Farm along with his father, Jesse. They’ve grown a pastime farm right into a soon-to-be 20-acre natural orchard enterprise over the previous seven years, because of Griffin’s power for experiments. 

“I’m nonetheless studying,” he stated. “It’s a continuing journey of studying.”

Cowl cropping. Composting. Making compost tea blends. Fertigation. 

Berger credit his “vitamin first” and soil-health-heavy method with enhancing his timber’ resilience and enhancing the flavour of the fruit.

To prevent high-density apple orchards from functioning like a monoculture, Sauk Farm embraces cover crops, which they rotate from a nitrogen-fixing clover mix, seen here, to a disease-suppressing mustard mix, along with compost and manure, to build a diverse soil microbiome. (TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)To prevent high-density apple orchards from functioning like a monoculture, Sauk Farm embraces cover crops, which they rotate from a nitrogen-fixing clover mix, seen here, to a disease-suppressing mustard mix, along with compost and manure, to build a diverse soil microbiome. (TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)
To stop high-density apple orchards from functioning like a monoculture, Sauk Farm embraces cowl crops, which they rotate from a nitrogen-fixing clover combine, seen right here, to a disease-suppressing mustard combine, together with compost and manure, to construct a various soil microbiome. (TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)

“I’m solely in enterprise as a result of I can produce taste,” which is what drives customers to spend extra for domestically grown natural apples, he stated. “I don’t have a enterprise with out that.”

His enterprise produces fresh-market apples and processed Honeycrisp merchandise which are offered in about 100 shops. A couple of third of his merchandise are offered by the Puget Sound Meals Hub Cooperative, which was based in 2016 to construct a provide chain for Puget Sound farmers to entry retail and wholesale markets. Berger serves on the cooperative’s board of administrators. 

“For being the younger man that he’s, he’s a powerful chief and brings actually modern, progressive concepts whereas additionally staunchly representing a preservationist method to the co-op’s mission that we’re serving native farmers, serving to them to develop their gross sales channels,” stated government director Andrew Yokom.

He highlighted Berger’s innovation and embrace of know-how.

“What I see Griffin doing along with his adoption of know-how in his orchard and processing rooms is discovering methods to compete on worth and high quality,” Yokom stated. “You may develop fruit quite a bit cheaper out in Jap Washington, due to this fact, it’s as much as us to offer worth to our clients. They’ll see it within the high quality of his recent apples and processed merchandise.”

On the farm, these progressive concepts embrace planting high-density orchards with concrete posts from Italy, investing in a platform and state-of-the-art fertigation methods, and a brand new system for brewing compost tea. 

Sauk Farm prepares to install imported Italian concrete posts for a new 7-acre block of CrimsonCrisp and MAIA-1, marketed as EverCrisp, two varieties Berger says thrive in the wet Western Washington climate. (TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)Sauk Farm prepares to install imported Italian concrete posts for a new 7-acre block of CrimsonCrisp and MAIA-1, marketed as EverCrisp, two varieties Berger says thrive in the wet Western Washington climate. (TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)
Sauk Farm prepares to put in imported Italian concrete posts for a brand new 7-acre block of CrimsonCrisp and MAIA-1, marketed as EverCrisp, two varieties Berger says thrive within the moist Western Washington local weather. (TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)

Although he studied at Washington State College, Berger stated he typically has to look farther afield, at analysis from Midwestern or European climates, to get concepts that apply to his orchard. Past that, he conducts his personal experiments. Good Fruit Grower visited with him to study extra from his unconventional method to orchard soils. 

“We’re simply making an attempt to construct resiliency within the timber and within the soil to allow them to cope with each given situation,” he stated. “The issue with how I farm is that I by no means say no to making an attempt a brand new factor.”

Take his current foray into compost tea. His concept was to take soil samples from thriving timber in consultant soils and encourage microbes within the soil to breed in a substrate of compost and worm castings, fed by molasses, oat flour and kelp powder, amongst different issues. He applies the ensuing microbe-boosting resolution to the orchards. 

“It took me a yr to dial within the microbes we wish to feed to the basis zone of the timber,” Berger stated. Now, he applies it at 30 gallons per acre and has seen extra mycorrhizae within the soils and better nutrient ranges within the timber, permitting him to skip some foliar nutrient sprays.

Berger additionally designs his fertigation plans to “spoon-feed” each the timber and the soil microorganisms. His system consists of three Dosatron injectors, so he can apply acidic, fundamental and impartial options concurrently. 

He sees the soil system as a technique to encourage the range that results in an environment friendly orchard system. 

Sauk Farm co-owner Jesse Berger listens to his son, Griffin (not pictured), talk about the Tecnofruit CF-105 platform, made by German manufacturer Frumaco, that the farm uses for pruning, training and harvesting. (TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)Sauk Farm co-owner Jesse Berger listens to his son, Griffin (not pictured), talk about the Tecnofruit CF-105 platform, made by German manufacturer Frumaco, that the farm uses for pruning, training and harvesting. (TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)
Sauk Farm co-owner Jesse Berger listens to his son, Griffin (not pictured), discuss in regards to the Tecnofruit CF-105 platform, made by German producer Frumaco, that the farm makes use of for pruning, coaching and harvesting. (TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)

“An orchard is a monoculture, and we’re making an attempt to make it not a monoculture,” Berger stated. “So, we’ve to embrace cowl cropping and manure to get that microbial development and layers of biomass.” 

He planted numerous cowl crops, too, rotating two blends each few years. For fumigation and pest and illness suppression, he opts for a sizzling mustard and rapeseed mix, whereas a clover combine with tillage radish and orchard grass boosts nitrogen fixation. 

The quilt crops, manure and compost, and fine-tuned fertigation all assist his timber make extra environment friendly use of their water and nutrient inputs, Berger stated. 

“I feel with the regenerative factor, it’s making an attempt to piece collectively what’s lacking with natural certification now,” he stated. “Most individuals farm organically by switching out their inputs; regenerative is site-specific and about placing power into dialing in your soils.”

However whereas he chases soil range, he’s pulling again on crop range. Final yr, Berger ripped out 3 acres of grapes, and this spring he’ll start planting the primary
7 acres of a deliberate 15 new acres of MAIA-1, marketed as EverCrisp, and Crimson Crisp apples.

Apples return extra income and simplify his administration and tools wants.

“For the long term, it’s about doing what we’re good at,” he stated. 

Berger likes CrimsonCrisp for its illness resistance and even cropping, and he stated EverCrisp is proving to be very resilient to local weather extremes. 

In rainy Skagit County, wood posts pose a rot problem, so Berger embraced the concrete approach more common in Europe. There’s a learning curve to using them, with heavy equipment needed to vibrate the posts into place, but the trellis system is then quickly installed, he said. (TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)In rainy Skagit County, wood posts pose a rot problem, so Berger embraced the concrete approach more common in Europe. There’s a learning curve to using them, with heavy equipment needed to vibrate the posts into place, but the trellis system is then quickly installed, he said. (TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)
In wet Skagit County, wooden posts pose a rot drawback, so Berger embraced the concrete method extra frequent in Europe. There’s a studying curve to utilizing them, with heavy tools wanted to vibrate the posts into place, however the trellis system is then shortly put in, he stated. (TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)
Sauk Farm started its value-added line to use its culls, but the market demand has been so strong that it’s now sending most of its Honeycrisp into these products and focusing on other varieties for the fresh market. (TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)Sauk Farm started its value-added line to use its culls, but the market demand has been so strong that it’s now sending most of its Honeycrisp into these products and focusing on other varieties for the fresh market. (TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)
Sauk Farm began its value-added line to make use of its culls, however the market demand has been so robust that it’s now sending most of its Honeycrisp into these merchandise and specializing in different varieties for the recent market. (TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)

To organize for these new plantings — with 10-foot rows and 2-foot tree spacings — Sauk Farm put in concrete trellis posts final yr. Even with delivery prices from Italy, the posts make financial sense for his farm, Berger stated.

“It’s a extremely excessive rainfall surroundings over right here, and the wooden posts simply rot out,” he stated, citing a deer fence put in in 2012 that’s already rotting in locations. The permanence of concrete makes it a sustainable asset. And as soon as the posts are in place, “it simply takes a wrench to construct the trellis system” utilizing galvanized wire clips. 

Till these new plantings come into manufacturing, Honeycrisp is his high crop. However, with the success of the farm’s funding in processing the consumer-favorite apple into juice, applesauce and dried fruit slices, Berger is shifting his method to it. 

“A number of instances we’re placing completely good fruit into the value-added line,” he stated, due to the demand to have stock year-round. Now, he limits his Honeycrisp to 2 picks: Good fruit for the recent market, after which every part else for processing. 

The method permits for labor efficiencies, whilst he shifts to easier-to-grow apples for the recent market. 

“It’s been quite a lot of trial and error, and I feel that’s what all good farmers ought to do,” he stated. “We’re not excellent, we’re not finished, however we’ve proof of idea and we’re worthwhile.” 

—story by Kate Prengaman / images by TJ Mullinax

Watch as Griffin Berger walks Good Fruit Grower journal by Sauk Farm’s fertigation system.

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