Judul : healthy food - Farmer Friday: J & W Orchards - SIBEJO
link : healthy food - Farmer Friday: J & W Orchards - SIBEJO
healthy food - Farmer Friday: J & W Orchards - SIBEJO
The beauty of fruit trees in pristinely mowed rows struck me as I pulled into the driveway of J & W Orchards in Norfolk. Escorting me to the front door was a stone path lined with immaculate perennial gardens, completely weed free and in full blossom. Angie Conger opened the door to freshly mopped floors, but she immediately discredited her hard-work as she encouraged me to enter her home with shoes still tied to my feet. Here I met Fred, her husband, who also works as a full-time mechanic.

This is now Angie and Fred�s second year tending the plums, apples, pears, grapes, and raspberries. Last year, a hard late frost damaged a large portion of the crops. This year they are seeing the remaining repercussions of the late freeze coupled with this summer�s drought; the foliage on the trees thirsts for water, evident by yellowing edges, and the fruits themselves are below average size for this time of year.
While orchards are a great way to conserve farmland for future generations, a fact mentioned in David Rice�s profile, they certainly require constant attention, effort and a backup savings account. How much work is poured into each tree is a point Fred stressed. If a tree isn�t bearing fruit, then it also isn�t yielding profit. As we walked through the orchard, Fred pointed out which trees he planned to pull this season and replace this season. Each tree roughly cost $25, depending on the variety. Typically, an apple tree produces 3-4 bushels per season. At $20 a bushel for a �fresh� apple, which roughly figures into $60-80 a tree, the net revenue is approximately $35-55, not allowing for other costs.


Walking with the couple, I could see how much devotion both invest into the land. They share a mutual love for Walt�s dream, which they have amassed into their own, and are determined to make the orchard a success. This season, they are opening the orchard for a U-Pick, an option many farmers resort to because it cuts down on the labor cost. �Our orchard is a year-round job,� Angie said. �Farmers, whether fruit or vegetable, don�t really get a vacation.�
Angie�s point raised another in my mind: how hunger occurs daily for many in St. Lawrence County. The issue extends beyond the rumble in stomachs if one examines having access to processed v. fresh food. The latter is considered a luxury. When I asked Fred for his thoughts on the matter, he replied, �Hunger means you�re hungry.� His simplistic response reminded me having access to fresh, healthy and local food is not a matter that can afford a vacation. Like a farming, hunger is a year-round manifestation. Our bodies need nutritious meals to fuel our body. In order to ensure this access, we must support our local farmers in their vision and mission to feed our communities. This is a feat Angie and Fred are accomplishing as they continue Angie�s father�s vision of an orchard.
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