The Beauty of the Earth4/14/2020 - 8:41:56 AM
by Jeff Pauls
In this time of pain and uncertainty, we encourage you to look up. Although it’s not always easy to see, God loves us all. He loves us through the kind actions and words of others. He loves through the beauty of our earthly home. Its beauty inspires and comforts us...as seen in the poetry of Robert ...
Read More Habits of Growth and Productivity - Journal of an Orchardist2/19/2020 - 2:26:46 PM
by Clair Kauffman
A year ago, Clair Kauffman, our orchard manager, shared some insights regarding work in a fruit orchard. His comments (below and here) sprung from the work they were doing with a section of Nittany apple trees. They were proving to be “unruly and unproductive.” To discover how things have progressed...
Read More The 3Ps of 20202/4/2020 - 9:42:53 AM
by Jeff Pauls
Photo Jeff PaulsWhoever you are, whatever you’re doing, wherever you live--Happy New Year to you! Speaking of home, the above photo is where I live now. (I’m on my way somewhere; can’t remember where exactly.) Pictures from last year got me thinking about family. Of course, once you do that, all kin...
Read More Pears!!9/10/2019 - 10:39:22 AM
by Intro by Jeff Pauls
Word has it that we will begin harvest of two of our newer pear varieties this week, Harrow Sweet and Shennandoah. If you missed the article in Lancaster Farming a couple of months ago, check out what our own Clair Kauffman has to say about the merits of these varieties. Also in this article, Jim Sc...
Read More The Apple Trial Block at Kauffman’s Fruit Farm: Experiments in Organic Pest Control and Reduction of Pesticides8/27/2019 - 11:56:25 AM
by Clair Kauffman
For over a decade now, we have had an ongoing experiment to raise more nutrient-dense apples and to do so in a way that poses less risk to human and orchard health. THE REDUCED-PESTICIDE EXPERIMENTOur experimental program to reduce pesticide use in apples was originally certified as USDA Organic. We...
Read More Pruning the Orchard: Part Three of a Three Part Series3/19/2019 - 9:54:36 AM
by Jeff Pauls & Clair Kauffman
Last week, we learned what a pruned tree should look like. There were even pictures! This week we want to delve into some other benefits that pruning brings to the tree. Disease and pests are a constant reality that must be managed with diligence and wisdom. As much as possible, we implement the mo...
Read More Pruning the Orchard: Part Two of a Three Part Series3/15/2019 - 9:15:07 AM
by Jeff Pauls & Clair Kauffman
Last week, in Pruning the Orchard: Part One, we learned a little bit about the opportunity pruning affords our personnel to enjoy the wonders of fall and winter and some of our goals for pruning. In the next few paragraphs, our Orchard Manager gives us details on apical dominance, tree form, and su...
Read More Pruning the Orchard: Part One of a Three Part Series3/6/2019 - 3:57:13 PM
by Jeff Pauls & Clair Kauffman
Every year the orchard has to be pruned. If we don’t prune, we would just have a forest. Which, don’t get me wrong, forests are awesome, but a fruit farm has to have fruit to sell. So, right there, in that last sentence, is the implication that we need our fruit trees to produce fruit. With this ser...
Read More Habits of Growth and Productivity1/16/2019 - 12:29:51 PM
by Kauffmans Fruit Farm
From Clair Kauffman’s Journal (1/12/18) - Orchard ManagerPhotos: Kauffman’s OrchardsWinter in the orchard is a time for the fruit farmer to observe tree growth from the previous season. The icy winter chill has chased much of the trees’ vitality into the hidden root zone, leaving naked and leafless ...
Read More Orchard Life: Planting Trees Pt. 4 (a 4 part series) The Planting Process - Soil Health9/17/2018 - 2:45:05 PM
by Jeff Pauls
“Planting is really one of my favorite times of the year. There’s just, I don’t know, something exciting about birth, and that’s kinda the equivalent here in the orchard. You put a tree in the ground and it’s dormant and it looks dead. After a bit it starts coming to life. Those little things take a...
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