Premium prices for his organic crop more than compensate for reduced yields resulting from pests and diseases. Researching alternatives to traditional pesticides Thirty-five miles from the nearest stoplight, Johnson s Turkey Ridge Organic Orchard sits atop a rolling ridge in Wisconsin s Kickapoo River valley. Despite its remote location, customers travel from as far as Chicago and Milwaukee to purchase his apples. With over 140 acres planted to 15,000 trees and 22 different varieties, Turkey Ridge is the largest commercial organic apple orchard in the Midwest. Apples and other orchard crops can be extremely challenging to manage organically.
Most organic farmers rely on crop rotations to break pest and disease cycles.
Because rotation is not an option in orchards, organic farmers like Johnson depend on disease-resistant varieties, alternative sprays that are acceptable under organic certification, and a healthy ecosystem to produce a quality crop. Turkey Ridge is planted entirely to scab-resistant apple varieties like Liberty, Jonafree, Priscilla, and Freedom. Late-summer fungal diseases like sooty blotch and flyspeck, however, are especially troublesome in organic orchards. In warm, wet summers, these diseases can cause severe losses. Johnson is working with researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to find alternative controls for these diseases.