Northamerican Alied Fruit Experimenters

Northamerican Alied Fruit Experimenters
nafex list at ibiblio - http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex

Sunday, November 19, 2023

Re: [NAFEX] NAFEX Digest, Vol 262, Issue 8

I should have typed that www.growingfruit.org

On Sun, Nov 19, 2023 at 6:57 AM <nafex-request@lists.ibiblio.org> wrote:

> Send NAFEX mailing list submissions to
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> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
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>
>
> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Re: NAFEX Digest, Vol 262, Issue 6 (Alan Haigh)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Sun, 19 Nov 2023 06:55:14 -0500
> From: Alan Haigh <alandhaigh@gmail.com>
> To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
> Subject: Re: [NAFEX] NAFEX Digest, Vol 262, Issue 6
> Message-ID:
> <CAEGtZJyGoQwRb0bUQA6o=Brsr=
> Ben8m7yPwaGJ--ymsim5jtAA@mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
>
> Incidentally, isn't it about time to update this forum? It would be much
> more useful if it was put together like this one- www.growingfruit.com
> where topics can be searched easily for years. The format does cost a bit
> of money, but members could chip in.
>
> On Sun, Nov 19, 2023 at 6:51?AM Alan Haigh <alandhaigh@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > "On the other hand, some varieties take longer than others to go dormant
> > (GoldRush is last in my yard). In that case, spring might be the better
> > choice."
> >
> > I have a bearing age fruit tree nursery and do most of my installations
> in
> > the fall starting during the last couple weeks of Oct. My apples still
> > have leaves here in S. NY and fruit is still firm but I've been
> > transplanting 2.5 inch diameter bare root apple trees for almost a month.
> > I let the wind strip off most of the leaves while transporting them
> without
> > tarp protection- I see no need to wait for full defoliation after decades
> > of doing this. The strongest leaves at shoot tips that remain on the
> trees
> > do not cause dangerous dehydration and may help trees to establish
> somewhat
> > more quickly by pushing immediate root growth in new soil the fall they
> are
> > tramsplanted. I had seen a Cornell research project where trees were dug
> > in Sept and leaves were stripped where survival was fine. Presumably
> most
> > of the energy is already stored in the wood, but how can one tell where
> and
> > how much stored energy goes besides observing results? My earlier fall
> > transplants thrive at least as well as later ones and seem to do somewhat
> > better than spring transplants. This is all based on about 30 years of
> > anecdote.
> >
> > On Sat, Nov 18, 2023 at 11:36?AM <nafex-request@lists.ibiblio.org>
> wrote:
> >
> >> Send NAFEX mailing list submissions to
> >> nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
> >>
> >> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
> >> https://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
> >> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
> >> nafex-request@lists.ibiblio.org
> >>
> >> You can reach the person managing the list at
> >> nafex-owner@lists.ibiblio.org
> >>
> >> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> >> than "Re: Contents of NAFEX digest..."
> >>
> >>
> >> Today's Topics:
> >>
> >> 1. Cloudberry harvest in Finland 1930's-1950's (Lawrence London)
> >> 2. Re: transplanting young apple trees (david liezen)
> >>
> >>
> >> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >> Message: 1
> >> Date: Fri, 17 Nov 2023 11:12:31 -0800
> >> From: Lawrence London <lfljvenaura@gmail.com>
> >> To: nafex mailing list at ibiblio <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
> >> Subject: [NAFEX] Cloudberry harvest in Finland 1930's-1950's
> >> Message-ID:
> >> <CA+j2Q+BoH65-bfu47jGt-yr0uPq+sUTn+zuvgdRiKQ0uJ727=
> >> A@mail.gmail.com>
> >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
> >>
> >> Woman with a cloudberry bucket
> >> https://www.reddit.com/gallery/17xcewr
> >>
> >>
> https://preview.redd.it/giw0pb33xv0c1.jpg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4fe9090b0a161cac5599e7b02ae1b9eea0b93e12
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> Lawrence F. London, Jr.
> >> lfljvenaura@gmail.com
> >>
> >>
> >> ------------------------------
> >>
> >> Message: 2
> >> Date: Sat, 18 Nov 2023 16:34:06 +0000
> >> From: david liezen <chandos49@hotmail.com>
> >> To: North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio
> >> <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
> >> Subject: Re: [NAFEX] transplanting young apple trees
> >> Message-ID:
> >> <
> >>
> IA1PR10MB71153EBA4AD9D514473C4287BEB6A@IA1PR10MB7115.namprd10.prod.outlook.com
> >> >
> >>
> >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252"
> >>
> >> Jacquelyn,
> >> Yes, both will work. Depending on the winter you get, you may find it
> >> easier to re-plant as soon as the tree is dormant & the ground is still
> >> soft. Mulch well. If you have inches of frozen ground in spring, that
> may
> >> also be reason to plant in fall. On the other hand, some varieties take
> >> longer than others to go dormant (GoldRush is last in my yard). In that
> >> case, spring might be the better choice.
> >>
> >> Glad to see you are grafting. That craft is changing my life, for all
> the
> >> apples in back are now from grafts I've made. That was not the original
> >> goal, but learning to graft is so economical & opens so many more
> >> possibilities.
> >>
> >> Dave Liezen
> >> ________________________________
> >> From: NAFEX <nafex-bounces+chandos49=hotmail.com@lists.ibiblio.org> on
> >> behalf of Jacquelyn Kuehn via NAFEX <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
> >> Sent: Monday, November 13, 2023 11:53 AM
> >> To: NAFEX <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
> >> Cc: Jacquelyn Kuehn <jakuehn@verizon.net>
> >> Subject: [NAFEX] transplanting young apple trees
> >>
> >> I successfully grafted (first successes ever!) some young apple trees in
> >> spring 2022, and some more in spring 2023. They?ve been growing happily
> in
> >> a nursery bed. I?d like to move them to permanent locations. May I do
> that
> >> in fall, after they?re dormant, or should I wait till spring?
> >>
> >> Thanks.
> >>
> >>
> >> Jacquelyn Kuehn
> >> jakuehn@verizon.net
> >>
> >> >
> >> > __________________
> >> > NAFEX mailing list
> >> > NAFEX@lists.ibiblio.org
> >> > Northamerican Allied Fruit Experimenters
> >> > subscribe/unsubscribe|user config|list info:
> >> > https://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > ------------------------------
> >> >
> >> > End of NAFEX Digest, Vol 260, Issue 1
> >> > *************************************
> >>
> >> __________________
> >> NAFEX mailing list
> >> NAFEX@lists.ibiblio.org
> >> Northamerican Allied Fruit Experimenters
> >> subscribe/unsubscribe|user config|list info:
> >> https://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
> >>
> >>
> >> ------------------------------
> >>
> >> Subject: Digest Footer
> >>
> >> __________________
> >> NAFEX mailing list
> >> NAFEX@lists.ibiblio.org
> >> Northamerican Allied Fruit Experimenters
> >> subscribe/unsubscribe|user config|list info:
> >> https://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
> >>
> >>
> >> ------------------------------
> >>
> >> End of NAFEX Digest, Vol 262, Issue 6
> >> *************************************
> >>
> >
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Subject: Digest Footer
>
> __________________
> NAFEX mailing list
> NAFEX@lists.ibiblio.org
> Northamerican Allied Fruit Experimenters
> subscribe/unsubscribe|user config|list info:
> https://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> End of NAFEX Digest, Vol 262, Issue 8
> *************************************
>
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Re: [NAFEX] NAFEX Digest, Vol 262, Issue 6

Incidentally, isn't it about time to update this forum? It would be much
more useful if it was put together like this one- www.growingfruit.com
where topics can be searched easily for years. The format does cost a bit
of money, but members could chip in.

On Sun, Nov 19, 2023 at 6:51 AM Alan Haigh <alandhaigh@gmail.com> wrote:

> "On the other hand, some varieties take longer than others to go dormant
> (GoldRush is last in my yard). In that case, spring might be the better
> choice."
>
> I have a bearing age fruit tree nursery and do most of my installations in
> the fall starting during the last couple weeks of Oct. My apples still
> have leaves here in S. NY and fruit is still firm but I've been
> transplanting 2.5 inch diameter bare root apple trees for almost a month.
> I let the wind strip off most of the leaves while transporting them without
> tarp protection- I see no need to wait for full defoliation after decades
> of doing this. The strongest leaves at shoot tips that remain on the trees
> do not cause dangerous dehydration and may help trees to establish somewhat
> more quickly by pushing immediate root growth in new soil the fall they are
> tramsplanted. I had seen a Cornell research project where trees were dug
> in Sept and leaves were stripped where survival was fine. Presumably most
> of the energy is already stored in the wood, but how can one tell where and
> how much stored energy goes besides observing results? My earlier fall
> transplants thrive at least as well as later ones and seem to do somewhat
> better than spring transplants. This is all based on about 30 years of
> anecdote.
>
> On Sat, Nov 18, 2023 at 11:36 AM <nafex-request@lists.ibiblio.org> wrote:
>
>> Send NAFEX mailing list submissions to
>> nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
>>
>> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
>> https://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
>> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
>> nafex-request@lists.ibiblio.org
>>
>> You can reach the person managing the list at
>> nafex-owner@lists.ibiblio.org
>>
>> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
>> than "Re: Contents of NAFEX digest..."
>>
>>
>> Today's Topics:
>>
>> 1. Cloudberry harvest in Finland 1930's-1950's (Lawrence London)
>> 2. Re: transplanting young apple trees (david liezen)
>>
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Message: 1
>> Date: Fri, 17 Nov 2023 11:12:31 -0800
>> From: Lawrence London <lfljvenaura@gmail.com>
>> To: nafex mailing list at ibiblio <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
>> Subject: [NAFEX] Cloudberry harvest in Finland 1930's-1950's
>> Message-ID:
>> <CA+j2Q+BoH65-bfu47jGt-yr0uPq+sUTn+zuvgdRiKQ0uJ727=
>> A@mail.gmail.com>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
>>
>> Woman with a cloudberry bucket
>> https://www.reddit.com/gallery/17xcewr
>>
>> https://preview.redd.it/giw0pb33xv0c1.jpg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4fe9090b0a161cac5599e7b02ae1b9eea0b93e12
>>
>>
>> --
>> Lawrence F. London, Jr.
>> lfljvenaura@gmail.com
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------
>>
>> Message: 2
>> Date: Sat, 18 Nov 2023 16:34:06 +0000
>> From: david liezen <chandos49@hotmail.com>
>> To: North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio
>> <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
>> Subject: Re: [NAFEX] transplanting young apple trees
>> Message-ID:
>> <
>> IA1PR10MB71153EBA4AD9D514473C4287BEB6A@IA1PR10MB7115.namprd10.prod.outlook.com
>> >
>>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252"
>>
>> Jacquelyn,
>> Yes, both will work. Depending on the winter you get, you may find it
>> easier to re-plant as soon as the tree is dormant & the ground is still
>> soft. Mulch well. If you have inches of frozen ground in spring, that may
>> also be reason to plant in fall. On the other hand, some varieties take
>> longer than others to go dormant (GoldRush is last in my yard). In that
>> case, spring might be the better choice.
>>
>> Glad to see you are grafting. That craft is changing my life, for all the
>> apples in back are now from grafts I've made. That was not the original
>> goal, but learning to graft is so economical & opens so many more
>> possibilities.
>>
>> Dave Liezen
>> ________________________________
>> From: NAFEX <nafex-bounces+chandos49=hotmail.com@lists.ibiblio.org> on
>> behalf of Jacquelyn Kuehn via NAFEX <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
>> Sent: Monday, November 13, 2023 11:53 AM
>> To: NAFEX <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
>> Cc: Jacquelyn Kuehn <jakuehn@verizon.net>
>> Subject: [NAFEX] transplanting young apple trees
>>
>> I successfully grafted (first successes ever!) some young apple trees in
>> spring 2022, and some more in spring 2023. They?ve been growing happily in
>> a nursery bed. I?d like to move them to permanent locations. May I do that
>> in fall, after they?re dormant, or should I wait till spring?
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>>
>> Jacquelyn Kuehn
>> jakuehn@verizon.net
>>
>> >
>> > __________________
>> > NAFEX mailing list
>> > NAFEX@lists.ibiblio.org
>> > Northamerican Allied Fruit Experimenters
>> > subscribe/unsubscribe|user config|list info:
>> > https://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
>> >
>> >
>> > ------------------------------
>> >
>> > End of NAFEX Digest, Vol 260, Issue 1
>> > *************************************
>>
>> __________________
>> NAFEX mailing list
>> NAFEX@lists.ibiblio.org
>> Northamerican Allied Fruit Experimenters
>> subscribe/unsubscribe|user config|list info:
>> https://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------
>>
>> Subject: Digest Footer
>>
>> __________________
>> NAFEX mailing list
>> NAFEX@lists.ibiblio.org
>> Northamerican Allied Fruit Experimenters
>> subscribe/unsubscribe|user config|list info:
>> https://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------
>>
>> End of NAFEX Digest, Vol 262, Issue 6
>> *************************************
>>
>
__________________
NAFEX mailing list
NAFEX@lists.ibiblio.org
Northamerican Allied Fruit Experimenters
subscribe/unsubscribe|user config|list info:
https://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex

Re: [NAFEX] NAFEX Digest, Vol 262, Issue 6

"On the other hand, some varieties take longer than others to go dormant
(GoldRush is last in my yard). In that case, spring might be the better
choice."

I have a bearing age fruit tree nursery and do most of my installations in
the fall starting during the last couple weeks of Oct. My apples still
have leaves here in S. NY and fruit is still firm but I've been
transplanting 2.5 inch diameter bare root apple trees for almost a month.
I let the wind strip off most of the leaves while transporting them without
tarp protection- I see no need to wait for full defoliation after decades
of doing this. The strongest leaves at shoot tips that remain on the trees
do not cause dangerous dehydration and may help trees to establish somewhat
more quickly by pushing immediate root growth in new soil the fall they are
tramsplanted. I had seen a Cornell research project where trees were dug
in Sept and leaves were stripped where survival was fine. Presumably most
of the energy is already stored in the wood, but how can one tell where and
how much stored energy goes besides observing results? My earlier fall
transplants thrive at least as well as later ones and seem to do somewhat
better than spring transplants. This is all based on about 30 years of
anecdote.

On Sat, Nov 18, 2023 at 11:36 AM <nafex-request@lists.ibiblio.org> wrote:

> Send NAFEX mailing list submissions to
> nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
> https://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
> nafex-request@lists.ibiblio.org
>
> You can reach the person managing the list at
> nafex-owner@lists.ibiblio.org
>
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of NAFEX digest..."
>
>
> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Cloudberry harvest in Finland 1930's-1950's (Lawrence London)
> 2. Re: transplanting young apple trees (david liezen)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Fri, 17 Nov 2023 11:12:31 -0800
> From: Lawrence London <lfljvenaura@gmail.com>
> To: nafex mailing list at ibiblio <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
> Subject: [NAFEX] Cloudberry harvest in Finland 1930's-1950's
> Message-ID:
> <CA+j2Q+BoH65-bfu47jGt-yr0uPq+sUTn+zuvgdRiKQ0uJ727=
> A@mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
>
> Woman with a cloudberry bucket
> https://www.reddit.com/gallery/17xcewr
>
> https://preview.redd.it/giw0pb33xv0c1.jpg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4fe9090b0a161cac5599e7b02ae1b9eea0b93e12
>
>
> --
> Lawrence F. London, Jr.
> lfljvenaura@gmail.com
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Sat, 18 Nov 2023 16:34:06 +0000
> From: david liezen <chandos49@hotmail.com>
> To: North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio
> <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
> Subject: Re: [NAFEX] transplanting young apple trees
> Message-ID:
> <
> IA1PR10MB71153EBA4AD9D514473C4287BEB6A@IA1PR10MB7115.namprd10.prod.outlook.com
> >
>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252"
>
> Jacquelyn,
> Yes, both will work. Depending on the winter you get, you may find it
> easier to re-plant as soon as the tree is dormant & the ground is still
> soft. Mulch well. If you have inches of frozen ground in spring, that may
> also be reason to plant in fall. On the other hand, some varieties take
> longer than others to go dormant (GoldRush is last in my yard). In that
> case, spring might be the better choice.
>
> Glad to see you are grafting. That craft is changing my life, for all the
> apples in back are now from grafts I've made. That was not the original
> goal, but learning to graft is so economical & opens so many more
> possibilities.
>
> Dave Liezen
> ________________________________
> From: NAFEX <nafex-bounces+chandos49=hotmail.com@lists.ibiblio.org> on
> behalf of Jacquelyn Kuehn via NAFEX <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
> Sent: Monday, November 13, 2023 11:53 AM
> To: NAFEX <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
> Cc: Jacquelyn Kuehn <jakuehn@verizon.net>
> Subject: [NAFEX] transplanting young apple trees
>
> I successfully grafted (first successes ever!) some young apple trees in
> spring 2022, and some more in spring 2023. They?ve been growing happily in
> a nursery bed. I?d like to move them to permanent locations. May I do that
> in fall, after they?re dormant, or should I wait till spring?
>
> Thanks.
>
>
> Jacquelyn Kuehn
> jakuehn@verizon.net
>
> >
> > __________________
> > NAFEX mailing list
> > NAFEX@lists.ibiblio.org
> > Northamerican Allied Fruit Experimenters
> > subscribe/unsubscribe|user config|list info:
> > https://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > End of NAFEX Digest, Vol 260, Issue 1
> > *************************************
>
> __________________
> NAFEX mailing list
> NAFEX@lists.ibiblio.org
> Northamerican Allied Fruit Experimenters
> subscribe/unsubscribe|user config|list info:
> https://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Subject: Digest Footer
>
> __________________
> NAFEX mailing list
> NAFEX@lists.ibiblio.org
> Northamerican Allied Fruit Experimenters
> subscribe/unsubscribe|user config|list info:
> https://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> End of NAFEX Digest, Vol 262, Issue 6
> *************************************
>
__________________
NAFEX mailing list
NAFEX@lists.ibiblio.org
Northamerican Allied Fruit Experimenters
subscribe/unsubscribe|user config|list info:
https://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex

Saturday, November 18, 2023

Re: [NAFEX] transplanting young apple trees

Jacquelyn,
Yes, both will work. Depending on the winter you get, you may find it easier to re-plant as soon as the tree is dormant & the ground is still soft. Mulch well. If you have inches of frozen ground in spring, that may also be reason to plant in fall. On the other hand, some varieties take longer than others to go dormant (GoldRush is last in my yard). In that case, spring might be the better choice.

Glad to see you are grafting. That craft is changing my life, for all the apples in back are now from grafts I've made. That was not the original goal, but learning to graft is so economical & opens so many more possibilities.

Dave Liezen
________________________________
From: NAFEX <nafex-bounces+chandos49=hotmail.com@lists.ibiblio.org> on behalf of Jacquelyn Kuehn via NAFEX <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Monday, November 13, 2023 11:53 AM
To: NAFEX <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Cc: Jacquelyn Kuehn <jakuehn@verizon.net>
Subject: [NAFEX] transplanting young apple trees

I successfully grafted (first successes ever!) some young apple trees in spring 2022, and some more in spring 2023. They've been growing happily in a nursery bed. I'd like to move them to permanent locations. May I do that in fall, after they're dormant, or should I wait till spring?

Thanks.


Jacquelyn Kuehn
jakuehn@verizon.net

>
> __________________
> NAFEX mailing list
> NAFEX@lists.ibiblio.org
> Northamerican Allied Fruit Experimenters
> subscribe/unsubscribe|user config|list info:
> https://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> End of NAFEX Digest, Vol 260, Issue 1
> *************************************

__________________
NAFEX mailing list
NAFEX@lists.ibiblio.org
Northamerican Allied Fruit Experimenters
subscribe/unsubscribe|user config|list info:
https://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
__________________
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Wednesday, November 15, 2023

[NAFEX] A Chapel Hill Venture Capitalist is Betting the Farm on Muscadine Grapes, Katahdin Sheep, and 100, 000 Red Wiggler Worms

A Chapel Hill Venture Capitalist is Betting the Farm on Muscadine Grapes,
Katahdin Sheep, and 100,000 Red Wiggler Worms - INDY Week
https://indyweek.com/news/orange/a-chapel-hill-venture-capitalist-is-betting-the-farm-on-muscadine-grapes-katahdin-sheep-and-100000-red-wiggler-worms/
A Chapel Hill Venture Capitalist is Betting the Farm on Muscadine Grapes,
Katahdin Sheep, and 100,000 Red Wiggler Worms
Greg Bohlen is counting on a new strain of muscadine grape, paired with
regenerative farming techniques, to yield profits and usher in a public
health revolution.
by Ted Vaden
11/15/2023

For nearly 60 years, visitors to Orange County's Dairyland Road admired the
hilltop dairy farm that gave the road its name. Maple View Farm was an
iconic feature of the landscape, its adjoining ice cream store a must-see,
must-taste attraction. Dairyland's rolling hills and long vistas make it a
popular bicycling route in midland North Carolina.

But today the view has changed. As visitors settle into rocking chairs with
their butter pecan, they see not the familiar Holstein cattle grazing the
meadows but instead a grid of grape vineyards stretching toward the
horizon. The Maple View silo standing sentinel over the fields now bears
the name Union Grove Farm, heralding a new and innovative era in the
dairyscape.

In 2021, a venture capital entrepreneur bought Maple View, with a vision of
planting its fields with tens of thousands of grapevines. Greg Bohlen is
planting 1,000 acres in muscadines, a native Southern grape that advocates
acclaim as a nutrient-dense "superfood" with health benefits ranging from
better nutrition to cancer treatment. With the help of a local grape
breeder, Bohlen has developed a new strain of muscadine that is seedless,
thin-skinned, and sweeter.

"We are going to change the world," says Bohlen, who has literally bet the
farm—tens of millions of dollars from his VC earnings—on turning Union
Grove Farm into a major food producer and demonstration laboratory for new
agricultural technology.

Bohlen is a nationally recognized starter and seller of businesses, whose
successes include the meat-substitute company Beyond Meat and Hero Bread, a
low-carb bakery.

"I am convinced that if I have a legacy, it will be tied to the farm and
not to my venture capital work," he says. "My companies have changed a lot
of things in the landscape of the world, but this is literally the first
company I've had that can do exceedingly well by doing good."

Bohlen is planting muscadines using advanced agricultural technology called
regenerative farming. It is a process that eschews fertilizers and
pesticides in favor of nutrient-enriched soil to revive fields exhausted by
decades of erosion and chemical poisoning. His tools are not tillers and
chemicals but sheep and red wiggler worms, tens of thousands of them.

This year, Union Grove planted 20 acres of vines and will add 50 more next
year, toward the goal of 1,000 over 10 years. Bohlen aims to make the Union
Grove grape a moneymaker for his portfolio, but his vision is a public
health revolution.

"If they are successful, I will say they will be the biggest vineyard in
the Southeast," says Mart Bumgarner, North Carolina Agriculture Extension
Agent for Orange County. "It's phenomenal that they're bringing this to
Orange County."

Bumgarner and other farming experts say Union Grove still has a lot to
prove to reach that potential. It needs to show both that its new muscadine
strain can attract a broader consumer market than traditional muscadines
and that regenerative farming—an expensive investment even for a venture
capitalist—is worth the cost. It faces some resistance from traditional
farmers and the vested interests of the farm world—lenders, property
owners, and farm supply companies.

There also are questions, faced by any farmer, about environmental threats,
insect infestation, and the food safety of a new product. "We do not know
what diseases could get them, we do not know about the management system of
those grapes at this point in time. And we won't for a very long time,
because there is a limited supply of those grapes," says Mark Hoffman, an
NC State University agriculture professor who specializes in grapes and
other small fruits.

Bohlen and his team have heard the skepticism, but they are plowing ahead
with a combination of science and field work. They have planted 8,000 vines
so far, with a plan to add 30,000 more each year up to 400,000 plants by
2030.

Bohlen's new strain of muscadine was developed by Hillsborough grape
breeder Jeff Bloodworth, a former NCSU grape expert. Test-planting 1,800
varieties, Bloodworth developed a seedless, thin-skinned hybrid to supplant
the pulpy, hard-husked muscadine traditionally grown in North Carolina. The
new grape, by many accounts, is delicious.

"Oh my god, have you tasted it?" asks Bumgarner, the extension agent. "It's
a cross between a muscadine and a table grape, and the taste is
phenomenal."

Bloodworth's first generation of fruit, called Razzmatazz, is sold now in
Weaver Street Market, Food Lion, and other retailers. He and Bohlen
developed a relationship after Bohlen began acquiring land near
Hillsborough. Bloodworth has patents on the new strain, and Bohlen controls
the marketing rights.

The muscadine is considered a nutritional food because it is high in
polyphenols, which impart health-improving antioxidants. "These are the
reasons your mother told you to eat your fruits and vegetables, to get
these dietary polyphenols," says Wake Forest University medical school
researcher Patricia Gallagher, who is leading a $20 million study of the
health benefits of muscadines. Early results show reductions in tumor
growth in prostate and breast cancer.

Bohlen is not yet claiming cancer-reduction properties, but he is pinning
his hopes on his grape's health benefits.

"It's important for a society that continues to be overweight and a society
that tends toward pharmaceuticals instead of looking for their food to heal
them," he says. "That's our goal, to feed people in a way that makes them
healthier, not less healthy."

Mary Ann Lila, professor of food and nutrition at NCSU, says the muscadine
goes beyond being just a nutritious food. As part of a regular diet, she
says, the grapes can protect against chronic diseases like cancer,
cardiovascular disease, diabetes, arthritis, and even cognitive decline.

"The thing that's so interesting about muscadines, unlike table grapes, is
they are not heavily bred, but they are so close to nature," says Lila, who
directs NCSU's Plants for Human Health Institute. "They're natural and
they're naturally evolved to the Southeastern environment. They're tough,
they're very resilient to the insults the environment can impose, and
because of that they are a repository for health-protective compounds."

The uniqueness of the grape is one of Bohlen's competitive strategies. The
other is the regenerative farming process used to grow it. Regenerative
farming aims to rehabilitate fields exhausted by erosion and traditional
farming practices by building new nutrient-rich soil. The process avoids
chemicals and tilling, instead keeping fields planted in cover crops and
infusing them with a compost cocktail generated in Union Grove's
vermiculture lab.

The facility collects tons of debris and food scraps to feed into bins of
more than 100,000 red wiggler worms, which digest the scraps and poop out a
nutrient-rich compost. A compost tea then is sprayed onto fields of cover
crop, building up new layers of high-nutrient soil. Instead of using
tractors and mowers, the farm maintains the land using 250 Katahdin sheep
that simultaneously graze cover crops and fertilize the fields, priming
them for later grape planting.

Bohlen says regenerative farming not only rebuilds the soil but also
recaptures carbon from the atmosphere. "For every 1 percent of soil organic
matter we build, we're taking 8.5 tons of carbon out of the air," he says.
"Imagine how the soil that has been for generations depleted by tobacco
would respond if it instead built up an inch of topsoil a year, what that
would do to our productive agricultural land in North Carolina."

Regenerative practices date back to Indigenous populations, but the concept
has taken off in recent decades as a movement to reverse climate change and
address world hunger. It was spotlighted at the World Economic Forum in
2022 and adopted as policy by the Biden administration, which is investing
funding to incentivize farmers to adopt sustainable practices.

Bohlen and his team are trying to spread the regenerative gospel to
traditional farmers and to that end have set up the Center for Regenerative
Agriculture at Union Grove to showcase the practices. But they have run
into indifference, if not skepticism.

"The main challenge we face is going to be the farmer—the small and medium
size, the ones that are going out of business," says Martin Crompton,
Bohlen's vineyard director. "Ninety percent of them are not making money
from farming anymore. What regenerative farming will offer them, if they
will open their minds to it, is an opportunity to not just make money from
farming but enjoy farming again and encourage their sons and daughters to
come in behind them.

"If they don't, what we are going to see in North Carolina is out of the 8
million acres currently that we've got for farms, a million will be lost in
the next 10 years to development."

Crompton and Bohlen have tried to set up a meeting with state agriculture
commissioner Steve Troxler, but so far that has not panned out. Troxler,
through a spokesperson, twice declined interviews for this story.

Hoffman, the NCSU grape specialist, says Union Grove's new grape looks
promising, but regenerative farming could be a tough sell to traditional
farmers. "If there is no economic incentive, I don't see a fresh-market
grower changing their practices," he says. "They have to show you can make
a profit with that approach."

Bohlen says he is absolutely in the grape business to make a profit. "It
takes about $100,000 an acre to get grape production," he says. "We
generate about $40,000 a year in gross revenue, once we're up and running.
That's a 25 percent IRR [internal rate of return]. I'm pretty happy making
a 25 percent IRR."

Still, Bohlen admits to concerns. "There are a lot of things that worry
me," he says. "Can my team do this? … I worry about the money. What happens
if I can't keep loading the machine? I worry about the unknowns: Zero
degrees for three days. What would a year of insects do?"

Other possible issues: Hoffman says grape supply could be an obstacle to
mass marketing, since Bloodworth currently is the only producer of the new
muscadine strain. Bloodworth says he can easily ramp up production.

Lila, the NCSU researcher, says a highly bred variant like Bloodworth's may
not confer as much health benefit as a natural muscadine. But she says
regenerative practices would help.

Bohlen says the greater concern is what happens to the global environment
if food production practices don't change. "The challenge for me, as I see
it, is we're running out of time. First of all, we're going to be carbon
bound; [global] temperature is going to increase. Second, our soils are
losing efficacy and ability every single year, making it more difficult to
make the transition."

He adds, "I think my team is going to be able to pull it off. Look at those
vines. Look at how green they are. Look how much bigger the vines get. I'm
willing to embarrass myself by talking about it at this point."

*Ted Vaden was a reporter and editor with the Raleigh* News & Observer* for
32 years. Now retired in Chapel Hill, he is president of the NC Press
Foundation, which supports open government and citizens' access to public
records.*
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Monday, November 13, 2023

Re: [NAFEX] transplanting young apple trees

Water thoroughly until the ground freezes!


On Monday, November 13, 2023 at 09:14:59 AM CST, Henry via NAFEX <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org> wrote:

I am in Minnesota and November is a recommended time to transplant dormant trees.

--Henry Fieldseth
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, zone 4


    On Monday, November 13, 2023 at 07:52:09 AM CST, Elizabeth Hilborn via NAFEX <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org> wrote: 

Congratulations on your grafting success! Grafting is a great skill to
master.

I commonly plant fruit trees in November in central NC. They will
appreciate a generous topping of mulch after you set them in place. Be
sure and protect from deer, and set a protective vole/rabbit collar at
the base--winter is prime time for small vertebrate damage.

Elizabeth

On 11/13/2023 8:25 AM, Scott Weber and Muffy Barrett wrote:
> That depends on where you are. I'm in central WI & only move stuff in the spring because I'm not confident that they'll get established before the ground freezes. In areas where it doesn't freeze so deeply you are fine moving it in the fall. That will help to avoid the spring time crunch.
> Muffy Barrett
>
> ---------- Original Message ----------
>
> I successfully grafted (first successes ever!) some young apple trees in spring 2022, and some more in spring 2023. They’ve been growing happily in a nursery bed. I’d like to move them to permanent locations. May I do that in fall, after they’re dormant, or should I wait till spring?
>
> Thanks.
>
>
> Jacquelyn Kuehn
> jakuehn@verizon.net
>
>> __________________
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>>
>> ------------------------------
>>
>> End of NAFEX Digest, Vol 260, Issue 1
>> *************************************
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--
Elizabeth Hilborn, DVM
Bee Well Mobile Veterinary Services, PLLC
beewellvet.com

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Re: [NAFEX] transplanting young apple trees

I am in Minnesota and November is a recommended time to transplant dormant trees.

--Henry Fieldseth
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, zone 4


On Monday, November 13, 2023 at 07:52:09 AM CST, Elizabeth Hilborn via NAFEX <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org> wrote:

Congratulations on your grafting success! Grafting is a great skill to
master.

I commonly plant fruit trees in November in central NC. They will
appreciate a generous topping of mulch after you set them in place. Be
sure and protect from deer, and set a protective vole/rabbit collar at
the base--winter is prime time for small vertebrate damage.

Elizabeth

On 11/13/2023 8:25 AM, Scott Weber and Muffy Barrett wrote:
> That depends on where you are. I'm in central WI & only move stuff in the spring because I'm not confident that they'll get established before the ground freezes. In areas where it doesn't freeze so deeply you are fine moving it in the fall. That will help to avoid the spring time crunch.
> Muffy Barrett
>
> ---------- Original Message ----------
>
> I successfully grafted (first successes ever!) some young apple trees in spring 2022, and some more in spring 2023. They’ve been growing happily in a nursery bed. I’d like to move them to permanent locations. May I do that in fall, after they’re dormant, or should I wait till spring?
>
> Thanks.
>
>
> Jacquelyn Kuehn
> jakuehn@verizon.net
>
>> __________________
>> NAFEX mailing list
>> NAFEX@lists.ibiblio.org
>> Northamerican Allied Fruit Experimenters
>> subscribe/unsubscribe|user config|list info:
>> https://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------
>>
>> End of NAFEX Digest, Vol 260, Issue 1
>> *************************************
> __________________
> NAFEX mailing list
> NAFEX@lists.ibiblio.org
> Northamerican Allied Fruit Experimenters
> subscribe/unsubscribe|user config|list info:
> https://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
>
> __________________
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> NAFEX@lists.ibiblio.org
> Northamerican Allied Fruit Experimenters
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--
Elizabeth Hilborn, DVM
Bee Well Mobile Veterinary Services, PLLC
beewellvet.com

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Re: [NAFEX] transplanting young apple trees

Congratulations on your grafting success! Grafting is a great skill to
master.

I commonly plant fruit trees in November in central NC. They will
appreciate a generous topping of mulch after you set them in place. Be
sure and protect from deer, and set a protective vole/rabbit collar at
the base--winter is prime time for small vertebrate damage.

Elizabeth

On 11/13/2023 8:25 AM, Scott Weber and Muffy Barrett wrote:
> That depends on where you are. I'm in central WI & only move stuff in the spring because I'm not confident that they'll get established before the ground freezes. In areas where it doesn't freeze so deeply you are fine moving it in the fall. That will help to avoid the spring time crunch.
> Muffy Barrett
>
> ---------- Original Message ----------
>
> I successfully grafted (first successes ever!) some young apple trees in spring 2022, and some more in spring 2023. They’ve been growing happily in a nursery bed. I’d like to move them to permanent locations. May I do that in fall, after they’re dormant, or should I wait till spring?
>
> Thanks.
>
>
> Jacquelyn Kuehn
> jakuehn@verizon.net
>
>> __________________
>> NAFEX mailing list
>> NAFEX@lists.ibiblio.org
>> Northamerican Allied Fruit Experimenters
>> subscribe/unsubscribe|user config|list info:
>> https://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------
>>
>> End of NAFEX Digest, Vol 260, Issue 1
>> *************************************
> __________________
> NAFEX mailing list
> NAFEX@lists.ibiblio.org
> Northamerican Allied Fruit Experimenters
> subscribe/unsubscribe|user config|list info:
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>
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--
Elizabeth Hilborn, DVM
Bee Well Mobile Veterinary Services, PLLC
beewellvet.com

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Re: [NAFEX] transplanting young apple trees

That depends on where you are. I'm in central WI & only move stuff in the spring because I'm not confident that they'll get established before the ground freezes. In areas where it doesn't freeze so deeply you are fine moving it in the fall. That will help to avoid the spring time crunch.
Muffy Barrett

---------- Original Message ----------

I successfully grafted (first successes ever!) some young apple trees in spring 2022, and some more in spring 2023. They’ve been growing happily in a nursery bed. I’d like to move them to permanent locations. May I do that in fall, after they’re dormant, or should I wait till spring?

Thanks.


Jacquelyn Kuehn
jakuehn@verizon.net

>
> __________________
> NAFEX mailing list
> NAFEX@lists.ibiblio.org
> Northamerican Allied Fruit Experimenters
> subscribe/unsubscribe|user config|list info:
> https://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> End of NAFEX Digest, Vol 260, Issue 1
> *************************************

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[NAFEX] transplanting young apple trees

I successfully grafted (first successes ever!) some young apple trees in spring 2022, and some more in spring 2023. They've been growing happily in a nursery bed. I'd like to move them to permanent locations. May I do that in fall, after they're dormant, or should I wait till spring?

Thanks.


Jacquelyn Kuehn
jakuehn@verizon.net

>
> __________________
> NAFEX mailing list
> NAFEX@lists.ibiblio.org
> Northamerican Allied Fruit Experimenters
> subscribe/unsubscribe|user config|list info:
> https://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> End of NAFEX Digest, Vol 260, Issue 1
> *************************************

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