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Meet
our Growers
Heidi
Woodworth - Nova Scotia Fruit Grower
Farm name
and location?
Wright Farms
373 Hubbard Mtn Rd, Pereaux, Nova Scotia
Years in operation?
Since 1995 by me; prior to that 10 years rented out; 15
years by my father, Robertson Wright
Number of
generations?
Two
Farm history?
In the 1940s and early 50s, the farm was owned by a Mrs.
Kenney. She and her husband, who was a doctor, lived in
Boston and used the farm as a summer home. At that time
the farm was mostly composed of standard-sized orchard and
was farmed by Mrs. Kenney's half-brother Ben Hubbard, who
owned and lived on an adjoining farm. In 1954 the farm was
purchased by Mr. Rolland Woolaver. During the time that
he owned it, he purchased the adjoining properties, bringing
the farm up to the size that it is now. In addition to the
orchard, Mr. Woolaver also raised beef cattle.
In December of
1968 the farm was purchased by my father, Robertson Wright.
In February of 1969 he moved with his bride to Nova Scotia
from Niagra-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Since that time, almost
all of the standard-sized orchard has been removed. One
7-acre block of mixed Spys and Russets remains, and these
trees are close to 80 years old. Since 1970, approximately
60+ acres of orchards have been planted. During the 1970s
and early 80s, our farm had one of the first U-pick strawberry
businesses.
In 1985 my father
retired, and from then until January of 1995 the farm was
rented out to local fruit and vegetable growers. Since January
1995 I have been managing the farm.
Acreage?
68 acres of orchard, 60 acres of forage, 300 acres of forest
Crops grown
(other than apples)?
60 acres of forage
Apple varieties
grown?
Gravenstein, McIntosh, Cortland, Spy, Idared, Red Delicious,
Golden Russet
Any unique
systems, experiments, machinery, etc.?
We invested in an irrigation reel in 1998 for irrigating
orchards. It has a gun on top of a 10-foot upright so that
we can irrigate over the tops of the trees. It covers approximately
four acres in one pull and was well used in 1998. It took
a while to get used to using it on the hilly terrain we
have here in Pereaux, but I think we have most of the kinks
worked out, and we only pulled out one tree with it in the
process.
Several trials
are ongoing at our farm. We have had an Integrated Pest
Management Technologies block, thinning trials, calcium
trials, ReTain trials and rootstock evaluation trials at
our farm. We supply the orchard and Agriculture Canada supplies
the research personnel.
Association
involvement, positions held, etc.?
I am a member of the Nova Scotia Fruit Grower's Association
and serve on the Board of Directors of the NSFGA. I am a
past chairman of the IPM (Integrated Pest Management) Committee,
have served on the Management Team, and as a member of the
Market Development Committee.
Future plans?
In a couple of small nurseries, I have several thousand
rootstocks that are being grafted over to several different
varieties. I hope to add at least another ten acres of apples
to the acreage we currently have.
Education?
1992 - BSc in Biology (Dalhousie)
1994 - MSc in Agriculture (N.S.A.C)
Family info?
I have been married to Darren Woodworth since 1995 and we
have a son Jared born in 2001. Darren works out of
Port Williams as a Territory Manager for Shur-Gain, but
he spends all his spare time at the farm. The 60 acres of
forage crops are almost entirely his 'spare time' project,
but he also helps me out with spraying and other orchard
activities.
What do you
see as the biggest challenge facing apple growers (local
and/or national)?
The two biggest challenges facing local apple growers are:
1) to increase our per-acre production to something more
competitive; 2) to get paid a reasonable price within a
reasonable time frame for our product.
Why did you
choose to farm (why do you like it)?
I chose farming because I wanted a job that was challenging,
allowed me to spend a lot of time outdoors, and allowed
me to be my own boss - and all at the same time.
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