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(Follow along as I write about what’s happening on my family’s farm, Johnson Farms, and what my brothers, Dean and Ward, are up to each week. Read previous reports here. -jb)
Things are kicking into high gear on Old Mission Peninsula farms as we hurtle towards cherry season like a late frost bearing down on an orchard in full bloom — inevitable, unstoppable, and just a little terrifying. Ever since I was a kid working on our farm, this time of year literally seems like it shifts into fast-forward.
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Frost and Bees
How are the cherries looking this year? At this writing, orchards on the OMP have seen pockets of frost here and there, but some farms downstate have been completely wiped out. While we want all Michigan farmers to thrive, the downstate frost could mean increased demand for our fruit up here.
My brothers, Dean Johnson and Ward Johnson, continue to have a home for their fruit with processors both in northern Michigan and downstate. That could change from year to year, but so far so good this year.
Though we’ve seen some cool temperatures this spring, the bees have been busy pollinating the orchards. My brothers lease bees from Sleeping Bear Farms, and the hives get moved around from orchard to orchard depending on what’s blooming. Right now they’re in the apple orchards, but will be heading home soon as the blossoms turn into fruit.
Back in the last century, they actually had their own beehives, and I learned to care for them — tending the bees, using the smoker on the hives to calm them down, learning about the honey… I was pretty careful, but one time a couple bees got into my bee suit and, well, it wasn’t pretty. At least I’m here to tell you the story. I’ll dig out a picture of me in my bee suit for a future farm report.
Note: I did NOT get out of the car to take this photo!
Spring also finds the farmers getting equipment ready for cherry season and planting more trees. The past few years have seen them planting mainly apple trees, but not cherries.
Popular apples include Honey Crisp and Empire (which are sold to McDonald’s for the “apple slices” on their menu). Ward is also planting some Pink Lady apples this year (which I’m excited about, because they’re one of my favorites).
Here’s a crew planting apples on Ward’s farm. Grapevines used to cover this land, but with local wineries no longer buying his grapes, he made the decision to take them out. Dean pulled out some grapes, as well.
These plantings are the newer high-density orchards that use poles to help support the trees.
Spraying and Integrated Pest Management
Spring is also a time of spraying to keep the fruit healthy and pest-free. Read more about Johnson Farms’ integrated pest management system here, where my nephew Nic explained the process.
There are a ton of rules regarding pest management, which is why no one is allowed in the orchards without permission. The long-ago days of me riding my horse wherever I wanted on the farm are long gone, replaced by rules and regulations (not a bad thing, in this case – also, I wish I still had a horse).
You’ve likely seen some sprayers on Old Mission Peninsula roads lately. Here’s Terry Boursaw, who works for Ward, heading north on Center Road. Below that are sprayers in the spray barn. You will often hear the whine of sprayers during the night, when the winds are not as fierce as in the daytime.
The photo below is a trapping device that gives daily updates on pest counts in the orchards. This system tells farmers what pests are there and in what number, helping them to know what to spray for and when. Optimizing pest control this way is another facet of Integrated Pest Management. Read more about these devices here.
In my dad’s day, farmers did more blanket spraying – spraying the hardcore stuff that killed everything. These days, Integrated Pest Management is more discerning, spraying less- and non-toxic sprays and only when needed.
Below is Dean’s young apple orchard we’ve been following for the past couple of years on the corner of Center Road and Kroupa Road. This orchard was planted in the spring of 2021.
The apple blossoms this year have been spectacular. With their pink hues and big blooms, I look forward to the apple blossoms every year.
Also Read…
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I love reading about your brothers and their farms, Jane. Thank you!
As always, your stories are a perfect blend of great information, history and humor.
Bless you for what you do for OMP!
Thanks, Laurie! I loved growing up on a farm, and love that it’s still in the family and I can write about it for OMG. ❤️
Jane, Your reports trigger so many memories of early days of growing up on the peninsula. Blossom time brings flash backs of waking up in the middle of the night to go ‘smudge’ in the frost pockets with my Grandpa Mac and Dad. Walking through the orchard in bloom was magical but was second to the day the ‘pickers’ arrived! They lived in Texas and would plant tomatoes in Indiana on their way to the peninsula to pick cherries. We had the same families every year so we grew up with their kids. When Joe Espinosa’s big truck rolled into the driveway at Grandpa’s it signaled that another fun summer of softball games, Mexican bingo, and orange nehi pop, was about to begin. I don’t recall wearing shoes all summer except to go to church! We picked cherries by day and played together after supper until it got dark. It was a simpler time and one I will always cherish.
Some of my relatives and I made the trip from Tennessee to the cherry harvest in 1957. 7 of us crammed in a 1949 Stuebaker needless to say it was an interesting ride. We met a man that I was told was named Russell Johnson that owned the farm. We lived in an old barn not far from the farm. I don’t know if the Johnson farm that is there today is the same family.. Miy wife and I made a trip there in 1999 but everything had changed so much I couldn’t. Identify anything except the store that we went to to buy things we needed from time to time. I was paid 60 cents lug for the cherries I picked. I really enjoyed myself that summer