Holistic Pomology - Creating an Integrated Farm System

- Seeking Summer Intern. Know Your Roots is seeking a Summer Intern dedicated to learning and practicing regenerative agriculture skills for integrated farm systems with perennial fruit crops as their centerpiece. Through this internship you have the opportunity to experience and learn a wide array of skills including outdoor and indoor mushroom production, beekeeping, soils and soil management, composting/biochar production, orcharding (e.g., apples, elderberries, etc.), and biodynamic preparation making and their application. All learning opportunities are within the Finger Lakes region of central NY, primarily in the greater Ithaca area, though there are opportunities outside of the area that may be considered if appropriate.
This is a paid internship position. Stipend or wage rate dependent on applicant but will be within the range of $150-200 per week.
Internship Period. This internship runs from April through October (flexible on start and end dates). We cannot provide housing, transportation, meals, computer or cell phone. The successful candidate must have reliable access to each.
Inquiry. To inquire or apply, please send a brief compelling letter of interest, résumé or relevant work experience, and relevant educational background to mike@knowyouroots.com. Please no phone calls.

- Holistic Pomology - Complete Seminar Listing
Registration - Here
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for Holistic Growers
Saturday, March 20, 2021 ~ 8:30-10:00am
An introduction to Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for holistic orchardists. We will discuss the basics IPM in principle and practice, including concepts using historical, observations, pheromone trap monitoring, degree-day modeling and forecasts, and degree-day monitoring information. We’ll discuss the tools and technology available to everyone as we triangulate the IPM cornerstones of observation, technology, and practical solutions.

Tree Fruit Diseases – Apple
Saturday, March 27, 2021 ~ 8:30-10:00am
An in depth look at the major early season tree fruit diseases of apple. We’ll describe and discuss the life cycles, epidemiology, management, and control options for apple scab, fireblight, cedar apple rust, powdery mildew, and Marssonina leaf botch. If time and interest allow, we may also discuss some pear and stone fruit diseases, though this primarily focused on apples. Later in the series we’ll discuss summer diseases and fruit rots.

Tree Fruit Physiology – The Basics
Saturday, April 10, 2021 ~ 8:30-10:00am
Here we’ll dig beneath the surface to investigate the internal goings-on of plants – photosynthesis, respiration, shoot/root/seed growth and development, plant growth hormones, plant immune systems, water relations, and grafting and propagation. At a university level there are entire courses dedicated to each of these topics, so we’ll only be able to introduce and discuss these topics at an elementary level focusing on their practical application in the orchard. These topics will all be relevant to practical concern like plant growth and development, apple phenology, thinning and return bloom, plant immune systems, pest management, soil fertility, fruit maturation and ripening.

Integrating Livestock into Your Orchard
Saturday, April 17, 2021 ~ 8:30-10:00am
Livestock are a critical missing component from many farms and orchards in as much as they bring vitality and fertility and pest control to the farmscape. Cows, sheep, pigs, duck, chickens, and even wildlife all play a role. We’ll discuss the role of livestock, different breeds, issues involved with having livestock, and more in this exciting session. I may try to bring in a guest speaker to talk about this and provide some diversity of opinion (TBD).

Soils, Fertility, and Plant Nutrition
Saturday, April 24, 2021 ~ 8:30-10:00am
Soils are the foundation of any farm or orchard. Without healthy soils, plants can’t thrive and you can’t raise nutrient dense food. In this session, we’ll discuss the basics of soils, what makes them up, what supports them, how they support you, and basically digging into the fact that soils are more than just dirt. Soil biology, chemistry, nutrition, fertility, and ways to revitalize and balance used and abused soils. At a university level there are entire courses dedicated to each of these topics, so we’ll only be able to introduce and discuss these topics at an elementary level focusing on their practical application in the orchard.

Early Season Insect Pests - Apple
Saturday, May 8, 2021 ~ 8:30-10:00am
Insect pests can provide some of the most confounding and confusing aspects of holistic orcharding. From mites and scale to codling moth and plum curculio, each insect pest has a unique life cycle, level of importance, and effective control strategy. We’ll discuss this and more including the use of beneficial insects, biological organisms, and biodynamics to understand and control the major early season insect pests in an apple orchard.

Orchard Design, Layout, and Preparation
Saturday, May 22, 2021 ~ 8:30-10:00am
If you don’t have an orchard, but plan on planting one in the near future, how you prepare the site and get everything from soils, water, equipment, deer fence, etc. ready is critical to your long-term success. We’ll discuss it all here using a real-life example of an orchard I am currently helping establish. What makes a good orchard site? How do I prepare the soil? Do I need irrigation? What varieties work best? How do I even plant a tree? We’ll cover it all and more.

Crop Load Management & Fruit Thinning
Saturday, June 5, 2021 ~ 8:30-10:00am
By now everyone should have had set a crop of fruit, or at least one on the way soon. Now is the time to begin adjusting or thinning the crop load to something reasonable for the tree to ensure quality fruit production, healthy trees, and return bloom. There are a number of ways to achieve this from blossom thinning to sprays to hand thinning to simply letting nature take its course. But whatever you do, how you manage crop load will have profound implications on the health, fruit quality and future productivity of your orchard.

The Promise of Biodynamics
Livestreamed from Earth Medicine Gathering
Saturday, June 12, 2021 ~ Time TBD
This workshop will be presented live (we hope) from the Earth Medicine Gathering in Lodi, NY. This is an abbreviated version of a longer workshop I’ve offered. Here we will dive into the beginnings of biodynamic agriculture, some esoteric aspects, the preparations (both making them and using them), and ultimately highlighting what it means to be a biodynamic farmer and orchardist. Even if we can’t livestream, the seminar will be recorded and sent to everyone that signs up. For more information or to register for the Earth Medicine Gathering.

Building a Diverse Orchard Ecosystem – Beyond Apples!
Saturday, June 26, 2021 ~ 8:30-10:00am
Building an orchard or farm ecosystem means so much more than just the crop plants you intend to grow. Here we will discuss the plants you can place into the orchard to help support your primary or crop plant. We’ll discuss ecosystem design and function, different plants and their functions, their utility, and ultimately what they mean to overall health of your trees, orchard, and You!

Midseason Insect Pests - Apple
Saturday, Jul 17, 2021 ~ 8:30-10:00am
So, we’re close to the midpoint of the season. We’ve already taken care of the early season insects and now it’s time to investigate mid and late season pest including early season pests with multiple generations. Mites, codling moth, Obliquebanded leafroller, borers, and more enter stage right and take over where sawfly, curculio, and other left off. We’ll look at in a different light than we did just a few weeks ago since we’re getting close to cruise control mode. We’ll discuss their life cycles, ecological and economic importance, and more including the use of beneficial insects, biological organisms, and biodynamics to understand and control the major mid-season insect pests in an apple orchard.

Summer Diseases and Fruit Rots
Saturday, Jul 31, 2021 ~ 8:30-10:00am
While many summer diseases are merely cosmetic, others can destroy a crop right before your eyes. We’ll discuss what can happen with fireblight, Marsoninna leaf blotch (again), sooty blotch and flyspeck, the various fruit rots, and more. Each has a unique role and need focused attention. We’ll describe and discuss the life cycles, epidemiology, management, and control options for each, and leave you to ponder the impacts that uncontrolled diseases can have on your crop – next year!

The Promise of Biodynamics - Reprise
Saturday, August 13th, 2021 ~ Time 830-0am
This is an abbreviated version of a longer workshop I’ve offered. Here we will dive into the beginnings of biodynamic agriculture, a few esoteric aspects, the preparations (both making them and using them), and ultimately highlighting what it means to be a biodynamic farmer and orchardist. Although it portends to be a repeat of the earlier presentation, this one will shed light on the use biodynamics late season – what to prepare for during the fall and even next year.

Late season Insect Pests - Apple
Saturday, August 27, 2021 ~ 8:30-10:00am
Now that we’re in the homestretch and we’ve taken care of the bulk of the season’s insects, let’s close it out in good fashion. What do you need to be concerned with this time of year? How will they affect the health of the tree and potentially the crop in future years? What can you – as the grower - do to make sure next year is even better, with fewer problems, than this year? We’ll discuss their life cycles, ecological and economic importance, and more including the use of beneficial insects, biological organisms, and biodynamics to understand and control the major late-season insect pests in an apple orchard.

Harvest Preparations – harvest, handling, storage, and more
Saturday, September 4, 2021 ~ 8:30-10:00am
You’ve done the hard work, now comes the fun – harvest! Getting prepared for harvest is critical. From the harvest tools, to timing, to handling and storage – all will depend on a keen eye for detail and the ability to get things done efficiently. We’ll discuss different modes of harvest, handling and storage. How to time your harvest exactly right. This will be both a technical and practical understanding of the fruit maturation and ripening process and how to handle fruit whether it is for fresh, processing, cider, or something else.

Putting the Orchard to Bed
Saturday, November 14, 2021 ~ 8:30-10:00am
Harvest is over. The fruit is in the barn – and you’re ready to put the orchard to bed for the winter. Understanding what happens at the tail-end of the season, the things you can do to ensure happy, healthy trees next spring – late season fertility considerations, biodynamic tree paste, vole and critter protection, when you can start pruning, grafting considerations, and more. I’ve always said that the time to start thinking about next year is right after the last apple was picked this year. It’s never too early. So take a breath and we’ll dive right back in!

Pruning and Training
Saturday, December 4, 2021 ~ 8:30-10:00am
Whether your trees are 4 or 40 years old, pruning and training trees is some of the critical and fun stuff you’ll do throughout the year. But there are some basic considerations to pay attention to. Pruning and training is as much an art as it is a science. But if you don’t understand the science, then the art suffers. With pruning and training there objectives you are trying to achieve – sunlight, air, architecture, balanced aged wood – that require an understanding of why you make certain cuts before you actually make them. Like everything else we’ve discussed – and why this all “integrated” – pruning and training can both make or break the success of your orchard.

Holistic Orcharding – Tying it All Together
Saturday December 11, 2021 ~ 8:30-10:00am
As promised, this is the point where we will review the entire year. We’ll tie concepts and practices together, integrating and interconnecting our knowledge into comprehensive systems approach to growing the best fruit around. This will be an “open” session where will summarize everything – bring questions, answers, successes and failures so that we can all share and learn from what will end of up being an amazing journey.