Vermont Apple Growing With an Environmental Conscience
Management Standards For Champlain Orchards and Suppliers (2010)

Champlain Orchards' mission is to sustain itself as a business by marketing fresh fruit and value-added products while minimally impacting the environment.  All of our vegetables are NOFA Certified Organic and we grow three blocks of organic apples as well as organic cherries, plums and peaches. We strive to grow IPM (Integrated Pest Management) fruit.  Described below is exactly what IPM growing means and why we choose to pursue this method.

The base operating guidelines for all growers should be the New England Apple Pest Management Guide and the IPM checklist assembled by the University of Vermont et al. This checklist can be found online at: An IPM Checklist for Vermont. How should one take a step further toward even higher environmentally conscientious fruit production with standard IPM operating measures already in place?  Each grower experiences conditions and challenges unique to their growing site. We need to continue developing our growing skills by experimenting with materials and growing practices which separate our fruit as superior in environmental sensitivity.

Recommended Additional Growing Practices Include the Following:

1) Eliminate usage of organophosphates.
2) Experiment with disease resistant plantings.
3) Experiment and transition toward utilizing non-synthetic fertilizer inputs.
4) Experiment with OMRI approved material substitutions.
5) Minimize treatments of fruit prior to storage.
6) Minimize usage of chemical thinners by investing in tree nutrition, pruning, marketing of smaller fruit, and hand thinning of overcropped fruit.
7) Minimize the need to apply miticides by maintaining tree health, applying dormant oils, and maintaining predatory mite populations.
8) Herbicide elimination. If this is not possible, then minimize usage to trees less than 4 years old with one application during the month of June. Weed control after the first of June on young trees should be manual/mechanical.