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Fowler Farms has been an innovator and leader in sustainability and quality production since the family first started growing in 1858. Six generations of family farming tradition continue as the company’s current operation in New York state stands at more than 2,000 acres – more than 4 million apple trees and 21 varieties.
Today, protecting crops from pests is an ongoing challenge, explains Mike Norton, a grower with Fowler Farms.
“Fowler Farms is known for their quality of apples. It seems like every year there’s a new pest that comes along and we have to control it, and the following year something else pops up. It’s always a challenge. We’ve had to venture out and try new things, but it’s a struggle,”
~ Mike Norton, Grower at Fowler Farms
About five years ago, Mike was approached by his consultant to consider a new peptide-based biological insecticide product called SPEAR® LEP. Initially skeptical, he says increasing resistance to the destructive (Oblique Banded) Leafroller encouraged them to try something new.
We trialed it on a 40-acre block and everything proved to be good. We ramped it up to about 250 acres and now for the last three years we’ve been using it across the board.”
~ Mike Norton, Grower at Fowler Farms
Keith Farnsworth, a consultant with Vestaron Crop Protection, has known the Fowler team since the 1990s. He credits the company’s progressive approach to growing practices and willingness to try new things with their early adoption of SPEAR LEP.
“SPEAR LEP has shown to work just as well as any of the synthetics that are currently grower standards,” Keith says. “It brings a lot of things to the table that synthetics can’t, such as the four-hour re-entry, and being exempt from maximum residue levels is a huge thing if you’re exporting apples.”
~ Kieth Farnsworth, Consultant at Vestaron
In the race to stay ahead of pest pressures, Mike says sustainability will always be at the heart of Fowler Farms operations. That means staying on top of the latest technologies and product developments and investing in trials.
“Sustainable practices don’t just happen overnight,” he says. “We’re probably going to have to use more natural chemistries like SPEAR LEP.”
~ Mike Norton, Grower at Fowler Farms
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Ben Cicora, SVP Sales & Marketing • 970.443.9220 • bcicora@vestaron.com
Steve Betz, VP Communications • (515).707.6096 • sbetz@vestaron.com