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2 CapitalPress.com July 14, 2017 People & Places Thinking differently with pears Rudy Prey Jr. goes high density, getting more fruit from smaller trees Western Innovator Capital Press Higher density Initially, the orchard was just 30 acres of 125 that was mostly wooded and on mod- erate to steep hillsides rang- ing up to a 20 percent grade. Calendar Rudy Prey Jr. Through Sunday July 30 California State Fair. 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Cal Expo Center, 1600 Exposi- tion Blvd., Sacramento, Calif. Web- site: www.castatefair.org/ Saturday, July 15 Washington State Sheep Pro- ducers Ram and Ewe Sale. 1:30-6 p.m. Grant County Fairgrounds, 3953 Airway Drive NE, Moses Lake, Wash. For questions, call 509-200- 2112. Email: wssp@gmx.com Farm to Table Dinner and Auc- tion. 5:30-9 p.m. Oregon Garden, 879 W. Main St., Silverton, Ore. Guests to this event will savor the flavors of the season with food do- nated from local farmers picked at the peak of ripeness and prepared by Chef Daryl Gossack at Loustic Catering. Tickets are on sale now at our website or by phone. Through June 17 tickets are $85 per and $95 after June 18. The event is present- ed by Bonaventure Senior Living and all proceeds will feed people in our community through Marion-Polk Food Share. Website: http://bit. ly/2qth9a1 Wednesday, July 19 Community Open House. 4-7 Capital Press Managers Joe Beach ..................Editor & Publisher Elizabeth Yutzie Sell .... Advertising Director Carl Sampson ................Managing Editor Jessica Boone ........ Production Manager Samantha McLaren .... Circulation Manager Age: 52 Born: Kiel, West Germany. Raised there and Peshastin, Wash. Family: Single Education: Cascade High School, Leavenworth, Wash., 1984; Wenatchee Valley College, tree fruit program, 1986. Photos by Dan Wheat/Capital Press Rudy Prey Jr. in a row of Red d’Anjou pear trees at his Peshastin, Wash., orchard, where he’s tied tree tops together for better light interception for the fruit. Occupation: Peshastin pear grower and fruit stand owner since 1996. Work History: After college, worked short time in an Oregon tree fruit nursery and six months in apple orchards in New Zealand. A 30-by-50-foot flag flies above Prey’s Fruit Barn along U.S. Highway 2, near Peshastin, a couple miles east of Leaven- worth, Wash. His father began flying the flag after gaining U.S. citizenship. Now there’s 75 acres of or- chard with 55 to 60 percent high-density, 20 to 25 per- cent moderate-density and 20 percent low-density. In 1975, the Preys planted 20-by-10-foot spacing — 20 feet between rows and 10 feet between tree trunks in a row. That was 220 trees per acre, which was double the standards of the time of 20- by-20 and 110 trees per acre or 24-by-24 with 80 per acre. The Preys tightened their grid with each new block of orchard, getting to 14-by-6 before Prey took over man- agement from his father in 1996. The younger Prey con- tinued the effort, maxing out at 14-by-1.5 feet and 2,000 trees per acre. Now he’s backed off to 14-by-2 or 14-by-2.5 for 1,000 to 1,500 trees per acre because he’s found little improvement in yields beyond that to warrant the extra expense of more trees. Lack of rootstock Most growers in the valley now plant at 14-by-4 or 14- by-6 for 400 to 800 trees per Sponsored by: To submit an event go to the Community Events calendar on the home page of our website at www. capitalpress.com and click on “Sub- mit an Event.” Calendar items can also be mailed to Capital Press, 1400 Broadway St. NE, Salem, OR 97301 or emailed to newsroom@ capitalpress.com. Established 1928 Board of directors Mike Forrester Steve Forrester Kathryn Brown Susan Rana Mike Omeg Corporate Officer Heidi Wright Chief Operating Officer By DAN WHEAT PESHASTIN, Wash. — When people in the Wenatchee Valley think of Prey’s Fruit Barn and Orchard they think of its huge U.S. flag that dwarfs everything around it. It’s been a tourist attraction and conversation piece for al- most 30 years. It was put up in the early 1990s by the late Rudy Prey Sr. in honor of his receiving U.S. citizenship after he and his family immigrated from West Germany in 1975. What fewer people realize is that beyond the over-sized, 30-by-50-foot flag, Prey, who died in 2003, and more so his son, Rudy Prey Jr. have been pear industry innovators. Their orchard is one of the few high-density pear orchards in the Pacific Northwest, and with its own twist. Rudy Prey Jr. ties the tops of pear trees to- gether with twine to form arch- ways over the rows between trees, allowing more sunlight to reach fruit, hastening early yield and sizing of fruit. “There’s less input costs and higher returns, but it’s hard to calculate how much higher because of so many variables like weather and variety,” Prey said. “The startup costs to plant are higher but they are re- covered quicker. So over time it’s definitely higher returns.” Keeping trees to no more than 12 feet tall allows the use of shorter ladders and less time on ladders for workers, cut- ting pruning time in half and increasing picking efficiency. He figures costs are reduced by $50 per bin while yields in- crease about 30 percent. The Preys moved to Pe- shastin from Kiel, West Ger- many, when the younger Prey was 10 years old. They had been here on vacation and de- cided to make it their home. “At age 42, my dad changed countries, languages and careers. In West Germa- ny, he did cattle and pigs and then built elevators. He came here and took up orcharding because that was the thing to do here,” Prey said. Kiel is flatter country but Peshastin and Leavenworth reminded the Preys of Bavaria. Capital Press p.m. North Willamette Research and Extension Center, 15210 Miley Road, Aurora, Ore. Website: http:// oregonstate.edu/dept/NWREC/ Tuesday, July 25 Dairy Sheep and Goat Work- shop. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Gooding Coun- ty Fairgrounds, 203 Lucy Lane, Gooding, Idaho. University of Idaho Extension workshop. Lunch includ- ed. The workshop is $30 with pre- registration until July 21 and $40 after that. Friday, July 28 Forest Insect and Disease Field Day. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Benewah County Fairgrounds, 2330-2398 St. Maries Ave., St. Maries, Idaho. The event will give participants first- hand exposure to a wide range of organisms that impair the growth of trees and forests in Northern Idaho including: Douglas-fir beetle and other bark beetles; Armillaria and other root diseases; white pine blis- ter rust; indian paint fungus, pini rot and other stem decays; and dwarf mistletoes. Experts will help partic- ipants identify insect and disease symptoms and discuss practical long- and short-term methods of dealing with them. Those wishing to participate should pre-register at the University of Idaho Extension Office in Benewah County by July 21. A $10 registration fee covers re- source materials and refreshments. Saturday-Sunday July 29-30 47th Annual Great Oregon Steam-Up. 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Powerland Heritage Park, 3995 Brooklake Road Rows of pear trees have their tops tied together for maximum light interception on the fruit in Prey’s Orchard, Peshastin, Wash., June 28. acre, Prey said. Movement to high-density has been ham- pered by the lack of a win- ter-hardy, dwarfing rootstock for pears. Dwarfing rootstock would keep trees more compact, de- creasing vegetative growth and increasing fruiting wood. Prey tries to do the same, but not quite as well, by fer- tilizing and pruning less but increasing tree training and bending tops. Researchers are working on it but as of yet just hav- en’t found the right dwarfing rootstock, said Tim Smith, Washington State University tree fruit specialist emeritus in Wenatchee. Pears are inherently harder to grow in compact form than apples, Smith said. Tying tree tops Prey began tying tree tops together in late 1990s. It was his idea, an adaptation of the V-trellis system used in ap- ples but saving the cost of trellis posts and wire. At first, he planted trees at 30-degree angles to help form the archway. Stronger-rooted than apple trees and in heavy soil, the pear trees didn’t need trellises for support. But snow, up to 100 inch- es a year, flattened the young trees, so now he plants them upright but still ties the tops together. Tying tree tops together over the rows complements high-density for higher yields. “When you plant close to- gether, you try to utilize all the space in the orchard you can to intercept light for fruit and foliage,” Prey said. “You want to minimize areas shad- ing each other.” He ties tops together when trees are three to four years old, tying back onto two-year- old wood that is stronger than one-year-old and less likely to break. Prey does it with all his varieties: Concorde, Bartlett, Red and Green d’Anjou, Bosc and Starkrimson. The Con- corde variety is a little stiffer and harder to work with. Bart- lett is easier. What others say “I think he’s come up with a pretty good way of grow- ing pears on his property. They sculpted the hillsides to make them more plant- able and navigable and that’s made areas where the trees tend to grow smaller and less vigorously, naturally,” Smith said. It’s innovative but grow- ers are not likely to tear out older orchards and replace them with high-density with- out dwarfing rootstocks, Smith said. A few miles from Prey’s orchard, grower Josh Koem- pel, 41, has followed Prey’s lead of tying tree tops to- gether in high-density plant- ings for the past eight years. Koempel is using 10-by-4 or 12-by-4 density, depend- ing on slope. He plants trees upright and in their fourth year ties their tops over in early spring after irrigation loosens the ground. It curves the trees but then the tree tilts, creating a “V”. “Guys love picking in it. It’s way more efficient. It’s easier to spray,” Koempel said. “The tree is only 2.5 feet in width and depth. It creates a fruiting wall like is being done in apples.” There’s potential for more bins of fruit per acre with smaller trees, he said. A few growers in Cashmere, Yaki- ma and Wapato are planting high density without tying over tops, he said. “I’m trying to build on everything Rudy has done. He’s the trailblazer on this thing. He’s the guy who’s made it all happen,” Koem- pel said. “I’ve spotted a good system for the genetics we have and he’s been willing to teach us. He’s a heck of a smart guy.” GASES / WELDING / SAFETY / FIRE www.oxarc.com NE, Brooks, Ore. Packed with vintage power, this annual event celebrates the steam power, machines and peo- ple who drove Oregon agriculture, logging, transportation and more from the 1800s through early 1900s. Get upclose to the power farm machinery, vintage trucks, antique cars, logging gear and a working steam sawmill. Kids of all ages will enjoy train and trolley rides, daily parade, huge flea market, traditional tractor pulling, machinery demos, threshing and quilt show. This year the featured makes are Aultman-Taylor and Rumely. Gen- eral admission $12, children under 12 are free. Website: http://www.antique- powerland.com/html/steam-up.html Tuesday-Friday, Aug. 1-4 7th World Congress on Conser- vation Agriculture. Rosario, Argenti- na. A world meeting presented by the American Confederation of Farmers Organizations for a Sustainable Ag- riculture, which began with associa- tions of farmers that promoted the no till system and are currently working to promote sustainable production systems. Website: http://congre- soaapresid.org.ar/. Friday, Aug. 4 9th Annual Friends of Agricul- ture Golf Tournament. Chehalem Glenn Golf Course, 4501 E. Fern- wood Road, Newberg, Ore. The tournament benefits Oregon Aglink, which is dedicated to growing ag- riculture in Oregon through educa- tion and promotion and bridging the gap between urban and rural Ore- gonians. Contact Mallory Phelan at 503-595-9121 or mallory@aglink. org. Website: www.aglink.org 20 Northwest Locations Left Coast’s Run for the Oaks, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Left Coast Cellars, 4225 N Pacific Highway W, Rick- reall, Ore. The course will pre- dominantly be on gravel roads or off-road with trail and paved road segments. The run will meander throughout the Left Coast Cellars estate and runners will pass oak forests, vineyards and gardens with spectacular views of the Willamette Valley. All proceeds from the race, food and wine sales for the day will be devoted to the Oak Savanna Restoration Project. 10K Trail Run: $60 Start time 9 a.m. 5K Trail Run/ Walk: $50 Start time 9:15 a.m. Reg- istration Includes complimentary wine tasting; free Patagonia Cap- ilene T-shirts; finishers receive a GoVino wine glass; music, awards and snacks. Left Coast Cellars has over 100 acres of ecological com- pensation areas and 70 acres of old growth oak forest. Through time the forest has become populated with invasive species and our goal is to restore the forest to a native oak savanna. We have partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Website: http://leftcoastcellars.com/ Saturday-Sunday Aug. 5-6 Mother Earth News Fair. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Linn County Expo, 3700 Knox Butte Road E., Alba- ny, Ore. The Mother Earth News Fairs are fun-filled, family-oriented sustainable lifestyle events that feature dozens of practical, hands- on demonstrations and workshops from the leading authorities on re- newable energy, small-scale agri- culture, gardening, green building, 1-800-765-9055 green transportation and natural health. Cost: $15-50. Website: http://www.motherearthnewsfair. com/oregon/ 47th Annual Great Oregon Steam-Up. 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Power- land Heritage Park, 3995 Brooklake Road NE, Brooks, Ore. Packed with vintage power, this annual event celebrates the steam power, machines and people who drove Oregon agriculture, logging, trans- portation and more from the 1800s through early 1900s. Get upclose to the team-power farm machinery, vintage trucks, antique cars, logging gear and a working steam sawmill. Kids of all ages will enjoy train and trolley rides, daily parade, huge flea market, traditional tractor pulling, machinery demos, threshing and quilt show. This year the featured makes are Aultman-Taylor and Rumely. General admission $12, children under 12 are free. Website: http://www.antiquepowerland.com/ html/steam-up.html Wednesday-Saturday Aug. 9-12 Skagit County Fair. 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Skagit County Fairgrounds, 479 W. Taylor St., Mount Vernon, Wash. Website: https://www. skagitcounty.net/Departments/Fair/ main.htm Friday, Aug. 18- Sunday, Aug. 27 Western Idaho Fair, noon-11 p.m. Western Idaho Fairgrounds, 5610 Glenwood St., Garden City, Idaho. Website: http://www.idaho- fair.com/ Entire contents copyright © 2017 EO Media Group dba Capital Press An independent newspaper published every Friday. Capital Press (ISSN 0740-3704) is published weekly by EO Media Group, 1400 Broadway St. NE, Salem OR 97301. Periodicals postage paid at Portland, OR, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Capital Press, P.O. Box 2048 Salem, OR 97308-2048. 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If you see a misstatement, omission or factual error in a headline, story or photo caption, please call the Capital Press news department at 503-364-4431, or send email to newsroom@capitalpress.com. We want to publish corrections to set the record straight.
