The Fruit Growers News

When Ed Wittenbach was selected to serve as chairman of the U.S. Apple Association (USApple) Board he wasn’t aware that they would be leading a search for a new executive director. But he has taken the challenge in stride.

The apple grower from Belding, Mich. remembers that he was also on the search committee when they selected Kraig Naasz to head the organization. He continues to be pleased with their selection.

During Naasz’s tenure, the organization has met with success, despite great challenges. Naasz announced his acceptance of a position with The Fertilizer Institute in May.

Naasz was key in gaining apple grower relief, and has had an impact on a lot of regulatory issues. “Through the efforts of USApple working with the EPA, they were able to keep Guthion for the apple grower. They tackled the exports issues including the Chinese apple concentrate imports.” Many of these important subjects remain active issues, Wittenbach said.

“Kraig has done a tremendous job. It’s been a good four years for the American apple grower. He obtained a lot of funding and promotion money through the Market Access Program, and helped move a lot of fruit and apples through the school lunch program,” said Wittenbach.

Away from USApple business, Wittenbach, with his son Mike, grows 200 acres of apples on his 520-acre farm.

The Wittenbachs have a long history of farming in Michigan. In 1890, his grandfather immigrated from Switzerland, settling near the current base farm. The farm began as a dairy farm with a small orchard.

A diverse operation, Wittenbach Orchard has changed with the times. In 1967, he and his wife Linda got out of the dairy business when Ed’s brother decided to leave the family farm. Since then they dabbled with a few head of beef cattle but dropped them as well, finding livestock requiring too much for too little return.

When it comes to the decision to raise apples, the operation has never looked back – they concentrate on raising quality apples. While other crops have fallen by the wayside, including asparagus, which conflicted with spring apple production time. Apples remain the priority for the intensive operation

This will also be the last year peaches are raised on the farm. Wittenbach said their 12-year-old peach trees are past their prime following several seasons of Michigan’s severe winters. The end of peaches will alter their roadside marketing, another job that takes a lot of time away from apples.

But when it comes to apples, Wittenbach Orchard is reinvesting in the future. The operation has recently completed the planting of a high-density block of Golden Delicious and Buckeye Gala and will replace a large block of traditional Red Delicious next year with Ruby Jon and Buckeye Gala, after a season leaving the soil fallow in grain.

Wittenbach has been on the board of USApple for seven years. Nearly through his first year as chair, he will serve a term as past chairman for the year after this term. All in all it has been a great experience.

“It has been very interesting being a Michigan grower on the national board,” he said. “A lot of growers may think that Washington state dominates the issues that come up, but the board addresses issues affecting all apple growers.”

With Naasz’s resignation announced in May, the board has already started the executive search process. “Our goal is to obtain the best possible person for apple industry,” said Wittenbach. “The end of the search won’t come soon enough, and finding the right person to lead the association is going to be tough.”

“Everybody should spend a time in their life in a leadership role,” said Wittenbach. “Being active in this way is very meaningful.”

Today Wittenbach is known across fruit growing regions - he is a past recipient of the “Apple Grower of the Year” award and past chairman of the Michigan Apple Committee.

At times it has seemed like the industry has lacked grower leaders, because there are not enough people who want to step in, he said. Wittenbach recognizes that the apple industry is not alone – people feel like they don’t have time. “A lot of people are discouraged in the industry and they don’t want to share a part of their life through service.

“The leadership in the apple industry is not what it could be. More people could be involved,” he said.

At the same time, he remains sensitive to the demands on grower’s time today. But he encourages them to get more involved.

Four New Board Members
USApple recently elected four industry leaders to join its board of trustees. Steve Balderston, Bryan Bixby, Jeff Colombini and Barry Winkel were elected as interim trustees to fill the vacancies left by four retiring board members.

Balderston operates Colora Orchards in Colora, Md., a 150-acre orchard located just outside of Baltimore. He is active on the Maryland Apple Promotion Board, the Maryland Horticultural Society, and the Cecil County and Maryland Farm Bureau.

Bixby is a third-generation apple grower from Berrien Springs, Mich., and works on his family’s orchard, Bixby Orchards. He is the current vice chairman of the Michigan Apple Committee, member of the Michigan Farm Bureau Young Farmer Committee, and chairman of the Berrien County Farm Bureau State and Federal Affairs Committee.

Colombini is president of Lodi Farming, Inc., in Stockton, Calif., and farms 1,500 acres of apples, cherries, wine grapes and walnuts in the San Joaquin Valley. He is a board member of the California Apple Commission.

Winkel, who boasts more than 25 years of industry experience, is the general manager and partner of Greg Orchards and Produce, Inc., in Benton Harbor, Mich. He is the president of the Michigan Apple Shippers Association and is active in the Southwest Michigan Horticulture Group.

These four new board members join USApple’s 20 current trustees on the association’s governing body. The board is made up of 24 members including 15 regional and nine regular trustees.