By
Jeffrey Carter
Ontario correspondent
The most important
piece of equipment at the Nickels Orchards might be the kitchen table.
That’s where family members gather to put their heads together.
“There’s no one person who is totally responsible here.
And if there's an important decision to be made, we’ll all sit
down around the table and hash it out,” Margaret Nickels said.
Margaret and her husband, Sigmund, are the elder statesmen at the
130-acre fruit farm in Essex County, Ontario. They bought the heritage
property in 1961. United Empire Loyalists built their brick home in
1797.
Margaret, who is originally from Detroit, and Sigmund came to Canada
from Germany with his parents in 1948. They both remain active on
the farm, but their son, Dave, and his wife, Rose, are now taking
the lead.
Everyone's opinion has value, though, and Margaret and Sigmund have
experience to draw on. They've witnessed much in the way of change
over the years.
The farm used to be attached to a warehouse at Shakespeare, near Stratford,
Ontario, about two and a half hours away. That's where the majority
of the crop was once sold. The Shakespeare property was sold in 1986.
Dave said while it was still successful, it also was evident that
new marketing approaches were needed.
Times were changing. Fewer families were buying large quantities of
peaches for canning, and the number of wholesale buyers was shrinking.
Today, most consumers buy a few peaches a time. Three-liter baskets,
for example, are popular. The number of major wholesale buyers in
Ontario has been whittled down to just two or three, and competition
from other fruit-growing regions is stiff, Dave said.
Nickels Orchards now moves fruit through a grower in neighboring Chatham-Kent
who's managed to position himself as a supplier to the chain stores
in Southwestern Ontario. They also work closely with a select group
of growers in Essex County.
"We're a group that basically works with a gentleman's handshake,"
Nickels said. "With my dad's generation, the growers all competed
against each other, but with my generation, if you don't work together,
you're done."
It's that kind of effort that's kept peaches, apples and other tree
fruit from Ontario on the province's grocery store shelves.
And there've been other changes at the Nickels Orchards. In the early
years, the focus was entirely on peaches, which were sold as soon
as they were harvested. Today, peaches still represent more than 50
percent of the orchard, but the Nickels also grow apples, pears, plums,
nectarines and apricots. They're even growing vegetables, including
cabbage, cauliflower, peppers and zucchini this year.
"I think it's harder today than what it used to be because it's
now a year-round business. When we did it, it was from March to November,"
Margaret said.
Dave said, "If I can't market it, I'll tear out the trees and
grow something else.”
Tree removal isn't something to take lightly, however. It takes several
years before newly-transplanted trees reach full production. There's
also more flexibility with the field crops, which are often planted
on ground where trees have just been removed.
Another emphasis at Nickels Orchards is variety selection. With peaches
and apples, the Nickels attempt to provide a consistent supply throughout
the harvest season. For instance, there are more than 10 peach varieties.
Harrow Diamond begins the season around mid-July and finishes with
Redskin in early September. And other popular varieties fill in the
gap. The family takes a similar approach with apples.
This year's peach crop has definitely been above average, with good
size and color, Dave said. With the relatively cool weather, there
have been few disease and insect problems. Bacterial leaf spot, usually
controlled with spray in the fall, has caused some damage.
Dave relies on an integrated pest management program, another change
from the old days when peach orchards were sprayed roughly every 10
days. Today, sprays are only used when disease or insect pressure
warrants it.
Dave concentrates on the overall marketing, production and management
effort. At peak season, there are around 30 employees.
Rose, Dave's wife, is in charge of the packing house and manages much
of the on-farm wholesale trade. Rose was raised in the produce industry.
She is the daughter of the Policella Produce owners, located at nearby
Leamington.
Margaret, 67, handles much of the book work and helps with the farm's
retail outlet. Sigmund, 72, can often be found on a tractor and enjoys
working outdoors.
There is a third generation on the farm, though they're still more
interested in play than work. And everyone takes their turn keeping
an eye on the youngsters. Dave and Rose have two children, and the
children of Dave's two sisters also spend time on the farm.
"Even when you're working, these guys (the children) are here
with us. If you have a job in town, you can't have this," Sigmund
said, granddaughter Dominique perched on his knee.
