ORCHARD HOME >> FACILITY

Klackle Orchards is a family farm consisting of 300 acres of produce, apples and other fruits along with a seasonal farm market called Cornucopia. The orchard is one of the largest commercial orchards in West Michigan and much of the crop is stored, packed and then sold to chain stores (such as Meijer) throughout the midwest. Most of our fruit is grown for the “fresh” market (produce section of the grocery store) but some of our fruit also is made into apple cider and processed apple products (pies, sause, slices, etc.) Some of our apples are even exported to England, Israel, Central and South America. We also allow people to pick-your-own apples and this fun activity has proven to be very popular with thousands of west Michigan families. Check-out all the other fun things we’ve added here on the farm for you to do on this website and you’ll quickly see why our customers return year after year.

Our modern orchards consist of fruit trees that are grown in a “high-density” system of planting. Because size controlling rootstocks are used, the trees can be planted fairly close together in the rows. We have planted trees as close as 4 ft. apart which is upwards of 1200 trees per acre. It is on the top part of these rootstocks that the variety we choose is grafted or attached and then the young tree is grown in a nursery for a year before we plant it out into our fields. From these types of planting systems we can achieve higher yields per acre, better fruit quality and earlier production than the way we planted years ago. These smaller/shorter trees are also easier to manage for our migrant laborers and of course easier for you and your family to pick the fruit as well. With these types of systems we are also able to renew our orchards more often and plant the varieties that you desire. We listen to what our customers want in an apple. That’s why you’ll find honeycrisp, gala, jonagold, fuji, braeburn and other newer varieties in our orchards.

When we plant trees that have these dwarfing rootstocks we also need to install a permanent support system to hold the tree up, ensure fast and early growth and help support a heavy fruit load in future years. These types of trees just won’t easily stand up on their own! Usually we use a combination of wolmanized posts and high tension wire to create the trellis support system. It all makes for a sizable investment- upwards of $ 10,000 per acre for these modern orchards. Taking care of this investment is a year-round job and keeps us busy. We hope you enjoy the fruits of our labor!

People often ask if the apple trees are sprayed with chemicals. To this we have to answer yes, but only as often as absolutely necessary. Sprays are necessary to protect the trees and fruit from diseases, insects and pests and to prevent the damage they can inflict. On our farm we practice what is known as Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and we use modern technologically advanced application equipment. IPM is the practice of gathering information about the presence and intensity of pest activity (mostly diseases and insects); determining if that level of activity causes significant damage to the fruit or plant; and then using control measures which effectively control the pest while not harming the beneficial organisms present in the orchard.

We accomplish this through the use of many sources of information and technology. One way is to carefully monitor the different insects in the orchard with the use of pheromone traps. Pheromones are chemicals given off by insects as a method of communication. By setting traps in the orchard containing the pheromone (produced synthetically in a lab) of the specific insect we are concerned with, we can attract that insect to the trap and get an idea how many are out in the orchard and whether we need to spray. By using this technique we spray only when we need to, not on a regular “guess I’d better spray” basis.

Our goal with IPM and the other cultural techniques we use in growing our crops is to get the optimum use of the expensive crop protection chemicals which in turn assists us in producing a safe, high-quality product for our customers to enjoy.