Category Archives: General

ACGA Summer Field Day 2014

Posted on by

Last week several Pine Island Cranberry team members attended the annual American Cranberry Growers Association (ACGA) summer field day at the Rutgers extension center. While several topics are similar to those discussed at the winter meeting, the field day is a chance to go out and explore the researchers’ valuable work first hand.

The team members in attendance all greatly enjoyed the hands-on discussions and opportunity to speak with other growers, especially the growers visiting from outside the region. “This was the best-attended meeting we’ve had in New Jersey,” says PIICM manager Cristina Tassone. “It was great to see and have an opportunity to speak with growers and researchers from other cranberry-growing regions.”

A lot of the excitement came from the research on new varieties. “It was pretty exciting seeing a lot of the new varieties,” says supervisor Jeremy Fenstermaker, a thought echoed by Cristina, who enjoyed listening to Jennifer Johnson-Cicalese’s talk on the results of her fruit rot resistance trials. Team member Matt Giberson adds: “Getting something crossed with the more resistant varieties could be huge news for us in regard to fungus and rot resistance.”

Our team also got a lot from the indoor talks on both precision irrigation and phenology models for certain pests. “I thought Jean Caron’s talk was on target with what we’ve been focusing on for the past few years, especially in new production,” says Cristina. Jeremy thought so as well: “It was nice to have some focus on water management for other reasons than rot; it’s such a big part of our operation.” Assistant Manager Mike Haines also appreciated the perspective from growers and researchers from outside New Jersey, especially Wisconsin researcher Shawn Steffan: “Shawn was able to take something complicated [the concept of degree days and their use in pest management] and give us a clear explanation of how it works and how we can apply it.”

The show and tell segment was a big hit again, just as it was last year. Mike: “Shawn Cutts’ presentation on dodder was interesting. Dodder’s such a persistent problem; it comes back every year no matter what you do. It’s really good to hear from other people about possibilities for a new approach.” COO Bryan vonHahmann, attending for the first time, was very impressed with the show-and-tell section as well. “Sometimes the simplest things are the best things. The thermal weed control technique seems to be faster. We’re also trying the 2-inch underdrain that Bill Cutts is using; it’s much easier on the plant beds.”

Just as he does every year, Cesar Rodriguez-Saona put together yet another fantastic program. Overall, our team came away impressed with the varied presentations and pleased to have new ways to improve our operation!

CMC Summer Meeting

Posted on by

The Cranberry Marketing Committee (CMC) held their annual summer meeting in southern New Jersey this year, and Pine Island Cranberry was delighted to host visiting members for dinner on the lawn!

It was a great chance to meet and chat with others within the industry, as well as to hear about some of the work the CMC has been doing to increase consumption year-round. CMC Executive Director Scott Soares is very pleased about how that’s been going, especially with regard to focus groups and social media outreach. “Our social media campaign along with in-store promotions and demos have more than tripled summer sales,” he says. “We’ve demonstrated that we can move the needle if we do the right thing; we’re learning more about these tactics and trying to get the word out.”

CMC’s Scott Soares (left) chats with Parker Mauck of Massachusetts.

Assistant Manager Mike Haines was especially pleased for the opportunity to speak with other CMC members in a less-formal setting. “It’s good to have an occasion to talk with people from other growing areas,”, he says. “Wisconsin has such a large cranberry community that they have a lot of opportunities for ‘cross-pollination’, as Dad likes to say. There are a lot more growers to bounce ideas off each other with regard to varieties, drainage, all the day to day stuff. We’re always looking for ways to improve, and expanding our associations can help give us some new ideas.”

Mike Haines (left) and Fred Torres.

CEO Bill Haines agrees: “It’s a lot of fun to get to know the growers on a personal level. We were really happy to have the industry here, and are glad that everyone enjoyed themselves.”

And one final shout-out to our Pine Island team who were all willing to do whatever it takes to make sure everything went smoothly: GM Fred Torres facilitated all the prep work around the office such as mowing bogs and trimming vegetation, while our Facilties/Equipment team (particularly Louis Cantafio, Mike Guest, and Carlos Baez) made sure everything we needed was working and that the building was in tip-top shape. But none of it could have been done without the hard work of Administrative Assistant Debra Signorelli, who put together an absolutely fantastic event. Thank you for everything!

Check out our photo gallery of Wednesday’s event below or on Flickr!:

Safety in numbers

Posted on by

Safety, as always, remains one of our top priorities at Pine Island Cranberry. In May, we celebrated 200 days incident-free with a pizza party. Last week, we hit the 300 day mark and had another special lunch in recognition.

“We made it another 100 days and that’s a great thing,” said CEO Bill Haines in addressing the team. “What we do is important, but nothing we do is worth getting hurt over. Keep doing it right, and keep looking out for each other.”

COO Bryan vonHahmann agrees: “Farming can be dangerous; there are a lot of things happening all around us simultaneously. But we make sure that we provide exceptional training focused on safety and awareness for things like equipment operations, hydration, and applications, because we want team members to return home to their families with no injuries every day. Safety is a fundamental part of our strategy, and we maintain high standards of safe performance in all we do as part of our tradition of excellence. We’re growers first and foremost, but we always want to do whatever it takes to provide a work environment of highest safety and quality.”

“The hoagie lunch was nice to celebrate 300 days accident-free, but the focus is not on a number, or a day,” says GM Fred Torres. “Working in a safe manner, and using the proper safety equipment in a job, is really the focus here. We are keeping ourselves healthy and working with an awareness of our surroundings, and we are working more efficiently, too.”

In addition, our team leaders also continue to hand out safety kits for each new seasonal team the day he arrives on the farm, and we are keeping better track of inventory this year to make sure all safety gear is up-to-date and always available, whatever it takes.

Pine Island Team Profiles: Harry Mick

Posted on by

This past June, team member Harry Mick hit a huge milestone: he’s been with Pine Island Cranberry for thirty-five years!

A lifelong area resident, Harry started with us just after finishing high school, and has become one of our most reliable team members. “You can always count on Harry,” says GM Fred Torres. “You tell Harry what he needs to do and he’ll do it. He never lets us down.” Harry’s main task is fueling up the equipment and he’s truly conscientious about it. “If there’s a problem, he always calls,” Fred says. “When Harry’s on duty, no one ever runs out of fuel.”

In addition to fuel, Harry’s task during cranberry season is helping the packing house run smoothly. He keeps the loading moving by signalling drivers Candido Rivera and Josue Rodriguez to keep the trailer inching forward as each section is filled with fruit. It is then his task to halt the line when the trailer is full or the bog is finished in order to bring the next waiting trailer forward. “He takes his job seriously,” says Facilities supervisor Mike Guest. “He shows up every day, ready to work, and then heads out to top off the fuel tanks every night. And he does a great job.”

Bog Renovation Manager Joe Colon works with Harry the most, and like everyone else, has nothing but good things to say! “He’s darn good out there,” Joe says. “Irrigation lines, putting in gates, hauling sand…he does it and he won’t waste any time about it, either. When it’s his job, he’s going to by-God do it; once he learns something, you’re not going to take it away from him. Tell him how you want something done, and he’ll take charge. All I have to do is give him a couple of helpers and turn him loose.” Harry’s favorite phrase is “Let’s get ‘er done!” and with Harry, you never have to worry about it for a single minute. If you ask him to do it, it’s done. If you ask him if something is working, he always makes sure to check before he tells you, “Yes”. And if something does go wrong, he won’t rest until it’s fixed.

The Pine Island team would also like to express our deepest sympathy at the recent loss of Harry’s father. “Harry’s a chip off the old block,” Joe says. “Bucky was the same way; he did what he had to do when he had to do it, and was a damn good mechanic besides.”

Harry is the living embodiment of doing “whatever it takes”, and we’re lucky to have him. Keep getting ‘er done, Harry!

Reno update

Posted on by

Work on bog renovation continues! Our renovation plan really got a boost from a trip to Wisconsin last month. “When [COO] Bryan [vonHahmann] and I went out to Wisconsin, we visited several elite growers [Ed Grygleski of Valley Corp, Steve Gephardt of Beltz Cranberry, Bill Hatch and Nicole Hansen at Cranberry Creek, Chris Weidman of City Point Cranberries, Martin Potter at Cutler Cranberry, and Craige I. Scott and Craige P. Scott of Scott Cranberry Marsh] and came away highly impressed,” says CEO Bill Haines. “We had made the trip because of their incredible increase in production per acre. They have some advantages with regard to location and climate, but each growing area has advantages and disadvantages. The biggest reason we saw was growers in Wisconsin have been very aggressive in the last fifteen years in renovating bogs and making sure they had the best varieties. They improved the way they built their bogs, and they’re still looking for ways to improve every single thing they do.” The Warehouse bogs are going to be the first to reap those benefits.

“When we got back, we were determined to do whatever it takes to keep growing and to keep improving,” Bill says. “We’ve known that the Early Blacks are our weakest variety and eventually need to be entirely replaced, and decided to become more aggressive about it. By 2022, we’ve targeted 769 acres to replace Early Blacks with hybrid varieties, and we’re going to do it by using some of the same techniques they use in Wisconsin.” He points out some of results already taking place at Panama, finished in 2012. “We already had a lot of great fruit after only two growing seasons,” he says. “We had nearly 218 barrels to the acre in Panama #6. That’s the direction we want to be going.”

As part of our accelerated growth plan, preparation for the 2015 renovation has already begun. “We’ve started the prep work on the next stage of our renovation plan,” says GM Fred Torres. “We’re going to be hauling out vines and hauling in sand with 25-ton articulated trucks, so we’re widening the turns for more efficient hauling. We’re going to crown the Worth Tract dam to allow the trucks to travel faster. The more we have done ahead of time, the better. Just like 11 Acre and Panama before that: by the time we’re planting, the gates will be in, the ramps will be in, the dams are crowned, and everything’s done.” Bill is very excited about the scope of this project. “It’s a big project; I know that,” he says. “It’s going to take lots of planning, lots of organizing, and lots of plain hard work. The team is going to have to reorganize. We’re going to have to invest in new equipment. But we’re all going to learn and improve as we go along, and everyone is looking forward to the challenge.”

Meanwhile, the 2014 reno is on schedule. Land-leveling has begun at the 11 Acre/Ben Haines site, with planting scheduled to begin September 15. “We should have it all done before the harvest,” Fred says. “Getting it done now means more time to focus on our usual post-harvest work, and we can also start concentrating on the new renovation right away.”

Pine Island Team Profile: Fred Henschel

Posted on by

This week, we took another trip to the shop to meet the newest member of our Facilities/Equipment team. Fred Henschel started at Pine Island Cranberry three months ago and has been doing a great job ever since.

He’s been doing a lot of the normal prevention and maintenance tasks; he’s rebuilt sanders, the reels for the boom reels, the pickers, and so forth. But his latest task is working on our new Gates Harrow machine. “This is what I like best,” Fred says. “I was an inventory control specialist, but I’ve been a builder and fabricator as a hobby for my entire life. Getting to do this for a living is great. If it needs to be built…I’ll build it.”

The Gates Harrow is the latest addition to our equipment program and everyone is very excited to try it come harvest time. “It’s much less labor intensive,” says manager Louis Cantafio. “We typically run a six man picking crew and their target is about 12.5 acres per day. On a more level set of bogs, they can do more than that, but with a Gates Harrow we’ve seen a two-man crew get through 40 acres. It’s a lot more efficient.” It’s not as hard on the plants as our usual method, and our renovation program is geared for increased efficiency by being user-friendly for equipment like this.

“Coco [Mercado] and Carlos [Baez] put the tracks on, and then they passed this part over to me,” Fred says. “It came in on a skid, but no attachments for the tractor, because we’re going to customize it.” He has an appreciation for form as well as function, and wants this new piece to fit into this aesthetic. “I want it so you can’t tell where the tractor ends and the additions begin. It has to look seamless. It’s got to be functional, but I’d like it to look nice, too.” Fred is especially looking forward to seeing the harvest this year. “I can’t wait to see this in action, but I’ve never seen it done the usual way, either!” he says. A professional photographer, he’s also looking forward to the opportunity to capture it all on film.

“Fred’s extremely creative,” Louis says. “His skill set has only increased since he got here, and he showed up in pretty good shape to begin with. I think he’s a keeper.”

Pine Island Team Profile: Javier Ruiz

Posted on by

While he is only at Pine Island Cranberry for a short time this summer, valued Cranberries Austral Chile team member Javier Ruiz has truly made some fantastic contributions to our ICM program during his stay. “Several months ago, we discussed the idea of Javier spending time at Pine Island,” says COO Bryan vonHahmann. “During those discussions we quickly identified that an extended visit would benefit both operations.”

“I’ve been spending a lot of time on water management,” Javier says. “Irrigation here is a lot different than in Chile, but water is just as critical for us, if not more so. Here, I see water in the ditches every single day. At home, the soil is different. If we dig a hole here, we can find water very easily. In Chile during the summer, we have to dig pretty deep to find it. If we don’t have good water management, if we don’t have good frost control…we lose everything.”

In addition to irrigation, Javier has been working with PIICM manager Cristina Tassone and soil consultant Dr. Joan Davenport on soil tests and plant nutrition. “Now we have some data and are working on the percentage of water the soil can support,” Javier says. “And I’m training Eric [Gonzalez-Perez] how to do this in the future.”

He is also able to bring some knowledge back with him. “I’ve been doing a lot of fertilizer recommendations,” he says. “There are some things, though, that are done differently here. I’ve been taking a lot of notes and snapping a lot of pictures. If I can bring any of that knowledge back with me, it can help increase our efficiency [at CAC].” Supervisor Jeremy Fenstermaker agrees: “Javier’s a smart guy. A really smart guy. Some of the things we’ve been talking about here are things that he’s worked on at CAC, and he’s been teaching me a lot about how to deal with different situations. He’ll tell me what results he got, and then I can use that information to go forward.”

Javier’s stay with us has been all too brief. “It is hard to believe that he will be heading back to Chile in a week,” says Bryan. “Javier has a great understanding of cranberry production and a very positive attitude. It’s been a pleasure working with him, as well as watching both Pine Island and CAC share experiences and knowledge that will benefit both operations on their journey of continuous improvement.”

Expanding the site!

Posted on by

In the past, this blog has occasionally focused on the various Pine Island forestry management projects as a sideline to our main mission: growing more high-quality cranberries at the lowest cost per barrel.

Now, we have widened our focus and have started a separate forestry page. With the launch of this new subsection, we look forward to telling you more about our efforts to protect our environment for both the benefit of our operation and our community, and we hope you keep checking back!

Wisconsin visit

Posted on by

Last week, Pine Island’s CEO Bill Haines and COO Bryan vonHahmann, along with Cranberry Austral Chile GM Francisco Prado, flew out to Wisconsin to visit various members of the cranberry community in order to learn more about how the industry works in other regions and bring back their experiences to apply to our own operation in both New Jersey and Chile.

They spent two days with Leroy Kummer, a Sr. Agricultural Scientist with Ocean Spray and the Tomah Receiving Station Manager. “Leroy was with us for two days,” Bill says. “He put in a lot of time and effort to accommodate us, and knows the industry inside and out. He’s a valuable asset to both OS and the growers, and we were glad he was able to take us around.”

The group also visited six different operations, all of them “very impressive”, Bill says. Ed Grygleski of Valley Corp, Steve Gephardt of Beltz Cranberry, Bill Hatch and Nicole Hansen at Cranberry Creek, Chris Weidman of City Point Cranberries, Martin Potter at Cutler Cranberry, and Craige I. Scott and Craige P. Scott of Scott Cranberry Marsh were very generous with their time and knowledge, and all run an excellent operation. Francisco was particularly interested in this part of the tour: “We are in the middle of updating our equipment program [at CAC], so it was good to see what they are doing with things like fertilizer sprayers; our farm is growing, so we need to go faster!” It was very helpful to see farms at different sizes, as well, as it gives him a basis for comparison. “It’s a great opportunity,” he says. “There is always room to improve; there is always something to learn from other growers.” Bryan agrees: “Sharing ideas and practices can help us all improve, and it’s given us more energy and renewed focus on our mission.”

Our management team also spent some time at the Tomah plant, touring the Craisin line, and were impressed with the team there as well. “Andrea Gavette [Plant Manager at Tomah] gave us a really in-depth tour; Tomah is a well-run facility, and it was great to see her team so enthusiastic about what they do,” says Bill.

And, of course, Bill, Bryan, and Francisco always have an eye out for our own continuous improvement. As Bill says: “These growers are clearly the gold standard for the cranberry industry, and now we see what we have to do to be one of the best.”

*photos courtesy of Francisco Prado

Rutgers extension

Posted on by

Last week, one of Pine Island’s closest collaborators, Dr. Peter Oudemans, was promoted by Rutgers University to the rank of full Professor. His research with the Philip E. Marucci Center for Blueberry and Cranberry Research has been tremendously beneficial to the cranberry industry.

A great deal of his work with Pine Island and other growers includes the persistent problem of fairy ring. “We’re starting to get more answers,” Peter says, “and we also have better technology to get the answers. We also have Tim’s, and now Josh’s, research on the floral component and how to better control disease.”

PIICM manager Cristina Tassone has high praise for all of the researchers who work with the industry. “Working with the scientists and researchers at the Rutgers Research Extension is invaluable to us,” she says. “We have a unique opportunity, due to our proximity and our size, to work closely with them and provide areas on our farm for larger experiments. Being able to collaborate in this way, and share resources, helps not only us, but the cranberry industry as well. Peter’s experiment with Fairy Ring treatment is making progress, and he has started using a drone to monitor the experiment area. He also has a graduate student working on one of our bogs gathering data on footprinting (which is another issue for all growers, specifically in the Stevens variety). Cesar Rodriguez-Saona and Dan Schiffhauer are also helpful with any and all pest questions we may have, and Dan comes to the farm every Friday to walk the bogs with us to help with fertilizer decisions and to check up on the findings of our scouting program.”

The relationship goes both ways: “I’ve learned a large number of life lessons from growers,” says Peter. “Working with the people in this area has been phenomenal.”