CORNER BROOK, N.L. — Dr. Michael Tipple and Dennis Mahoney have worked together in animal care for 13 years. But now, you might say they are branching out in another venture… and apple orchard.
Tipple is the owner and one of the veterinarians at Humber Valley Veterinary Clinic in Corner Brook. Mahoney is the hospital manager for the clinic and Animal House Grooming and Boarding.
Before he became a vet, Tipple completed an undergraduate honours degree in agriculture at Dalhousie University in Halifax.
“So, agriculture has always been a strong interest of mine,” said Tipple, who grew up in Corner Brook.
Mahoney is originally from Gagetown, N.B., just minutes away from Stirling Fruit Farms. He worked on apple farms as a teen.
Tipple said working with animals is an intensive and demanding profession, and they were looking at something that would be an extensive agriculture project.
They believe there is a niche market for apples here.
“We thought it would be a good fit for the area and for us. We really felt it was a much better fit for the Humber Valley and for the area, and much less invasive than livestock,” said Mahoney.
“A little bit of fun for the area,” added Tipple. “It’s unique. It’s environmentally friendly. Rewarding.
“I think apple trees are absolutely beautiful. I love apple trees as a whole, really, and it was the beauty of the species that really attracted us to apples versus another crop.”
Contributing to food sustainability and local availability also appealed to them.
Their plan is to develop a 4.22-hectare orchard in an extension area of Humber Village under the corporate name of Briarside Affair Ltd. They own some of the land and are in the process of acquiring the rest from Crown Lands.
They will use semi-dwarf rootstock trees and plan to sell the apples they grow through farmers' markets and other venues. They are considering a U-pick, but haven’t yet fully committed to that.
Approval of their undertaking is under review by the province; the process includes an environmental assessment by the Department of Environment. The public has until April 9 to comment on the undertaking by emailing [email protected].
Tipple and Mahonet are confident they will be able to proceed, although it will take some time to realize their first full-yield crop. Once the trees go in, it will take three years to see about a 50 per cent yield, and it will take five years for the trees to reach maturity.
They also know there will be more challenges as they deal with the length of the growing season in the province.
“Yes, it’s a short growing season here, but we’ve chosen a variety of species of apple trees that do a little bit better in the short growing season,” said Tipple.
The two have contacted apple growers in other provinces and have a network of friends within the agriculture community who have been a great help.
Bonavista Bay orchard is two years old
Valerie Spencer-Barron and her husband, John Barron, have been where Tipple and Mahoney are now.
The Jamestown, Bonavista Bay, couple started their apple orchard, Crooked Branch Enterprises, on a couple of acres next to the ocean two years ago.
Spencer-Barron said it started as a retirement project, to plant a few trees. However, her husband came to believe they could turn it into a business.
“We didn’t know a lot about growing apples,” she admitted.
Barron did some research and found some companies in Ontario and Nova Scotia that sell semi-dwarf apple trees, which grow to about nine feet high and produce fruit in four to five years.
They also attended the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Conference and visited orchards in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley, where they made some connections with Scotian Gold, the province’s apple co-operative.
Spencer-Barron said there were many challenges at the beginning.
They had to prepare the land, find three varieties of trees that work together for pollination, put in a trellis system to support the trees, work through soil issues and water issues, contend with the short growing season, and deal with insects and other pests, including rabbits with a taste for apples.
With the help of family and friends, they planted almost 500 trees. They’ve lost a few, but have seen some success with production and expect that to increase as they move into Year 3 and beyond.
The goal is to make their trees healthier as they get closer to being able to sell their apples. The plan is to do so through farmers' markets and roadside stands, and they are considering online sales, perhaps through an apple club.
They also want people to experience the orchard and are thinking of adding a cottage where people could stay, possibly as part of a working vacation that would seem them help out in the orchard.
Asked if they’ve ever questioned why they started, Spencer-Barron laughed.
“Once we had it planted and put in place, it’s like, OK, it’s too late now. We can’t just leave it and give up on it.”
Seeing the first blossoms and apples, even though they were small, made it all worthwhile, she said.
“Oh my God, I couldn’t believe it, it was so exciting,” she said, recalling her feelings on seeing the row of the beautiful pink and white flowers.
“And then we saw the little, tiny apples forming. It was almost like a dream come true, what I always wanted. And then the full-grown apples in your hand at the end, it was like, ‘wow, it was worth all that (work).’”
Diane Crocker reports on west coast news
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Twitter: @WS_DianeCrocker
