Part 1 Listen

Reasons for Going Organic | Length: 7:42

“When I first started growin’ organic, it was not because it was safer for my customers. It was the safety of my children, and having to be exposed to this all the time. That was it. But right behind that followed the idea of me proud that I was growing food that was safer for my customers.”

Why go organic? For Michigan apple producer Jim Koan, it’s about the health of his family and customers, and ultimately the vitality of the environment that supports the entire operation.

Part 2 Listen

The Organic Apple Learning Curve | Length: 9:29

“And so when you’re puttin’ fungicide out there, you just destroyed the food chain. And herbicide, you just destroyed the food chain there. And that tree’s basically starving to death. Then you gotta feed it all this stuff all the time because the food chain down there that’s breaking all the organic material down into its simplest elements is dead.”

Almar Orchards’ Jim Koan describes how observation and trial and error helped him support natural systems in his organic apple operation.

Part 3 Listen

Principles of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) | Length: 9:34

“…you have to feed Mother Nature first in order to keep the food system balanced. And then you get what’s left after that. So you have to accept a certain amount of damage here. And it shouldn’t bother you because it’s valuable in the sense that it’s feeding the food system.”

Jim Koan describes the early days of Integrated Pest Management and how IPM became a key framework for pest control in his Michigan-based organic apple orchard.

Part 4 Listen

Long-Range Thinking: Plans A, B and C | Length: 4:20

“…we’re a creature that wants security and predictability. And so what happens is, if it worked last year, they’re gonna do it again this year, even though it may not work… that takes energy, to plan far ahead. And you need a plan A, a plan B, and a plan C.”

Organic grower Jim Koan reflects on the mindset needed to succeed with perennial crops like apples that require longer-term investments of labor and capital.

Part 5 Listen

Observations on Going Organic | Length: 1:54

“You can nudge Mother Nature a little bit, but you can’t dominate her. You gotta respect her. So if you don’t know what you’re doin’, don’t do anything.”

Grower Jim Koan shares what it takes to succeed with organic apples and some of the changes he saw during his farm’s transition to organic.

Part 6 Listen

Snow Apples – Evaluating an Apple Variety | Length: 8:25

“Every farm had Snow Apples on it, that had apple trees. And I never could figure out why. In the beginning it kind of intrigued me because I always like to connect dots to try to make sense of stuff.”

Jim Koan discusses how the Snow Apple was introduced by early French settlers, and provides an example of how he evaluates an apple variety for his organic orchard.

Part 7 Listen

Peaches and Brown Rot | Length: 1:53

“I fooled around with ’em for three or four years, and I was able to control all the different insects, but not the brown rot.”

Jim Koan describes the problems he encountered with brown rot in peaches when transitioning from conventional to organic production in the 1980s – part of the reason he went with apples.

Part 8 Listen

First Generation: the Pioneering Mindset | Length: 4:25

“I see the younger people are gonna be more successful than other generations in doin’ this because they’re choosing to do it. Not because they had to do it. They had given this some thought and they’re makin’ the choice.”

Jim Koan emphasizes the importance of maintaining a first-generation attitude for successful farming: Make a choice, see the risks, persevere, and be willing to learn.

Part 9 Listen

Hungarian Bacon Fry | Length: 1:26

“…really, really bacony…”

Jim Koan shares the basics of his mother’s Hungarian bacon fry, a traditional outdoor experience where people gather around an open fire.