Have you ever met someone who wholeheartedly loves what they do? Meet Jeremy, a 2024 graduate from the University of Massachusetts's Stockbridge School of Agriculture, who has played a crucial role as a grower on our substrate team for the last year and a half.
Jeremy recognizes that in today's world, pursuing horticulture or agriculture may not feel "practical", but emphatically believes that students shouldn’t be discouraged. After all, farmers will never go out of style. Jeremy describes his first year in the agricultural industry as "extremely eye-opening, but in a comforting way," easing the worries he had while in school. From hands-on learning about the crops we grow to networking with partnership companies, his exposure provided a realistic understanding of what the industry looks like and how it functions—and he loves it. Jeremy stresses the importance of enjoying the work you do, "If you have no innate drive, you won't progress in the same way; you need to do something you love. If you want to get into farming, do it, seriously!" He advises newcomers not to limit themselves by specializing too soon. “Fundamental plant skills will take you far; experience with plants matters most,” he says.
One thing Jeremy knows for sure? Long cane production is on the rise, and he expects it to continue. Long cane raspberry production blends traditional agriculture with modern fruit growing, delivering high-quality fruit and long-term sustainability. We understand that growing bare-root plants into fruiting plants is a significant undertaking. With long canes, we provide you with a product that has healthy roots, is the right size for lateral production, is beneficial for cost, and produces cohesive fruit.
By staying at the forefront of technological advancements and systems, we continually improve our methods. We use Air Trays to maximize airflow around the root zone, optimize root air pruning, and simulate natural root development in container production. In our goal to grow greener, we use Ellepots, which remove the need to ship in plastic. When you purchase a long cane, you're receiving a healthy and well-developed product that's already off to a good start. By allowing us to focus on root production, growers optimize fruit production. Shortening the time our growers spend tending to the plants reduces the risk of pests and diseases, while also yielding significant savings on labor costs and sprays.
Long cane production is all about consistency. Our methods ensure that when our product reaches our growers' fields, they have rows of identical plants of the same height and yield, allowing them to project harvest numbers with greater accuracy. This production system will enable growers to streamline their operations—plant it in the ground, water, fertilize, and it'll take right off! In approximately 90 days after planting, the fruiting season typically begins. Long cane production systems are excellent options for U-pick operations, as they enable growers to have control over the fruiting season.
One long cane variety Jeremy believes should be on every grower's radar is Cascade Gem. Jeremy expects Cascade Gem's popularity to surge due to its impressive root system, habit to "grow quickly like a weed", and having no susceptibility to pests or diseases.
