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Farm description
Interview
Quality
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. . . that the majority of people in Argentina are of Italian and not of Spanish descent.
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Fruempac Farms is an association of four family-owned farms located near General Roca in the Rio Negro Valley of Argentina. Together they farm almost 100 ha of organic apples and pears under irrigation. The oldest orchard was planted in 1957 and the most recent one in 2002. In 1970 the four growers decided to join forces to work together and learn from each other and they jointly established a packing facility in order to export their fruit. Shortly thereafter, one of the growers heard about organic practices during a visit to Italy. When he began implementing organic practices on his farm, the others also developed an interest and decided to do likewise. Eventually, they hired a full-time agronomist to help them convert their farms, which were certified organic in 1999
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In order to assure continual progress of organic practices, this agronomist visits each farm twice a week and discusses with farm managers and workers the fertility management, pest control, and specific organic post-harvest techniques. They have recently begun to incorporate compost as an important element of their organic management.
The family farms comprise between 20 and 40 ha and are well isolated from conventional neighbours, either by double rows of windbreaks or adjacent wild areas. The orchards are irrigated with some of the purest river waters in Argentina that originate from glaciers in the High Andes.
Unlike other packing houses in the area, Fruempac Farms share a packing facility that is dedicated to organic production and has recently been expanded and modernized (2003).
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