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sive labor-saving equipment and Rappahannock’s brand of farming is mostly small scale, they agreed.
But by careful attention to market trends, profits can be maximized, Mr. Williams noted.
He acknowledged that records show a decline in the number of orchards and the number of apple trees in Rappahannock County:
1972:42 orchards; 98,806 trees.
1977: 40 orchards; 87,376 trees.
1982: 28 orchards; 66,098 trees.
1987: 23 orchards; 74,510 trees.
And the bulk of the trees — 13,316 — fall in the 22 years old and older category compared to just 890 trees in the one to three year range. But the upswing in numbers of trees for 1987, plus a surge beginning in 1986 and continuing today in the number of bushels produced gives cause for “cautious optimism,” the extension agent maintained.
After a hiatus of several years, veteran orchardists are now replanting old orchards, he reported. And new comers are buying small acreage to test the possibilities for new orchards. “They’re going to try to make a go of it,” he said.
“Years ago, you bought Red Delicous or you bought nothing,” Mr. Williams said, adding quickly that this handsome favorite is still a good apple popular with growers and consumers alike. “But we’re seeing changes in the tastes of consumers. They want an apple that tastes good and they’re realizing that beauty may only be skin deep.”
By taking advantage of this new taste consciousness and the renewed health consciousness and interest in fresh fruit and vegetables on the part of consumers, Rappahannock’s orchardists can do more than just survive — they can thrive, Mr. Williams predicted.
Meanwhile, he looks to the county’s zoning and subdivision ordinances to protect the farming industry from the competition of the development industry. “There’s great pressure, but so far, our zoning laws have kept it manageable.”
As to the sale of Herbert Foster’s farm, Mr. Williams expressed confidence that unlike other properties formerly owned by long-time farming families, this land will stay in agricultural production. “They have a very good cattle operation (at the Dahlgren farm nearby which the owner-to-be purchased previously.) «5>.-They’re going to farm it, and they’re going to ^do it well.”
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