Fishkill Farms is primarily an apple orchard. We grow over fifteen varieties of apples and a wide variety of other fruit.

Growing apples in the Northeast has been called the “final frontier” of organic farming. The climate and environment create a complex of pests and diseases that are extremely difficult to handle organically. However, we have begun to transition several acres to organic management, and are developing an IPM (Integrated Pest Management) program for the rest that we believe is every bit as eco-friendly as an organic program.

Whenever possible, we opt for low toxicity materials that target particular pests instead of the whole ecosystem. One such material, kaolin clay, is completely non-toxic, yet has the amazing property of camouflaging the fruit from insect pests. Another method that allows us to reduce pesticide use is to control apple maggot flies with hundreds of sticky red traps hung in the trees.

Some synthetic materials are no more harmful than the organic alternatives. We believe in an educated approach that considers the pros and cons of each material before we use it. We only spray when orchard monitoring indicates it is absolutely necessary to protect our fruit.