Welcome to the home of the Adams County Fruit Growers Association.
The mission of the Adams County Fruit Growers Association is to promote the fruit industry of Adams County, Pennsylvania by initiating and supporting promotional programs, supporting and encouraging educational programs, growing and marketing research and development projects, and any other programs or projects that shall be of benefit to the Adams County fruit industry.
For more information, contact us.
To all members, please take note, our email address has changed! Our new email is: adamscountyfruitgrowers@gmail.com
If you send a message through the “contact us” page your message will go to the new email or you can send us a message directly.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
AFTER HARVEST SOCIAL
The After Harvest Social will be held Saturday, November 9th, 5pm-7pm at Big Hill Ciderworks located at 338 Georgetown Road, Gardners, PA. Tickets are $20 for pizza bar and sides. Tickets can be purchased by contacting any ACFGA Board Member or reply to our email: adamscountyfruitgrowers@gmail.com. We look forward to seeing you at Big Hill Ciderworks to help celebrate the end of the growing season!
Presidents’ Day Commercial Tree Fruit School 2025
Mark your calendar - it will be held Monday, February 17th at Biglerville High School from 8:00 am - 3:30 pm. More information, to follow soon.
PAST EVENTS:
August 9th thru August 18th 2024
Bounty of the County! In August our local farms are will be well into harvest, and this event celebrates all that Adams County growers have to offer. Local Gettysburg restaurants will serve special menu items made to showcase our area's fresh produce. Growers work hard all season long to ensure a delicious apple, peach, berry, or vegetable. Dine in a local restaurant to celebrate harvest with us! A portion of your purchase supports research and education for Adams County fruit growers. Find out more here.
2024 ACFGA BANQUET
Mark your calendar! The 2024 ACFGA Banquet will be held Thursday, March 14th at 5pm (Social Hour) at Hickory Bridge Farm. Meal served at 6pm. Tickets are $40. Join fellow fruit growers as we honor the Outstanding Fruit Grower and celebrate another harvest season in the books. As always, there will be many door prizes available! You do not need to attend the Presidents’ Day meeting to register for the banquet. To attend, use the ACFGA Presidents’ Day Registration Form. Banquet registration is at the bottom.
Presidents’ Day Commercial Tree Fruit School 2024
Mark your calendar - it will be held Monday, February 19th at Biglerville High School from 8:00 am - 3:30 pm. For more information, click “Presidents’ Day Meeting” at the top of this page. Cost of attendance is $30 per member and $40 per non-member, includes lunch.
The full 2024 agenda, including the Spanish session and respirator fit training, the PDA credits associated with each talk, and full talk abstracts (summaries of the proposed content of the talk) will be available soon.
A downloadable, printable Registration Form is available. 2024 Meeting Agenda
2023 Distinguished Service Awards-Jim Schupp & Lee Showalter
At the Adams County Fruit Growers Association banquet held on March 14, 2024 Jim Schupp and Lee Showalter were honored for their many contributions to the fruit industry.
Dr. James R. (Jim) Schupp
Dr. James R. (Jim) Schupp came to Adams County to work at the Penn State Fruit Research and Extension Center in 2004. This was a difficult economic time within the Pennsylvania fruit industry and he immediately recognized the need to retool producers with innovative orchard systems and technologies.
He was a major contributor to the Pennsylvania Specialty Crop Innovations initiative which began with local and nation-wide strategic planning sessions, subsequently leading to successful awards during the first year Specialty Crop Research Initiative grants were funded by the US Farm Bill. One grant, with Carnegie Mellon, was $6 million with matching dollars from growers and commercialization partners. The second grant, led by Penn State, was $1 million. The matching funds from growers were in the form of orchard acreage contributed for commercial-scale research by Dr. Schupp and his team. This multidisciplinary, multistate research demonstrated significant horticultural, sociological and economic advantages for adopting more efficient and cost-effective growing systems and technologies for thinning and harvesting apple crops. Many additional USDA, SHAP and PDA grant-supported projects led to efficiencies in pruning apples, improvements in fruit quality and marketability, and new rootstocks and systems for growing peaches more efficiently. Professor Schupp also has been an industry leader in researching horticultural tools for optimizing crop load management, minimizing calcium-related deficiencies and other horticultural defects that downgrade fruit, and preventing fruit losses due to premature fruit drop.
In his Extension role, Dr. Schupp was integral in training a next generation of fruit growers from diverse backgrounds. He was frequently invited to present workshops and field trainings for the Young Grower Alliance, and he initiated hands-on pruning workshops in both English and Spanish. Dr. Schupp was appointed Director of the Penn State Fruit Research and Extension Center at a time when there was a need to address new positions and facilities to better serve a “retooled” fruit industry. Under his leadership, and with strong support from industry, student housing was built, two specialty crop engineers were hired (one on campus and one at FREC), and plans began for a fabrication shop for engineers. He also was able to demonstrate the need for a full-time director so that he could return to giving 100% of his time to his research and extension programs. Dr. Schupp is regularly invited to present his research findings at local, national and international horticultural conferences and is known for his grower-friendly style of helping growers understand how best to adopt a new practice.
Lee Showalter
Lee's journey in agriculture began in 1969 when the Showalter Family embarked on a new chapter by purchasing Five Forks Orchards in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Fresh out of Penn State with a degree in AG Business Management, Lee embraced this opportunity wholeheartedly, laying the foundation for what would become a storied career in the orchard industry.
Under Lee's leadership and expertise, Five Forks Orchards flourished, specializing in the cultivation of apples and stone fruit. As the business evolved, so did Lee's commitment to excellence. His dedication to the craft of fruit growing was evident as he immersed himself in various industry initiatives. He has served on the Pennsylvania Apple Marketing Program for many years in addition to contributing his expertise to organizations such as the SHAP research committee, Knouse Foods Cooperative, and the US Apple Association.
In 2010, Lee joined Rice Fruit Company. With his wealth of experience and unwavering dedication, Lee transitioned seamlessly into the realm of food safety, becoming a beacon of knowledge and guidance for apple growers near and far. His role as a grower liaison and peer mentor has left an indelible mark on the industry, earning him the esteemed title of Apple Person of the Year in 2015.
Tonight, as we honor Lee Showalter with the Distinguished Service Award, let us not only celebrate his remarkable achievements but also acknowledge the impact he has had on the apple industry and the countless lives he has touched along the way. From his early days in the orchard to his ongoing commitment to education and mentorship, Lee exemplifies the very best of what it means to be a leader and a steward of agriculture.
On of the Adams County Fruit Growers Association and all those whose lives have been enriched by Lee's passion and dedication, we extend our deepest gratitude and heartfelt congratulations. Lee, may your legacy continue to inspire generations to come.