History, Outdoors, Sports by Daniel Huss | May 2025 Your golf course has some history when cut hayfields served as fairways and borrowed tomato cans Your golf course has some history when the fairways were watered by a team of horses And your golf course really has some history when green fees were 35 cents Leo Feser referenced the above in a story penned in May 1971 describing the history of Orono Orchards Golf Course (The City of Orono purchased the course from the Feser family in 1967.) Feser designed played and ran the course—with lots of help from family and friends making this year the course’s 101st anniversary Orono Orchards Golf Course was the first privately owned public course in Minnesota and the first public course in the state to feature grass greens all the other municipal courses played sand greens.) When it opened the only other public courses in the Metro area were Glenwood (now Theodore Wirth Golf Course) and Columbia courses The Orono Orchards Golf Course clubhouse is the former Feser family home was here to talk about the course last year for the 100-year anniversary He knew exactly how the glass in a window cracked.” Let’s just say a little brotherly disagreement led to a slammed door as there are plans to extend the first and second holes the goal is to transform the nine-hole course into a par-36 course “Number five is where the original clubhouse was,” she says “It features a pond and a water fountain.” Linder says Orono Orchards’ Tuesday men’s league is the longest running men’s league in the state kids weren’t allowed to play without an adult,” Linder says as junior players are the future of the sport.” Some 15,000 rounds were played on Orono Orchards last year This factors in losing 10 days because of inclement weather and 49 days when golf carts couldn’t be used If you’re one of those hitting the course this year a charter member of the golf course construction crew would take the ground’s watering wagon home at the end of each day and refill the water tank from a windmill-powered well to water the greens—in preparation of welcoming another round of golfers The City of Orono hosts a tree-lighting ceremony on the Orono Orchards Golf Course grounds on the first Saturday of December The day’s festivities are followed by what has been described as the best fireworks of the season the course features free sledding throughout the winter season and the clubhouse opens for snacks and hot chocolate on designated days Sign up for our newsletter and receive email updates with our top stories History, Noteworthy Noteworthy, Recipes Noteworthy, Shops, Style © Copyright 2026 Local. All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy Read the May 2025 Lake Minnetonka Magazine Digital Edition            (This article has been updated with new information.) Popular pick-your-own apple trees, pumpkins and a year-round farm store draw people from around Central Indiana to Tuttle Orchards, a Hancock County family business nearing its centennial birthday several families stopped by the modest arrangement of half a dozen white buildings cars line the parking lot as people flock to the site for fall activities except for the occasional semi-truck that speeds by on the narrow but busy road adjacent to the orchard a reminder of the commercial industry that is creeping into the rural area Hancock residents are concerned a proposed industrial development next door could change the serene nature of the orchard Approval for the industrial complex just east of the Indianapolis Regional Airport would open the door to building a data center campus next to the apple trees Tuttle's owners earlier this month expressed their concerns about how the Surge development would change their area in a letter sent to customers and posted on social media "The atmosphere and surrounding landscape to the farm are important to our success," the Roney family wrote in the letter "The presence of large industrial buildings very close to the farm could detract from this environment and erode the unique appeal that draws families and community groups to our farm year after year As a business that has served our community for over 95 years we want to continue to serve our community." The Roney family, descendants of the orchard's founder Roy Tuttle, are also circulating a petition and asking customers to send comments to the Hancock County Planning Commission Tuttle Orchards owners declined a request for an interview for this story Though many in the area have expressed public opposition to the site, the more than 700 acres were designated for future manufacturing use in the county's 2023 comprehensive land use plan. Massive data centers for digital data and computing technology have drawn the ire of neighbors across the country as more and more land goes to fuel the rise in artificial intelligence the companies behind data centers remain a mystery to those in the community Surge Development has been public about its intent The company said that it is amending the initial plans and will present an updated proposal at a public informational meeting on May 8 at Greenfield-Central High School following meetings with Tuttle's and other local landowners The plan will likely go through more tweaks before the Hancock County Area Planning Commission hears it on May 27 Surge Development principal Chris King said he wants to be a good neighbor and hear the public feedback "Part of what is important to me is that we are respectful and we listen to those comments and we are making those decisions for everyone to coexist," King said Surge Development said the megasite will "allow for the development of a Data Center/Industrial campus with a variety of uses with flexibility to grow as the market may dictate which would include electrical infrastructure and accessory uses to support a technologically advanced and significant investments in Hancock County." While Surge Development is behind the rezoning petition a different company would sign on to the project to operate the data center then we will work with local economic development to draw in businesses," King said "It's really about trying to get everything in order to make sure the site can support that development and get the proper zoning More: A massive data center is planned for Franklin Township, but many residents are concerned Residents worry the development will drain the area's resources because data centers require large amounts of water and energy to keep the technology running and cooled As a resident in neighboring Shelby County King said he understands such concerns but added that the company is committed to building an industrial site with transparent operations King said Duke Energy and NineStar Connect will provide energy to the property while Citizens and NineStar Connect provide water NineStar Connect has not been contacted about providing water or electricity to the site Surge has also worked with Aqua Indiana to ensure proper wastewater treatment we would create a utility plan that we would share with the county and how it can be met with the available utilities as we see those needs," King said "We're going to make it clear and present it so that it's available to the public." Alysa Guffey covers business and development for IndyStar. Contact her at amguffey@gannett.com. Follow her on X: @AlysaGuffeyNews Sign up for our daily Newsletter and stay up to date with all the latest news You are receiving this pop-up because this is the first time you are visiting our site You are using software which is blocking our advertisements (adblocker) we are relying on revenues from our banners So please disable your adblocker and reload the page to continue using this site.Thanks The cherry orchards along the east shore of Flathead Lake contrasting sharply with the previous year's challenges a severe January freeze led to a near-total crop failure for local cherry growers owner of Buena Vista Orchard and board member of the Flathead Cherry Growers' Co-op "There are buds all over the place." The unique climate around Flathead Lake where the lake acts as a "heat sink," typically provides more stable temperatures for cherry growth last year's extreme freeze disrupted this pattern resulting in a drastic reduction in Johnson's yield to just 3,000 pounds a field representative for Monson Fruit Company commented on the weather conditions this year "This year our winter was a little more normal and we didn't have the severe drop in temperature as long as there is not an abrupt change." Monson Fruit Company plays a crucial role in processing and marketing the cherries from the Flathead Cherry Growers' Co-op The company collects 80% of the co-op's harvests which are then sold both domestically and internationally A new challenge for the growers this year involves navigating the impact of elevated tariffs imposed during President Donald Trump's administration which have affected international trade dynamics "I can't foresee how [tariffs] would help us," highlighting concerns about the tariffs' impact on sales to Canada and Mexico The cherry harvest is expected to peak from late July into August with orchardists preparing for a more robust season compared to the previous year Campbell noted that last year's lack of cherries led to reduced customer visits but this year the orchards anticipate a more active market Source: Daily Inter Lake Frontpage photo: © Lisanova | Dreamstime FreshPublishers © 2005-2025 FreshPlaza.com EDNEYVILLE - Even as many Western North Carolina industries make progress toward recovery from Tropical Storm Helene including apple growers in Henderson County are still often struggling to get back to where they were before the storm Federal and state disaster relief that they’ve been counting on for months has been trickling down the pipeline at a rate that some farmers say is too slow for the urgency of the situation Apples are Henderson County’s signature crop The county produces 85% of the state's apples and there is even an apple on the official county seal The 150 orchards in Henderson County on average generate upward of $22 million every year according to the Henderson County Chamber of Commerce's website “We got a real temperate climate,” which is ideal for apples a sixth-generation apple farmer and chairman of the Henderson-Polk-Transylvania Farm Service Agency office “We don't have hurricanes. We don't have wildfires,” he said with a shrug. “Well, this year we had hurricanes and we had wildfires.” about a 60% to 70% total loss” to his crop Members of his family received relief money from FEMA and the Red Cross but “on the farm side of things … we’ve received nothing,” he said More: Farm Service Agency office surrounded by Helene-impacted farms to be terminated, DOGE says Congress passed the American Relief Act of 2025 which allocated $31 billion in economic and disaster relief money to agricultural producers nationwide $10 billion will go to growers of commodity crops like cotton director of the Henderson County office of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Another $21 billion will go toward disaster relief for agriculture nationwide through the U.S Department of Agriculture or state departments of agriculture Some of the $10 billion has already gone out to farmers that $20 billion has not started really flowing.” Chuck Edwards told the Times-News that after an April meeting with White House officials he believed Western North Carolina would soon see some relief “They assured me that all of my requests to accelerate payments would be given high priority and that they would be working with the various federal agencies responsible," Edwards said “I believe that we can expect very soon to see those payments put into the hands of the people that need them." the North Carolina General Assembly passed a $524 million relief package with $200 million for Helene recovery and another $111 for relief from other disasters including drought The deadline to apply for that aid is May 4 Kelley estimated that farmers could start receiving checks in late June “The biggest thing I'm hearing is that it's slow and it's late,” he said of relief generally and we're still waiting to get disaster relief from last year.” More: US Ag secretary says 'mistakes made' in some fed firings; may review some USFS job cuts “A lot of (farmers) have gone out on faith to put in another crop not knowing whether they're going to get anything from last year or not,” he said $200 million probably won’t be enough to sufficiently cover all the agricultural losses from Helene in Western North Carolina Most of the agricultural relief that’s been paid out has gone through the federal Farm Service Agency and its subsidiaries including the Emergency Conservation Program which gives aid to restore damaged farmland which provides assistance for losses to orchards and tree farms But both of those require farmers to pay for restoration upfront and then be reimbursed afterward Enloe said that he applied to the Tree Assistance Program for reimbursement on 2,800 trees but that he had around that amount again in losses that didn't qualify Saturated ground combined with wind created conditions where the weight of the apples themselves could pull trees over silt and debris from flooding covered the orchard floor But it’s not only dead and downed trees that might need replacement New trees from nurseries need to be planted together in rows with wire trellises Gaps left by mature fallen trees can’t be filled without cutting down the whole row That lost density “takes away the profitability of the orchard The best thing to do is just start over,” Barnwell said Barnwell said new trees might cost $15 each “There are a lot of good folks at our local FSA office that are helping out with those so I think those are going to come to fruition,” Enloe said “But the time is the issue … (with) expenses piling up and then nothing on the backside of it yet.” it probably won’t be able to fully reckon with the entire cost of damage in the long run A mature “tree was going to produce for 30 you've wiped those 10 to 12 years of (the costs of raising the tree) off the map,” Enloe said Department of Agriculture and state offices of the USDA and the Farm Services Agency couldn’t be reached for comment by press time More: Stein signs disaster bill that will send more than $500 million to WNC for Helene recovery More: NC launches infrastructure grant program to support small businesses impacted by Helene George Fabe Russell is the Henderson County Reporter for the Hendersonville Times-News Citizen Times reporter Jacob Biba contributed to this story GREEN BAY (WLUK) -- A Green Bay nonprofit hopes to bring fruitful lessons to elementary school students New Leaf Foods helped three Green Bay schools install a variety of fruit trees Friday. These installations will mark the 10th Community Orchard installed at schools in Brown County since the project’s inception just two years ago. Franklin Elementary and McAuliffe Elementary schools each received two apple, pear, and cherry trees. Jackson Elementary added two cherry trees to its existing orchard. Once the trees bear fruit, it will give the schools an opportunity to incorporate the produce into their food pantries and curriculum for the students to learn different healthy recipes. “I hope something that the kids can learn is that growing your own food is not such a foreign process, like you go to the store and you see all these crazy variety of fruits and stuff but you might not think it’s attainable to grow it yourself but we really want to spread that message that with a little hard work and consistency, you too can grow some amazing produce," said New Leaf Foods communications coordinator, Lauren Knisbeck. As part of the project, New Leaf Foods also donated 80 Juneberry plants to 40 families from Howe, Nicolet, Kennedy, and Fort Howard schools. If you ask Randy Kiyokawa what it takes to grow the perfect apple Kiyokawa should know. His orchard in Parkdale, just south of Hood River, Oregon was once named “best apple orchard in America” by USA Today Randy Kiyokawa shows off his smallest and largest apple varieties during the annual apple tasting event at Kiyokawa Family Orchards visitors flock to the large fruit stand and u-pick area at Kiyokawa Family Orchards for its 125 varieties of apples—plus a cornucopia of pears But it’s the apples that are Kiyokawas' signature fruit “Everything the taste buds can go and imagine,” Kiyokawa says Randy manages the orchard while sisters Connie Margie and Becky travel back to Parkdale to help during the busy fall harvest season turned 101 in 2024 and still lives on the family property She walks two miles every day while listening to Elvis songs and can’t get enough chocolate “I am stubborn,” she joked with daughter Connie That stubbornness might in fact be the Kiyokawas’ fourth success ingredient Theirs is one of the few remaining Japanese American-owned orchards in the Hood River Valley — a rare multigenerational enterprise that survived the forced relocation of Japanese communities into concentration camps during World War Two; and persisted in returning to work the land The Kiyokawa family in front of the farm stand in 2006 less than 40% of Issei (first-generation Japanese immigrants) and Nisei (second generation) returned to Hood River,” said Linda Tamura who has written two books about the Hood River Valley’s Japanese Americans and is herself a third generation Sansei with family ties to the valley “Hood River apples have really symbolized the highs and the lows of my hometown.” The Kiyokawa family has been farming the area since 1911 Randy’s grandfather Riichi followed a wave of immigration from Japan to the Hood River Valley — first landing in Hawaii then California and making his way up the West Coast working on railroad lines his work brought him to the upper Hood River Valley where he was able to acquire a 5-acre plot of land and begin planting fruit trees Riichi Kiyokawa farmed a plot of land in Dee “Hood River had a reputation for the quality of its apples from the late 1890s and early 1900s,” said Tamura Hood River won international recognition for the quality of its apples at world events.” the Hood River Valley had Oregon’s largest population of Japanese Americans outside of Portland and were also producing 25% of Hood River’s fruit Roosevelt’s signing of Executive Order 9066 and it later turned out Nisei citizens as well would be removed from their homes and sent to concentration camps on American soil,” Tamura said The shockwave soon reached the Hood River Valley they understood that they would need to leave their homes.” Many Japanese Hood River farming families scrambled to make agreements with neighbors friends and whoever they could to care for their land “My grandfather was fortunate enough to lease his land to the Stadelman family,” who owned tracts of land and fruit businesses in the area Japanese citizens were actually offering their property for sale because they didn’t believe they’d be able to come back,” Tamura said Michiko Kiyokawa, née Jinguji, was a teenager living in Tacoma, Washington at the start of the war. She and her family were eventually sent to the notorious Tule Lake concentration camp in Northern California “Tule Lake was a dry lake bed and it was unconscionably hot (and) dry,” said Linda Tamura a single light bulb and the family lived there together But when reflecting on her memories from Tule Lake one in particular stands out for Mich Kiyokawa “That’s where I met my future husband,” she said They would drive around and we had Hood River people on our block Michiko Kiyokawa née Jinguji holds a picture from her wedding day in 1945 The two met while incarcerated at Tule Lake War Relocation Center in Northern California Mamoru “Mam” Kiyokawa had grown up on his family’s orchard in Dee Mich and Mam married in 1945 while Mam was serving with the U.S and eventually returned to the Hood River Valley “His family had an orchard and he bought a place in Parkdale,” Mich remembers that’s the first time I was smelling dirt.” Randy Kiyokawa also remembers that his grandparents and many others who had lived through World War Two incarceration didn’t speak openly about their experience even to family members “That was part of the gaman “The perseverance that Issei learned to demonstrate.” Mich and Mam raised five children and worked the land at the base of Mount Hood until 1987 Randy returned to take over the operation of the orchard “Even going through high school and even college knew that I’d be coming back to the farm,” he said admires Randy’s leadership of the family business “My dad was a traditional orchardist and you can count how many apple and pear varieties they had on one or two hands,” Kiriu said “Randy had taken over the farm and has just pushed the envelope on all kinds of things.” One of Randy Kiyokawa’s ideas was selling all of his apples direct-to-consumer visitors travel in droves to the large farm stand and u-pick area not just to fill up fruit boxes but also to enjoy a lineup of events like the Honeycrisp Harvest Festival and apple tasting Kiyokawa fruit can be found at many of the Portland Metro area’s farmers markets Some of the 80 different varieties of apples at Kiyokawa Family Orchard’s annual tasting event held on Oct “We get to have direct contact with people,” Randy Kiyokawa said For Japanese Americans with memories of connection to the land the feelings associated with harvest time transcend any single season whose family was also rooted in the Hood River Valley equates the fall apple bounty with the joy of cultural continuity “When I go into Kiyokawa Orchards and see the fruit and the busy people there’s some pride that I have in recognizing what they’ve done,” said Tamura “To bring back memories of my grandparents and my parents There’s a real joy and power in knowing that this is continuing.” her feelings can be described simply as gratitude for generations past “I’m grateful to my parents and my grandparents on both sides for having the courage of crossing the ocean and setting up a place that we can live,” said Kiriu A spring rainbow lights up the sky over the Kiyokawa Family Orchards Illustration by Sharon Albor / image source: the Kiyokawa family Tags: Oregon Experience, Business, Farming, Farmers, Hood River, Asian-American, Superabundant Federal funding for public media is under threat Stand with OPB and protect independent journalism for everyone Listen to the OPB News live stream (opens new window)Streaming Now immigrant experiences and foodways—crafting stories through an inclusive and experiential lens Prior to his current role, Arya was the co-creator and showrunner of \"Superabundant,” OPB’s award-winning video series exploring food systems of the Pacific Northwest He honed his craft at IFA Media in Singapore where he developed and produced TV documentaries for international networks such as the History Channel the National Geographic Channel and ARTE France Arya got his start freelancing for Vanity Fair. He co-produced a video for the magazine’s 2008 essay on waterboarding, “Believe Me, It's Torture.” The story is credited as the catalyst for former U.S Attorney General Eric Holder’s investigation of the interrogation practice Arya holds a master of fine arts degree from American University's School of Communication in Washington Arya Surowidjojo is a documentary filmmaker and the Executive Producer of OPB's history documentary series \"Oregon Experience.” His body of work focuses on histories – Nichols Ranch and Orchards say they are more or less two months aways from their opening day They are best known for their apples and cherries that’s when they start to see some damage That cost them a good chunk of their crops we believe we have 50% of a cherry crop right now It’s a little early to be able to check and see how much more than 50% we know we got at least half a crop,” said Nichols He says not too many of their apricots survived Nichols says as soon as you start to feel the warm temperatures but it’s also when they become the most vulnerable and prone to frost damage.  They use icicles use to mitigate frost ahead of the drop in temperatures and that heat gives a little bit of warmth to the blooms and offers protection and that takes the cold air out of the orchard and throws it up above the trees so that warmer air can come in,” Nichols said Despite some of the crops not making it through It all depends on the weather between now and June But they are scheduled to have their annual Cherry Festival mid-June Any person with disabilities who needs help accessing the content of the FCC Public File may contact KOB via our online formor call 505-243-4411 — Spring weather means gardening season is drawing closer and community-minded gardeners in Cavalier and Devils Lake are preparing that means watching for the ground to thaw at Pembina County Community Orchard where she’ll soon be planting grafted apple and pear trees as the master gardener certified through an NDSU Ag Extension course made by shop students from North Border Walhalla She has been with the orchard for four years and for someone who has gardened for the past 16 years in the North Dakota climate “It was a natural progression for me to become a master gardener and to take care of the orchard,” she said “I used to drive past the orchard and see the sign and just rubber neck started in 2016 or 2017 to Stegman’s recollection sits on the grounds of the Pembina County Historical Society in Cavalier and is open year-round to visitors who want to sit on the benches look through the pollinator gardens or pick some of the varieties of fruit that grow there Stegman said some of the available fruits include apples An orchard is also being grown to the west Department of Agriculture plant 368 trees last year near the garden said the city is working on keeping them alive and growing until they’re ready for people to pluck fruit from them made up of 146 plots measuring about 25 by 30 feet each to sign a contract and submit a $30 deposit for their plot Residents get their deposit back at the end of fall if they maintain their plots while those who don’t can’t come back to the garden in the future Started around 2004 by the Devils Lake Chamber of Commerce and has expanded over time as popularity has increased People plant “everything you can imagine,” Carlson said and some people have called saying they’ve already bought seeds and are germinating their tomatoes “There are a lot of people that have told me it’s like a social event They go out there and they work in the gardens and all the other people working in the gardens they’re visiting back and forth and comparing notes and comparing plants.” The Pembina orchard has also seen a growth in visitors Visibility of the space on social media through Facebook and school visits are part of the reason as well as holding events and volunteering opportunities to draw people in Students from all over the area come to learn the science behind the plants as well as help out with mulching or other tasks There have also been classes on making brooms out of the broom corn grown at the orchard Stegman believes it’s also a place to step back into nature “It’s so freeing in the orchard,” she said There’s so much ample opportunity for hands-on I have never had a kid or an adult come into the orchard and not become happier after doing it.” If there’s one thing Stegman wants people to see when they come to the orchard is that North Dakota soil can grow more than people may expect “We are trying to get everything in the orchard that can be grown in North Dakota to show people what is possible in our climate because it’s more varied than people realize,” she said it is critical to optimize water needed for crop irrigation to secure food production and livelihoods while reducing environmental impacts we focus on water use for almonds — a crop that occupies roughly 20% of the irrigated agricultural land in California and has long been the focus of scrutiny we find that there is little difference between evapotranspiration at regenerative and conventional sites in winter months and that regenerative sites have similar or slightly lower evapotranspiration during the growing season Orchards with cover crops had higher infiltration rates of winter precipitation than those without; however soil moisture did not differ between management types This case study demonstrates that regenerative management in almond orchards leads to improvements in soil moisture retention without guaranteeing increased evapotranspiration AgricultureAlmondsEvapotranspirationRegenerative agriculture NORTH LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — The City of North Las Vegas has launched a restoration project at Kiel Ranch Historic Park transforming an old orchard that dates back to the 1850s which once provided sustenance to miners working on the nearby railroad is being revitalized with a $150,000 investment from the city The project includes the planting of 36 fruit trees and several vegetable planters The produce harvested from the orchard will be distributed to seniors and those less fortunate within the community the city plans to offer farming and gardening classes to educate residents on how to cultivate their own food This initiative aims to address food insecurity as 13% of people in the valley are affected The restoration is part of a broader effort to increase vegetation in urban areas to combat the "urban heat island effect," a phenomenon where urban regions experience significantly higher temperatures than rural areas WEST BROOKFIELD — In an overgrown apple orchard here on Foster Hill Road gaunt trees bear too many crooked branches for their own good as strangling bittersweet snakes about their boughs The quiet on a stark April morning belies the activity soon to come to this orchard at least a few people believe enough in the underlying beauty to restore it Such efforts were expected to start soon on a 12-acre section of the roughly 200-acre Honey Bee Orchards, where longtime resident Steve Garwood has secured a new home for Ragged Hill Cider Company the small cidery he runs with his daughter will help return the lush green to the branches While it will take around five years to clean up the orchard including introducing new apple varieties (a process called grafting) Ragged Hill hopes to open a tasting room at Honey Bee Orchards’ former farm stand Ragged Hill figures to play a small part in a larger goal of reviving all 200 acres of the defunct Honey Bee Orchards the permaculturist and amateur winemaker Vincent Cardillo “Ragged Hill Cider Company will be an anchor here,” Garwood said We’ll be able to provide an initial draw.” Honey Bee Orchards will become Nicola Farms — named in honor of Cardillo’s father — where Cardillo plans to establish a distillery and winery as well as a farm store for his craft sodas and mocktails As for the vast expanse of land he now owns who goes by “Vin,” has reserved one area for chestnuts but more tillable grounds wait for any farmer in search of soil and orchardist Keith Arsenault opened their cidery at Arsenault’s Ragged Hill Orchard in 2016 Garwood dabbled in winemaking before turning to hard cider to create a liquid that captured the region’s terroir nuanced bottled New England ciders in the state The cidery had a tasting room at Ragged Hill until 2022 when Arsenault chose to retire and sell his orchard the father-daughter team have been self-distributing their bottles to a small number of stores and selling at farmers markets; they have produced their cider with help from fellow Massachusetts cideries Artifact Cider Project and Stormalong Cider Garwood has searched for a new orchard for his cidery always staying abreast of the happenings at Honey Bee Orchards Honey Bee Orchards started as a dairy farm the Haseotes family— the same family that owns Cumberland Farms convenience stores and gas stations — purchased the land planting apple the family in the early 2000s received permission to build a $250,000 farm stand on East Main Street to sell their fruits New owners took over operation of the farm stand in 2023 and the orchards went up for sale last year as state agricultural preservation restrictions meant developers had to maintain the property as farmland I’ve known the previous owner wanted to sell this orchard and it was always beyond our means to buy something this big,” Garwood said “So I’ve been looking around to try to find somebody with the means to buy this place and who would want to develop it as a center of local agricultural products and maybe try to bring the orchards back.” Five generations of Garwoods have lived in West Brookfield And he and his daughter both reside within walking distance of the orchard reserved for their cidery The apple trees Ragged Hill will use to make cider have not been cared for in about five years an apple tree will only produce fruit every other year Garwood uses techniques that encourage the trees to produce fruit each year the 1,500 or so trees need a lot of attention Garwood has acquired two machines that will hasten the cutting and pruning Then he must go through to remove by hand weeds and other overgrowth He’ll introduce new apples to the orchard along the way better suited for making cider including one of the earliest varieties in the state called “Roxbury Russet.” And it was developed at a time when people who planted apples wanted apples that would be good for cider as well as for eating.” Cardillo initially sought about 20 or 30 acres to grow chestnuts never intending to acquire so many acres in one swoop he had planted about 300 grape vines for making wine Cardillo found himself drawn to more sustainable methods of farming “I ended up down this path of agroforestry — preserving the land and preserving the farms that are really beat down with a lot of chemicals,” he said noting that he recently obtained a permaculture certificate Although Honey Bee Orchards proved more land than he wanted Cardillo could not pass up the opportunity expanding his humble chestnut farming goals Nicola Farms will host Cardillo’s distillery and winery his spirits using the fruits of the orchard The farm stand built by the Haseotes will house Cardillo’s venture “We want to bring the community in as much as possible,” Cardillo said Cardillo has no desire to farm all 100 of his tillable acres and hopes to open land up for other local farmers I don’t want to farm all of that,” he said He sees his efforts to revive the orchards as a means to preserve them for years to come “We’re taking this piece of land in the middle of the town and bringing it back to life for the community,” he said Cornell graduate student Dana Russell plants strawberries in early September at a commercial solar farm in Ravena It is one of the active agrivoltaic research projects - the idea of growing crops while harnessing the sun's energy - around the state A small experimental apple orchard at Cornell’s Hudson Valley Research Laboratory may soon be topped by solar panels – which would not only track the sun to capture energy but provide a warm canopy on cooler spring days and shade the trees from excessive heat The research lab proposes to install a 300-kilowatt solar arrangement next spring to cover about 1,100 apple trees The single-axis movable energy array 12 feet above the ground to take advantage of the land by producing food and power “Nobody in North America has ever covered an apple orchard with solar panels,” said Jared Buono Agrivoltaics – the idea of growing viable crops while concurrently harnessing the sun’s energy with solar panels – is not a new concept Buono and his colleagues aim to demonstrate how the panels can be used to protect growing apples from extreme weather the researchers have installed agricultural mesh at three different heights to learn how the young densely packed dwarf trees and fruit respond A mesh shade cloth covers young apple trees at Cornell's Hudson Valley Research Lab in Highland The covering simulates how solar panels may affect the trees The lab proposes to install an array of panels above the trees next year with an installed array centered over the high-density orchard Buono can examine how varieties and rootstock react to covered or uncovered conditions When we want to keep the sun off the trees – apples can get sunburned – we’ll be able to cover them.” Through New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act the state aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030 and then 85% by 2050 from 1990 levels Science and agriculture are looking for ways to help achieve those goals “This research could help New York meet climate goals while keeping farmers farming and keeping the food system vibrant,” Buono said This research is providing possibilities for growers while we produce sustainable renewable energy.” Meanwhile, at a solar farm project in Ravena, New York, extension associate Caroline Marschner has planted a fall crop of lettuce strawberries and raspberries under a large commercial array of tilting She received permission to plant in late August but it took a few weeks to get the ground tilled and prepared This Cornell Agrivoltaics Research program – led by Marschner, Toni DiTommaso, professor in soil and crop sciences (CALS); and Steve Grodsky assistant professor courtesy in natural resources and the environment (CALS) – is funded by New York state to assess how crops can flourish under existing panels.  “In a short period of time we’ve learned a great deal about issues that producers will face farming crops in an existing solar facility,” Marschner said “There are wires carrying electricity everywhere There are entrance and safety requirements when working around high-voltage electricity.” In western New York, Cornell students under the guidance of Max Zhang the Irving Porter Church Professor of Engineering in the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering found that agrivoltaics in Concord grape vineyards could create mutual benefits for growers and solar developers while accelerating power grid decarbonization Their research is expected to publish later this fall.  “We’re studying all aspects of agrivoltaics so that farmers and policy makers can make informed decisions,” DiTommaso said “It’s a different ecosystem from all perspectives so rain will be concentrated and air movement changes I have no other comparison to this system.” DiTommaso and Grodsky are faculty fellows, and Zhang is a senior faculty fellow at the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability Get Cornell news delivered right to your inbox You may not be able to find the page you were after because of: You might find one of the following links useful: Robotic microscopes revolutionize biological research by automating cell tracking and enabling longitudinal studies on diseases Consumer drones are reshaping how we think about privacy blurring the lines between public airspace and personal space Feedback systems are crucial for robotic autonomy enabling real-time adaptation and decision-making for safe and efficient operation in various environments Discover Cavitar’s welding cameras that can be used in a variety of situations to offer high-quality visualization of the welding processes MTI’s 1510A portable signal generator and calibrator is ideal for testing the integrity of sensor signal conditioning electronics Using the advantages of the phased array technology Olympus has designed a powerful inspection system for seamless pipe inspections well-adapted to the stringent requirements of the oil and gas markets This phased array system is flexible and can be used to match inspection performances and the product requirements of customers you can trust me to find commercial scientific answers from AZoNetwork.com please log into your AZoProfile account first Registered members can chat with Azthena, request quotations, download pdf's, brochures and subscribe to our related newsletter content A few things you need to know before we start Read the full Terms & Conditions RICHLAND, Wash. — Washington State University’s Institute for Northwest Energy Futures (INEF) has received a $2.4 million grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce to demonstrate the economic and agricultural feasibility of using solar panels concurrent with apple production in Washington The grant will fund a 1-acre 610 kW dynamic agrivoltaic (DAV) demonstration system at the WSU Sunrise Research Orchard near Wenatchee a European company that constructs solar panel systems and the software that controls them The dual-use demonstration site is being designed to provide strategic orchard shading to help reduce summer sunburn risks while also generating solar power for agriculture operations “This demonstration will provide the basis for ongoing evaluation of the mutual benefits of dual-use solar in high-value orchards,” said Chad Kruger WSU Tri-Cities Institute for Northwest Energy Futures Kruger notes that demand for zero-carbon foods and renewable energy could soon move agriculture into electrifying more aggressively if the use case can be proven effective and economical could be a viable and self-reliant way to power irrigation pumps is the shade these solar panels can provide for high-value crops up to 50% of the fruit can be affected by sunburn,” said Stefano Musacchi Tree Fruit Endowed Chair in tree fruit physiology and management in the WSU Department of Horticulture “DAV systems can modify the microclimate by shading the tree and reducing sunburn and water use Reducing tree stress will also improve fruit quality,” added Musacchi zero-carbon premium fruit could excite Washington growers and help them stay competitive in a global market High-value apple orchards in Washington growing familiar varieties such as Honeycrisp Granny Smith and WA 38 (Cosmic Crisp®) represent approximately 35% of U.S domestic apple sales and are estimated to be produced on more than 50,000 acres in Washington State Covering 10,000 acres of these orchards with dynamic agrivoltaic systems could provide an impressive 6,100 MW of installed power generation capacity located where there is potential to return power to the grid This DAV demonstration will provide valuable insight into the commercial viability of these systems mutually beneficial solutions are needed as part of an integrated systems approach to meeting the clean energy demands of the future INEF is excited to be leading this effort,” remarked Noel Schulz Find more information online about how WSU is helping prepare for the warming climate and more — listen to podcasts from Washington State University About WSU: A selection of programs about Washington State North Adams Regional Hospital is North Berkshire's choice for healthcare services - Your Hospital Fourth-grade students at Williamstown Elementary School participated in our Junior Marketers Create an Ad series. click for more The Select Board on Monday saw regulations that will govern a fence-free "dog park" that the town plans to establish at the Spruces Park. click for more The sustainable aspects of the new $175 million Williams College Museum of Art will influence the next generation of arts leaders. click for more While three seats on the Select Board will be on the ballot at the May 13 annual town election, just one seat is contested. click for more © 2025 Boxcar Media LLC - All rights reserved Door County cherry trees are used to a little bit of ice, but this weekend's storm would not let up "I've never seen this amount of ice This is the worst we've ever seen," said Jim Seaquist He watched the forecast closely over the weekend as predictions for ice always raise concerns for his cherry trees "Most times you get a little bit of ice and it either gets warmer or colder it turns to rain or it turns to snow "Even though it was below freezing it stayed rain and it was heavy rain and then it continued to build." The relentless rain leaving acre after acre of his trees covered with ice There's areas that are definitely an inch around of ice," added Seaquist on the peninsula is dealing with a similar situation Just had a lot of rain and must have been the right temperature and it froze right away and freezing rain and just kind of covered all the trees Didn't seem like the roads were too bad it just hung on all the trees," said owner Chris Lautenbach The coating of ice on every branch of every tree in every orchard is as close as you can get to a disaster for these orchards While the ice isn't harming the cherry buds that still remain dormant this time of year but it's also causing limbs and branches to break some of the older trees," Lautenbach said "These trees are probably going to be a little bit bent deformed from being with this much weight on them for this long," added Seaquist Just like Mother Nature covered the trees branches Both orchards hoping for a warmup and lots of sunshine to melt the ice away "I don't really care how it melts off It can come slow or fast it just needs to melt," said Seaquist To prevent any further damage to the trees SUNY Erie Community College Board of Trustees Chair Jeff Stone addresses the board after it voted on a new location for the college’s South Campus Developers could soon be deciding where in the area surrounding the new Buffalo Bills stadium they would like to build a hotel or attraction A major opportunity soon will be presented to them right next door to the stadium and it won’t be in Orchard Park – the home of the team it will be in Hamburg – and Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz believes that could be a good thing SUNY Erie Community College (pictured in March 2024) which uses only three of the eight buildings on its South Campus is moving to a smaller site in Orchard Park The SUNY Erie Community College South Campus – the 102-acre property a stone’s throw away from where the $2.2 billion stadium is being constructed – likely will go on sale by the end of the year or sometime in early 2026 And it could be even more enticing for developers interested in property around the stadium because most of the campus is located in the neighboring Town of Hamburg The Town of Orchard Park adopted new zoning rules for the area around the stadium in October that it hopes will spur development once the stadium is completed in 2026 but Poloncarz is not sure the town went far enough in the changes He believes zoning in Hamburg has been more enticing to developers over the years which resulted in the creation of a busy district on McKinley Parkway there’s been little spinoff development in the area of the stadium since the team moved to the town more than 50 years ago most of the South Campus is zoned for residential use so it would likely require Hamburg to create a new zoning district that accommodates economic development The new Highmark Stadium rises behind the former ECC South Campus in Orchard Park “While you may not be able to put a six-story hotel or something like that in Orchard Park you can do it across the street,” Poloncarz said “Orchard Park never got anything because its zoning laws were so stringent that none of the developers wanted to put anything there.” One of the biggest parts of the new zoning passed in Orchard Park is the removal of the 2.5-floor height restriction on buildings in the town specifically for the construction of hotels in three new districts close to the stadium The town will now allow for hotels up to four floors to try to attract interested developers and help make the town more of a place to stay when events come to the stadium The new zoning district also allows for mixed-use development that could bring condos as well as restaurants and boutique stores and centers It’s also aimed at improving traffic management and congestion accessibility and public transportation options around the stadium the town is conducting a Stadium Area Comprehensive Development Study funded by a $100,000 grant from the state It will lead to the crafting of a master plan for the area that officials say they hope will help find ways to play off the stadium and create year-round opportunities for businesses and the community It may also inspire further changes to the town’s new zoning A view outside 50 Cobham Drive in Orchard Park ECC plans to lease the 37,000-square-foot facility within the Quaker Centre Industrial Park as the future home of its South Campus programs Orchard Park Council Member Joe Liberti has said he believes developers are happy that the town already has made changes to its zoning around the stadium and there has been some interest expressed in potential projects in the area since October “These developments will contribute significantly to boosting Orchard Park’s economy benefiting both residents and visitors,” said Liberti who spearheaded creating the new zoning districts “The developments around the stadium will create a dynamic significantly enhancing the fan experience during events,” he added “This transformation aims to ensure that every visit to the stadium is enjoyable and memorable.” Orchard Park also is working with officials in Hamburg which is beginning to craft its own rezoning plan for what it is calling the Stadium Economic Impact Area It’s an effort to make sure development around the stadium is uniform and that they are all moving in the same direction The county also will be a player in helping facilitate development opportunities in the area Most of the buildings on the current South Campus are located in Hamburg where Poloncarz believes zoning will be more beneficial for a potential hotel There are only three hotels or motels in Orchard Park and they are all one floor While there aren’t many hotels on McKinley Parkway the area has become a magnet for retail and restaurants there are a handful of multistory hotels already in Hamburg – mostly off the Thruway Hamburg has been pondering zoning changes to the stadium area that would include the “seven corners” at McKinley Parkway up Southwestern Boulevard toward Highmark Stadium and is using a $126,000 Smart Growth Community Planning and Zoning Grant for the zoning study That area currently is mostly a mix of light industrial and heavy industrial zoning and includes some residential property Commercial uses in the area from the stadium to McKinley Parkway as of now are limited Having more places to stay close to the stadium is critical in bringing further development to the area and could even be a boon for the Bills plans to bring the NFL draft to Western New York in 2028 or 2029 as well as other types of high-profile events which for years has aimed to remain quaint and has been careful about being overdeveloped is still restricting hotels around the stadium to four floors Poloncarz credits Orchard Park for working on making changes but he said they need to “up their game” to allow for more development surrounding the stadium He said the area already is going to have what equates to about a 15-story stadium which he thinks needs to be looked at as more of an asset “It’s not like you can’t see the stadium anywhere basically when you’re on the Thruway or 219 heading into the Southtowns The argument is that they want to remain this little village but they’re not – it’s grown,” Poloncarz said “They’re already going to have to deal with the traffic but they won’t get the benefit of it because all of the traffic will be going to Hamburg They’ll have to deal with the negative aspects of the stadium there so why not take advantage of the positives which is allowing the development and the tax base that comes with it.” A view outside 50 Cobham Drive in Orchard Park on Monday The South Campus will not be on the market until everything is moved to the new ECC site at 50 Cobham Drive in Quaker Centre Industrial Park There will still be some things going on at the current campus during the fall semester but that should wind down “The vast majority of it all will be moved by the fall with a couple of minor things still on site we start going through the process of offering it for public sale and taking the highest price,” Poloncarz said The 37,000-square-foot Cobham Drive location is mostly complete with new classrooms but some finishes are still required before students move in for the fall semester It is only 2½ miles from the current campus and will be significantly smaller than the Southwestern location which includes eight buildings but only three are being used by SUNY Erie A crew lays blacktop on the parking lot outside of 50 Cobham Drive in Orchard Park on Monday Proceeds from the sale will be reinvested back into the college we would put $25 million in for infrastructure at the college,” Poloncarz said He said it will take at least a few years to get the current South Campus redeveloped “It’s not going to happen in a short period,” he said Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter Email notifications are only sent once a day The New York State Department of Education recently approved SUNY Erie Community College's petition to be considered one college This summer is when some of the most important hires will be made for hospitality provider Legends at the new Buffalo Bills stadium Orchard Park has moved to make zoning around the Buffalo Bills new stadium more business friendly and developers have begun responding by exp… With the Buffalo Bills new stadium construction 15 to 18 months away from completion the state is ramping up its operating budget to provide … Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Apple trees blossom in this photo provided by Rader Family Farms The fourth-generation family farm operation in Normal said apple picking will be available for visitors this fall NORMAL — Visitors to Rader Family Farms this fall will find another avenue to enjoy fruits of the season with the launch of a new apple orchard The 5-acre addition will host over 3,000 trees with 15 different varieties of apple operations director for the fourth-generation family farm in Normal Apple-picking is expected to be available to visitors starting in September Fifteen different species of apple are to be grown in the new orchard at Rader Family Farms "Adding an orchard strengthens our connection to the land and gives families another way to experience agriculture firsthand," Rader said in a statement "It’s about stewardship — both of the environment and the traditions that keep our farm family-focused and faith-driven." He said beehives had been strategically placed throughout the farm to aid in pollination The orchard adds to an array of seasonal activities already available at the 80-acre farm a popular spot for pumpkin picking and field trips in the fall Its wide array of activities includes a giant slide corn maze and everything from tetherball to tram riding Plans are underway to expand the orchard in coming seasons, the business said. Updates on opening dates, apple availability and special events are to be be posted at raderfamilyfarms.com and on the farm's social media accounts Beehives placed strategically throughout Rader Family Farms in Normal are intended to aid in pollination as shown in this provided photo from the farm's new apple orchard Whether its a sunflower or pumpkin festival Rader Family Farms reaches out to the community Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly Salon of Urbana recently relocated to a larger facility at 2704 N SPRINGFIELD — Illinois agriculture and political leaders reacted positively to the U.S Environmental Protection Agency's decision to allow co… Consolidation can help to simplify your financial life but university professionals face unique considerations that make the process more complex Rivian has added a high-profile new executive to its board: Aidan Gomez cofounder and CEO of generative AI company Cohere NY — A large fire erupted Tuesday at Samascott Orchards in Kinderhook According to a spokesperson from the Kinderhook Fire Company crews battled the flames for approximately three hours Firefighters said the conditions were extremely treacherous firefighters had a hard time controlling the fire We tried to push [the fire] back to the south side of the building but there were just too many explosions at that point in time and we had to pull firefighters out for their safety," said Bartlett The Assistant Fire Chief went on to say it was "quite a tragedy" for the family-owned farm The cause of the fire is under investigation Around Cornell News directly from Cornell's colleges and centers it all started with one not-so-giant peach most of the yards in James’ neighborhood were made up of Bermuda grass decided to try planting a peach tree.  but it was the most delicious fruit I’d ever tasted,” Andrew said “My dad and I transformed our backyard from one tree to 100 fruit trees – apples mulberries – and our backyard is now this lush The farming bug had bit. Andrew decided to follow his dad to Cornell, but where Dustin majored in neuroscience, Andrew chose agricultural sciences. He’s loved many of the classes he’s taken so far, but among the top is Sustainable Orchard Management (PLHRT 3350) taught by Greg Peck associate professor in the School of Integrative Plant Science’s (SIPS) Horticulture Section Read the full story in the CALS Newsroom. Metrics details This study proposes an enhanced multi-agent swarm control algorithm (EN-MASCA) to solve the problem of efficient patrolling of drone swarms in complex durian orchard environments It introduces a virtual navigator model to dynamically adjust the patrol path of the drone swarm and perform obstacle avoidance and path optimization in real time according to environmental changes Different from traditional algorithms that only rely on fixed path planning the virtual navigator model significantly improves the flexibility and stability of the drone swarm in complex environments It also applies deep reinforcement learning algorithms to path planning and obstacle avoidance of drone swarms for the first time improving the algorithm’s adaptability and optimization capabilities by learning dynamic information in complex environments This innovation significantly improves the applicability of existing methods in complex terrain and dynamic obstacle environments it incorporates the simulation characteristics of biological swarm behavior obstacle avoidance and swarm stability of the drone swarm By improving control strategies and parameter design it improves the trajectory consistency and mission completion efficiency of the UAV swarm during flight this study verified in detail the advantages of the EN-MASCA algorithm in terms of flight trajectory cluster consistency and task completion efficiency by constructing a six-degree-of-freedom UAV motion simulation model and real environment simulation It provides an efficient and intelligent solution for collaborative patrol operations of drones in durian orchards which has important practical application value and promotion prospects It divides the consensus term into speed and speed unit direction designs gradient-based terms to achieve separation and aggregation of agents and obstacle boundary points which guides all agents to achieve group target following It takes into account the negative impact of noisy data and the feature extraction ability of deep learning models aiming to improve the accuracy of the proposed anomaly detection method by using wavelet decomposition and stacked denoising autoencoder methods and motion control modules) to improve the safety of AVs in mixed traffic high-speed cruising scenarios The above studies are similar to this study in terms of overall goals path planning and task completion efficiency of drone swarms through advanced algorithms They lay the theoretical foundation for this study especially in terms of reinforcement learning dynamic path planning and group behavior modeling Some studies combine task allocation or data fusion technology to improve algorithm performance most of them are aimed at ideal or relatively simple optimization path planning and task allocation and lack applicability in the complex dynamic environments (such as agricultural scenes or high-density obstacle environments) Some studies are difficult to meet the requirements of real-time and efficient computing in practical applications due to the high complexity of the algorithm or the need for large-scale computing resources Other studies focus on generalized task planning and navigation problems lack optimization design for specific fields (such as agricultural drone patrols and cannot fully meet the needs of the field this study designed a virtual navigator model and a six-degree-of-freedom drone motion simulation model and achieved real-time path optimization and efficient collaboration by introducing an enhanced multi-agent cluster control algorithm (EN-MASCA) and integrating DQN and PPO algorithms It solves the problem of poor adaptability of the above methods in complex scenarios and greatly improves the stability and efficiency of drone clusters in complex agricultural scenarios such as durian orchards The relationship between cluster algorithm PX4 flight controller and PI control loop Tie The durian garden area and surrounding environment patrolled by the drone group The agents moving in the system have a constant velocity \({\text{s}}\); Any pair of agents in the system has an influence radius \({{{\upomega}}}\) They only influence each other when the straight-line distance is less than \({{{\upomega}}}\) The movement direction of agents at each moment is consistent with the movement direction of all other intelligent The average motion direction of energy bodies is the same the agent \({\text{m}}\) has a constant velocity \({\text{v}}\) and the velocity direction of agent m is \({{\text{U}}_m}(t)\) In Formula (6) \(~\left| {{a_m} - {a_n}} \right|\) represents the Euler distance \({\text{d}}\) represents the maximum interaction path or critical distance The geometric model of cluster expectation requires that each agent is equidistant from all neighbors In Formulas (9–11) \({\text{~}}e_{m}^{x}\) represents the constant \({\text{K}}_{m}^{x}\) represents the set of adjacent agents in the direction \({\text{x}}\) \({{\text{S}}_\alpha }\left( {{a_m}} \right)\) represents the impact function\(,{\text{~}}{{\text{H}}_{\text{x}}}\left( {{a_m}} \right)\) represents the step function \({R_{mn}}\) represents the mutual influence coefficient between agents m and \({\text{n}}\) \({b_m}\) and \({b_n}\) represents the speed of agents m and \({\text{n}}\) \({A_\varepsilon }\) and \(P_{m}^{x}\) represent constants; \({\text{K}}_{m}^{y}\) represents the set of neighboring agents in the direction \(~y\) \({{\text{O}}_{m,i}}\left( {{a_m}} \right)\) represents a constant; \({b_{m,i}}\) represents the speed of the virtual agent; \({{{\uprho}}}\left( {{a_m} - {a_z}} \right)\) represents the distance function; \({\text{~}}{a_z}\) and \({b_z}\) represents the position and speed of the virtual navigator.\({\text{~}}P_{m}^{x}\) represents the aggregated agent The first part sets the distance between agents The second part makes the agent’s speed consistent with the speed of its neighbors In Formulas (16) and (17) \({{{\uprho}}}\) represents the distance function \({a_m}\) and\({\text{~}}{a_n}\) represent the agents m and n \({\alpha _z}\) represents a constant; \(~a_{m}^{\alpha }\) represents the height of the agent m and \(a_{z}^{\alpha }~\) represents the height of the virtual navigator The purpose of \({{\text{A}}_\alpha }\) is to minimize the height difference between agents which makes them track the height of the virtual navigator \(a_{m}^{\alpha }{\text{~}}\) and \(a_{z}^{\alpha }\) represent the height of the agent and the virtual navigator \(P_{m}^{y}\) make the agent bypass obstacles where \(e_{m}^{y}\) and \(e_{n}^{y}\) are positive constants The virtual agent with position and velocity is constructed on the obstacle surface within the detection range of the agent \(\partial\) (1) For the obstacle with a hyperplane boundary and a unit normal \({{\text{A}}_\alpha }\) it passes through the point \({{\text{A}}_\alpha }\) The position and velocity of the agent \(\partial\) are determined by: In Formula (18) \({\text{~}}\overline {{{{\text{a}}_{m,i}}}}\) and \(\overline {{{{\text{b}}_{m,i}}}}\) represents the position and velocity of the agent \(\partial {\text{~}}\) \(F~=\delta - {a_i}a_{i}^{T}~\) is a projection matrix \({{\text{A}}_\alpha }\) represents the height difference function (2) For the spherical obstacle with a radius of \({{\text{Q}}_i}\) and at the centered position \({{\text{d}}_\tau }\) the velocity of agent \(\partial\) is shown as follows: The position and velocity of the agent \(\partial\) The \({{\text{O}}_{m,i}}\left( {{a_m}} \right)\) and \({{\text{H}}_{\text{y}}}\left( {{a_m}} \right)\) of \(P_{m}^{y}~\)is defined as: In Formulas (20) and (21) \({{\text{H}}_{\text{y}}}\left( {{a_m}} \right)\) represents the step size function; \(\overline {{{a_{m,i}}}}\) represents the projection of the agent \({a_m}\) on the obstacle surface \({\alpha _y}\) represents a constant; \({\text{~}}{{\text{O}}_{m,i}}\left( {{a_m}} \right)\) represents the influence function; \({{\text{S}}_\alpha }\) represents the impact function \({\varepsilon _y}\) represents the maximum detection distance of the drone relative to the obstacle \({\alpha _y}\) represents the positive constant \(\delta\) represents the maximum detection distance of the drone relative to the obstacle The obstacle avoidance algorithm control system of drone swarms The network structure of PPO algorithm The construction reward function is as follows: In Formula (23) \({G_{leader~}}\) rewards the leader for getting closer to the destination and \({G_{center}}\) is rewards the cluster center for shrinking the distance from the leader The distance between the navigators \({G_{obstacle}}\) is rewards the cluster center for avoiding obstacles Its network input is the navigator’s position The distance vector between it and the obstacle and the output is the velocity vector of the navigator In order to achieve cooperative behavior of drone clusters this study improved the multi-agent control strategy Distributed control is achieved between drones through local communication avoiding excessive reliance on centralized control It also dynamically adjusts parameters by calculating the relative distance and speed difference between agents to ensure that the cluster maintains an appropriate formation during patrols based on the group behavior model of Olfati-Saber it introduces the gradient descent method to dynamically adjust the flight path to avoid collisions between drones and obstacles this study uses the target network and experience replay mechanism to reduce the instability of model training and uses parallel computing to accelerate the execution of path planning and obstacle avoidance strategies It also uses the Bayesian optimization method to dynamically adjust parameters such as learning rate and discount factor to improve the robustness of the algorithm in complex environments this study set the learning rates of the DQN and PPO algorithms to 0.001 and 0.0003 The learning rate of DQN is mainly based on the convergence requirements of the algorithm in a dynamic environment and a higher learning rate is selected to accelerate initial learning The learning rate of PPO is based on empirical values and experimental tuning results and a lower learning rate is selected to avoid oscillation or instability caused by too fast gradient updates in complex scenarios This study also set the batch size of DQN and PPO to 64 and 128 The smaller batch size of DQN is intended to improve the real-time update capability of the model while the larger batch size of PPO helps to enhance the adaptability to complex environments and training stability The discount factor is used to weigh short-term rewards and long-term benefits highlighting the overall performance of the drone swarm in long-term patrol missions and retaining the effectiveness of short-term path optimization The target network of the DQN algorithm is updated every 100 iterations Based on the consideration of model training stability it delays the update of the target network to avoid training oscillations caused by frequent updates The PPO algorithm uses gradient clipping technology and sets the gradient clipping threshold to 0.2 to ensure that the gradient update does not exceed a reasonable range thereby improving the stability of the model The relationship between swarm algorithm attitude control loop and UAV 8-state dynamics model The height variation of unmanned swarms controlled by four algorithms and relative distance of the unmanned swarm controlled by the four algorithms The control changes under four algorithms in the distance between the cluster center and obstacles the distance between the cluster center and virtual navigator and the cluster roll angle and pitch angle (a) Average distance between the cluster center and obstacles (b) Average distance between the cluster center and virtual navigator GAZEBO simulation navigation effect and iteration of EN-MASCA algorithm controlling UAV swarm (a) 3D navigation trajectory map 3D simulation effect of EN-MASCA algorithm controlling drone swarm (a) Obstacle distribution map (c) Obstacle avoidance navigation path map Although this study simulated the basic terrain characteristics of a durian orchard there are some limitations compared to the real orchard scene The terrain undulations and obstacle distribution in the simulated environment are designed based on average values and typical samples and fail to fully cover the extreme terrain changes that may occur in the orchard (such as steep slopes and deep gullies) There are irregularly distributed soft soils or waterlogged areas in the real environment These factors put higher requirements on the flight control and path planning of the drone which have not been fully reflected in the simulation Although moving obstacles were added to the experiment to simulate a dynamic environment the types and behavior patterns of dynamic obstacles are relatively limited The moving obstacles in this experiment used a fixed speed and a simple linear motion model while nonlinear and irregular motion (such as random movement of people and mechanical equipment) may occur in reality In order to narrow the gap between the experimental setting and the real conditions subsequent research will build a more complex and realistic simulation environment including more sophisticated terrain and obstacle modeling It introduces experimental designs with multiple scenarios and multiple meteorological conditions to comprehensively evaluate the robustness and adaptability of the algorithm It also conducts long-term field tests to accumulate real data to optimize the algorithm performance This study proposes an enhanced multi-agent swarm control algorithm (EN-MASCA) for the coordinated patrol operation of drone swarms in durian orchards It introduces DQN and PPO algorithms to optimize drones’ navigation and obstacle avoidance strategies It guides the drone swarm through the virtual navigator model to improve its adaptability and stability It also constructs a six-degree-of-freedom drone motion simulation model and uses the PI control loop to achieve the attitude control of drone swarms the results show that the EN-MASCA algorithm is superior to the other three algorithms regarding flight trajectory The drone swarm controlled by the EN-MASCA algorithm can effectively avoid obstacles maintain a tight formation and complete patrol tasks altitude and yaw angle change rate are closer to the expected value and have less fluctuation The distance between the cluster center and the virtual navigator or obstacles remains stable which ensures the safety and stability of patrol operations It enables drone swarms to learn and optimize flight paths avoid collisions and misjudgments and complete large-scale patrol tasks quickly which reduces the labor intensity and costs of manual patrols and improves patrol efficiency and safety detect abnormal conditions and send alerts to managers promptly which provides the accurate location information to help managers respond quickly ultimately improving the economic benefits of the durian orchard The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to [privacy concerns] but are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request please contact [Ruipeng Tang] at [22057874@siswa.um.edu.my] Access may be provided contingent upon compliance with any necessary data-sharing agreements and approval for use in line with the study’s terms Assessment of natural fruit ripening and fruit quality of three elite durian cultivars for overland export Mitigating the repercussions of climate change on diseases affecting important crop commodities in Southeast Asia for food security and environmental sustainability—A review Role of UAVs in innovating agriculture with future applications: A review In 2021 International Conference on Advancements in Electrical 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Enhancing high-speed cruising performance of autonomous vehicles through integrated deep reinforcement learning framework. arXiv Preprint. arXiv:2404.14713 (2024) Comparative analysis of ros-unity3d and ros-gazebo for mobile ground robot simulation Efficient development of model-based controllers in PX4 firmware: a template-based customization approach In 2024 International Conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (ICUAS) 1155–1162 (IEEE Fuzzy multiple hidden layer recurrent neural control of nonlinear system using terminal sliding-mode controller Absence of selfish herd dynamics in bird flocks under threat Swarm flocking using optimisation for a self-organised collective motion Event-based bipartite multi-agent consensus with partial information transmission and communication delays under antagonistic interactions Download references Mohamad Sofian Abu Talip & Narendra Kumar Aridas Department of Computer Science and Technology Note: All the above authors agree to be responsible for the content and conclusions of the article The authors declare no competing interests Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-88145-7 Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the Nature Briefing: AI and Robotics newsletter — what matters in AI and robotics research Are you ready to join the thousands of companies who rely on Blue Book to drive smarter decisions We’d love to show you what Blue Book can do for you Drop us a line– we’ve been waiting for you WA – CMI Orchards BB #:134183 and Royal Family Farming’s joint venture is at the forefront of redefining agricultural sustainability... April 4, 2025 Wenatchee, WA – CMI Orchards BB #:134183 and Royal Family Farming’s joint venture is at the forefront of redefining agricultural sustainability TSC was established to repurpose agricultural byproducts—from orchards and beef operations—into carbon-rich soil amendments supporting healthy and reducing the need for synthetic soil additives Through innovative practices such as vermicomposting and biochar production TSC is upcycling organic waste into valuable agriculture products such as garden soil blends Vice President of Marketing at CMI Orchards shared that the company has made a zero-burn commitment for removed tree wood opting to process and upcycle this wood in the world’s largest worm farm at Royal Family Farming in Royal City “Liquid cow waste is filtered through chipped orchard wood and converted by worms into nutrient-rich compost closing the loop in our operations,” she shared TSC will process over 100,000 tons of dairy manure Its three biochar reactors will transform more than 20,000 tons of woody biomass into biochar annually sequestering an estimated 25,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent into the soil for generations to come while also reducing gas emissions from the soil “The Soil Center will support a full circle carbon economy leading to essentially zero organic waste for all our owners We plan to break ground on the Soil Center and have a full estimate on carbon credits in just a couple weeks,” said Michael Hebdon VP of Regenerative Agriculture at Royal Family Farming and General Manager of The Soil Center TSC is also pursuing Direct Environmental Benefits (DEB) status through Washington’s Cap and Invest program aiming to qualify its carbon credits for verified environmental impact The carbon rich soil amendments created at The Soil Center will first be supplied to the CMI grower network and eventually the larger agricultural community Packed Rooms and Big Ideas: CMI and Royal Family Farming Spotlight Scalable Regenerative Solutions CMI Orchards and Royal Family Farming (RFF) proudly served as Gold Sponsors of the North America Regenerative Agriculture Summit who are also partners in The Soil Center (TSC) showcased their industry leadership and commitment to sustainability in agriculture with a goal to raise the bar for the industry aiding other produce companies in their own efforts to build regenerative programs led two fully booked roundtables focused on the implementation of regenerative practices on a commercial scale The sessions addressed key topics including consumer-driven demand for regenerative products and the development of profitable Welcoming New Sustainability Manager: Rose Vejvoda In further support of its regenerative agriculture goals CMI Orchards is pleased to announce the addition of Rose Vejvoda as Sustainability Manager Vejvoda brings a master’s degree in Climate Science and Solutions along with certification in Greenhouse Gas Accounting and a strong background in sustainability programming and reporting through higher education Vejvoda will work closely with RFF and CMI’s partners to integrate regenerative agriculture into the company’s broader sustainability strategy Her role includes leading customer sustainability reporting and identifying innovative ways to reduce emissions across the value chain—all while supporting grower success and helping retail partners meet their environmental goals “I’m incredibly excited to contribute to a company that is already at the forefront of regenerative agriculture and sustainability Our continued goal is to regenerate the health of our planet while bringing meaningful value to our growers and retail partners,” said Vejvoda shared the company’s vision for sustainability initiatives our vision is to be the very best stewards of the planet in our industry—not because it’s marketable or financially beneficial but because it’s the right thing to do,” Mast said “Our commitment to regenerative agriculture is rooted in our responsibility to care for the land and animals that sustain us ensuring a healthier planet for generations to come.” CMI Orchards is one of Washington State’s largest growers, shippers and packers of premium quality apples, pears, cherries, apricots and organics. Based in Wenatchee, WA, CMI Orchards delivers outstanding fruit across the U.S.A. and exports to over 60 countries worldwide. For more information on The Soil Center, visit https://www.cmiorchards.com/the-soil-center-home Get access to all the news and analysis you need to make the right decision --- delivered to your inbox It is with deep sorrow that Chestnut Hill Farms announces the passing of Bill Sheridan G&R Farms launches its 2025 Growing America’s Farmers (GAF) program featuring in-store Vidalia promotions and displays is recalling 4 Count Vine Ripe Tomatoes packaged in clam shell containers The Chilean/Peruvian offshore season will wrap up over the next four weeks Expect pricing to increase as the offshore season winds down The Foundation For Fresh Produce held its annual Consumer Connection Conference April 28-30 Find farm fresh produce and Find Your Family Fun® at Central Virginia farmers markets and orchards Central Virginia farmers markets and orchards are the best places to find fresh fruit in season there's always something fresh available at our local markets and orchards Plan a visit to your favorite orchard or farmers market Whether picking berries or cherries in spring and early summer or apples and pumpkins in the fall the time is now to start planning for family fun at one of these local orchards Fruit is a treat parents can feel good about sharing with their kids and other fruit is packed with vitamins and fiber Hours may vary throughout the season due to weather check each website before you visit or find updates on each orchard's Facebook page and much more at local farmers markets in Lynchburg You'll find more information about each of these markets below Lynchburg Community Market is open year-round from Tuesday through Saturday The Farmers Market (indoor and outdoor vendors) is open Saturdays from 8 AM - 1 PM The Artisan Crafters Gallery is open Tuesday through Friday from 9 AM - 2 PM and Saturdays from 7 AM - 2 PM There's also a Wednesday Farmers Market from 9 AM - 1 PM seasonally from mid-May through late September Forest Farmer's Market is open seasonally on Saturdays from late April through October from 8 AM -12 PM Forest Farmer's Market offers winter markets one Saturday per month during February through April and holiday markets in November and December Forest Farmer's Market opens April 26 for the 2025 season Bedford Farmers Market is open on Saturdays from May through October from 9 AM - 12 PM Bedford Farmers Market also offers winter markets one Saturday per month during January and April and holiday markets in November and December Bedford Farmers Market opens May 3 for the 2025 season Rustburg Farmers Market located at 200 Colonial Highway in Rustburg (Rustburg Ruritan Club) is open seasonally on Thursdays from mid-April through fall from 3 PM - 6 PM Rustburg Farmers Market opens in April for the 2025 season The Market at Second Stage Amherst is open on Tuesdays from late May through late September from 4 PM - 6 PM The Market at Second Stage Amherst opens in May for the 2025 season Four Seasons Farm Market Main Street in Amherst (parking lot across from Hill Hardware) is open on Thursdays from 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM Online only from November - March with pick up at 206 S In person and online from the first Thursday in April through the last Thursday in October in the parking lot on S Four Seasons Farmers Market opens in April for the 2025 season Morris offers pick-your-own blueberries from mid-June to early July and pick-your-own blackberries from mid-July to late August you can purchase pre-picked peaches from mid-June - mid-August sweet corn and summer vegetables from mid-July to late August and  Morris Orchard is open in season on Monday through Saturday.  Yoders' Farm located at 1134 Browns Mill Road in Rustburg Yoders' offers hydroponic tomatoes from late fall until mid-summer and seasonal baked goods at the Farm Store Yoders' closes in August following the spring and summer seasons and reopens in late September for the fall season with a pumpkin patch and corn maze but they are generally open Tuesday through Saturday Johnson's Orchards is located at 1218 Elmos Road in Bedford Johnson's offers nearly 200 varieties of apples at their family owned and operated farm in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains Apples are available from June through October Choose from U-pick or U-select apples with picking hours daily in August through October from 10 AM - 5 PM Johnson's Orchards and sister business Peaks of Otter Winery are open daily from April to December and weekends from January through March.  Gross Orchard is located at 6817 Wheats Valley Road in Bedford Gross Orchard offers pick-your-own or pre-picked apples from late spring or early summer to mid-September Gross Orchard offers pick-your-own or pre-picked peaches from mid-June to August The farm store also sells jams and jellies Gross Orchard is open year-round Monday through Saturday Special events at Gross Orchard are: Apple Blossom Festival on the second Saturday in April Peach Festival on the fourth Saturday in July Apple Harvest Festival on the third Saturday in October and Apple Valley 5K on the first Saturday in November.  Motley's Strawberry Farm It's easy to find Motley's right off the intersection of Route 29 and Route 40 in Gretna Pick-your-own season begins in late April or early May and runs through mid-June Motley's also offers some pre-picked strawberries Motley's is open Monday through Saturday in season Nelson County and Charlottesville Area Orchards Saunders Brothers Orchard and Farm Market is located at 2717 Tye Brook Highway in Piney River Saunders Brothers Farm Market is open from mid-April through November and there's also a Christmas tree farm from late November to mid-December Apple season at Saunders Brothers is from August to October. Saunders offers a variety of fruit including: nectarines and peaches from June to September and apples from July to October. Saunders Brothers is open in season Monday through Saturday Silver Creek and Seamans' Orchard has two locations: Silver Creek Orchard located at 5529 Crabtree Falls Highway in Tyro and Seamans' Orchards located at 1040 Dark Hollow Road in Roseland Seaman's Orchard offers strawberries in spring and early summer Silver Creek and Seamans' offers a variety of apples in September and October you can pick-your-own pumpkins during October and enjoy the annual Apple Butter Making Festival Silver Creek & Seamans' Orchard is open in season on Monday through Friday Drumheller’s Orchard located at 1130 Drumheller Orchard Lane in Lovingston offers a variety of peaches and pluots from late June to mid-September and a variety of apples from early July to early November Apple Festivals are scheduled for the last weekend in September and the third weekend in October from 9 AM - 5 PM Dickie Brothers Orchard is located at 2685 Dickie Road in Roseland Dickie Brothers is open from early July through early November Dickie Brothers has been in operation as a family farm since the 1750s which are available from July to early November Dickie Brothers is open in season from Thursday through Sunday located at 3526 Spring Valley Road in Afton Each location specializes in specific fruits and Carter Mountain Orchard offers peaches and apples The Chiles Family Orchards offer pick-your-own peaches from mid-June to mid-September and pick-your-own apples from mid-August to late November there's a wide variety of pre-picked fruits including: cherries from mid-May to late June and pumpkins and gourds from mid-September to late November Carter Mountain Orchard is open year-round with reduced hours in the winter Chiles Peach Orchard is open seasonally from April to late December Spring Valley Orchard is open seasonally from late May through June so check the hours at each venue before you head out Why settle for store bought fruits and vegetables With so many farmers markets and local orchards Check the Lynchburg Macaroni Kid Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze Guide in the fall to find pumpkin patch and corn maze fun for the fam!  I've lived in Lynchburg for many years and love it here I'm mom to five young adults who now have families of their own We stay busy with kid activities and love spending time outdoors the Blue Ridge Mountains or out of state to visit family you'll find me in the garden or at the computer adding great local events to the Lynchburg Macaroni Kid calendar