Steve Louis & Michael Phillips – Understory Management

While we’re watching the trees, how are the plants and processes on and below the ground affecting our orchard’s success? Steve will share his experience managing the understory and fertility of mature and newly planted orchards. Michael, an expert in holistic orcharding and the soil food web, will share his on-farm practices, which may provide new ideas easily integrated to more conventional orchards.

• Steve Louis is the owner of Oakwood Fruit Farm in Richland Center, Wisconsin. He is the past president of Wisconsin Apple Growers Association, and holds a degree in horticulture from UW-Madison. Spanning 200 acres, the orchard has over 20 apple varieties on a mix of semi-dwarf and dwarf rootstocks.
• Michael Phillips’ book, “Mycorrhizal Planet: How Fungi and Plants Work Together to Create Dynamic Soils,” explores the science of symbiotic fungi and sets the stage for practical applications across the landscape. Michael and his wife, Nancy, own and operate Heartsong Farm Healing Herbs and Lost Nation Orchard in New Hampshire.