BIOGRAPHYIn 1994, the small panhandle town of Oshkosh, Nebraska became the site of a 180 dwarf apple tree orchard; on only 1/10 (one tenth) of an acre. This community of 3000, give or take a few cows, laughed at the idea of fruit being successfully produced in its area. For the panhandle was known for its biting wintery winds - that have been known to exceed 60/mph; freak May snow storms that could produce drifts of 3-6 feet of snow at any given time; baseball size hail, sometimes larger, beating down crops as if they were violating a sacred law with mother-nature; erratic frost cycles, causing most agricultural produce to die under its choking coat of soft ice. 
Before becoming "suburbanized" ( most likely not a real word!), this land was frequented by cattle, looking for choice morsels of grass, fertilizing the fields and later becoming the farmers source of food for his family. Corn, wheat, alfalfa, beans, potatoes, and sugar beets are the only form of crop worthy of planting. They are RELIABLE - weather permitting, of course! ;) Handed down from generation to generation, farmers knew how to grow these commodities. For over 60 years this land saw only fields of these dependable products, for they would almost guarantee money in the bib-overalls of the farmer, they were a "readily" marketable item. Then came Vernon Jenewein, with his "crazy" idea that the Nebraska panhandle could support apple production!
Through deligent research and trial-n-error, Vernon located and purchased choice apple tree stock for this harsh wintery state. Most of his purchases came from Washington state; and as far east as Michigan and New York. To watch him handle these little twigs, with feather-like roots, was like watching a first-time mother handle her new born baby. Digging holes became an art form for Vern; they had to be "just so" big in diameter and "just so" deep. Gently he would place the tree in its new home, gingerly arranging its root system within the hole. Took him almost 2 months, of constant planting, to finish the task!
Then there was the training system. Consisted of heavy gauged wire, strung between two posts - old R.E.A. poles bought at a farm auction, 60 feet in length and cut down to size, then placed on each end of the row, at an angle to create the tension it would have support. The lower wire ran parallel with the row and the other lines were placed further apart; forming a "V" as it went up. This system has been successfully utilized in the Washington state orchards. Hail netting was another "oddity" for this area; a product created and manufactured in New Zealand. It protects the trees from hail, by slowing it down before it hits the tree. It also prevents harsh frost damage to young flower buds. I stress the word "prevent". Hail netting makes no claim in stopping frost damage, but can protect the tree buds from severe damage. Another form of frost protection is irrigating the trees during the course of the early morning hours; causing a coating of ice to develope on the trees. Ice releases heat, so the flower buds are snuggly in an ice cocoon! Vern uses overhead mist sprayers to perform this function. Not only is it gorgeous to see these trees, covered in a thick layer of ice, but very successful!
Our trees are now 6-7 years old and at a good production age. Last year we lost most of the produce to hail but this year Vern projects a "bumper" crop with hopes of no hail or codling moth. He uses organic materials to fertilize and combat pesky critters. We were certified organic, because of the oil resin on the R.E.A. poles, and the fact that Oshkosh sprayed for mosquitoes every July 4th, our certification was denied for 1998; we were not in a position to take on the county, city, nor the state governments at that time.
Have you figured out were this orchard is located? Well....it's in my BACK YARD! That's right! 180 trees, about 24 inches apart, fit right nicely in my back yard. People still drive by, after 5 years, to see this orchard and check its progress. Pre-schoolers visit on field trips; although more interested in eating apples, but they do learn a lot about fruit trees. It is really beautiful to look out my bedroom window and see tons of lite pink and white blossoms. Or to go out into the orchard and feel as if I have my own forest.
Vernon originally started this orchard as a vineyard; but had to turn to apples because of the short summer season; the wine grapes could never fully develop to their true potential. He also grows peaches, cherries, strawberries,raspberries, table grapes, and has successfully grown Valencia peanuts. This year (1999)marks the new beginning of wine grapes. Vern has started his test plot of hardier wine grape varieties. Many of the winegrapes are from Elmer Swenson of Wisconsin. The orchard and vineyard will allow us an early retirement. I cannot think of anything better than to retire and play in the dirt all day!
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