Mountain View Farm

589 Brysonia-Wenksville Rd Biglerville, PA 17307 What's Happening on the Farm Mt. Ridge Farms is consistently progressing forward in the fruit farming industry. Actively working towards new planting systems, irrigation, high density plantings, efficient hedging, and utilizing platforms. Implementing these progressive strategies helps improve the work experience for our employees, and increase the value of our time spent on the farm. Orchard Floor Management Efficient equipment at work. Our Double-Headed Vine Runner, the newest tool in our orchard floor management. Designed with power and precision, this machine sweeps beneath our apple trees, clearing away leaves, twigs, and debris. A clean orchard floor is key to maintaining tree health, reducing disease risk, and ensuring a smoother harvest. At Mt. Ridge, we take pride in keeping our orchard in top shape, tools like the Vine Runner help us get the job done right, every time. Change is hard but at Mt. Ridge we work together to transition to new and improved ways. Moving to the day and age of technology is challenging but our staff and team push through the learning curve. We are implementing production tracking on iPads in order to improve our traceability, productivity standards and so much more! Efficient equipment at work. Featured is our Root Pruner. Two very strong steel blades cut into the ground cutting the roots of the trees. This process allows for slower growth of the tree and helps tame the vigor in our younger plantings. At Mt. Ridge we are always looking to manage our crop in the most efficient and effective way possible. Great and reliable equipment is so important. Updating equipment is always on the to do list. Recently Mt. Ridge has added the AUSA all terrain forklift to the operation. AUSA 4x4 forklift range. AUSA rough terrain forklifts are exceptionally compact, powerful and versatile. Their reduced size and small turning radius give them excellent manoeuvrability on the toughest and steepest terrains. Increasing color is vital in the growing demand for the "perfect apple". Here at the farm we are trying new ways to efficiently increase color but still maintaining productivity and being cost effective. The Olmi501F mechanical leaf remover blows the leaves with pressurized air. With the right pressure, angel and skill this machine can increase light interception greatly and improve coloring. Aggressively fencing the farm to protect against pest. Fencing helps to prevent deer damage to the trees in all stages. The trees become stunted due to the massive amount of damage deer can do. Protecting the trees with the American Metal Fencing is an effective progressive way to deter this kind of devastating damage. Ranging from 12x2 to 11x18", Mt. Ridge Farms is transitioning block after block of orchards from the old fashion 20x20 planting that the original GA Slaybaugh, first generation, planted, to now high density, high volume orchards you see today. Mt. Ridge Farms isintegratingnew planting systems. Testing asteepV systems on the newly  grafted BL 14 Gala. Utilizing time and being efficient is the goal at Mt. Ridge Farms. Making use of the self-driving four person picking platforms, Mt. Ridge has been able to increase picking efficiency and eliminate safety hazards like ladders. Several workers can work cohesively together to pick, prune, and thin. This Premier Honeycrisp block,(featured to the left) is a test block of the Mylar Reflective material. Mt. Ridge Farms is one of the first to experiment with reflective cloth in the Adams County area. So far, results show promising turn out. As our farm grows and farming becomes more challenging, we strive to finds ways to make the operation run smoother. Recent investment has been in the Bin Scout. Simplifying the ground picking process by utilizing this amazing piece of equipment. Empty bins are loaded on to the Bin Scout. As the cart self-propels its way down the orchards, workers can fill the bin.