Fruit Ridge (also known as The Ridge) is a topographical land feature and growing region in West Michigan. The area is so named for its extensive agricultural activity, specifically because of its fruit production.

Agriculture

It is considered to be an "agricultural mecca" as its unique features make it one of the prime fruit-growing regions in the world. The area's deposits of fertile clay

loam Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand (particle size > ), silt (particle size > ), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < ). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–sil ...

soils with excellent moisture holding qualities, elevation of greater than , and its proximity to

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

; creates a unique climate and provides great soil and terrain for the growing of premium fruits and vegetables. The Ridge is well known for apple production; in 2006 the area accounted for 65% of all Michigan apple production.

Geography

The Ridge is approximately wide and long covering in portions of Kent,

Newaygo Newaygo ( ) is a rural city in Newaygo County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,471 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. in ...

, Muskegon, and

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

counties. It extends from Walker in the south; to Grant in the North, and is primarily centered on Sparta; the location of the Old Orchard Juice Company. Fruit Ridge Avenue was named after it.

Renewable energy

In addition to agricultural practices, Fruit Ridge is also becoming an area of interest for the construction of commercial wind farms. Iberdrola Renewables of Spain has installed a tower of nearly on the ridge to test whether the wind is strong enough to produce a steady flow of electricity. Company officials hope to build 30 to 35 towers in the area. The Ridge is an area of interest because of the availability of straight line winds, existing high-voltage transmission lines, and farmers eager to preserve agriculture on the ridge. Heritage Sustainable Energy of Traverse City has also been securing wind rights leases in the Fruit Ridge Area. It is estimated that landowners will receive from $3,000 to $5,000 per year per megawatt.

Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program

In 2005, International baby food manufacturer Gerber Products Company as well as

Pacific Biocontrol The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

, and

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

all were working with area apple packers to develop a region-wide

codling moth The codling moth (''Cydia pomonella'') is a member of the Lepidopteran family Tortricidae. They are major pests to agricultural crops, mainly fruits such as apples and pears. Because the larvae are not able to feed on leaves, they are highly ...

mating disruption program. This pest, which has been a major apple pest for many years, is developing documented resistance to the

organophosphate In organic chemistry, organophosphates (also known as phosphate esters, or OPEs) are a class of organophosphorus compounds with the general structure , a central phosphate molecule with alkyl or aromatic substituents. They can be considered a ...

insecticides.{{cite web, title=Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program - Gerber Products Company's 2006 Strategy , publisher =Environment Protection Agency, url = http://www.epa.gov/pestwise/pesp/members/strategies/gerber_product_company.pdf , accessdate = 2012-04-14

References

External links

Fruit Ridge Center, USGS Topographic MapRidge Economic Agricultural Partners
West Michigan Regions of Michigan Geography of Michigan