Schutt’s Apple Mill
Marty Schutt, Ryan Schutt
Webster, NY
The Farm
Marty Schutt’s grandfather started Schutt’s Apple Mill in 1916 in Webster. The farm now consists of about 50 acres, including 35 acres of orchards and 5 acres of other crops.
Products
Apples, peaches, cider, donuts
Growing Practices
Schutt’s Apple Mill is a conventional fruit farm that uses Cornell’s Integrated Pest Management system (IPM). According to Marty, “This means we only use the minimal amount of spray material necessary because first we prevent, then observe and finally intervene (spray) when needed. We also use horse manure from a local horse farm as fertilizer. Our tree trimmings are mowed and chipped and left within a short distance of the trees adding to the organic material in the soil. Larger limbs are cut and sold as firewood. We crop rotate in that we plant raspberry bushes and strawberry plants and rotate their location every few years. We allow a beekeeper free land use where we both benefit. The farm benefits by pollination and the beekeeper benefits by harvesting a crop of honey. We recycle all of our apple pulp produced in our cider making process. The apple pulp is spread around the orchard and acts as an organic fertilizer. Our apples always serve a purpose whether it is fresh fruit, cider, or returning them to the land for fertilizer.”