Ag consultants for Pacific Northwest small fruits growers since 1992

Tom Peerbolt, Senior Consultant, created Peerbolt Crop Management (PCM) in 1992 and began working with small fruit growers in Southwest Washington and Oregon the same year. Since that time, we have steadily expanded the number of acres under contract and expanded our research program. Our emphasis has been on increasing the profitability and sustainability of our clients through in-field scouting and a turn-around reporting system. Many of our client fields are included in our on-farm research. Tom writes the Small Fruit Update and actively particiates in promoting communication and cooperation between growers, processors, industry representatives, and public sector institutions (WSU, OSU, USDA). Our participation has grown steadily in the off-season schedule of workshops and conferences.Tom Peerbolt has over 30 years experience in horticulture, including a plant science degree from UC Davis in 1987, ownership of a retail nursery and experience in wholesale nursery management.

Anna Peerbolt worked as a journalist, and in PR and marketing in New York City, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and Winters, CA. before she and Tom moved to Oregon in 1992. Once settled, she opened a marketing business until, in 1999, in response to the growth of PCM, she joined Tom, taking on the responsibilities of the office and bookkeeping. Through the years, she picked up an understanding of computer-Internet-networking technology, and soon added website design and maintenance to the business, allowing PCM to offer new services, including broadcast emailing for the Small Fruit Update newsletter,

Julie Pond is the Scout Supervisor and Research Associate at PCM. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture with a major in Horticulture and a minor in Biotechnology from the University of Saskatchewan in 2006. Along with supervising field scouts, no easy task, she also assists in the various research projects that PCM is involved in. Much of her past experience involves plant pathology research, microbiology testing, and nursery production. She has been employed at Peerbolt Crop Management since March 2008.

Beth Unger started work at PCM in November 2007. She is our GIS Manager and handles the mapping and GPS aspects of PCM. Her other title is Special Projects, which means that all and anything can be thrown her way, including scouting.. Her past experience in Ag includes serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali from 2005-2007 in the Natural Resource Management sector. Beth earned her Bachelor of Arts from Loyola University of New Orleans, majoring in Modern Foreign Language and Writing, minoring in History. She completed courses for a Geographic Information Systems Graduate Certificate at Portland State University in 2008.

Every year, PCM hires seasonal workers with a background in agriculture and/or science to scout clients' fields and also help with research projects. The PCM services are offered to growers from the Woodland area, north of Vancouver, Washington, to the Salem/Woodburn areas south of Portland, Oregon. We are also in the process of developing long-distance services that incorporate email and Internet interaction as well as scheduled on-farm visits. In addition, PCM is involved in on-farm research. If you are interested in further information, please contact us.

2010 Scouts

Ryan Anderson has a BS in Wildlife Biology from Missouri State University. He has experience in collecting and recording field data for graduate research projects.As a nurseryman, he diagnosed and treated pest and disease problem. He recently moved to Oregon and is living the the Salem area. He will be scouting many of the Willamette Valley Fruit Grower and Pan American fields for the full array of pests and diseases. He will also be scouting some growers' fields in the area for the Oregon state-funded Spotted Wing Drosophilia survey only.

Emmy Fives-Gilbert was born into agriculture (both parents are in the nursery business) and has worked with plantsall her adult life. She has a BS in Environmental Geography from the University of Oregon. Emmy will be scouting for pests and diseases in client growers' fields in southwest Washington, and also be scouting some growers' fields in the area for the Washington Commissions'-funded Spotted Wing Drosophilia survey only.

Caitlin Henden has recently complete her masters degree at Marylhurst University to be certified as a high school science teacher. Previous to that, she graduated from Oregon State University with a BS in Botany and Plant Pathology. She collected field data on Phytophthora while at OSU and later worked from Microplant Nurseries. She will be scouting numerous growers' fields in the Yamhill/Marion/Clackamus counties, primarily for the Oregon state-funded Spotted Wing Drosophilia survey only. .

Max Paget has a BS in Environmental Geography from the University of Oregon. He was an independent researchers at the Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Station. He will be scouting for pests and diseases in client growers' fields in southwest Washington, and also be scouting some growers' fields in the area for the Washington Commissions'-funded Spotted Wing Drosophilia survey only.

Andrew Scheuer lives southwest of Salem and will be scouting client fields in the Linn/Benton county area, as well as some growers' fields in the area for the Oregon state-funded Spotted Wing Drosophilia survey only. He graduated from Missouri State University with a BS in Horticulture and has worked as an arborist as well as a scout. He has also worked in vineyards and with landscaping.

Aaron Thurman has a BS in Plant Science from the University of Arizona, with a focus in botany and controlled environment agricuture. He was involved in a number of greenhouse research projects involving various rhizome species, variety trials, and closed system agriculture. He will be primarily scouting for pests and diseases for PCM clients in the Hillsboro area, and will be scouting a few growers' fields for the Oregon state-funded Spotted Wing Drosophilia survey only.

Click here to see pictures from previous scouting seasons