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 is in charge of the office end of the business. She is the office manager, also the bookkeeper, overseeing the budgets and payroll. She assists in writing grants and works with various granting agencies. She is PCM&##39;s webmaster and IT person, working closely with a programmer technology expert as needed. She has a background in marketing, advertising, graphics, and journalism.

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 degree from Loyola University New Orleans, majoring in Modern Foreign Language (French/Spanish) and Writing. 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&##39; 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.

2011 Scouts

At the start of the 2011 scouting season on a cold, wet April morning. Left to right: Ryan Anderson, Tyler Kuske, Jason Myer, Beth Unger, Julie Pond, and Caitlin Henden.

Ryan and Caitlin were with us during the 2010 season. Ryan returns as the lead scout in the Salem area. Caitlin returns after a winter of teaching high school science as a long-term substitute. She will be actively assisting Julie Pond (Scout Supervisor) in the office and in the field. Beth, our GPS Manager, will also do some scouting this season.

Jason Myer is a new scout for the 2011 season. He grew up in Michigan in a farm community picking berries and detasseling corn. He has a BS in Environmental Sciences from Michigan State University where he focused on ecology, biology, entomology, chemistry and natural resource management. He was active in research projects and managed production of the student greenhouses. After graduation, he joined the Peace Corps was sent to West Africa where he spent two years working in agriculture with farmers and villiagers. He will be scouting the full range of insects and diseases for clients¡¯ fields in the Hillsboro area. He will also scout various fields in the area for two UDSA-funded projects.

Tyler Kuske is a new scout for the 2011 season. He has a BS in Horticulture from Missouri State University. He was active in pest identification and controls in the campus greenhouses, and worked on various field research projects, collecting data and studying growth rates and nutrient up-take. After graduation, he worked as a foreign language instructor through East Asia, coming back to work as a forester for the Colorado State Forest Service establishing and evaluating forest plots to determine health. He will be scouting the full range of insects and diseases for clients¡¯ fields in the Southwest Washington area. He will also scout various fields in the area for two UDSA-funded projects and a WSU-funded project.

Pictures left to right: Julie Pond and Ryan Anderson, Beth Unger, Jason Myer, Tyler Kuske,

Click here to see pictures from previous scouting seasons