Post-harvest grazing of hogs in cherry, apple, and pear orchards for insect pest management

Organic tree fruit growers need effective means to manage insect pests. Fruit left on the ground after harvest potentially harbors the larvae of serious pests: Plum curculio, Conotrachelus nenuphar (Herbst), in cherries, apples, and pears; Oriental fruit moth, Grapholita molesta (Busck), in apples and pears; and Cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis cingulata (Loew), in cherries. We evaluated the effectiveness of hogs in removing fruit from the orchard floor, as well as their impact on ground cover. In year one, small experimental plots were established in cherry, pear, and apple orchards. Yorkshire hogs were rotated through each grazed plot post-harvest for a period of two days. In year two, large experimental plots were established in cherry orchards and Duroc hogs were rotated through each grazed plot post-harvest for approximately two weeks. We measured fruit removal by collecting fruit from experimental plots and determining biomass before and after grazing. We assessed potential hog impact on insect pests by quantifying the types and numbers of insects to emerge from the collected fruit. We measured hog impact on weeds by measuring ground cover percentages of grass, forbs, and bare ground before and after hogs were grazed. The hogs removed 100% of the fruit in all three types of orchards in year one. Hogs had a significant impact on ground cover, where grass and forbs were significantly decreased and bare ground was significantly increased. These results indicate hogs can effectively clean orchard floors for weed management and some pest control. After providing pest management services, the hogs may be sold as a high quality pork product.