Ed Vaughn, Associate Director
Ed is a retired professional forester with Masters degree from Duke University 1960. He served two years with the U.S. Army in Washington state and Germany. He spent 25 years working in the forest and managing people and programs for the U.S. Forest Service from 1960 until 1985.
Ed spent 12 years building personal computers, part time, for Microsphere, Inc., a business in Bend, Oregon. He has a lifetime hobby of Amateur Radio since high school. Beginning in 1994, he began development of a successful pear orchard project and has continued to manage and produce outstanding pears since 1998. He has a substantial direct marketing operation for his pears.
He is a member of Southern Oregon Sales, a grower cooperative where most of his crop is packed and marketed, and he is a member of the board of directors and participates in management of the marketing. He is current president of Jackson County Fruit Growers League.
In order to manage an orchard, he hires as many as 10 temporary laborers for seasonal jobs during the year and takes responsibility for their supervision and training. He has a pesticide application license, handles the chemicals, and manages the applications. He has had to learn the skills of orchard layout, buried irrigation system construction, fruit tree planting, tree training, disease and insect control, irrigation scheduling, soil fertility management, weed control, harvest, grading, fruit transport and storage, Federal and State employment requirements, and marketing.
In addition he has had to learn equipment maintenance and repair, including welding and fabrication. These skills are normal requirements of a farmer/orchardist with a 24/7 job.