Kathy Wiederholt, Fruit Project Manager
The Researcher:
Kathy Wiederholt has been the fruit project manager at the Carrington Research Extension Center since the project’s inception in 2006. She had Master Gardener training through University of Wisconsin Extension and botany and horticulture classes in college - though she majored in bacteriology and completed her Masters in dairy food microbiology. She has a lifelong love of plants and had her pressed plant collection selected for the Wisconsin State Fair when she was a young 4-H member.
The Research Goals:
1. The primary objective is to evaluate each crop for adaptation, disease resistance, winter hardiness, productivity, fruit quality and processing potential under North Dakota growing conditions.
2. Distribute the research-based information obtained in goal #1 to a broad constituency as a means to foster new economic enterprises.
3. Communicate and create opportunities for established food and wine companies of North Dakota to utilize fruit produced at CREC to evaluate and develop new products.
4. Encourage growers to develop orchards to supply the demands of food and wine companies.
Why it Matters:
The Northern Hardy Fruit Evaluation Project is the only known research-based project that is determining the suitability of selected cultivars of northern-hardy fruits for both home gardeners and commercial production in the upper Great Plains or Midwest. In the past year, we have received information requests from Minnesota, South Dakota, Iowa, Montana, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia.
Contact Information:
Kathy.Wiederholt@ndsu.edu
NDSU Carrington Research Extension Center
663 Hwy. 281 NE
PO Box 219
Carrington, ND 58421
701-652-2951
fax 701-652-2055
