Creating consistent yields through structured decision points

July 2026 | Presented by Mark Wakefield, Mr Apple, New Zealand | Future Orchards® Winter Orchard Walks and Orchard Talks

Mark Wakefield presents a structured approach to creating more consistent apple yields by defining key decision points through the season. Drawing on more than 25 years of management experience and his role managing the 90-hectare Clive Orchard for Mr Apple in Hawke’s Bay, he shows how historical block data and current orchard condition can be combined into a practical seasonal plan.

The presentation begins with the block profile and reviews yield, fruit size and packhouse data before considering what the previous season left behind. Early decisions include carbohydrate reserves, disease pressure, soil moisture, flooding risk, tree recovery, winter chill, dormancy-breaking options and pollination. Wakefield stresses that model outputs should be used alongside orchard observation rather than treated as a substitute for it.

Later decision points bring chemical thinning and hand thinning together as complementary tools. The overall system is designed to reduce year-to-year variation by making decisions at defined stages, recording the outcome and using that evidence to refine the following season’s plan.