Starting in 1978, Chuck and Diane Souther bought their first piece of land, an old dairy farm on the north side of Concord that had seen better days. Working several jobs, they poured every penny – and a lot of sweat equity – into their dream of creating an apple orchard. Today, their Apple Hill Farm is one of the most popular in the Concord area, with a thriving retail store and bakery, wagon tours, a wholesale operation and vegetable and fruit crops.

And the apples – 24 varieties in all. From MacIntosh and Cortland to harder-to-find varieties such as Calville deBlanc, Gravenstein and Esopus Spitzenburg

Walking through the beautiful, green hills and rows of apple trees, Chuck and Diane point out several areas set aside for research with the help of UNH Extension. A weather station records wind, temperature, rainfall and sunlight, with technology that sends the information over a mobile network to a system. The information can help the Southers determine when their crops are at risk for diseases, fungus and other threats. Other areas hold small traps that catch insect pests, indicating if their populations are large enough to pose a serious threat to crops.

“Our involvement with Extension goes back to the day we bought this place,” Chuck Souther says. “We were just a couple of 21-year-old kids and we had a dream for this place. But you know, dreams don’t happen without a little help, and Extension was there every step of the way.”