Shawn McIntire is the Farm Manager of Cold Spring Orchard, and has been for more than 7 years. Shawn’s favorite part about the job is getting to teach visitors and employees everything that he knows. Shawn insists that he is “not the kind of boss that is going to sit inside behind a desk, I’d rather be right out there with you.” He argues that “education is our best defense” against climate change and other threats to our environment. Cold Spring Orchard offers tours for schools and is a research and education facility of UMass Amherst. They are dedicated to sustainability in their everyday practices and in the research that goes on there as well. Cold Spring Orchard uses integrated pest management (IPM) to use pesticides sparingly to control the insects and diseases on their apple trees in a sustainable way. Shawn spends at least 4 hours every Sunday patrolling the orchard for pests and deciding which sections of trees need to be sprayed. |