Van Buren's Wallace Heuser honored for distinguished agriculture service
GRAND RAPIDS, Dec. 1, 2011 - Ask consumers about the greatest name in American fruit lore, and they'll likely think of Johnny Appleseed. But there's a Michigan born-and-bred individual who deserves more thanks for modern-day apple quality and abundance than any folk hero.
His name is Wallace E. Heuser, and he's the recipient of Michigan Farm Bureau's (MFB) 2011 Distinguished Service to Agriculture (DSA) Award.
MFB named Heuser, of Lawrence, the DSA award winner during a Dec. 1 ceremony at the MFB 92nd Annual Meeting in Grand Rapids. The DSA award is MFB's highest honor and recognizes individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the state's agriculture industry.
DSA award recipients are selected by the MFB board of directors based on nominations submitted by county Farm Bureaus and representatives of the agriculture industry. In considering applicants, the board looks for individuals who have made differences which have improved the economic status and image of Michigan agriculture.
"Hundreds of people can list Wally Heuser's contributions to the fruit industry," said MFB President Wayne H. Wood, "and every person he influenced felt his genuine, personal interest in them - not just as fellow fruit growers but as human beings."
During Heuser's remarkable career, he has introduced nearly 100 new apple varieties which have revolutionized the industry by offering better color, flavor and growth characteristics, including the patented Golden Delicious, Red Delicious and Paulared varieties. Heuser has also traveled the globe to promote the value of high-quality, high-efficiency fruit production.
"I know of no other individual who has so greatly influenced the present commercial tree fruit industry," said Jerome Hull, Michigan State University (MSU) professor emeritus in the horticulture department.
William Baird, professor and chairperson of the MSU horticulture department, agrees, calling Heuser's contributions "unparalleled."
"He is recognized worldwide as an authority on deciduous fruit varieties, rootstocks and orchard management systems, and an expert horticulturalist, nurseryman, innovator and marketing specialist," said Baird.
Heuser's passion for fruit has spanned decades. He grew up on a fruit farm in Hartford and earned a degree in pomology from MSU, where he led his student pomster club to install a refrigerated apple vending machine in the horticulture building.
Even fresh out of college, Heuser was willing to stretch conventional limits, recalls MSU classmate Paul Rood.
"Dwarf trees were just an idea a college department head had," Rood said, "but Wally took hold of it, grew dwarf trees and helped the whole industry change. It was a radical idea, but he recognized the possibilities. And when he concentrated on being a nurseryman, everything he propagated was made better."
Heuser's foresight into the movement toward smaller fruit trees led to the creation of the International Dwarf Fruit Tree Association, now known as the International Fruit Tree Association (IFTA), of which he was founding president. IFTA serves a vital function in educating fruit growers worldwide and in promoting advancements in orchard technology.
"Nearly all of the nation's orchards today are planted on dwarfing rootstocks, yielding trees smaller in stature, more precocious, and more efficiently managed," said Hull.
Heuser is an equally strong supporter and innovator in the sweet and tart cherry industries.
"He was one of the first nurseryman to realize the merits of the German cherry breeding program and the potential of some of the dwarfing cherry rootstocks for sweet cherry production, especially for fresh marketing," said Hull.
Heuser has also been as much a businessman as a horticulturalist. Upon graduation from MSU, Heuser returned to his family farm, Hilltop Orchards and Nurseries, where he was responsible for dramatically increasing the farm's acreage, adding a state-of-the-art packing house, and making other technological improvements. He also established Hilltop International to market the farm's patented plant materials.
In 1989, Heuser established and became president of Summit Sales, Inc., and International Plant Management, Inc. Summit Sales provides horticultural knowledge, fruit variety and rootstock selection to commercial fruit growers worldwide. International Plant Management's mission is to test, protect, introduce and market new deciduous fruit tree selections.
After more than 50 years in the industry, Heuser remains a personable leader who helps everyone who asks.
"He's one of the most humble persons I know," said Trever Meachum, a young fruit industry leader who counts himself fortunate to learn from Heuser's instruction. "If you call a fruit industry person in Europe, they'll say the same. It will take a team to fill his shoes."
MFB is the state's largest general farm organization, representing more than 48,000 farm families. The MFB 92nd Annual Meeting runs Nov. 29 to Dec. 2 at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel and DeVos Place.
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Editor's note: Visit http://www.michfb.com/annual for photos from the award ceremony. For more information after Dec. 2, contact Media Relations Manager Jill Corrin at (800) 292-2680, ext. 6585.
