southern apple

southern apple,” he said. “First Kiss apples will ripen in mid to late August compared to the majority of other apple varieties that ripen in mid September to late October.”

The couple said the new apple orchard is a few years from being ready to harvest for the Farm to School program, but when it’s ready, school children will be able to taste new varieties of apples like First Kiss, Kudos and Triumph. The Knetter’s also planted Firestorm apples in the new orchard, which are a strain of Honeycrisp that has a solid red color.

Dan Knetter grew up on his parent’s dairy farm located just to the east of where his main apple orchard, barn and house are now located. He was a dairy and ginseng farmer in his early adult life before getting out in the 1990s when milk and ginseng prices were low. He felt that he could fill a niche left behind when DuBay Orchards closed. He planted some apple test plots and received guidance from the Wisconsin Apple Growers Association on how to maintain them.

In 2004, he planted his first 200 apple trees consisting of Cortland and Honeycrisp varieties. Rock Ridge Orchard today has 37 different varieties of apple trees. The orchard still has Wolf River, Duchess and Fireside heirloom apple trees, which Dan Knetter said most other apple orchards no longer grow.

“They are an antique variety of apples that older people enjoy using for baking,” he said.

People driving on STH 153 will see the main orchard’s apple trees have netting on top of them which Dan Knetter utilizes to protect the older trees from hail damage and insect pests like the Japanese beetle.

Rock Ridge Orchard, which got its name because of the large rocks beneath the soil, has diversified its business model over the years. Dan and Julie Knetter had a wedding barn constructed on the apple orchard property in 2017. They also have Pizza In The Orchard on Thursday nights and Friday Night Flights, both with live music, during the summer. Dan Knetter said Rock Ridge Orchard has 50 part-time employees and a full-time manager.

“We had a record 630 people attend our first Pizza in the Orchard this summer,” he said.

in their college education that this experience may help motivate them in their studies and career,” he added.

Richter-O’Connell’s class has worked with Camp-Inn in past semesters, using the company’s floor plans as defined workspaces, and Edevold enjoyed seeing the students’ ideas and efforts, he said.

The Road Toad already has a complete kitchen solution. The model loaned to the class was a prototype designed for Camp-Inn employees.

New generations bring new innovations to camping The Camp-Inn brand targets an older demographic: early retirees and empty nesters, who have more available time and more disposable income. About 98% of customers are over 55 years old. The Road Toad camper was designed about five years ago and was built as a lower priced, entry-level trailer.

“We anticipated that it would attract a younger demographic, due to its lower cost and lower maintenance. Its small size and light weight make it ideal for smaller tow vehicles, including hybrids and electrics. However, Road Toad trailers have resulted in less of an increase in younger customers than anticipated,” Edevold said.

“As a result, I wanted to see what expectations a younger generation would have in a camping trailer. What do they value in a camping experience? Do they value different features than the older generation?” he added.

The first student team to present their kitchenette mockup was:

• Britton Bernhard, of Prescott

• Mackenzie Bruesewitz, of Hammond

• Charlie Kalas, of La Crosse

• Lauren Mescher, of New Berlin

• Darik Moilien, of Westby “This project was a fantastic way to understand how people interact with products within their environment and make the best use of space given the Road Toad's sizing constraints,” Bernhard said. “I really appreciate Road Toad and Professor DROC for giving us the opportunity to work with the camper and push us to design the best possible kitchen or product for ergonomics and style.”

In their research, the group found that the number of camping reservations is increasing across the country, with a high number of millennials represented, and that one-third of families find camping with children to be more relaxing than other vacations.

Based on these demographics, they crafted a persona of a young father and his daughter. The father-character enjoyed the outdoors, including hunting and fishing, and wanted to introduce his child to camping.

The group’s menu included six meals popular with kids, including mac-n-cheese, SpaghettiO’s, a breakfast with eggs, bacon and applesauce pouches, and foraged berries for snacks.

Their kitchenette mockup, built with cardboard, featured a power generator, a pull-out gas stove, a pull-out table with adjustable legs, extendable countertops for additional workspace, a dumpable sink with handles, a pullout dishrack and storage for dishes, a cooler drawer, secured drawers with safety latches, a fold-away canopy, insect-repellent lighting, chairs and additional storage cubbies.

Their digital portfolio included materials such as wood, aluminum, tweed fabric, fiberglass, and a color palette that reflected the soft tones of a forest. They also offered ergonomic views, showing how the kitchenette space would allow for comfortable movements for people ranging in height from 4 feet 11 inches to 6 feet 3 inches tall.

After reviewing the five groups’ project submissions, Edevold saw how different generations have similar wants and needs in the kitchen area of a camping trailer.

“I liked many of the ideas to pull out or extend the work surfaces outside of the trailer body. This enlarges the workspace, allowing room for a second cook or a helper,” he said. “I also liked the ideas of mounting items to the inside of the hatch to easily access those items and move them out of the way, with no added effort.”

Edevold added that he observed generational differences in preferences for a power supply and Wi-Fi availability, explaining that his experience has shown him that older generations use camping to disconnect from electronics and entertainment.

“From this project, it is apparent that younger generations plan to bring electronics with them,” he said. “In the past few years, both the Camp-Inn and Road Toad lines have seen an increase in requests for solar panels, lithium batteries and portable power stations. Generation X and the tail end of the Baby Boomers are more tech-savvy than the earlier Baby Boomers. The desire to bring along more electronics would explain this trend.”