Several years ago


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The History of GopherOut

Several years ago, we developed GopherOut as part of our pest management program. It was first developed on the central coast of California which has a particularly bad gopher and rodent problem because the weather permits year round breeding.

Bryce Farms was growing artichokes and gophers were a constant plague. We tried every method known at the time from vibrating devices to propane canons. Most of these methods had absolutely no impact on the gophers. Trapping presented us with a time consuming and haphazard way to kill them and new gophers would migrate into their burrows within weeks. Tilling provided some temporary relief but it also weakened our growing beds. Some of the local artichokes farms used a toxic poison that was actually applied to artichokes leaves left over from processing and placed into the fields while the harvest was on.

We wanted a clean natural process that would eliminate the problem without killing the gophers. In fact, they still thrive on the outskirts of our fields but do no damage to our crops.

A few years back, we came upon an old gopher remedy from Kentucky and it seemed to be effective. Over several years we perfected and tuned this formula to our growing process and the gophers, and other rodents, disappeared from our fields. The effect seemed long lasting and pronounced. Typically, we would apply our product in the spring and it would last into the next year depending on the amount of rain we received during the winter.

Some local farmers heard of our process and inquired. We decided that they would be a perfect �testing� group for us and sold them some GopherOut at a reduced price for a monthly report on their uses and results. Their results matched ours and we soon started selling our product locally to artichoke farmers.

In 2004, we moved our operation to Mariposa California and got into the wine grape business. This quickly expanded in the local produce market with tomatoes, squash, artichokes, peppers, pak choi and many other vegetables. We also planted a large apple orchard. The gophers proved to be even more formidable than on the coast. We applied GopherOut to our vegetable beds and to our newly planted trees and the gophers disappeared.

In the last few years, visitors and fellow farmers told us that we should make it available to gardeners also. It was the one common problem that everyone seemed to have. We gave away GopherOut to local gardeners and asked them to tell us how it worked for them. Their results convinced us to put it on the market for the general public

After years of informal and formal testing, we wanted to have an independent organization verify our results. American Product Certifiers conducted those tests and verified our findings.

We are now conducting tests on new formulas on our apple trees. Preliminary testing this year has indicated that it effectively stopped the codling moth, scale, and rust. The basic compounds of the formula seem to repel deer and some other wildlife also as noted during these tests.

We plan to find answers for the most common problems effecting gardeners and to supply them with products to make gardening more enjoyable while maintaining an even balance with nature.

Look for new products starting in the spring of 2009. Some of these will help repel deer, stop various diseases and pests on fruit trees, and deter ants.

We have also been doing research with some local vineyards to prevent powdery mildew on wine grapes.