OREM — Two fruit orchards used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as welfare farms may be sold and developed.
Church leaders in the Orem area recently announced the orchard on 800 South, which spans 33 acres, and the orchard on 1600 N. 400 East, which is 60 acres, could both be sold.
"From a welfare department standpoint, the increasing urban development around the orchards makes it more efficient to transfer the fruit production of these farms to larger orchards outside urban and suburban areas," LDS Church spokesman Dale Bills said.
Bills said no decision on the sale of the orchards has been made at this point, and he would not say what plans, if any, the church has for the property.
But some who live near the orchard on 800 South say sewer lines and other infrastructure necessary for development are already in place. Both orchards are surrounded by residential and commercial property.
"It doesn't really matter to me either way," said Orem resident Jennifer Ruff, who lives adjacent to the 800 South orchard. "Sometimes my kids play in it, which is nice, but sometimes the noise from the tractors is annoying."
The feeling that development is imminent is shared by many of Ruff's neighbors, although most would prefer a park.
Fruit from the two orchards, which has included peaches, apples and pears, has been picked and distributed by church members for decades as a service to the needy.
If the orchards are sold the service will most likely continue in rural areas.
Tony Hatch, a retired fruit inspector for the Utah Department of Agriculture, says the difficulty of growing crops in an urban area may have prompted the church to consider the sale.
Hatch said residents who live near the orchards have complained about irrigation water flooding their basements. It is also more difficult to spray pesticides in urban areas.
"There's a big risk there. You're allowed to farm and stuff, but if you make a mistake and get sued you're really in trouble," said Morris Ercanbrack, a farmer who owns orchards in Orem and Santaquin. "As progress and development goes on, it just becomes less economical to farm in the city. It's changing times."
Ercanbrack has transferred most of his fruit production to farms in Santaquin and Goshen. He plans to build subdivisions on his last 40 acres of orchards in Orem.
"There isn't too much left in Orem. There's little patches here and there, like an acre or two, but nothing significant," Ercanbrack said. "If you wanted to find an orchard above five acres you'd really have to look."
Orem was once one of the major producers of fruit in the state. In the 1960s Orem supplied 40-50 percent of the sweet cherries in Utah County, 60 percent of the sour cherries, 25 percent of the apples, 40 percent of the peaches, and 80 percent of the pears, according to "It Happened in Orem," a history of the city.
Once Ercanbrack sells his land, the largest orchard left in the city may be the 13-acre Crandall fruit farm. The orchard — which produces apples, peaches, pears and cherries — has been in the family for five generations.
"We have had a lot of offers, but we have no interest in selling," said Natalie Crandall. "This has been handed down by five generations, and we plan to keep farming."
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