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Apple Commission sets $7.5 million budget…
The Washington Apple Commission’s board of directors approved a preliminary budget for the 2006-2007 season of $7.5 million, during a meeting by phone conference in May. That’s based on an estimated Washington apple crop of 103 million packed boxes, on which the commission collects an assessment of 3.5 cents a box. Income will also include funds from the federal Market Access Program. Dave Carlson, commission president, said the board is budgeting a similar amount to last year—$3.8 million—although Congress has yet to decide the total amount that will be allocated to the program this year.
The board will review the budget at its July 17 meeting before sending it to the director of the Washington State Department of Agriculture for approval. Carlson said the production figure on which it is based might be on the conservative side and the board will have a better feel for the potential crop size by then.
Washington Apple Commission appointees…
Washington Apple Commission has reappointed Mark Zirkle and Ed Kershaw of Yakima and Jerry Kenoyer of Cashmere as its representatives on the Northwest Horticultural Council’s board of trustees.
The Apple Commission will also appoint two representatives on the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission’s board to fill positions that expire on July 31. Those positions are held by Jim Doornink of Yakima, representing the southern district, and Jim Johnson of Tonasket, representing the northern district. Both are interested in reapplying. Producers interested in either of the positions should contact the Apple Commission by June 15. Should there be more than one candidate, interviews will be held. Richard Thomason is head of the commission’s appointment committee.
Pear Bureau Northwest has winning booth…
The Pear Bureau Northwest received an award for best in-line booth at the Canadian Produce Marketing Association’s annual convention and trade show held in Vancouver, British Columbia, in March. The bureau was one of two winners chosen from almost 200 booths. The other was for an island booth.
Canada is the U.S. pear industry’s second-largest export market after Mexico, taking 1.3 million boxes of pears, or about 7 percent of the crop. It is the top destination outside the United States for Bartlett pears.
The survey is part of a larger risk management grant partnership awarded to the foundation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As part of the grant, the state’s tree fruit growers are also taking part in an acreage survey.
How much vineyard is there?
Washington State’s wine grape growers are being surveyed for grape acreage information by the National Agricultural Statistics Service to better define the rapidly changing industry. Survey results will be announced next February.
The last grape acreage survey in the state was conducted in 2001.
The survey, which seeks to better define grape acreage by gathering data on type (wine, juice, table), variety, age, planting density, and vineyard location by county and appellation, will help reset industry benchmark information. Data will also be gathered on grape losses from birds and animals, diseases, and weather.
“The information provided in this survey is invaluable to the grape and wine industry,” said Vicky Scharlau of the Washington Wine Industry Foundation in a news release. “This information is critical to the business plans of juice processors, wineries, growers, and our affiliated industries. We can’t plan for a successful future if we don’t know where we are now.”
The survey is part of a larger risk management grant partnership awarded to the foundation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As part of the grant, the state’s tree fruit growers are also taking part in an acreage survey.
Northwest canner earns Food Alliance certification…
Truitt Brothers, Inc., of Salem, Oregon, is the first in the nation to earn a new food processor certification from Food Alliance, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting sustainable agriculture. The 33-year-old cannery and specialty food processor is re-introducing its signature product of juice-packed Bartlett pears from The Dalles, Oregon, with a new label that highlights their story of commitment to quality, farmers, and the land.
To earn the right to label products as Food Alliance-certified, Truitt Brothers complied with a comprehensive set of standards. The product must be carefully tracked and come from Food Alliance-certified farms and must meet standards for sustainable practices at the processing facility. These range from environmentally sound practices of protecting water resources and conserving energy to being socially responsible by ensuring safe working conditions.
Company cofounder Peter Truitt said that partnering with Food Alliance put the company on a path toward sustainability. Truitt Brothers aims to earn more value for its products while supporting farmers by giving them a better return on crops certified for sustainable farming practices.
Washington wine’s first “perfect” score…
Legendary wine critic Robert Parker, Jr., featured a record-breaking review of Washington State wines, including the first 100-point scores in the state’s history, in the April 24 Wine Advocate review.
The review, written by Parker’s associate Pierre-Antoine Rovani, rated 86 wines from Washington with its “outstanding” 90 points or higher and awarded two perfect 100-point ratings to Quilceda Creek Vintners of Snohomish for its 2002 and 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon. Only 15 other U.S. wines have received 100-point ratings from the Wine Advocate, and only five perfect scores have been awarded to consecutive vintages by the publication since its inception in 1978, according to the Washington Wine Commission.
In Rovani’s report, he delivers praise for Washington’s vineyards and wine producers and notes that in the ten years he has reviewed Washington wines, winemaking knowledge has been honed and lessons learned, making the state home of some of the most astute winemakers in the world.
“We’re extremely proud of Quilceda Creek’s historic recognition as it reinforces our assertion that Washington is the ‘perfect climate for wine’ and can compete with the finest wine-producing regions in the world,” said Robin Pollard, executive director of the Wine Commission.
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