Project Description
Irrigation, Labor
Featured stories about irrigation and labor appear in this issue.
Click here to view a PDF version of this issue.
Underground drip irrigation serves two purposes
Water is plentiful in the fruit-growing area along Lake Michigan’s eastern shore, so it’s not scarcity that’s an issue. The problem is with some water
H-2A basics
Lucio Machado picks Golden Delicious in a Wenatchee, Washington, orchard. Fear of a repeat of last fall’s labor shortage in the Pacific Northwest has many
Housing helps attract workers
Mike Gempler (facing camera) tours Sage Bluff housing project. GERALDINE WARNER Housing—be it state-subsidized tent programs, onsite grower-owned, or public housing built for seasonal agricultural
Clinic can diagnose crop ailments
Karen Ward runs WSU’s Plant Pest Diagnostic Clinic. If you find strange rots or spots on your fruit trees or some mysterious ailment, Washington State
WSU releases promising apple
WSU’s newest variety, WA 38, is a cross of Enterprise and Honeycrisp. Geraldine Warner Washington State University has released a third apple variety and is
MCP alternative tested
Amit Dhingra’s research shows that the new product delays ripening differently than MCP. An organic compound that has the potential to enhance storability of pears
Few alternatives to H-2A program
Tom Roach outlined labor options at a recent Washington Growers League meeting. Growers worried about securing a work force for the coming year have few
Watch other crops for labor trends
Eastern Washington State is the world’s fastest-growing region for blueberry production. Tree fruit growers anxious about the labor market in the coming season would be
Stinkbug watch
Entomologists in New York State developed a clever way of keeping an eye out for inroads by the brown marmorated stinkbug. It’s been found across
Tallying the costs
Tree fruit growers in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley typically require about 3,300 seasonal workers annually. But working with foreign migrants who come to Canada under
Seasonal workers essential but costly
Having to rely on migrant labor has never been an easy game for fruit growers in British Columbia, Canada. While a highly mobile work force—usually
New York apple growers on alert for strep-resistant fire blight
An earlier outbreak occurred in 2002.
DNA test identifies pathogens in tainted foods
Fruit or vegetable packers concerned that their produce may be contaminated with unsafe pathogens will soon have a simple screening method they can use to
Aiming for efficiency
Almost $3 million in government funding earmarked for packing house improvements was announced January 27 at the B.C. Fruit Growers’ Association’s annual convention at Kelowna,
USA Farmers seek reform
Chalmers Carr III Chalmers Carr III doesn’t expect Congressional action on farm labor and immigration issues before the fall elections this year, and he hopes
From pie to health food
New, healthy products include dried cherries and tart cherry juice. If you hear the words, “tart cherries,” and a nice oozy red, lattice-topped cherry pie
Eye-to-eye with consumers
The bin porch offers customers a wide choice, and they can buy any mixture at a fixed price for a full bag. On this day,
Irrigating cherry orchards efficiently
Lapins fruit quality was excellent in all three years of the deficit irrigation study. Todd Einhorn A significant portion of sweet cherry acreage throughout California
Pests sneak into U.K.
Two new pests—the brown marmorated stinkbug and spotted wing drosophila—have snuck into the United Kingdom but are not yet established there. Two adult brown marmorated
Merlot’s place in Washington
Merlot grapes have had a strong presence in Washington State since 1956 when the late Dr. Walter Clore brought cuttings into the state, according to
Snow apple of Quebec
The Fameuse is a taste sensation, but its bad habits doomed the cultivar
Contain root growth
Four-year-old Packham trees on Winter Nelis rootstock planted 22.5 cm (9 inches) apart on Open Tatura (9,876 trees per hectare, or 4,000 trees per acre).
Leafroller challenges cherry growers
Obliquebanded leafroller larva Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Tart cherry growers need to use a modern, effective insecticide to control obliquebanded leafroller about two weeks before
Are Washington Merlots Sideways?
Harold Thoreen of Antoine Creek Vineyard near Chelan, Washington, son Colin, and Harold’s wife Suzanne Haggard taste Northwest Merlot wines during an educational session spotlighting