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Washington State University names WA 64 apple Sunflare
Washington State University has given its newest apple, WA 64, the official trade name Sunflare...
IFTA wraps up South Aftrica tour with apples, pears and stone fruit under shade netting
You know it’s a hot field day when attendees are hanging out under the drape net, trying to avoid sunburn, along with the pears...
Lower cost of labor inputs helps South African growers deliver high-quality fruit
One of South Africa’s largest pome fruit growers, Dutoit Agri, hosted the International Fruit Tree Association on Dec. 6 at its orchards in a region known as the Koue Bokkeveld...
South Africa study tour starts with shade-netted stone fruit
In the stone fruit production region around Stellenbosch, South Africa, it’s regularly over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (or 40 Celsius, if you want to sound like a local) during harvest...
2024 pesticide residue study released for Washington apple growers
The Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission announced in a news release the recent completion of its annual study of maximum residue levels (MRLs) in apples...
More federal judges block provisions of H-2A rule
Two more federal judges have blocked parts of the new H-2A regulations intended to grant workers more protection from potential abuses and give them rights to conduct union-like activities...
Kalcsits appointed to leadership role at Washington State University’s Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center
Washington State University is taking a team approach to leading the Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center in Wenatchee...
North Central Washington Tree Fruit Days Jan. 21–23 and Feb. 6
Washington State University Tree Fruit Extension announced in a news release its annual Tree Fruit Day programs in North Central Washington...
Survey used to set 2025 AEWR released; Northwest growers facing $19.82 base wage
This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its annual wage survey which serves as the basis for the Adverse Effect Wage Rates the Department of Labor will set for 2025...
Washington State Grape Society honors industry leaders at annual meeting
Among the presentations on topics such as technology, pest control and industry economics, the Washington State Grape Society bestowed industry awards on Nov. 21 at its annual meeting in Grandview...
Ste. Michelle closes two Eastern Washington wine tasting rooms
Washington’s largest wine producer, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, has closed two of its tasting rooms a year after steep cuts to its volume...
New crop insurance options coming for California wine grape growers
Conversations are underway about how crop insurance programs could provide risk management tools better tailored to the wine industry, starting with a wildfire smoke endorsement that will be available to California growers in 2025...
Judge rules Glory and Staccato cherries the same
A federal judge has decided a cherry sold as Glory is really Staccato under a different name...
USDA research center construction begins at UC Davis
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has begun construction on a new 59,000-square-foot Agricultural Research and Technology Center at the University of California, Davis...
Hurricane Helene inflicts $6 billion in damages to Georgia ag
Hurricane Helene left behind an estimated $6.46 billion in damage to Georgia’s agriculture and forestry industries, according to preliminary damage assessments...
Washington wine groups again seek acreage data
Washington wine groups are asking more growers to respond to an acreage survey this year...
Washington State University to launch campaign for new tree fruit research facility
Washington State University announced plans to launch a fundraising campaign this fall to create a state-of-the-art space for tree fruit research...
Washington Apple Commission talks 2024 crop and promotional plans
The Washington Apple Commission met Oct. 15 in Ellensburg for the first time with new president Michael Schadler on board and discussed the ongoing harvest, the promotional budget for the 2024–25 crop year and how the success of those programs is measured...
Semillero de Ideas boosts prize money for second contest
Semillero de Ideas, a Washington nonprofit helping farmworkers commercialize their own inventions, is gearing up for its second innovation contest and has significantly boosted its prize money...
Agricultural Leadership Program begins Nov. 15 in Yakima
The Washington State Tree Fruit Association and Washington State Department of Agriculture are offering a bilingual (English and Spanish) Agricultural Leadership Program course starting Nov. 15, in Yakima...
Fine-tuned WA 38 harvest and storage recommendations available
As Cosmic Crisp enters its sixth harvest, researchers continue to fine-tune their recommendations for harvest and storage...
Northwest pear crop estimated at 10.6 million boxes, down 31 percent
As the 2024 pear harvest continues around the Northwest, the industry expects to harvest 10.6 million 44-pound boxes...
WA 64 field day focuses on rootstock and system options
Washington growers can now start placing nursery orders for WA 64, the newest release from Washington State University’s breeding program...
Registration open for Washington Winegrowers’ vineyard education program
Washington Winegrowers Association, in partnership with Wenatchee Valley College and Yakima Valley College, announced registration is now open for Levels 1 and 3 in the Latino Agriculture Education for Viticulture Program...
Semillero de Ideas to hold second farmworker innovation contest
Semillero de Ideas, a Washington nonprofit helping farmworkers commercialize their own inventions, will take submissions for its second innovation contest until Oct. 31...
Penn State offers online food safety course for apple packers
Penn State Extension is offering a new online course for apple packing house operators that want to provide food safety training to employees...
Research commission releases 2024 cherry MRL report
The Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission has published its 2024 report on pesticide residues for Northwest sweet cherry production...
Despite lawsuit, most tree fruit growers subject to new Farmworker Protection Rule
While a judge’s order prompted a pause to the enforcement of new federal farmworker protection regulations for some states last month, growers in tree fruit states including Washington, Oregon, California, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania must start complying with changes related to H-2A applications at 9 p.m. on Sept. 11...
Washington launches support program for agricultural fuel users
The Washington State Department of Licensing launched its Agriculture Support Program in late August to help eligible industry members impacted by requirements in the Climate Commitment Act...
Washington State University issues WA 64 apple license to INN
Washington State University has finalized a licensing agreement with International New Varieties Network, or INN, to represent the WA 64 apple...
Wine grape smoke task force launches website
The West Coast Smoke Exposure Task Force unveiled a new website this week to give growers, winemakers and other industry representatives resources to contend with exposures to wildfire smoke...
Brett Baker named chair of USApple board of directors
The U.S. Apple Association named Brett Baker the new chair of its board of directors...
USApple estimate for 2024-25 predicts slightly smaller crop than last year
The U.S. Apple Association made its final prediction of the size of the 2024–25 U.S. apple crop: 260 million 42-pound bushels...
Washington grape growers share successes and challenges at annual field day
The Washington State Grape Society and Washington State University held their annual field day Aug. 7, hosted this year at Figgins Winery in Walla Walla...
Washington apple industry expects a 124-million-box crop
Washington apple growers expect to harvest 124 million boxes of fresh-market apples this fall, returning to a more average crop size after last year’s high of 136 million boxes...
Field day showcases an array of Washington tree fruit research trials underway
From soil health for new plants to postharvest quality analysis, scientists based at Washington State University’s Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center and their colleagues at the U.S. Department of Agriculture lab in Wenatchee have a lot of research going on...
Michigan’s RidgeFest speakers push apple consumption collaboration
U.S. apple consumption continues to decline, a fact the apple industry can’t afford to ignore...
Relief measures following crop loss will allow British Columbia wineries to import grapes and juice
Following a near-total crop loss for the British Columbia wine industry, the provincial government announced a relief effort that will temporarily allow wineries to import grapes and juice...
Smart Orchard field day draws a crowd in Central Washington
About 200 people turned out on July 26 to check out the latest in sensors, robotics and irrigation automation at the Smart Orchard field day near Mattawa, Washington...
BC Tree Fruits announces closure of cooperative
British Columbia’s largest apple packer, BC Tree Fruits Cooperative, told its grower-owners on July 26 that it is closing...
WSU irrigation technology field day focuses on fundamentals and how to use new tools
Taking advantage of the influx of irrigation technologies requires that growers go back to basics, too...
Pear psylla IPM efficacy the topic at Washington State University field day
To test how well pear psylla IPM is working for growers in the Wenatchee River Valley area, Washington State University entomologists set up a series of paired orchards to compare pest levels in conventional orchards and in those using integrated pest management strategies...
Stone fruit dominates final IFTA swing through California
The sprawling flatland of California’s southern Central Valley dominates U.S. stone fruit production. And the International Fruit Tree Association tour group saw plenty of it on the final day of the summer study tour through Central California...
Earwig workshops planned for Pacific Northwest apple and pear growers
Who wants a bucket of earwigs? Apple and pear growers might...
Avocados and olives join apples, cherries and pears on IFTA tour
International Fruit Tree Association tour-goers saw plenty of the pears, apples and cherries they’re used to seeing as the group embarked on the first day of the summer tour through Central California, scheduled July 16–18...
Dutch grower group tours Washington orchards to talk technology
Around the globe, growers are looking for new technologies to make fruit production more labor-efficient...
New president, CarrieAnn Arias, joins Pear Bureau Northwest
Pear Bureau Northwest announced that CarrieAnn Arias took the role as president and CEO of the organization on July 1...
Federal judge’s ruling reinstates Washington prevailing wages for H-2A workers
A federal judge has mandated that Washington growers pay H-2A employees prevailing wages while a lawsuit over the process of determining those wages lingers on...
Correa tapped to lead Fresh Pear Committee
The Northwest pear industry has filled one of the leadership positions vacated by the outgoing Kevin Moffitt, longtime president and CEO of Pear Bureau Northwest...
Washington State University’s tree fruit research field day Aug. 6
Washington State University's fourth annual tree fruit research field day is scheduled Tuesday, Aug. 6...