Project Description
Labor
Featured stories about labor appear in this issue.
Running out of time
In the closing days of the 109th Congress, the National Council of Agricultural Employers is urging an all-out effort from agriculture to lobby congress for
International collaboration
A half century ago, when Dwarf Fruit Tree Association took root, very few growers had trees on dwarfing rootstocks, and much mystique surrounded them. Now,
Grant funds sliced pear research
The Pear Bureau Northwest will do research this winter to identify the obstacles to producing fresh sliced pears. The bureau has received a rural development
Apple growers hold off on claims
Apple growers in Canada have halted plans to file a formal complaint regarding the alleged dumping of U.S. apples north of the 49th parallel. Backed
Poor returns fuel cherry dumping allegations
Cherry growers in British Columbia, Canada, have announced plans to launch a trade action against Washington State growers following indications that cherries were dumped in
New Brunswick apple grower diversifies
Ferme Bourgeois Farms distributes apples, including those from Washington State, to stores throughout New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island in Canada. History runs deep in
Robotic harvester in the works
The Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission has given the go-ahead to a California robotics company to begin developing a robotic apple harvester. When engineers at
Robot-ready orchard
Tony Koselka (right) and Derek Morikawa (center) tell Del Feigal that the orchard Del manages for Auvil Fruit Company is ideal for robotic harvesting.
Growers reduce potential exposure to OPs
In 2004, the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries adopted a cholinesterase medical monitoring program. It requires that agricultural employers implement a monitoring program
B.C. orchardists struggle to find workers
Rick Lagaah estimates he lost half of his crop because he couldn’t find enough pickers to harvest his 100 acres of apples. “I only found
New IFTA president likes the cutting edge
Incoming IFTA President Neal Manly Neal Manly, chief marketing officer with Willow Drive Nursery in Ephrata, Washington, will take over as president of the International
Making piece rate work
Facing rising labor costs and a shrinking pool of workers, Yakima Valley Orchards has been studying its options. Last summer, the Yakima, Washington-based company hired
Labor shortages might worsen
West Coast tree fruit producers dodged a bullet this year. In Washington, hailstorms that shrank the crops and cool fall weather that extended apple harvest
H-2A provides a reliable work force
Rob Valicoff used H-2A guest workers for the first time this year, hoping to ensure a legal work force and to avoid a major harvest
Do guest workers pencil out?
Is an employer better off trying to recruit workers at the orchard or bringing in guest workers through the federal H-2A program? Dave Allan at
In My View: Mike Gempler
Uncontrolled illegal immigration has caused rapid change and destabilization in some communities, resulting in resentment, fear, and economic and social challenges. This has resulted in
Apple Lines
I am writing this article after reading the Good Fruit Grower November edition which features apple marketing and “Coping without the commission.” The topic is
In My View: Jim Hazen
The first week of December culminates months of work by the Washington State Horticultural Association’s Planning Committee to develop the direction and topics of the
Last Bite: Why the “Big Y”
The Yakima Fruit Growers Association updated its label in 1928, and the company itself soon came to be called the “Big Y.” The
Redefining wine appellations
Gail Puryear believes it is time to redefine wine appellations in Washington State. In the early days, appellations (known as American Viticultural Areas) were created
Companies help farmers
Mollie Hollibough has set up a new company to help growers recruit H-2A workers. Photo by Nanette Lee. Several companies are helping growers
Thinking outside the box
“I’m looking for someone who wants to buy some unique and irreplaceable equipment to carry on the business.” Dave Johnson’s been making wooden boxes for
Good to Know: Growing Quality Montmorency Cherries
Weather conditions in 2006 were not kind to Montmorency cherries in some areas of Michigan’s Great Lakes region. The two primary fruit quality problems experienced
What the H-2A program requires
An employer applying for temporary foreign guest workers must meet a number of conditions: Recruitment: The employer must try to recruit U.S. workers first. This
Quick Bites
California commissions combineThe California Apple Commission has announced a joint management venture with the California Kiwifruit Commission in October. The new arrangement allows both organizations
Rainier cherry is Fogle’s legacy
Dr. Harold W. Fogle, inventor of the Rainier cherry, died last October in Takoma Park, Maryland, aged 88. Fogle grew up in West Virginia and
Washington State grower pioneered nectarines in Yakima Valley
Second-generation orchardist Ray “Bud” Redman, Jr., who was one of the first to grow nectarines in Washington State’s Yakima Valley, liked the challenge of producing
Pear conditioning must be consistent
Pears in clamshells at retail About 40 percent of d’Anjou pears from the Pacific Northwest are conditioned before they reach the retail store so they
Diversify against adversity
Tom Hattrup grows six pear varieties and focuses on the fresh market. Photo by Madeleine Warner Harvest is a whirl at Tom Hattrup’s orchard. As
New AVA boasts fine wine, not snakes
An inside view of grapes grown on the Lyre trellis system at the Outlook Vineyard. Yields can be increased with the Lyre system, but hand
Manage canopy to optimize grape flavor
California wine grape growers long ago traded bushy canopies for sleek trellising systems, but they continue to discover the importance of managing the vineyard canopy
Evaluating the sensory qualities of grapes
Determining when a grape has reached peak maturity is increasingly the job of field technicians trained to recognize the sensory characteristics of grapes, but Dr.
Young winemakers are the industry’s future
A new generation of winemakers gathered together during a Washington State wine convention. From left to right: Julia Hall, OS Winery; Mathew Gray, Coyote Canyon
Reaching the Hispanic market
Victor Palencia, winemaker at Willow Crest Winery, believes there is an untapped market for Washington wines in the Latino segment of the population. “There’s a
From vineyard to winery
Victor Palencia is likely the youngest winemaker in the Pacific Northwest, hired as assistant winemaker before he was legally old enough to drink and receiving
Storing Honeycrisp
As production of Honeycrisp increases, the apple industry will need to know how best to store the variety, Dr. Dana Faubion, former Washington State University
Sticker shows apple maturity
Robert Klein’s sticker turns color as an apple ripens. A thumbnail-sized white sticker that turns blue as the fruit to which it’s affixed ripens is
Heusers head TO 50th annual meeting
Wally Heuser has never missed an annual meeting in the entire history of the International Fruit Tree Association, and will be in Tasmania, Australia, in