ADVERTISEMENT
Get wise about your water
Preharvest water risk assessment regulations take effect for large farms this month and for smaller farms next April.
Columbia Gorge Fruit Growers director fired, admits theft
Columbia Gorge Fruit Growers has fired longtime executive director Mike Doke for allegedly stealing tens of thousands of dollars over multiple years...
Fighting fruit pests from the air
Spray drones show promise controlling pests in grapes and tree fruit.
Growers facing a fire blight pathogen predicament
Washington State University researcher finds resistance to fire blight antibiotic kasugamycin.
UPDATED: Mass layoffs of federal workers will include scientists working for the fruit industry
On Thursday, Feb. 13, the Trump administration began serious cutbacks to the federal workforce, laying off recently hired employees across numerous agencies...
South African growers forging their own trials
International Fruit Tree Association visits South African growers putting their trees to the tests.
Postharvest pointers for pear growers
Hort Show speakers share pear storage advice.
Closure of Sage Fruit sales desk triggers shake-up of Washington fruit volumes for 2025
The new year kicked off with some new alignments in the Washington tree fruit industry, following the closure of the Sage Fruit sales desk at the end of 2024...
US fruit exporters target Mexico
America’s southern neighbor makes an attractive fruit export market.
Good Point: Clean Plant 101
The key reasons why you need to use certified plants.
New economic assistance fund created for specialty crop producers
On Dec. 10, the U.S. Department of Agriculture opened a new $2 billion economic assistance program for specialty crop producers..
A cherry tour, technology topics and pears round out Day 2 of the Washington hort show
—by Ross Courtney and Shannon Dininny Dave Allan of Allan Bros. points out places he
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...
DeVaney: Growers are not OK
Sometimes, it’s necessary to admit that.
Hort Show preview: Uninformed foodie fight
WSTFA keynote speaker to discuss how to push back against critics who don’t understand farming.
Seeing the big picture: 2024 Good Fruit Grower of the Year
Tom Gausman shares lessons on developing large orchards.
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...
Good Point: Navigating a season of adversity
Northwest fruit industry gathers next month to learn from a challenging 2023–24 crop and chart better paths forward.
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...
International ag tech tours — Video
Groups trade visits to orchards in the Netherlands and Washington, organized by the Orchard of the Future collaboration.
Promising picks in the pear pipeline
USDA pear breeding program getting back into gear.
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...
A light crop and a heavy burden for Wenatchee Valley pear growers
Pear growers in Washington’s Wenatchee Valley may face shortest crop in 40 years.
California pear growers feeling the delta blues
Sacramento River pear growers face uncertainty.
Good Point: New leadership at the helm for Northwest pear industry
Pear Bureau Northwest welcomes Arias as president and CEO; Correa named new manager of Fresh Pear Committee.
Washington pear growers have Happi hopes
A new pear and a new outlook could be key to innovating the Washington state pear industry.
Gerad and Corbin Moser, young growers from Oroville, Washington
Brothers Gerad and Corbin both graduated from Washington State University with degrees in agricultural food systems. Their parents are Diane and Greg Moser.
Cloud-powered packing
New tools help fruit packers manage increasing amounts of data.
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...
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...
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...
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...
Washington grant program to support resilient food supply chain
The Washington State Department of Agriculture announced in a news release it has received federal funding to support the Resilient Food System Infrastructure Program...
Northwest pear industry votes to increase assessment
Facing declining crop volumes and budget, Northwest pear officials increased annual assessments for the first time in 25 years.
Tree fruit groups receive federal funding to help build export markets
Tree fruit industry groups will receive a share of federal funding to help diversify export markets...
Oregon State University irrigation specialist highlights technology at Washington State University Spanish-language field day — Video
Irrigation specialist Maria Zamora Re of Oregon State University made her first public presentation specifically to the tree fruit industry on May 8 at a Washington State University field day near Prosser...
Baffling borer behavior observed in California pear orchards
West Coast entomologists on lookout for borer attacking fruit, not trees.
Tech aims to turn burn piles into profits for tree fruit growers
Can new technology help growers get paid for climate-smart practices?
X-ray visions for sterile insect technique
Ag tech company pursues new codling moth sterilization method.
Columbia River Gorge groups push online forms to report unmanaged fruit trees
Industry groups in the Columbia River Gorge region between Washington and Oregon have developed online reporting systems for unmanaged orchards and backyard fruit trees...
Fire blight watch for Washington growers
Washington State University Extension released the following reminder for growers in areas prone to fire blight outbreaks...
Patrick and Haley Colbert, young growers from Tonasket, Washington
Spouses Haley and Patrick are both third-generation apple and pear growers who each graduated from Washington State University: Haley with a degree in accounting and Patrick with a degree in agricultural technology management. Haley’s parents are Belinda and Gary Grillo and Patrick’s are Rhonda and Raymond Colbert.
Evidence for inaction with psylla control
New thresholds for pest and predator monitoring can give growers more data for IPM decisions.
Integrating IPM in pear orchards — Video
Pear growers share experiences switching to softer psylla control.
South Africa on the IFTA schedule
Registration is open for the International Fruit Tree Association’s study tour in South Africa, scheduled for December...
Moffitt to leave Pear Bureau Northwest
Later this year, Kevin Moffitt will begin leaving Pear Bureau Northwest after 35 years with the nonprofit marketing organization.