Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/100223
150 Series Earl Peterson 250 Series Joan Davenport Marshall Johnson facilities in Oceana County, processing tart cherries, apples, sweet cherries, blueberries, peaches, juice, juice concentrates, and other products. It is the largest privately owned fruit processor in Michigan. Peterson is a member of the Cherry Industry Administrative Board and a past chair; member and past chair of CherrCo, a tart cherry marketing cooperative; Cherry Marketing Institute; and past chair of the Michigan Cherry Marketing Committee. He was named Cherry Industry Person of the Year in 1986 and Outstanding Cooperator of the Oceana Soil and Water Conservation District in 1989. He received the Oceana County Ground Stewardship Award in 2004. Grape Society honors Kercheval and Davenport T 350/450 Series TurboMist Airblast Sprayers DIAPHRAGM AND CENTRIFUGAL Flexible���Best in the market for adding attachments Durable���Strongest design on the market Customizable���Order what you want: hitch, controls, tires, width, and options Build whatever you can dream of! Book Now to Avoid Late Delivery SLIMLINE MANUFACTURING LTD. 1.800.495.6145 10 JANUARY 1, 2013 GOOD FRUIT GROWER www.turbomist.com he Washington State Grape Society named longtime Prosser grape and tree fruit grower Virginia Taggares Kercheval as their Lloyd H. Porter Grower of the Year. Kercheval received the award during the Grape Society���s annual meeting held in mid-November in Grandview. Kercheval started at a young age in the family farming business, helping her father Pete Taggares, Sr. Eventually, Kercheval was put in charge of the farming operations at the home place in Prosser, which included 200 acres of Concord and wine grapes, and 60 acres of apples and juice grapes in Grandview. When Kercheval���s brother Pete Taggares, Jr., branched out on his own to develop the 2,500-acre Snake River Vineyards, in partnership with Seneca Foods, she and her husband, Ron, moved into temporary housing near the vineyard in Burbank to help develop the vineyard. Later, she and her husband became partners in Kenyon Cold Storage in Prosser and Grandview. Kercheval, now in her 80s, and her sister Florence still actively farm the Prosser and Grandview orchards and vineyards. Dr. Joan Davenport, Washington State University soil scientist, was recognized for her years of service to the Washington grape industry with the Walter Clore Industry Service award. Davenport, known as ���Dr. Dirt,��� joined the WSU faculty in 1997 at the Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center in Prosser, where she does classroom teaching, soil and nutrition research, and grower outreach. Before coming to Prosser, Davenport worked with cranberries, spending nine years as manager of the agricultural research group at Ocean Spray headquarters in Lakeville/Middleboro, Massachusetts. Before that, she was a postdoctoral research associate for WSU, working on tree fruit nutrition at the Wenatchee research center. Davenport is a member of the Grape Society���s board of directors and chairs the organization���s scholarship committee. For many years, she has coordinated speaker presentations during the annual meeting. In 2005, Davenport and her husband, Gordon Taylor, launched their own winery in Prosser called DavenLore. With Taylor as the winemaker and Davenport focused on soil and vineyard management, the couple specializes in making high-quality, small-lot red blends and varietals. Distinguished Scientist of the Year D r. Marshall Johnson, University of California Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Entomology at UC Riverside, has received the Distinguished Scientist of the Year Award from the International Organization for Biological Control���Nearctic Regional Section (encompassing the United States and Canada). Johnson is based at the UC Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Parlier. Known internationally, much of his work has focused on the integration of natural enemies into systems where heavy pesticide use is common, such as vegetable crops. Johnson studies the relationships between economically important pests and their natural enemies, and uses the information to enhance biological control, thereby improving pest control and reducing reliance on insecticides. His current emphasis is on pest problems in perennial tree crops and vineyards in California���s Central Valley, including the glassy-winged sharpshooter, the oriental fruit moth, and the tenlined June beetle. He has published more than 240 journal articles and book chapters. He has served as an editor of the journal Biological Control���Theory and Application in Pest Management and is on the journal���s editorial board. www.goodfruit.com