Good Fruit Grower

March 15

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6 MARCH 15, 2014 GOOD FRUIT GROWER www.goodfruit.com Train your "Qualified Food Safety Personnel" Sign up now for these essential workshops April 15--16. . . Risk Assessment & Lean Manufacturing May 13-14 . . . Process Control & Environmental Monitoring Plans August 12-13 . . Recall Readiness Build food safety team confidence and competence Build food safety team confidence and competence Build food safety team confidence and competence Register with Bethany at 1-800-545-4206 or info@cascadeanalytical.com Nationally recognized speakers. Training certificates and plans available upon completion. Excellent information for owner, managers, and food safety leaders Excellent information for owners, managers, and food safety leaders Excellent information for owners, managers, and food safety leaders Drake receives Pomesters' award D awn Drake, manager of the Michigan Processing Apple Growers, has won the Michigan Pomesters' Fruit Person of the Year Award. In presenting the award, Fruit Ridge area fruit grower Mark Umlor said Drake had her fi nger on the pulse of the industry, and, because of her work, fruit growers in Michigan have had an impact on the world apple market. People in the apple industry worldwide look to the Michigan Processing Apple Growers, who provide price leadership as they bargain with apple processors for terms and conditions of sale. "Her main job is bargain- ing for price," Umlor said. The Michigan Processing Apple Growers is a division of the Michigan Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Association, which is an affi liate of the Michigan Farm Bureau. It is a voluntary membership association, made up of about 750 apple grower members who sell about 60 percent of the processing apples in Michigan. Its primary goal is to obtain true market value for apples produced by its members, according to its Web site. Drake was employed in Lansing in other Farm Bureau positions before coming to the marketing association about 20 years ago. She became manager of the processing apple division in 2003. She is located in Paw Paw. Besides bargaining, the Michigan Agricultural Cooperative Mar- keting Association operates a processing apple sales desk and runs a market information program for growers that includes a newslet- ter. Her division also manages the American Apple Marketing Asso- ciation's Processing Apple Program, which provides services to all the major eastern apple-producing state associations affi liated with American Farm Bureau. Drake is also a leader who works with other Michigan fruit orga- nizations, seeking to infl uence government policy and organize fruit growers. Dawn Drake Organic regulations Dear Good Fruit Grower: I would like to react to your article "A Common Sense Organic Approach" in your January 1, 2014, magazine. I am a Canadian organic fruit grower who grows apples for the North American wholesale markets. And, as other organic growers do, we try to learn from our competitors. I was very surprised to learn from your article that Wash- ington State organic growers are allowed to remove a block from their organic orchard, fumigate it, install treated posts, and then reapply for organic status. If I decide to do that in Canada, I will lose my organic certifica- tion. And I will be ineligible to receive certifi cation for a period of fi ve years following the date of such revocation. Canadian organic growers have been told it will be benefi cial for them to have the American and the Cana- dian organic regulations harmonized. So, why can Amer- ican organic fruit growers who break the Canadian rules ship to Canada? Why can't Canadian organic fruit grow- ers use the same growing techniques as our competitors? Alain Peron Keremeos, British Columbia, Canada IN THE BOX Want to share your opinion? Write us at 105 S. 18th St., #217 Yakima, WA 98901 or e-mail growing@ goodfruit.com

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