Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/459886
www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER FEBRUARY 15, 2015 5 Washington orchardist, former Grower of the Year is crowned Cherry King T ree fruit grower Jim Doornink was crowned the 71st Cherry King during the Cherry Institute meeting held in Yakima, Washington, in mid-January. The Wapato, Washington, orchardist was recognized for his passion in growing tree fruit and three decades of industry service. Doornink grew up helping on the family orchard as a child and ran his first harvest crew at 14 years old out of necessity when the field foreman left right at harvest time. While attending Washington State University he came home weekends to help in the orchards and was known for going straight to work in the orchards instead of checking in at home first. The 64 acres of family orchard at Parker that he started out with in 1974 have grown to more than 250. Diversification has been part of his business plan, and he stays current with new varieties. He grows cherries, apricots, pears, and apples. His belief that industry and community service are part of a lifelong education has resulted in 30 years of involvement with the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission, as a board member since 1985 and chair since 1997. Doornink led the Research Commission's steering group that developed the Tree Fruit Industry Technology Roadmap, a long-term strategic goal of reducing the cost of producing the highest quality fruit that ultimately became a national effort. As a result of the roadmap, industry research funds have been leveraged with national grants as well as federal funds from the Specialty Crop Research Initiative to create unique research partnerships with engineering scientists from places like Carnegie Mellon University. Doornink has also been a board member of his local irrigation district and was a founding board member of Riverside Christian School in Yakima. He and his wife, Reena, were named the Good Fruit Grower's Grower of the Year for 2009. Michigan grower VanAgtmael named Cherry Industry Person of the Year M ike VanAgtmael, a third-generation farmer from Hart, Michigan, has been named Cherry Industry Person of the Year. The award was announced during the Northwest Michigan Orchard and Vineyard Show near Traverse City in January. VanAgtmael farms about 500 acres, including 170 acres of tart cherries. He is a large grower of asparagus. His farm is organized as two entities, VanAgtmael and Sons and VanAgtmael Orchards, located in the heart of fruit country in Oceana County. VanAgtmael served nine years on the board of the Michigan Cherry Committee, is treasurer of the Cherry Marketing Institute, and is a member of the board of the new Michigan Tree Fruit Commission. He is active in conservation work, and his farm is verified under the Michigan Agricultural Environmental Assurance Program for his use of practices such as inte- grated pest management, model fuel and agrichemical storage facilities, and drift management. !$###$" % % # &%&&&%&"!!&&% &&$$""! We ship nationwide, so please call for price and availability! Time TO PLAN! • 2016 Sleepy Eyes • 2018 Tree Needs PAUL TVERGYAK 509-669-0689 ptvergyak@genext.net CONTRACTS for 2015 and beyond! Custom Contracted Apple, Pear, Cherry & Peach Trees ✔TOP QUALITY ✔VIRUS TESTED ✔VERY COMPETITIVE PRICING HIGHEST QUALITY FRUIT TREES ! Call for: • TREES • ROOTSTOCK • INTERSTEMS • BENCH GRAFTS • SLEEPING EYES • ROYALTIES TJ MULLINAX/GOOD FRUIT GROWER Orchardist Jim Doornink receives the Cherry King crown from Washington State Fruit Commission President B.J. Thurlby. QUICK BITES People and industry in the news. Read more Fresh Updates at goodfruit.com/fresh-updates Mike VanAgtmael