Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/481870
6 APRIL 1, 2015 GOOD FRUIT GROWER www.goodfruit.com Ballard retires from clean plant program A fter helping to expand Washington State's grape industry through pub- lic and private entities for more than 35 years, Gary Ballard, operations manager of the Clean Plant Center Northwest Grape Program, is retiring in April. Since 2003, Ballard has managed Washington State University's clean plant program, formerly called the Northwest Grape Foundation Service, to ensure that Northwest growers have access to certified grapevines. The certified grapevines are tested for 30 targeted viruses. Ballard left a lucrative private industry job with one of Washington's largest grape and wine producers—Wyckoff Farms and Coventry Vale Winery—to manage WSU's foundation block and facilities. As opera- tions manager at Wyckoff, he directed their research and adoption of new technology. Before that, he worked for Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery in vineyard management. He graduated from WSU in 1971 with a master's degree in plant pathology. The Clean Plant Center is part of the National Clean Plant Network that promotes the use of healthy plant material for specialty crops in the United States. In the Northwest, clean grapevines are produced at WSU's foundation vineyard in Prosser that is home to more than 300 grape varieties. Ballard's duties included tissue culture work, greenhouse main- tenance, and development and mainte- nance of the foundation block. He worked with a variety of customers, from certified nurseries, university and federal research programs, and grape growers in the Northwest and beyond. The program has been a main source of certified plant stock for many north- ern, eastern, and southern states, in part because it was one of the first to eliminate crown gall disease from its foundation block. The crown gall pathogen can be latent inside a grapevine for years, and is only a problem in regions where vines suf- fer cold winter injury. Certified plant mate- rial from warm climates, like California, isn't tested for crown gall because the disease isn't a problem there. WSU's Dr. Markus Keller, who hired Ballard to manage the Northwest Grape Foundation Service, says it was one of the best decisions he ever made. Without Ballard, the program wouldn't have hap- pened, he said. Ballard was active in grape industry organizations during his career and is a past board member of the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers, Washington State Grape Society, and Pacific Northwest Fruit Testers Association. In 2009, he received the Grape Society's Walter Clore Award for his years of industry service. —M. Hansen B.C. growers elect board M embers of the B.C. Fruit Growers' Association in British Columbia, Canada, reelected Fred Steele as president for 2015, with Bhupinder Dhaliwal as vice president. Also elected to the board during the association's annual convention in February were: Niel Dendy, Surjeet Nagra, Tony Nijjar, Ravinder Bains, Sukhdeep Brar and Denise McDonald. Peter Simonsen and Sukhdev Goraya were not reelected. The association represents 520 com- mercial tree fruit growers in British Columbia. QUICK BITES People and industry in the news. Read more Fresh Updates at goodfruit.com/fresh-updates MELISSA HANSEN/GOOD FRUIT GROWER Gary Ballard, shown here during a field day in 2012, led operations for Washington State University's clean grape plant program for more than 12 years. ® 'ǞǞĔ'6Ĕ%ǟ Ǟ%ĔǞmR6ĔSnĔǞǞǟǞ ĔǞĔ6Ĕ "ǞǞǞĔĔǞǟ ǟĔĔǞĔ Ĕ Delegate ® Insecticide. ǟ ǟǞǟ Ǟ ǟĔǞ Ǟ Ǟǟ ǎ Ĕ ǞǟǟǟǟĔǎĔ Ǟ1ǟ 6Ǟ you can Ĕ Ĕǎ ǟ Ǟ Ĕ ǟ ǎǟJ Q%ĔǟĔ Q Thrips Q Leafroller Q Leafminer QǗ&Ĕ ǟ6ĔĔǟǞ Q%ǎǟ Q Pear psylla , Ǟ Ĕ Ĕ Ĕ Ǟ Ǟǟ ǟĔ" ǞǞǟǞĔ mǟ Ĕ ǞnĔ6Ǟ Ǟ Ĕǎ Ĕ ǟ ǟĔǞ'ĔǞĔǟǟ 6Ǟ ǟ ǟ Ĕ MULTIPLE PESTS LURK. COINCIDENTALLY, DELEGATE ® CONTROLS MULTIPLE PESTS.