Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/56260
GOOD JOB Industry people in the news. For the full stories, go to www.good fruit.com. Call for: • TREES • ROOTSTOCK • INTERSTEMS • BENCH GRAFTS • SLEEPING EYES • ROYALTIES IFTA awards T he International Fruit Tree Association rec- ognized several fruit industry leaders for their outstanding work during its annual conference in Chile in January. Dr. Tara Baugher received the award for extension work. She is Pennsylvania State University's tree fruit extension educator in Adams County. In recent years, her work has focused on orchard mechanization. The researcher award went to Dr. Greg Reighard, at South Carolina's Clem- Gary Mount son University, for his work with testing and evaluating peach rootstocks. He has worked to mitigate the effect of nematodes, soil diseases, and peach tree short life. The industry service award went to Neal Manly, chief marketing officer at Willow Drive Nursery in Ephrata, Washington. He was IFTA president in 2007 and 2008. The Hall of Fame award, which is given infrequently, went to Gary Mount, Terhune Orchards, Princeton, New Jersey. He joins Michigan nurseryman Wally Heuser, California fruit farm manager Steve Blizzard, Michigan fruit grower Paul Rood, Maryland fruit grower Evan Milburn, and Michigan State University rootstock pioneer Bob Carlson (who died in 1998) in the Hall of Fame. Terhune Orchards has 150 acres devoted to 35 crops—including 35 vari- eties of apples and 21 of peaches, plus tart cherries, small fruits and berries, vegetables, flowers, and wine grapes. The family also has a large store, cider mill, winery, bakery, and U-pick operation. s TOP QUALITY VIRUS TESTED VERY COMPETITIVE PRICING CONTRACTS FOR 2013, 2014, 2015 Custom Contracted Apple, Pear, Cherry & Peach Trees A TIMELY REMINDER: • Time to order 2013 Dormant Eyes, 2014 and 2015 Trees, and 2013 Rootstocks. Paul Tvergyak: 509-669-0689 ptvergyak@genext.net We ship nationwide, so please call for price and availability! 509/662-6931 www.cameronnursery.com 1261 Ringold Rd., PO Box 300 • Eltopia, WA 99330 6 MARCH 1, 2012 GOOD FRUIT GROWER Pennsylvania's fruit grower of the year N orthern Adams County, Pennsylvania, fruit grower David Wenk was named Fruit Grower of the Year by the State Horticultural Association of Pennsylvania. He, his brother John, and son Ben, operate the 350-acre Three Springs Fruit Farm in Wenksville near Aspers. After graduating from Penn State in 1980, Wenk planted one of the first high-density trellised orchards in the state, an orchard that is still producing more than a thousand bushels of apples a year. The Wenk family was featured in the February 15 issue of Good Fruit Grower. s F Fred Plath 1922–2012 red Plath, former long-time president of Washing- ton Fruit and Produce Company, Yakima, died on January 25 at the age of 89. He was born in Yakima and attended Yakima High School, where he met his future wife, Dorothy Davis. In 1943, Plath interrupted his studies at the Univer- sity of Washington to serve in Europe with the U.S. Army during World War II. His father, Fred B. Plath, had formed the packing company Washington Fruit and Produce in 1916. The younger Plath returned after the war to pursue a degree in business and economics, but during his senior year at the UW, his father became ill, and he decided to go home. When his father died, in 1947, Fred decided to join the firm, start- ing as a sorting boss and later becoming packing boss. In 1950, he joined the sales office, working alongside partner John Bloxom, and then became company president. In 1993, Rick Plath, one of Fred's three sons, took over as company president, but Fred never stopped working. He enjoyed all aspects of fruit growing and continued to work at the Plath Ranch orchard near Union Gap, Rick said. He helped keep the company up to date with new varieties and the warehouse updated with the latest technology. He also insisted on having the best sales personnel to market the fruit. The company now sells about 12 million packs of tree fruits annually. Plath is survived by his wife and sons Peter, Rick, and Clifford. www.goodfruit.com HIGHEST QUALITY FRUIT TREES !