Good Fruit Grower

January 2017

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6 JANUARY 1, 2017 GOOD FRUIT GROWER www.goodfruit.com Grape Society presents its annual awards T he Washington State Grape Society pre- sented three industry awards at the annual meeting in November in Grandview, Washington. Art den Hoed, a 16-year member of the Grape Society who served three years as the group's president, received the 2016 Walter Clore Award for his service to the industry. At age 22, the Sunnyside High School graduate took over operations of his father's Sunnyside, Washington, farm, then 340 acres. Today, den Hoed lives in the house he grew up in, and the ranch is thousands of acres. A father of four, den Hoed runs the ranch with the help of two of his sons. The Grape Society honored Mimi Nye, recently retired manager of Canoe Ridge Estate Vineyards, as the 2016 Grower of the Year. Nye oversaw viticulture at Canoe Ridge, one of the wineries in the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates portfolio, from the vineyard's inception in 1991 until her retirement last year. She holds a bachelor's degree in horticulture from Washington State University and an executive master's degree in business administra- tion from the University of Washington. Carina Ocampo, a viticulture and enology student who works at Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, received the $1,000 Grape Society scholarship. Ocampo, a single mother, is pursuing a bachelor's degree in viticulture and enology from Washington State University-Tri-Cities with a goal for a master's degree in agriculture management in plant health. OWRI welcomes new member A lexander Levin has joined the Oregon Wine Research Institute as an assistant professor at the Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center in Central Point, Oregon. Levin's research background includes investigating genetic differences on drought response between cul- tivars, evaluating plant water status, leaf conductance and vegetative growth, and the development of deficit irrigation regimes to optimize production goals. Levin completed his doctorate in horticulture and agronomy at the University of California, Davis. He has worked in the wine industry in Napa Valley as a harvest intern and at Beringer Vineyards in St. Helena, California. At OWRI, Levin's irrigation research will include developing and validating crop coefficients for southern Oregon vineyards to improve irrigation scheduling and to determine when it's best to initiate irrigation based on measurements of plant water status. He also will collab- orate with OWRI team members to research the effects of timing and severity of cluster thinning on berry growth and ripening, as well as the effects of timing and method of leaf removal (by hand or by machine) on cluster archi- tecture and microclimate. Line Worker Award goes to Borton sanitation supervisor W a s h i n g t o n S t a t e University Extension has awarded its inaugural Line Worker Award to Armando Haro, sanitation supervisor for Borton and Sons fruit packing houses in Washington's Yakima Valley. The annual award recognizes an industry employee for exceptional service and commitment to food safety and sanitation within his or her company. Haro has worked for Borton for five years, the last two in his position as super- visor. In that role, he supervises 25 crew members at two facilities. Jeremy Leavitt, Borton's food safety and compliance director, nominated Haro for the award, noting that he has donated his own and his workers' time at food safety workshops and helped present software that one of Borton's suppliers helped to develop for environmental monitoring in the warehouse. "He has been tirelessly advocating for food safety in the industry," Leavitt said. Haro was one of the six nominees for the 2016 award, which included a plaque and $500 and was presented at WSU's Food Safety and Sanitation Workshop in Portland, Oregon, in November. The other nominees were Romeo Duron of Kershaw Fruit, Juanlo Hernandez of Pacific Seafood, Joseph Kintner of Cowiche Growers, Frances Maunder of Pacific Choice Seafoods, and Adrian Silva of Allan Brothers. Wilson joins USApple K orenna Wilson has joined the U.S. Apple Association as its director of consumer health and media relations. Wilson will be responsible for raising consumer aware- ness and knowledge of apples, as well as social/digital media campaigns and USApple's health and nutrition research program. She will also oversee USApple's crisis management program. Wilson has worked at multiple strategic communica- tions and public relations firms and has served as press sec- retary for a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. She holds a degree in business administration from the University of Arizona. QUICK BITES People and industry in the news. Read more Fresh Updates at goodfruit.com/fresh-updates Art den Hoed Mimi Nye Carina Ocampo Armando Haro CALL THE SIMPLOT LOCATION NEAREST YOU Moxee 509-248-5756 Prosser 509-973-2300 Quincy 509-787-1571 Royal City 509-346-2223 Sunnyside 509-837-6261 Helping tree fruit growers improve quality and profi tability through sound, science-based agronomic advice with the most innovative and cost-effective products available.

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