Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/215151
itself can also help fund projects without the limitations that sometimes apply to government funds. Last year, the committee decided it would be more efficient and effective to work on a regional basis. The depart- ments of agriculture in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, which administer the specialty crop block grants, agreed to O ur unique Total Care System™ is unlike any other storage/shipping method in the industry. From the front office, to our sales department and field staff, it is always our goal to meet and exceed your expectations with the highest quality trees and service we can provide you. We're proud of the individual attention that each one of our trees receives. Willow Drive's Total Care System™ is our exclusive, unique method of storing your trees to decrease disease and mortality for new plantings. This is accomplished through several important steps: 1 2 3 FULLY MATURE TREES 4 5 6 IMMEDIATELY STORED FOR FRESHNESS QUALITY CONTROL SUPERIOR CONTROLLED STORAGE or more information, e-mail Hanrahan at hanrahan@ treefruitresearch.com or Carter at carter@nwhort.org. F share the funding of food safety research that would be applicable to all three states in order to cut costs and avoid duplication. Water Of the FDA's many proposed regulations, those relating to water are of particular concern to Pacific Northwest orchardists. For example, if significant runoff is likely to drain into the water "We have seven million bins in the industry. How are we going to sample them and determine if we're going to have contamination?" —Deborah Carter EXCLUSIVE PALLET SYSTEM REDUCED LIMB BREAKAGE W e invite you to visit our nursery and see for yourself how we care for your trees. Willow Drive Nursery is committed to providing the highest quality tree, even if that means more time and effort on our part. Put Willow Drive Nursery's Total Care RN DE O for W OR System™ to work for you! 2014-15 The Total Care System™ is our commitment to you and your trees. Willow Drive Nursery, Inc. Call Toll Free: 1-888-548-7337 or call your local rep for product information 3539 Road 5 NW, Ephrata, WA 98803, www.willowdrive.com source, and the water contacts the edible portion of the crop—as in evaporative cooling—then the grower will need to test the water at least every seven days during the growing season. Research is needed on the survival rate of pathogens in the field in Northwest conditions. What's the risk of irrigation water contacting fruit on the tree? At what point is the microbial load in irrigation water too high to be reduced to below the FDA threshold by general warehouse practices? What would be the economic impact on the industry of not being able to use overhead cooling on apples in hot weather? Research is also needed to look at the effects of various packing house control processes, such as antimicrobials in the dump tank, soap, brushes, rinsing, heat, and wax. What risk mitigation practices can be used to improve food safety? Do control or sanitation measures work? Can a drench with the antioxidant DPA (diphenylamine) for scald control lead to cross contamination of fruit? Does the pathogen concentration increase over time? What monitoring or mitigation practices could be used? Proposals Last year, CPS sent out a nationwide request for proposals to address some of these issues to 250 scientists who work on food safety research. It received three proposals, none of which addressed the questions satisfactorily, so they were not funded. www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER DECEMBER 2013 37