Good Fruit Grower

January 2015

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30 JANUARY 1, 2015 GOOD FRUIT GROWER www.goodfruit.com EMSPRING BENEFITS ADVISORS The best strategic decision you can make for your Employee Benefits B E L L E V U E | YA K I M A | S P O K A N E Pat Leahy, MBA pat.leahy@emspring.com 877-550-0088 ext 107 emspring.com GOOD TO GO For a complete listing of upcoming events, check the Calendar at www.goodfruit.com Cherry Institute meeting C herry growers from the Pacific Northwest will gather at the 72nd Cherry Institute to learn the latest horticultural research, how to deal with tree and bud damage from recent cold temperatures, and how to improve shipping quality of fruit. The meeting is scheduled for January 16 at the Yakima Convention Center in Yakima, Washington. The annual event includes a luncheon, where an industry member will be crowned Cherry King, and a trade show that features orchard suppliers and vendors. Other topics on the agenda are: detecting and managing cherry diseases; overview of the 2014 cherry crop; managing powdery mildew; mechanical pollination and mechanical pruning; Washington State University's cherry breeding program; and the Food Safety and Modernization Act. Preregistration is necessary. For details, call (509) 853- 3504 or email cherryinstitute@wastatefruit.com. Mid-Atlantic Convention T he Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention will be held at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey, Pennsylvania, January 27-29. One of the tree fruit educational sessions will be devoted to pruning. It features a talk by Purdue University's Dr. Peter Hirst, who heads a Specialty Crop Research Initiative project on automated pruning. The six tree fruit sessions will address fruit thinning, IPM methods to minimize pesticide impact on pollina- tors and other beneficials, mechanization, grower inno- vations, ways to minimize bitter pit, adjusting sprayers to tree size, and many more subjects. The convention covers not only tree fruits but berries, vegetables, direct farm marketing, and farm policies as well. The full program and registration information are online at www.mafvc.org. Cherry nominations N ominations for grower and handler posi- tions on the Washington Cherry Marketing Committee will take place during industry meet- ings this month. The committee establishes grade, size, and pack regulations for sweet cherries from designated counties in Washington. Nominations for District 2 will be held during the Cherry Institute meeting at the Yakima Convention Center on January 16. Growers whose positions expire this year are Bob Harris (Donnie Olmstead, alternate), Ed Skelton (alternate vacant), and Camille Smith (Dennis Jones, alternate). Handlers with expiring positions are Cindy Alarcon (Bob Ball, alternate). Nominations for District 1 will be held during the North Central Washington Stone Fruit Day at the Wenatchee Convention Center on January 20. Growers whose terms expire this year are Ed Clark (Dennis Berdan, alternate) and Jim Colbert (Marc Egerton, alternate). Handlers whose positions expire are Casey Collins (Ron Gonsalves, alternate) and Tate Mathison (Mike Taylor, alternate). Positions expire March 31. TJ MULLINAX/GOOD FRUIT GROWER The meeting will include an over- view of the 2014 cherry crop.

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