Good Fruit Grower

December 2011

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GOOD JOB To read more, go to the People page at www.goodfruit.com. Stemilt honored T he Mathison family, owners of Stemilt Growers, Inc., Wenatchee, Washington, has received the Family Legacy Award from Seattle Business magazine. Stemilt is the country's leading supplier of sweet cherries and organic tree fruits. John Levesque, managing editor of Seattle Business, said in a press release that Stemilt was selected for the award because the company exhibits characteristics of a progressive, forward-looking family business over multiple generations. Company President West Mathison, his brother Tate Mathison, and their father, Kyle Mathison, accepted the award at a ceremony in Seattle in early November. West said the award was a tribute to the work and perseverance of the family, and particularly of his late grandfather Tom Mathison, who founded Stemilt Growers. Tom's father, Thomas Cyle Mathison, began farming in 1893 when he homesteaded 160 acres at Stemilt Hill, overlooking Wenatchee, and by 1914 was planting apple, pear, and cherry orchards. In 1947, Tom Mathison took over the farming business, which was barely making enough to cover costs. In an effort to turn the business around, he explored new harvesting methods and began packing his own fruit, as well as fruit for other local grow- ers. He founded Stemilt Growers in 1964. West took over from Tom as company president in 2005. Your surp ood distri ffeeds tho our surplus fl Pictured from left are: Kyle Mathison, West Mathison, Christian Schiller of award sponsor Cascadia Capital, and Tate Mathison. Spinosyn scientist honored T homas Sparks, a researcher at Dow AgroSciences, Indianapolis, Indiana, has won the 2012 international award for research in agrochemicals from the agrochem- ical division of the American Chemical Society. Sparks was instrumental in the development of the spinosyn class of insecticides. The active ingredient is derived from a naturally occurring soil-dwelling bac- terium and is grown in fermentation. It kills a variety of insect pests while leaving many beneficial insects (other than honeybees) unharmed. One active ingredient in the class, spinosad, was recognized with a U.S. Environmen- tal Protection Agency Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in 1999. Sparks will receive the award at the American Chemi- cal Society's meeting to be held August 19–23, 2012, in Philadelphia. The award includes a cash prize as well as the opportunity to organize a symposium at the meeting. Sparks has a doctorate in entomology from the Univer- sity of California in Riverside. He was named scientist of the year in 2009 by R&D Magazine for his spinosyn work. Your surp us food w ll help f eed thousandsd will help fi of people in EasternWashington. Sec ond Harv est is a char itable ffood d stribution cent er that eeds thousands of people each ood banks and meal cen ters in East ernWashington. ood banks and meal c cost-eff eeds thousands of people each week thr ough neighbor hood ffood ban D onating your sur plus or unsaleable pr oduc ts can be a ffec Donation examples: A pples • Stone Fruits • Potatoes • Onions • Carrots • P ears • Excess Inventory • Discontinued Items • Close-to-Code Items "S econd Har v est has been a pleasure to work with and we love k no wing that our fruit can be used for such ffective solution f for you and benefit your communit y . Please contact Second Harvest to learn more . eed thousands www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER DECEMBER 2011 65

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