Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/572389
38 OCTOBER 2015 GOOD FRUIT GROWER www.goodfruit.com Prevar names new commercial manager M ichael "Snow" Hardy has been appointed commercial manager for Prevar, a New Zealand-based company that commercializes apple and pear varieties developed by Plant and Food Research in New Zealand. Prevar is a part- nership between Apple and Pear Australia, Pipfruit New Zealand, and Plant and Food Research. Brands it has developed include the Jazz, Rockit, Smitten, and Envy apples and the Piqa Boo pear. Hardy was previ- ously general man- ager of global pipfruit operations for the Freshmax Group, which handles exports from New Zealand and Australia and has a North American operation called Prime Harvest Inc. based in California. He has also worked for ENZA and Delica. Brett Ennis, chief executive officer of Prevar, said his company's ongoing challenge is to maximize the full value of new cultivars for the benefit of the Australian and New Zealand fruit industries. "New global licensing opportunities mean that Prevar requires additional resources," he said. "Snow joins us with substantial industry experience and a global network." WAEF scholarships total $850,000 T he Washington Apple Education Foundation has awarded 225 new and renewing students with scholarship support this spring. Funding for the awards was raised through voluntary contributions from members of the tree fruit industry and its suppliers and service providers. In total, this year's scholarship recipients are receiving slightly over $850,000 in educational awards. Students receiving WAEF scholarships share a common link of parent employ- ment in the tree fruit industry. The full list of recipients by county can be found at bit.ly/1T4IV0B. Killinger leaves WSU for FDA D r. Karen Killinger, former exten- sion food safety specialist at Washington State University, has a new job as a scientist with the Food and Drug A d m i n i s t r a t i o n ' s division of produce safety. Killinger, who moved to Kansas this summer, will be involved in the implementation and guidance associated with the proposed produce rule under the Food Safety Modernization Act. FDA was mandated under the act to establish science-based minimum standards for the safe growing, harvest- ing, packing, and holding of produce in order to reduce the risk of contamination. Proposed rules have been issued and are expected to be finalized next year. Killinger grew up in Kansas and earned a bachelor's degree in food science and industry from Kansas State University in 1998. She earned a master's degree in animal science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2001 and a doc- torate in animal science with a minor in microbiology from Texas Tech University in 2005. She joined WSU's faculty in 2006 and has worked with the tree fruit industry and others in the Pacific Northwest on food safety issues. Her research focused primarily on pre- and postharvest risk factors, including water use. U.S. Apple names new board T he U.S. Apple Association added sev- eral new members to its directorship in August. The presidency moved from Mark Nicholson of Red Jacket Orchards in Geneva, New York, to Mike Wade of Columbia Fruit Packers in Wenatchee, Washington. Jon Alegria from CPC International Apple Company in Tieton, Washington, moved from secretary to vice-chair, and Mark Boyer from Ridgetop Orchards in Fishertown, Pennsylvania, became the new secretary. Chris Alpers, from RedPath Orchards and Alpers Farms in Lake Leelanau, Michigan, became a new district director and will join the executive committee. Also new as district directors are Mike Dietrich, from Leo Dietrich and Sons in Conklin, Michigan, and David Douglas from Douglas Fruit Company in Pasco, Washington. New regular directors on the board are Phil Glaize III from Glaize Apples in Winchester, Virginia, Craig Hinkle from Knouse Foods in Peach Glen, Pennsylvania, and Steve Smith from Yakima Fresh in Yakima, Washington. Julie Bancroft from the Pennsylvania Apple Marketing Board is the new state executive on the executive committee. QUICK BITES People and industry in the news. Read more Fresh Updates at goodfruit.com/fresh-updates "Snow" Hardy Awards given at Hort Science conference T ree-fruit scientists were recognized for their work during the American Society for Horticultural Science annual conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, this summer. Elizabeth Mitcham was named Outstanding International Horticulturist. She is director of the Postharvest Technology Center and HortCRSP, both interna- tional programs at the University of California, Davis. "She has an outstanding research and extension program in postharvest handling of fruit crops and is a valued member of the UC Davis community and a well-respected international horticulturist," the citation says. Randy Beaudry, Joan Davenport, and Chris Watkins were named Fellows of the society. Beaudry is the coordinator of the Michigan State University Apple Maturity Program, researching storage disorders and making recommendations on har- vest maturity and storage conditions. He is coordinator of the bi-annual MSU Controlled Atmosphere and Storage Clinic, which draws North American posthar- vest physiologists who discuss findings and recommendations, with a heavy focus on Honeycrisp in recent years. Davenport is a researcher and educator in the field of crop yield and quality at Washington State University's Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center in Prosser, Washington. "Davenport's research has focused on nutrient cycling through soil-plant systems in perennial fruit crops, with an emphasis on site-specific management of plant stress," according to the citation. Watkins, with Cornell University, works in New York State on physiological disorders in apples, addressing harvest maturity management, postharvest han- dling, and storage technologies. He was a leader in developing practices allowing commercial use of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP or SmartFresh.) Penelope Perkins-Veazie was named Outstanding Researcher. Her research at North Carolina State University focuses on postharvest storage and physiology of fruits and vegetables and the preservation of phytochemicals during storage. Elizabeth Mitcham Randy Beaudry Chris Watkins Penelope Perkins-Veazie Joan Davenport Karen Killinger