Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/603228
www.goodfruit.com Good Fruit Grower DECEMBER 2015 17 Washington State's hort show resumes spotlight on organics. by David Granatstein and Elizabeth Kirby, Washington State University Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources, Wenatchee, Washington M any tree fruit growers in Washington State are planning to either enter into or expand organic production in response to a continued strong market. Nationally, organic food sales increased 11 percent in 2014 over the previous year, reaching nearly 5 percent of all food sales in the country. Sales growth for organic fruits and vegetables have remained steady— despite a one-year dip in growth in 2009 during the r e c e s s i o n — c o n - f i r m i n g t h e s e products as core purchases for the organic consumer. G i v e n t h a t continued growth in demand, the W a s h i n g t o n State Tree Fruit A s s o c i a t i o n w i l l host a special ses- sion on organics at the 2015 annual meeting December 7-9 in Yakima, W a s h i n g t o n . A n excellent lineup of speakers has been recruited to help people better under- stand the opportu- nities with organic tree fruit. "Organic Tree Fruit—Gone Global" will touch on local and global issues, with an emphasis on the market. Topics will include: —organic trends. —perspectives from retail (Costco representative), a fresh fruit packer, and processors. —policy issues. —updates on fire blight and little cherry virus. —cost of production studies. There also will be a grower panel on transitioning to organic, with a wide range of experiences represented. That's key, because the demand for information about organics is keeping pace with the industry growth. Organic apple shipments from Washington State hit a new record at 9.5 million boxes in 2014. Increased demand absorbed the more than 20 percent increase in production. Gala and Fuji again dominated acres and shipped volume, with Honeycrisp now the third TJ MULLINAX/GOOD FRUIT GROWER A session at last year's annual meeting in Kennewick, Washington. This year's event will take place December 7-9 in Yakima. David Granatstein Elizabeth Kirby IF YOU SHARE OUR COMMITMENT TO QUALITY RELATIONSHIPS AND CUSTOMER AND CONSUMER SATISFACTION, PLEASE CONTACT ONE OF OUR PARTNERS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT GROWING WITH US. superfreshgrowers.com | 151 Low Road • Yakima, WA 98908 | 509.966.1814 QUINCY FRESH FRUIT, CO.