Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/751050
www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER DECEMBER 2016 75 The hiring and development process is inherently lengthy with growers' $32 million gift to WSU. by Ross Courtney O rchards and packing houses aren't the only places in the fruit industry with a labor shortage. Universities also are struggling to hire researchers and educators needed to keep the industry ahead of pest pressures, prepared for food safety requirements, growing new vari- eties and in tune with emerging technology. That requires people with a high level of training and expertise to carry the industry to the future. Such people can be hard to come by. This is playing out at Washington State University, where, nearly four years after tree fruit growers gave the college its largest donation ever, the university is still working to fill positions the $32 million gift helped create. But there's progress there, too: The latest hire, a tree fruit extension specialist in postharvest information and technology transfer, started in August. In 2013, the state's fruit growers promised the funds to help create one of the top three tree fruit universities in the world by improving facilities and hiring top research- ers and extension specialists. The effort was designed to make up for shrinking state and county budgets that have whittled away extension programs and keep up with the growing complexity, sophistication and compe- tition of the global fruit industry for the coming decades. Orchardists across the nation are making similar moves by creating commissions and directly funding university research. So far at Washington State University, two people have been hired out of upward of more than a dozen positions created by the endowment, while half of the promised money has been collected. Growers make their endow- ment payments through assessments, a self-imposed tax approved by a vote, collected at the time of packing. Rates differ by commodity. The university has collected $16 million of the full $32 million endowment. The process is by necessity slow, said Sam Godwin, a Tonasket grower and member of the Endowment Advisory Committee. For one thing, the university is seeking only the top qualified job candidates with the highest level of specialization in the world. They're hard to find and lure, especially with other fruit regions vying for the same people. "We're fishing in very shallow water," he said. Meanwhile, as a state agency, the university's hiring process is slow, while the candidates and their spouses sometimes have research projects they need to finish before moving to Washington. Also, the endowment is intended to create a perpetual fund, paying some salaries Finding the right people CALL THE SIMPLOT LOCATION NEAREST YOU Moxee 509-248-5756 Prosser 509-973-2300 Quincy 509-787-1571 Royal City 509-346-2223 Sunnyside 509-837-6261 Helping tree fruit growers improve quality and profi tability through sound, science-based agronomic advice with the most innovative and cost-effective products available. 1401 Hathaway • Yakima, WA 98902 • Fax: 509-453-0592 509-575-0934 • mgwagnerroofing.com NOW SCHEDULING WORK FOR 2016 M.G. Wagner Co., Inc. R O O F I N G S P E C I A L I S T S Serving Central Washington for Over 75 Years • SERVING THE FRUIT AND FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES • DESIGN AND CONSULTING SERVICES • ROOF INSPECTION AND ESTIMATES AVAILABLE REFERENCES AVAILABLE