The decision to increase Washington Apple Commission assessments by up to a penny per 40-pound box is now before the state’s apple growers. Ballots, mailed at the end of November by the Washington State Department of Agri–culture, must be postmarked by December 17 to be counted. Hearings held by the department at the end of October in Yakima and Wenatchee revealed little formal opposition to the commission’s request for a flexible rate increase that would add up to one cent to the current 3.5 cents per 40-pound box of apples. The department received one letter opposing the increase, while several […]