Immediate Past Chair Steve Clement, left, hands the gavel to Brett Baker, the new chair of the U.S. Apple Association’s board of directors. (Courtesy U.S. Apple Association)
Immediate Past Chair Steve Clement, left, hands the gavel to Brett Baker, the new chair of the U.S. Apple Association’s board of directors. (Courtesy U.S. Apple Association)

The U.S. Apple Association named Brett Baker the new chair of its board of directors. Baker, president of United Apple Sales in Lyndonville, New York, will serve the 2024–25 term. 

Baker was raised on a fruit and vegetable farm in Ransomville, New York. His father, Paul Baker, was chair of USApple in 1989. Brett Baker graduated from Cornell University in 1999 and spent a handful of years on the family farm. He went into the grocery retail business with Aldi for nine years before joining United Apple Sales in 2010. 

“I am committed to continuing the work of my predecessors, including my own late father, to advocate for our industry, foster innovation and overcome the challenges we face,” Baker said in a news release. “As an industry working together, we can enact meaningful change through USApple.”

Baker succeeds 2023–24 USApple Chair Steve Clement, CEO of PNW Tree Fruit in Washington. The gavel was officially passed from Clement to Baker at USApple’s board of directors meeting in Chicago Aug 16.

Related:

Attendees at the Outlook 2024 conference in Chicago on Aug. 15 gathered to hear the U.S. Apple Association’s estimate for the 2024–25 U.S. crop: about 282 million 42-pound bushels, down about 2 percent from last year but 5 percent greater than the five-year average. A final estimate will be announced on Day 2 of the conference. (Matt Milkovich/Good Fruit Grower) USApple estimate for 2024-25 predicts slightly smaller crop than last year

“This is a pivotal time to have someone with Brett’s experience and deep-rooted passion for agriculture at the helm of our board of directors,” Jim Bair, president and CEO of USApple, said in a news release. “His leadership will be essential to driving innovation and addressing challenges.” 

USApple’s 2024–25 elected board officers include:Vice Chair Steve Smith, vice president of marketing at Washington Fruit in Washington; Secretary Philip Glaize III, head of operations/sales at Glaize Apples in Virginia; Treasurer Kaari Stannard, president and CEO of New York Apple Sales in New York; and Immediate Past Chair Steve Clement.