by Jeff Baldwin, committee chair for the 2024 Washington State Tree Fruit Association Annual Meeting

Jeff Baldwin
Jeff Baldwin

I am proud to welcome you to the Washington State Tree Fruit Association’s 120th Annual Meeting and Northwest Hort Expo on Dec. 9, 10 and 11 at the Yakima Convention Center in Yakima.

This year’s theme, Navigating Adversity, explores many of the issues of the 2023–24 apple crop and the various challenges facing the tree fruit industry moving forward. The planning committee, volunteers and the WSTFA staff have done a tremendous job in putting together this event. Our goal is to help educate and inform growers, provide a forum for discussions and identify strategies and tools to succeed in this ever-changing industry. 

The Monday morning session will include a discussion from the sales and marketing point of view. Fruit sales obviously affect every grower, and I believe all can benefit from knowing more about these dynamics. Monday morning will also include the 2024 Batjer Address given by Gary Grove. Gary is well known as a professor of plant pathology at Washington State University and will share the perspectives he has gained over 38 years in this industry. 

Attendees of the Monday sessions can look forward to a deeper dive into the numbers and where profit may be found. Keynote speaker Ray Starling, a former USDA official and White House agricultural policy advisor, will discuss broader public attitudes toward agriculture and how those influence consumer choices. 

On Tuesday and Wednesday, we will move from the high-level overview to focused sessions on relevant topics.

There are few issues more relevant than labor, our industry’s No. 1 expense. Ranie Haas, WSTFA’s regulatory affairs director, and Juan Gaytan of Allan Bros. Inc. will lead a labor panel on Wednesday morning. You won’t want to miss that. Ed Ing of Mount Adams Fruit and Craig Mallon of Duckwall Fruit, with their combined 75-plus years of experience in pears, will be the session managers for Tuesday’s dedicated pear session. Calling these two guys pear experts is an understatement.

Technology gurus Lav Khot from Washington State University and Keith Veselka from NWFM will take you on a tour of cutting-edge technology. This is not science fiction but rather a look at how new technology can answer growers’ toughest challenges, such as reducing labor costs. Matt Whiting of WSU will be leading a dedicated cherry session that will include a field tour component. You can look forward to a positive discussion of how to build on the success of the 2024 cherry crop.

Dani Gray of WSU and Jeremy Thompson of Valley Ag will be exploring the latest developments for meeting the perennial challenges of pest and disease control. You can also count on hearing the most up-to-date information on diverse topics in the Research News Flash session.

Our full day of Spanish-language content returns on Tuesday, led by Bernardita Sallato from WSU and Viridiana Acevedo from Zirkle Fruit Co. These sessions are extremely valuable if you or members of your team are more comfortable listening and interacting in Spanish. 

Of course, the Annual Meeting and Northwest Hort Expo is about more than just the structured sessions. It is also a great opportunity to catch up with friends, learn from your industry colleagues and to consult with key industry suppliers and service providers at the trade show. You should also plan to attend the awards banquet on Tuesday evening, where we will honor the contributions of industry leaders. Because, while the immediate past has been challenging, the incredible people of this industry will help us to navigate this adversity to a brighter future. 

Jeff Baldwin of Monson Fruit Co. is the committee chair for the 2024 Washington State Tree Fruit Association Annual Meeting.