Dissolution of the California Tree Fruit Agreement created opportunity for Washington State stone fruit, says Ingrid Mohn, FAS market development specialist. About $250,000 was redirected to a new market access program for Washington’s stone fruit. With federal budget cuts looming, the future is murky for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s market access program (MAP) that partners with commodity groups and companies to provide matching export promotion money. But in the short term—at least for the 2012 fiscal year—Northwest cherry and stone fruit growers will have more MAP funds than ever for promotion in export markets. The Foreign Agricultural Service, the […]