Don Weippert says processing pears are not profitable for growers unless they have very high yields. The negotiated base price of $240 a ton for Pacific Northwest processor pears for this season was met with dismay by growers, who say the current system for negotiating prices isn’t working. The Washington-Oregon Canning Pear Association has been negotiating the price on behalf of growers since the 1950s, according to Manager Jay Grandy. While prices for Bartletts processed by Northwest canners have barely changed in the last 20 years, pear production costs have risen dramatically, growers say. “I just bought spray this morning […]