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Cider history repeated?
Reputedly, hard cider is America’s historic beverage, once considered safer to drink than water and
How many apples?
When the U.S. Apple Association convenes in Chicago later this month for the Apple Crop
Paying by the pound
Growers who have seen a new cherry harvest monitoring system developed at Washington State University are eager for it to be commercialized.
The top 5 ways to ensure apples store well
For good storage life, apples must be picked at optimum maturity. The standard starch iodine
Hot tips for Honeycrisp
Growers visited the Honeycrisp orchard of Mike Robinson (right) in June and will have the
Good Stuff
Closer receives registration Dow AgroSciences has received federal registration of its sulfoxaflor insecticide, sold under
The Wafler-Cornell apple harvester
This earlier prototype was photographed in August 2010, during an International Fruit Tree Association tour
The French connection
Cider apples in France are grown on tall, vigorous trees, and apples are picked
Consumer pull
Proprietary Variety Management, a new company helping to commercialize two new red-fleshed apple varieties developed
Export promotions need shipper support
Todd Fryhover, president of the Washington Apple Commission, says the industry needs to increase demand.
Kestrel Wines finds value in old vines
An old Cabernet Sauvignon vine at Kestrel View Estates Vineyard near Prosser. Photo courtesy of
A sense of place
Clay Mackey says their Cabernet Franc vineyard survived the cold temperatures in late spring. by
Five ways to make sure people eat fewer peaches
1 Grow just one variety. Growing one variety will limit your marketing season and the
Trellis enhances grape quality
In the Geneva double curtain system, the canopy is divided into two curtains that
California growers worry about fireblight
Photo courtesy of Rachel Elkins, UC The generally arid conditions in the Pacific Northwest limit
Winning orchard designs
After four years of collecting data, Penn State University horticulturalist Dr. Jim Schupp has arrived
Risky business
Hail nets protect an orchard in Italy. Apple growers in New York, and
Wine industry matures
Like many Yakima Valley wine grape growers, Dick Boushey was an apple grower first. His
Undercover production in China
Greenhouses or high tunnels can advance the ripening of peaches and nectarines. (Video and Photo Gallery at bottom of story)
Marked for progress
The four-year, $14.4 million RosBREED plant breeding project, funded in 2009 under the Specialty Crop
The path to commercialization
For seven years now, Rutgers University of New Jersey and Adams County Nursery in Aspers,
China could become big pear market
China could become a significant market for U.S. pears. Louis Ng, who represents the Pear Bureau Northwest in China, believes China could be importing 500,000 to 600,000 boxes of pears annually within the next five to ten years. That would make China the second-largest pear export market after Mexico.
5 things to consider when selecting a variety
photo by John Clements, University of Massachusetts Win Cowgill, horticulturist at Rutgers University and area
FruiTrivia: Test your knowledge of fruit varieties
1 Which of the following cherries is not an offspring of Van? a. Lapins b.
Tougas Family Farm
Mo Tougas asks a question of Oregon State University sweet cherry expert Lynn Long on
New model for variety release
RiverBelle. (Courtesy of Wescott Agri Products) Two new apple varieties, Pazazz and RiverBelle, are growing
Apple variety network
Variety and cultivar selection is the largest economic decision a grower can make when establishing
B.C. growers hope for compensation
A review of the Columbia River Treaty, which the United States and Canada entered in
Promising WSU cherry selections
One selection showing promise in Washington State University’s cherry breeding program is an early variety
Smart cherry breeding
Breeder Nnadozie Oraguzie stands in a Phase 1 block planted in 2011 and 2012. He'll
Summerland’s focus switches
Summerland cherry breeder Dr. Cheryl Hampson’s objective is to develop cherries that are large, firm,
Stellar lineage
The Pacific Northwest cherry industry is seeing the effects of a shift to self-fertile varieties
Career comes to late fruition
For more than two decades, Dr. Tom Toyama quietly got on with his work as
WSU program focused on self-fertility
Stone fruit breeding began at Washington State University in 1949 with the arrival of Dr.
Bing dethroned
The Bing cherry, long the king of the Northwest industry, is losing ground to the
Peaches from Arkansas
Arkansas plant breeder John Clark. Photos courtesy of John Clark, University of Arkansas New nectarine
AVAs get smaller
In wine marketing, an appellation or American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a way to differentiate
Spotlight on Yakima Valley
Wade Wolfe in the tasting room of his Thurston Wolfe Winery in Prosser, Washington. Melissa
Yakima Valley opened the AVA door
The idea to designate Yakima Valley as Washington State’s first American Viticultural Area came to Mike Wallace while he was visiting California’s wine country in the early 1980s, when northern California growers and vintners were carving out appellations and subappellations.
Table grapes part of Arkansas breeding program
This is Joy, in a photo from Idaho, where fruit breeder Esmaeil Fallahi included John
Chemical thinning is getting more precise
To evaluate thinning effectiveness using Duane Greene’s fruitlet model, individual apples must be labeled
Achieving the optimal crop load
Precision pruning is a good first step to adjusting crop load and producing fruit of
Top five ways to grow large cherries
Lynn Long, Oregon State University Extension educator, gives a pruning demonstration during an international tree
Good Point: China
I have talked about the immediate threat of the excessive increases in apple production from
Science on the Hudson
Modern apple tree plantings have been made at the Hudson Valley Lab. PHOTO BY RICHARD
The NOSB’s ‘lose-lose’ decision
A decision by the National Organic Standards Board not to extend use of a key
Last Bite: Test your cherry knowledge
1 What percentage of Northwest fresh cherry exports was shipped to China (including Hong
Cherry cracking test
The Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission has developed a simple test for growers to determine
Quick Bites
New cherry bulletins, videos Two new publications on cherry production and several sweet cherry videos
Widely planted
Coral Champagne has been the hottest selling cherry variety in California in recent years, according