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Good Point: Navigating a season of adversity
Northwest fruit industry gathers next month to learn from a challenging 2023–24 crop and chart better paths forward.
Washington State University to launch campaign for new tree fruit research facility
Washington State University announced plans to launch a fundraising campaign this fall to create a state-of-the-art space for tree fruit research...
International ag tech tours — Video
Groups trade visits to orchards in the Netherlands and Washington, organized by the Orchard of the Future collaboration.
Promising picks in the pear pipeline
USDA pear breeding program getting back into gear.
Northwest pear crop estimated at 10.6 million boxes, down 31 percent
As the 2024 pear harvest continues around the Northwest, the industry expects to harvest 10.6 million 44-pound boxes...
A light crop and a heavy burden for Wenatchee Valley pear growers
Pear growers in Washington’s Wenatchee Valley may face shortest crop in 40 years.
California pear growers feeling the delta blues
Sacramento River pear growers face uncertainty.
Good Point: New leadership at the helm for Northwest pear industry
Pear Bureau Northwest welcomes Arias as president and CEO; Correa named new manager of Fresh Pear Committee.
Washington pear growers have Happi hopes
A new pear and a new outlook could be key to innovating the Washington state pear industry.
Gerad and Corbin Moser, young growers from Oroville, Washington
Brothers Gerad and Corbin both graduated from Washington State University with degrees in agricultural food systems. Their parents are Diane and Greg Moser.
Cloud-powered packing
New tools help fruit packers manage increasing amounts of data.
Pear psylla IPM efficacy the topic at Washington State University field day
To test how well pear psylla IPM is working for growers in the Wenatchee River Valley area, Washington State University entomologists set up a series of paired orchards to compare pest levels in conventional orchards and in those using integrated pest management strategies...
Earwig workshops planned for Pacific Northwest apple and pear growers
Who wants a bucket of earwigs? Apple and pear growers might...
Avocados and olives join apples, cherries and pears on IFTA tour
International Fruit Tree Association tour-goers saw plenty of the pears, apples and cherries they’re used to seeing as the group embarked on the first day of the summer tour through Central California, scheduled July 16–18...
New president, CarrieAnn Arias, joins Pear Bureau Northwest
Pear Bureau Northwest announced that CarrieAnn Arias took the role as president and CEO of the organization on July 1...
Correa tapped to lead Fresh Pear Committee
The Northwest pear industry has filled one of the leadership positions vacated by the outgoing Kevin Moffitt, longtime president and CEO of Pear Bureau Northwest...
Washington State University’s tree fruit research field day Aug. 6
Washington State University's fourth annual tree fruit research field day is scheduled Tuesday, Aug. 6...
Washington grant program to support resilient food supply chain
The Washington State Department of Agriculture announced in a news release it has received federal funding to support the Resilient Food System Infrastructure Program...
Northwest pear industry votes to increase assessment
Facing declining crop volumes and budget, Northwest pear officials increased annual assessments for the first time in 25 years.
Tree fruit groups receive federal funding to help build export markets
Tree fruit industry groups will receive a share of federal funding to help diversify export markets...
Oregon State University irrigation specialist highlights technology at Washington State University Spanish-language field day — Video
Irrigation specialist Maria Zamora Re of Oregon State University made her first public presentation specifically to the tree fruit industry on May 8 at a Washington State University field day near Prosser...
Baffling borer behavior observed in California pear orchards
West Coast entomologists on lookout for borer attacking fruit, not trees.
Tech aims to turn burn piles into profits for tree fruit growers
Can new technology help growers get paid for climate-smart practices?
X-ray visions for sterile insect technique
Ag tech company pursues new codling moth sterilization method.
Columbia River Gorge groups push online forms to report unmanaged fruit trees
Industry groups in the Columbia River Gorge region between Washington and Oregon have developed online reporting systems for unmanaged orchards and backyard fruit trees...
Fire blight watch for Washington growers
Washington State University Extension released the following reminder for growers in areas prone to fire blight outbreaks...
Patrick and Haley Colbert, young growers from Tonasket, Washington
Spouses Haley and Patrick are both third-generation apple and pear growers who each graduated from Washington State University: Haley with a degree in accounting and Patrick with a degree in agricultural technology management. Haley’s parents are Belinda and Gary Grillo and Patrick’s are Rhonda and Raymond Colbert.
Evidence for inaction with psylla control
New thresholds for pest and predator monitoring can give growers more data for IPM decisions.
Integrating IPM in pear orchards — Video
Pear growers share experiences switching to softer psylla control.
South Africa on the IFTA schedule
Registration is open for the International Fruit Tree Association’s study tour in South Africa, scheduled for December...
Moffitt to leave Pear Bureau Northwest
Later this year, Kevin Moffitt will begin leaving Pear Bureau Northwest after 35 years with the nonprofit marketing organization.
New tool will help growers keep better track of chilling hours
Purdue University’s Midwestern Regional Climate Center has launched an interactive tool fruit growers can use to more closely monitor accumulated chilling hours...
Small grower cooperative makes a change for the bigger
Okanogan marketing cooperative expands with mid-.
Mount Adams reschedules pear pruning tour in Washington’s Columbia Gorge
Mount Adams Fruit orchard managers have rescheduled their annual pruning tour to Feb. 8, due to weather...
Pest management a top topic at North Central Washington Tree Fruit Days
The idea of a new year offering a fresh start unfortunately does not apply to pest management in cherry orchards...
Tree fruit industry under pressure
Hort Show keynote: International trends squeeze fruit growers.
Pruning planar pear systems
Mount Adams Fruit shows off high-density pear systems in Washington's Columbia Basin.
Family farming strategy: Divide, conquer and communicate
Wholesale and retail keep Nova Scotia family farm busy.
Hort Show Day 2: Industry awards
Washington fruit industry lauds leaders at annual banquet.
Oregon State University names Pearson new extension director
Following a national search, Oregon State University has named Brian Pearson as the next permanent director of the Mid-Columbia Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Hood River...
California Fresh Fruit Association names Hartwig president
Daniel Hartwig has been named the new president of the California Fresh Fruit Association, according to a news release from the organization...
WSU to hold pear study circles Nov. 15 and Dec. 13
Washington State University Extension announced two pear study circles to provide opportunities for growers, consultants, researchers and industry professionals to learn from one another and improve pear profitability and sustainability...
Virtual meeting Nov. 2 to address California pear pest
University of California Cooperative Extension has scheduled another meeting, this one virtual, to discuss the emergence of the flatheaded borer causing damage to fruit in Lake County pear orchards...
California pear growers invited to meeting about new pest
North Coast pear growers are invited to a University of California Cooperative Extension meeting to discuss the flatheaded borer, a previously unknown pest causing pear damage in Lake County...
Cami Brandt, a young grower from Wapato, Washington
Cami earned a bachelor’s degree in human resources from Central Washington University and is working on her master’s degree in business at Eastern Washington University. She is the daughter of Paul Brandt.
Producing pears with lots of helping hands
Thousands of volunteers make harvest happen at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Medford Pear Orchard.
Planning and preparation allows an early exit from farming
Third-generation grower retires early on his terms.
Growers grin and pear it in Eastern Canada
Pears fill market niche for Nova Scotia grower.
Old trees, new growers
One couple’s pear orchard purchase shows how community and co-op support can help attract new growers to the industry.
Northwest pear growers expect average crop volume
Northwest pear growers expect to harvest about 15.2 million standard box equivalents for the 2023 season...