A referendum will be held soon to find out if growers are willing to pay a special assessment to enhance tree fruit research at Washington State University. The university has launched a major fundraising campaign to help strengthen priority programs and hopes to raise $42 million for tree fruit research. The Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission is proposing to levy a special assessment equal to the current research assessment that growers pay, which would generate $32 million over the next eight years. The current assessment rates are $4 a ton for cherries and $1 a ton for other fruits. Before […]