Pears

Warm Winter Worries S. Oregon Fruit Growers

A mild January, followed by several days of 60-degree temperatures last week, could lead to the earliest arrival of pear blossoms in the Rogue Valley in nearly two decades. KGW News Channel 8 PortlandClick here... more »

A Nifty Sucker: Vacuum Machine Harvests Fresh-Market Apples

A vacuum-cleaner-like machine that boosts apple picker productivity by 25 percent, cuts the level of bruising in half compared to hand picking and can use less experienced, less physically robust workers was demonstrated in a... more »

Uncle John’s Hard Cider Takes Best of Show

Uncle John's Cider Mill of St. Johns, Mich., earned top honors in a hard cider and perry competition that featured more than 80 entries from around the world. The fifth annual Great Lakes International Cider... more »

New Hort Society Leader: Grower Involvement Vital

Mark Drake got into the fruit business in a not so unusual way: He married the farmer’s daughter. Now, as of this December, he’ll become the next president of the Michigan State Horticultural Society. Besides... more »

Whopper Crop Worries Growers

Wenatchee River Valley growers began harvest of one of its largest crops of pears this past week. And growers are hoping the big crop doesn't mean smaller profits. Wenatchee WorldClick here to read the rest... more »

Rebellion in Idaho: Research Station, Slated for Closure, Incites Grower Resistance

At first, it seemed to be the “usual” kind of story. A land grant university, facing the need to cut its operating budget, reluctantly decides to close one of its experiment stations. The University of... more »

Northwest Pear Crop Estimated 10 Percent Above Last Year

As pear tree branches grow heavy with fruit, the Pear Bureau's initial estimates suggest that the 2009 Northwest pear crop will be the fourth largest on record, with approximately 19.1 million boxes. That would make... more »

Summer Pruning, Done Right, Is Quite Effective on Apples

There are many elements, pros and cons that go into the decision to summer prune apples. There are some rules for applying this practice to make it a positive experience, because otherwise the grower may... more »

Michigan Fruit Production Down in 2008

Michigan's apple production in 2008 was 560 million pounds (13.3 million bushels), down from 770 million pounds (18.3 million bushels) in 2007, according to figures released by the Michigan field office of USDA's National Agricultural... more »

Apple Varieties Coming Soon from Washington Breeders

During the hospitality hour before the annual banquet, two important figures in the Washington horticulture industry offered a treat to visitors – an opportunity to taste promising new apples not yet released as varieties. On... more »

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