Pears

Karen Lewis to lead Washington tree fruit team

Karen Lewis, a Washington State University Extension regional tree fruit specialist, has been appointed to lead WSU’s tree fruit extension team, effective Oct. 1. She will continue as regional extension specialist to the tree fruit... more »

Internal breakdown reported in Olympic Asian pear fruit

Chris Walsh and Mike Newell, University of Maryland, report that there is an increased potential for internal browning and breakdown in Olympic Asian pear fruit. Growers are advised to harvest Olympic one to two weeks... more »

Pear marketing focuses on snacking

Harvest is nearing completion for the Northwest pear growers of Washington and Oregon. Over the next months, 10 pear varieties will be at their peak, putting a fresh crop of Northwest-grown pears within easy reach... more »

Beekeepers are now ‘farmers’ in Washington state

A new law that defines Washington’s commercial beekeepers as farmers will enable the state to better reap the benefits of healthy bee populations while boosting a critical profession, according to a bee expert at Washington... more »

BREAKING: Northwest Michigan assesses storm impact

Agricultural businesses were busy assessing storm damage Aug. 3 to orchards and packinghouses following strong thunderstorms overnight in the Grand Traverse region of northwestern Michigan.Tom Berg, director of marketing for the Shoreline Fruit cooperative of... more »

California fines companies that sold fruits with illegal pesticide residue

The California Dept. of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) has taken decisive action against six companies that ignored warnings, and repeatedly sold imported fruits and vegetables with illegal pesticide residues to predominantly ethnic minority customers. The fines... more »

Industry veteran rides the waves

Gary Pullano, associate editor for Fruit Growers News, is blogging this week from the International Fruit Tree Association's Regional Summer Tour in Washington state.Washington state apple grower Jim Doornink survived the turn-of-the-century (21st, that is)... more »

Shoreline Fruit vertically integrates to thrive

An agricultural operation with multiple business arms operates best when all facets are on the same page – or at least functioning from a shared playbook. John Sommavilla, CEO of Shoreline Fruit LLC in Traverse... more »