—story by Matt Milkovich —photo by TJ Mullinax H-2A crew members thin apples on a platform at DeMarree Fruit Farm in Williamson, New York, in July 2019. As New York’s wages rise and its overtime threshold lowers, more growers will rely on platforms and other technology to create efficiencies. (TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower) New York growers are wedged between the state’s rising wage rates and a lower threshold for overtime exemptions, which went into effect this year. They’re seeking escape through mechanization and other efficiencies, but it’s getting harder for them to plan for the future.&n ..read more

—by Kate Prengaman To help growers protect workers and stay in compliance with Washington’s heat safety rules, Washington State University’s AgWeatherNet launched a “Worker Heat Awareness” model to provide employers with location-specific forecasts aligned with risk thresholds, as shown in this screenshot highlighting data from a hot week last August. (Courtesy Washington State University) Crops aren’t the only things at risk from heat stress and wildfire smoke in the air. So are the people who work to harvest them.  New models on Washington State University’s AgWeatherNet website offer g ..read more

Jeremiah Hart, left, and Jesus Padilla build new ladders at Tallman Ladders in November in Hood River, Oregon. As the fruit industry mechanizes and automates, a handful of companies in the United States still build thousands of ladders every year, mostly by hand. (Ross Courtney/Good Fruit Grower) Richard Shenyer first learned of his company’s pending demise in the 1990s. A fruit company field rep told him dwarfing trees, trellises and platforms would make his tripod orchard ladders unnecessary. “I remember him walking in and saying, ‘Boy, we’re gonna put you guys out of business, everything’s ..read more

The Teeple family at their orchard in Wolcott, New York. From left are Jackson, Frank, Levi, Danielle and Philip. They strive to make their farm a place where everyone feels welcome. (Courtesy Hannah Eygnor) If you’re like most fruit growers these days, you’d probably love to find a new source of labor to tap into. If so, there’s a group you might not have considered: autistic people.  Autistic individuals probably aren’t going to solve all of your labor problems, but they can bring unique strengths to your operation if you can offer accommodations that set them up for success.  “The ..read more

Nature Safe Fertilizers welcomes PNW regional sales manager Mike Ansolabehere Nature Safe Fertilizers recently added Mike Ansolabehere as Pacific Northwest regional sales manager, according to a news release. His focus will be on organic fertilizer needs for specialty crops, including apples, cherries, pears, blueberries, hazelnuts and grapes. Ansolabehere holds a degree in crop science from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and has more than 35 years’ experience in California’s Central Valley, having served as: a retail pest control advisor concentrating on integrated ..read more

A Zasso electric weeder in an apple orchard near Quincy, Washington, last August. Burrows Tractor has tested the weeder, which kills weeds with electrical currents, in apples and hops. Oregon State University researchers are trialing the machine in blueberries. (Courtesy TJ Lange/Burrows Tractor) A new generation of weeding technology is emerging for specialty crops, but it’s not yet clear which new tools will work economically in orchards and vineyards. Researchers and manufacturers are trialing new weeding machines to see how well they pencil out in permanent fruit crop systems.  Z ..read more

The flatheaded borer is a beetle, seen here in the larval stage, known for attacking branches and trunks, not fruit, so recent discoveries of it in Lake County, California, pears have raised questions. (Courtesy Clebson Gonçalves/University of California Cooperative Extension) West Coast entomologists are asking pear growers to be on the lookout for pest damage that may be caused by confused Pacific flatheaded borers. Specialists in California have found a borer pest attacking pear fruit directly, causing symptoms that look somewhat like sunburn or codling moth damage. The strange part? Flathe ..read more

An emerging agricultural carbon market could generate profits from piles, according to Ben Bardsley, founder of BX, at right, standing with grower Byron Borton in front of a Red Delicious apple block Borton Fruit removed in March in Yakima, Washington. These piles will be burned, Borton said, but he’s hopeful that next year he’ll be able to convert similar stacks of old wood into biochar. (TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower) A new ag tech company wants to help orchardists get paid for their climate-friendly farming practices.  “Without a doubt, our ability to sell carbon credits is the bi ..read more

Washington State University’s Viticulture and Enology department will host a two-day symposium on sustainable wine production, new technologies and climate resilience on May 9 and 10. The event, entitled “Tomorrow’s Vintage,” will be held at WSU’s Tri-Cities campus and feature visiting speakers from Washington, California, Australia and New Zealand. Topics include drought adaptation, carbon capture in vineyard soils, wastewater management, pomace upcycling and sensor technology for sustainability.  The symposium is part of the Ravenholt Lecture Series, which is supported by an endowment f ..read more

The U.S. Apple Association will host a webinar May 14 to take a rearview-mirror look at the 2023–24 apple season. Chris Gerlach, the association’s director of industry analytics, will review final production data from 2023-24, look ahead to the coming harvest and explore trends in apple storage, movement, trade, prices and more, according to news release from the group. The webinar begins at noon Pacific time, 3 p.m. Eastern time. To register, or for more information, visit: usapple.org/events/webinar-may-14-2024. —by Ross Courtney The post USApple to host season-end webinar May 14 first appea ..read more