California growers vote to keep pear board

The California Pear Advisory Board will continue after a referendum conducted Jan. 27 to Feb. 27 received 80 ballots, all in favor of keeping the program.

The votes received represent 59% of the state's pear growers and more than 52% of pear volume produced in the state, according to a news release.

Part of the board's work is encouraging retailers in the state to buy local.

"California pears are produced by local artisan family farmers who have been growing pears for generations on trees that are over 100 years old," Chris Zanobini, executive director of the pear board, said in the release. "This is exactly the kind of farmer today's consumers want to be growing their food.

"We are going to be working hard to deliver this message to retailers and asking for their support of locally grown pears," Zanobini said.

The pear board has been in action since 1992, representing California pear growers who collectively produce an average of 150,000 tons per year.