AgroFresh Solutions, a postharvest solution provider for fresh produce, and Pace International are hosting the 2024 Post-Harvest Academy in Cle Elum, Wash., on May 8. This year’s event focuses on the apple industry, according to a news release.
The 2024 event covers key topics, such as emerging diseases and internal disorders in apples, navigating organic regulations and the role of ethylene management in apple quality.
Featured presenters from Washington State University include Carolina Torres, associate professor and endowed chair in postharvest systems, and Achour Amiri, associate professor of plant pathology. Additional speakers include Desmond O’Rourke, president of Belrose; Simone Seifert-Higgins, regulatory manager with AgroFresh; and Jim Spadafora, director of global product development for AgroFresh.
O’Rourke’s presentation, “Coping with a Changing World,” provides industry insights as he conducts his annual marketing analysis of deciduous fruits worldwide. Belrose is known for publications such as the World Apple Review, World Pear Review, World Kiwifruit Review and World Sweet Cherry Review, the release said.
“To overcome future challenges and exploit opportunities, the Northwest fruit industry needs to develop a much more comprehensive database on its supply, orchard, packing and marketing system to effectively address future challenges and capitalize on emerging opportunities,” O’Rourke said in the release.
The event is set to conclude with a future-focused panel discussion on empowering digital transformation in individual operations.
