The Packer’s Tom Karst visited June 23 with Desmond O’Rourke, economist and long-time apple industry observer.
Karst asks O’Rourke about the ways the Washington apple industry has changed in the past 50 plus years, and what challenges and opportunities may lay ahead.
O’Rourke is the founder and CEO of Belrose, Inc.
He has two degrees from his native Ireland, a BA in Classics from Queen’s University, Belfast, and a B.Comm from University College, Dublin, and his MA and PhD in Agricultural Economics from the University of California, Davis.
After joining the Agricultural Economics faculty at Washington State University in 1970, O’Rourke worked in research, outreach, and administration for that state’s diverse fruit industry, and on international marketing of a wide range of Pacific Northwest products as Director of the IMPACT (international Marketing Program) from 1985 to 2000.
