Washington
Industry leaders outline how retailers can maximize the 90-day sweet cherry sales window through aggressive early promotions and strategic late-season displays.
As Washington growers face rising costs and labor scarcity, a new partnership with Semillero de Ideas is transforming experienced harvesters into technical consultants to optimize orchard efficiency and automation.
The Washington Red Raspberry Commission says a byproduct of Mexico’s fight against spotted wing drosophila is flooding the U.S. puree market with low-cost fruit that domestic processors can’t match.
While Honeycrisp volumes rebound, apple marketers say this year’s crop will offer solid bagged and organic promotions.
Along with sharing good news from the field, a number of grower-shippers say exports play a significant role in their sales programs.
While there have been no major disruptions, there’s some concern over the potential for immigration enforcement efforts to impact labor.
Washington and Oregon producers hope to avoid disruptions related to immigration enforcement.
While this year’s crop might be smaller, growers have a positive outlook on how things are shaping up in the field.
Fruit tree growers in Washington have several strategies for dealing with drought and being water resilient, but there are costs associated with all of them.
Fifth-generation Washington farmer Tate Mathison and his father, Kyle Mathison, are bringing new meaning to the term “cherry picking.”
Bulk onions marketed by grower-shippers in Washington and Oregon typically outsell packaged product, but they say consumer packs have been steadily gaining traction.
In 2023, onion utilized production in the Pacific Northwest was up 6% from the previous year, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
The 2024 harvest is expected to get underway sometime between late July and early September, with start dates varying slightly by grower.
Consumer packs typically account for about half the fresh-market potatoes shipped by suppliers in Washington and Oregon, grower-shippers say.
Central Washington-based grower Ostrom Mushroom Farms was fined $74,000 in civil penalties for H-2A violations, and the Department of Labor was able to recover $59,000 in back wages for workers, a news release said.
The Washington cherry crop is running late this season, but it will be well worth waiting for, says Dan Davis, director of business development for Starr Ranch Growers, Wenatchee, Wash.
While retailers may not be able to take full advantage of vast Northwest cherry supplies for Fourth of July ads, Mac Riggan says grocers will have many opportunities for retail cherry promotions later in the summer.
Okanagan Specialty Fruits, the creators of genetically engineered nonbrowning Arctic apples, has recently unveiled a 110,000-square-foot processing facility in Moses Lake, Wash.
New crop Ambrosia Gold apples from CMI Orchards are marked by high flavor, vibrant color and a superb eating experience, the company reports.
The Washington State Tree Fruit Association will host its 119th Annual Meeting and NW Hort Expo at the Three Rivers Convention Center and Toyota Center in Kennewick on Dec. 4-6.
Sage Fruit Co. had good news for retail attendees at the Associated Wholesale Grocers’ seventh annual Innovation Showcase, March 25-26.
After a down crop year in 2022, Yakima, Wash.-based Sage Fruit Co. is looking forward to rebounding with a large cherry crop volume in 2023.
CMI Orchards’ cherry program offers the largest varietal section of cherries available in the market today, says Rochelle Bohm, vice president of marketing for the Wenatchee, Wash.-based supplier.
Got some organic Honeycrisp? That is the question that the market is asking suppliers, says Dan Davis, director of business development for Wenatchee, Wash.-based Starr Ranch Growers.
Organic gala and organic Honeycrisp provide both retailers and consumers with great options, says Kaci Komstadius, vice president of marketing for Sage Fruit Co., Yakima, Wash.
The growing season has been excellent for Washington apples, says Robb Myers, and that is just the start of the good news.
Stemilt Growers produces nearly 30% of its apples and about 15% of its pears organically, says Brianna Shales, marketing director for the Wenatchee, Wash.-based marketer.