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India pulls trigger on apple tariffs
After delaying for nearly a year, India this week slapped an extra tariff on U.S. apples in retaliation for President Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs.
The 20-percent tariff, which took effect Saturday, June 15, is in addition to an already existing tariff of 50 percent India charges on apple imports from
U.S. ITC finds merit in tart cherry producers' claim of harm by Turkish imports
American producers of dried tart cherries make a reasonable case that they are being injured by imports from Turkey, the U.S. International Trade Commission determined in June.
That ruling means the Department of Commerce will continue its antidumping and countervailing duty investigation into Turkey's tart cherry production, with preliminary decisions expected
Cherry marketers testing foreign waters
Northwest Cherries experiments with developing markets in three Southeast Asian nations.
Mexico lifts tariff on U.S. apples
Canadian nursery launches tissue culture lab
This week, Upper Canada Growers announced the opening of a new tissue culture laboratory in Harrow, Ontario, that aims to provide Canadian growers with clean fruit trees and rootstocks — faster than the current certification process for new varieties.
The new lab is a partnership with the University of Guelph and
Erin Carlson, a young grower from Summerland, British Columbia
family background/ Erin received her agriculture degree in organics at the University of Guelph in Ontario and is also active in local politics representing growers in Summerland. She is the daughter of Jan and Keith Carlson.
grower/Summerland, British Columbia
business/Carcajou Fruit Co.
How did you get your start?
I grew up on the farm
Thurlby: Another season of hope is upon us
Northwest Cherries President B.J. Thurlby looks ahead at another season of hope, with a solid plan in place.
Working holidays a lifestyle for some ag workers
Traveling, camping workers pitch in for British Columbia's busy tree fruit season.
More changes for BC Tree Fruits
British Columbia's largest fruit company has purchased land on which to build a new packing line and company headquarters.
BC Tree Fruits, a 400-member grower cooperative, is finalizing the purchase of 85 acres in Kelowna for new apple, cherry, pear and soft fruit packing lines, office space and its cidery, the
Recruiting researchers requires patience
Even with an endowment, finding the right experts is a long process.
Michael Mitterer, a young grower from Kastelbell, South Tyrol, Italy
BC Tree Fruits hires CEO, CFO
BC Tree Fruits, a grower cooperative that packs most of British Columbia's apples, has permanently filled its CEO and chief financial officer positions in the wake of a company restructuring.
Todd McMyn started his role as CEO on April 1, according to a news release from the Kelowna company. He previously
Gallo acquires wine brands and production facilities in California, Washington and New York
E. & J. Gallo Winery announced April 3 that it has entered into an agreement with Constellation Brands Inc. to purchase more than 30 wine and spirits brands, along with six winemaking facilities located in California, Washington and New York.
According to a news release, among the brands joining the
Washington researchers get a look at European innovations
Research commission tour finds some exciting ideas but no major advances on technology tour in Germany and the Netherlands.
Punjabi growers help advance British Columbia's tree fruit industry
Hardworking heritage and willingness to invest are keys to success for some families.
Robotic picking machine's first apple harvest underway: Video
Abundant Robotics debuts robotic harvester in New Zealand apple orchard for first harvest headed to market.
Headwinds approaching Washington wine industry
Analysts concur: Wine grape growers will need to be innovative in today's rapidly evolving market.
Record 2018 blueberry crop plants Oregon in No. 1 spot
In a surprise comeback, Oregon regained the top spot among the nation's blueberry producers in 2018, with a record-setting increase of 23.3 million pounds over the state's 2017 production.
Bryan Ostlund, chair of the Oregon Blueberry Commission, said Oregon's 2018 crop totaled
134.1 million pounds, with about 55 percent going
Trade mitigation funds approved for Washington apples
The Washington Apple Commission will receive nearly $8.5 million through the USDA Agricultural Trade Promotion (ATP) funding program, according to a news release. The program is designed to help mitigate the damages from the additional trade tariffs imposed on Washington apples in several key export markets.
ATP funding is a cost-share
USApple announces 2019 Young Apple Leaders
The U.S. Apple Association announced its class of 2019 Young Apple Leaders, a group of young women and men selected by the organization to join with and learn from USApple leaders as they advocate on issues impacting growers and the apple industry.
"The 2019 Young Apple Leaders' class is the largest
BC Tree Fruits restructures
BC Tree Fruits, which packs the bulk of British Columbia's apples, has laid off a few familiar faces as part of the cooperative's restructuring.
In January, the Kelowna-based company cut seven positions over various departments and supervisory levels as part of its changes to seek competitive edges in a rapidly changing
Pear industry pitches American-grown canned fruit
Buyers urged to buy American because "Kids CAN taste the difference" between U.S. pears and imports
Clean Plant Center exports mostly on hold
Exports of clean tree fruit budwood on hold while center cleans up paperwork processes.
Kurrle: 2019 brings challenges and opportunities
From agricultural labor to farm bill programs, regulations and trade agreements, the policies and decisions made in Washington, D.C., impact your business every day. Responding to these critical issues and ensuring the "apple voice" is heard by members of Congress and the administration is a top priority for the USApple
President signs Farm Bill
President Donald Trump on Thursday signed the $867 billion Farm Bill that Congress passed last week with bipartisan support.
The five-year Farm Bill ensures several items of funding that affect the tree fruit industry. Among them are continued support of work to fight pests and diseases, enhancement of the National Clean
India delays additional apple tariff, again
India has once again postponed implementing a retaliatory tariff on imported U.S. apples, this time until Jan. 31.
Earlier in 2018, India, one of the largest export markets for U.S. apples, imposed an additional tariff on the fruit in retaliation for President Donald Trump's tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, but
Congress passes $867 billion Farm Bill
Tariff relief: USDA apple and pear purchases underway
The federal government has made its first round of fresh apple purchases as part of its make-up call to growers hurt by trade disputes.
In November, the U.S. Department of Agriculture committed to buying $15.5 million worth of apples for federal food distribution programs, which is only a fraction of the
WSTFA annual meeting, Day 1
A wrap of the first day's discussions at the WSTFA Annual Meeting and Hort Show in Yakima
Fryhover: To boldly go
Washington Apple Commission President Todd Fryhover says the path to marketing success starts with the apple.
To see opportunities, look at the world differently – Hort Show preview
Keynote speaker at the WSTFA Annual Meeting says the future doesn't have to surprise us.
India delays apple tariff, again
Extra 25 percent tariff on U.S. apples in retaliation for steel and aluminum tariffs
IFTA B.C. tour: Crafty choices
How British Columbia's apple industry looks to add value through cider.
IFTA B.C. tour: A taste of history
Okanagan growers share their deep roots during the International Fruit Tree Association summer tour.
Great Lakes Farm EXPO: Wide range of fruit sessions
Huge gathering of growers set for December in Michigan.
Fire blight control featured at 2018 WSTFA Annual Meeting
Growers to gather for December's annual conference in Yakima, Washington.
Gilbert: What you can – and can't – control
Deciding on a theme and topics for the WSTFA Annual Meeting.
'Be on the lookout for weeds that do not die'
Growers in Canada watch for herbicide resistance as Ontario government issues memorandum warning.
Rainiers break a record in the 2018 cherry season review
Northwest Cherry Growers releases year-end report on second-largest crop ever.
Is apple clearwing moth on the move?
After infesting orchards in British Columbia, there are indications this pest may have already reached Washington state.
Himalayan aspirations
Growers, government and World Bank investment drive modernization in India's apple orchards.
After Ambrosia: 'Where do we go from here?'
B.C. apple growers looking for next variety after years of Ambrosia reliance.
Congress holds fate of new trade deal to replace NAFTA
While agreement calls for no tariffs on apples, pears and cherries between North American nations, Mexico's separate 20 percent retaliatory tariff on U.S. apples could remain in place.
2018 apple harvest by the numbers
Industry looks into crystal ball for 2018 forecast around the globe.
Money available for U.S. sweet cherry growers hurt by trade disputes
Cherry growers are expected to share in $111.5 million in aid as part of an overall $12 billion package the Trump administration approved to help growers and producers hurt by trade policies.
IFTA B.C. tour: Some promising previews
Summerland shows off a few of its up and coming cherry varieties at IFTA.
USDA shares details on relief program for apple and pear growers
U.S. apple and pear growers who may be harmed by ongoing international trade disputes will be able to apply for the federal government's relief package beginning in October.
IFTA B.C. tour: Land of late and lucrative cherries – Video
British Columbia growers double down to hit the late-season market.
Tree fruit added to U.S. relief program for food impacted by trade disputes
The Food Purchase and Distribution Program will buy up to $1.2 billion in food products "unfairly targeted by unjustified retaliation."
Gala on pace to topple Red Delicious' reign
Day 1 at the 2018 US Apple Outlook: U.S. growers expect Red Delicious to yield its place as the leading variety by volume for the first time in more than 50 years.
Guilherme Fontanella Sander, a young grower from Vale do Sol, Brazil
family background / Guilherme grew up working alongside his father Renato and mother Edna at orchards in Southern Brazil. Guilherme obtained his master's degree in tree fruit training systems and is pursuing his Ph.D. at University of Santa Catarina State (Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina).
grower / São Joaquim, Brazil
Where no cherry has gone before — IFTA BC tour Day 2
Tree fruit growers in British Columbia, Canada, are planting cherries in places where they won't pick until mid-September.
IFTA tours Summerland research center's genetic diversity
A glimpse of 30,000 apple varieties in various stages of propagation overlooking the shores of Okanagan Lake highlighted the first day of the International Tree Fruit Association summer tour through British Columbia.
Gebbers testifies before U.S. House committee about tariffs
Cass Gebbers, president and CEO of Gebbers Farms in Brewster, Washington, testified before the trade subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee on July 18 about the effects of tariffs on U.S. agriculture and rural communities.
Gebbers Farms has more than 13,000 acres of tree fruit, and the family has
Adams joins Washington Apple Commission's communications team
The Washington Apple Commission has hired Toni Lynn Adams as a communications outreach coordinator.
Two Northwest associations focused on trade finalize affiliation
Northwest Fruit Exporters is now a member of the Northwest Horticultural Council.
EverCrisp release ramps up
Midwest Apple Improvement Association marketing its first new apple.
Northwest tree fruit delegation heads to D.C. to talk trade
A delegation representing the Northwest tree fruit industry will be meeting with Trump administration officials and members of Congress next week to discuss foreign trade sanctions negatively impacting the industry.
The meeting, originally intended to focus strictly on exports to China, has been in the works for a couple of months,
Pear Bureau Northwest hires regional marketing manager
Pear Bureau Northwest hires regional marketing manager
Tart growers target Turkey
U.S. tart cherry industry weighs legal challenge to low-price imports.
Mexico slaps tariffs on U.S. apples
Country's largest apple export market retaliates over steel and aluminum tariffs.
Cherries chugging to China again
Cherry shipments to China seem to be moving again, just in time for the Northwest's annual harvest.
In the wake of trade disputes between China and the United States, Chinese import officials this spring had been slowing down cherry shipments over phytosanitary concerns.
That seems to be past, said B.J. Thurlby, president
Trade disputes broaden
U.S. fruit growers, already burdened with new tariffs from China, now have to deal with duties from Mexico.
The Mexican government on Thursday, May 31, threatened to levy tariffs on apples, blueberries and grapes in response to President Donald Trump's trade policies involving steel and aluminum.
Mexico is America's largest apple export
Thurlby: Complications in cherry forecast
2018 brings an earlier start and cloud of tariffs over China.
Concerns over China top Northwest cherry growers meeting
Industry members fear trade disputes could impact largest export market.
Growing from good to great in New Zealand
Return to basics aids grower in troubled block of Jazz apples.
Bruno Simpson, a young grower from Nelson, New Zealand
family background / Bruno is the third generation of Waimea Nurseries and has been elected to the International New Varieties Network. Bruno is the son of Mike Simpson and Angela Donaldson.
grower / Nelson, New Zealand
age / 26
crops / Apples, pears, kiwifruit
business / Waimea Nurseries, Waimea Variety Management
How did you get
USApple leader: Trade wars hurt everyone's bottom line
Jeff Colombini, a prominent California grower and board member of USApple, expressed deep concerns over growing trade tensions initiated by the Trump administration.
He spoke at a press event organized by Farmers for Free Trade. Colombini was Good Fruit Grower's Grower of the Year in 2013.
President Trump has talked of a
Phytelligence forms partnership in India
The agriculture biotech company Phytelligence has announced its partnership with a company in India to serve growers there.
The Phytelligence news release:
Phytelligence, a leading agricultural biotechnology company revolutionizing the way food crops are grown, today announces a partnership with Mahyco Grow to provide Indian farmers with the most advanced technology available in
Net benefits
Orchard netting can help prevent fruit sunburn in addition to protecting against hail damage.
Growing into the future – Video
New Zealand researchers and growers testing limits with 2D, 3D systems.
Rockit gains altitude
New Zealand growers have soaring hopes for little apple.
Yvette Jones, a young grower from Nelson, New Zealand
family background / Yvette grew up traveling around the globe with parents David and Fiona Jones, who work in food technology. She majored in horticulture and is passionate about applied food sciences.
grower/Nelson, New Zealand
crops/Apples, pears, kiwifruit
How did you get your start?
I'm not from a traditional rural background — I'm not
'Kia ora' from a distant land
Corr: Our report from Kiwi country
Check out our robust package of reports from the IFTA study tour.
Farrow: The 'it' factor in IFTA
The International Fruit Tree Association makes some changes, but commitment to growers remains the same.
New Zealand's Honeycrisp blossoms in Timaru – Video
Finicky variety finds success in central New Zealand climate.
The worldwide view of wine from Washington : Video
Speakers at the 2018 Washington Winegrowers annual convention bring big-picture perspective.
Dollars from China fuel a new Washington vineyard and resort
Dollars from China fuel a new Washington vineyard and resort
Growers flock to Washington, lobbying legislators
Apple growers appeared in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, visiting more than 100 legislative offices to lobby on issues such as labor, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the pending farm bill.
As always, a pressing concern is labor.
"Family apple growers around the country leave $100,000 worth of apples or
Variety Watch: Koru rolls down red carpet
First commercial U.S. shipments of chance New Zealand apple variety reach store shelves.
In New Zealand, IFTA honors contributors to apple industry
The first group of fruit growers visiting New Zealand for the International Fruit Tree Association study tour wrapped up their visits and joined a second group of growers for the annual conference in Napier before the second group moved on to begin their own tour.
At the conference Monday, IFTA presented
Follow our editors while they report on the IFTA New Zealand visit
Editor Shannon Dininny and Photojournalist TJ Mullinax are in New Zealand, covering the study tour organized by the International Fruit Tree Association. New Zealand is known for its new varieties, innovative growers and fruit research.
Dininny and Mullinax will be doing live tweets at the Good Fruit Grower twitter account and Good
Going green with reds and whites
Will the investment in eco-certification for your vineyard pay off? It depends.
All aboard the cherry express
Airborne exports through Sea-Tac help make up for tough domestic year for sweet cherries.
A cool place for cherry exports
New facility to improve cherry movement through Sea-Tac.
Kurrle: USApple works for growers
Trade agreements, farm bill likely targets for 2018.
Bryant: Troubling signs on trade
With talk of tariffs and ending NAFTA, the apple industry must use defense, data and offense to protect exports.
Protecting intellectual property
Managers of new Washington State University-bred apple variety use high-tech software to protect intellectual property rights.
Great export expectations
If the 2016-2017 apple export season was decent — and it was — this season should be great.
That's what industry officials predict.
The 2017-2018 season should put American — especially Washington — apples at a competitive advantage in the global marketplace, due to weather and political issues abroad, said Todd Fryhover,
Gökhan Öztürk's fruitful journey
Turkish fruit breeder visits Washington to gain insights into fruit breeding at WSU.
Big hopes for a big cherry
Large-growing Tamara showing early promise, but it'll be a few seasons before the verdict is in.
Wenatchee district pear grower, handler nomination meeting set
Pear handlers will elect nominees for a Wenatchee district grower position and a handler position on the Fresh Pear Committee of Marketing Order 927.
Yakima district pear grower nomination meeting set
Pear handlers will elect nominees for a Yakima district grower position on the Fresh Pear Committee of Marketing Order 927.
Report says Apple Commission overbilled by contractor in India more than $500k
The Washington Apple Commission overpaid a contractor in India more than $500,000, according to a state investigation first reported by The Wenatchee World newspaper.
Average apple harvest likely in U.S.
U.S. apple growers won't see a record crop this season, though tough weather conditions for domestic and foreign competitors in other markets could produce strong demand for U.S. apple exports in the year ahead.
Growers in the European Union expected to harvest their smallest crop since 2007 due to severe spring
The global fire blight fight
Belgian researchers at pcfruit are examining biocontrols and detection methods for fire blight.
Conference pear challenge
After going all-in with Conference pears, have Belgian growers reached a tipping point?
NAFTA is the talk of USApple Outlook conference
The ag advocates
Hort Council presses on amid leadership change.
The quest for new varieties, cold-hardy rootstock
Researchers from around the world presented their latest findings regarding cold-hardy rootstocks and new varieties during the Interpera conference in Wenatchee, Washington, in June.
Unlike apples, pears lack a true dwarfing rootstock that allows growers to more easily produce compact, high-density orchards better suited for mechanization, uniformity and higher yields.
Warmer areas
Bryant Christie Inc. celebrates 25th anniversary
Bryant Christie Inc., a company that helps agricultural, food and beverage producers open and expand foreign markets, celebrated its 25th anniversary on July 1.
The company was founded in 1992 as W.L. Bryant Co. by Bill Bryant, who was previously a vice president of the Northwest Horticultural Council in Yakima, Washington.
Scholarships offered for United Fresh Washington Conference
The application period for the 2017 Frieda Rapoport Caplan Family Business Scholarship is now open.
IFTA seeks new management and staffing proposals
The International Fruit Tree Association (IFTA) seeks proposals from individuals or management companies to provide executive management and staffing functions effective no later than January 1, 2018.
This Request for Proposals has information on the scope of services requested as well as relevant deadlines and timelines.
Interested parties may submit questions
Interpera Congress addresses industry inertia
About 150 people attended the first day of Interpera 2017, this year's World Pear Congress meeting, Thursday, June 15, 2017, in Wenatchee.
U.S. congressmen ask for analysis of Polish apples
Two Republican lawmakers from apple producing states have asked for a full pest and disease risk analysis of fruit imported from Poland, a nation that has not previously met U.S. requirements.
Northwest pear growers predict smaller crop
Northwest pear growers are estimating a fresh crop of about 17.6 million boxes for the 2017 season, down 2 percent from last year and down 10 percent from the five-year average.
Ag groups respond to Trump's proposed budget
Here is an ongoing roundup of responses to President Donald Trump's federal budget proposal, which was released Tuesday, May 23.
Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance:
"We are very disappointed to see the President's budget, released yesterday, call for draconian cuts, or even total elimination of programs that are important to the specialty
Thurlby: Looking ahead to the Northwest cherry season
In Washington, we just came through the rainiest March on record, and the view from the window tells me the season has yet to give way to what most of us would call "springtime conditions."
Scholarships available for IFTA trip to New Zealand
IFTA has reserved a limited number of spots on its 2018 New Zealand Study Tour and Annual Conference for recipients of Young Professional Scholarships.
Sorry about the label confusion
Good Fruit Grower ran a story in our April 15 issue about the Washington Apple Commission discussing uses of its apples logo and sticker.
Sorry about the label confusion
Good Fruit Grower ran a story in our April 15 issue about the Washington Apple Commission discussing uses of its apples logo and sticker.
Washington Apple Commission will push Galas and Red Delicious in Mexico and Asia
'Value-added' markets are key
Growers, packers meet with lawmakers
Members of the Washington Apple Commission and Columbia Fruit Packers were among a group of apple industry leaders from across the country who met with members of Congress on March 23 in Washington, D.C.
The meetings were part of the U.S. Apple Association's annual fly-in.
Todd Fryhover and Lindsey Huber of the
Washington Apple Commission announces marketing plan
As part of its new, five-year strategic plan, the Washington Apple Commission has proposed focusing its marketing efforts and spending for the next two to three years on Red Delicious and Gala apples in five key international markets: Mexico, India, China and Hong Kong, Vietnam and Indonesia.
"We clearly identified the
Flying fruit a little easier
Canadian initiative aims to boost Okanagan fruit sales, recognition.
Pear handler election set for Wenatchee, Washington
Pear handlers will elect nominees for the Wenatchee, Washington, district position on the Fresh Pear Committee of Marketing Order 927.
The position will be filled at the Washington Pear Marketing Association meeting at noon on March 28 at the Washington Apple Commission conference room.
The Apple Commission is located at 2900 Euclid Avenue
The GMO debate gets more complicated
As growers and regulators try to keep up with advances in genomics, questions arise over what is and is not genetically engineered.
New postharvest fungicide idea comes from an old place
Natamycin emerges as a possible nontoxic postharvest fungicide.
Ariane Stechmann, Young Grower from Hamburg, Germany
family background / Ariane is the oldest of four siblings who make up the family's 10th generation of farmers. To help in preparation for future transition of the farm, she earned her horticulture degree, interned with the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission (WTFRC), and plans to work with her parents,
British Columbia's government replant program aims at farm renewal
Program's not just about new varieties, it's replanting recharged
Growers to vote on keeping pear marketing order
Pear decision ahead for Pacific Northwest growers
Moffitt: All pears, all the time
The Pear Bureau is celebrating 85 years of promoting the beautiful and delicious pears nurtured by our growers in Washington and Oregon each year.
We employ a variety of proven and effective tools, techniques and strategies designed to increase consumer awareness and consumption of Northwest pears on behalf of fresh pear
Cuban farms: Making virtue from necessity
Shortages of fuel, chemicals and machinery make Cuban farms organic but not efficient.
Cuba's next chapter? Not so fast
Politics and Cuba's own challenges make the island a distant prospect for tree fruit growers.
Insider tips to avoid growing an $8 box of fruit
Success from tree to market
Trade questions loom as 2017 begins
Focus for the year ahead is keeping current markets open while the U.S. tree fruit industry awaits the president-elect's actions on trade.
Wine industry leaders, growers team up to discuss policy agenda
Grape growers, winemakers and retailers want to speak in a more unified voice when sharing their concerns with government officials.
That's why different facets of Washington's booming wine industry held their first issues caucus in November in Yakima, Washington.
"I wish we would have thought and done this six, seven years ago,
Industry groups lend plenty of opportunities for growers to get involved
In Washington's tree fruit industry, three state commissions, four federal marketing orders, numerous nonprofit associations and a few advisory committees all intertwine to create a network of industry organizations to support growers.
All that representation, with their acronyms, subcommittees and meeting schedules, provide places for growers to get involved and learn
The GMO apple has arrived
"It's not going away," says Neal Carter of Okanagan Specialty Fruit.
U.S., New Zealand win WTO ag dispute with Indonesia
A World Trade Organization settlement panel on Dec. 22 ruled that Indonesia's restrictions on horticultural products, animals and animal products are inconsistent with WTO rules.
The dispute, which was filed by the United States and New Zealand, sought to address trade barriers that restrict the importation of fruits and vegetables; such
Fresh Pear Committee nominations set for January meeting
Pear growers will elect nominees for positions on the Fresh Pear Committee of Marketing Order No. 927.
The committee is responsible for the collection of assessments for research and the promotion and advertising of all pears marketed in the domestic and export markets.
The FPC grower position for the Wenatchee, Washington, district
Wrapping up day one of the WSTFA annual meeting – Video
Two words can sum up Monday afternoon's session of the 112th annual meeting of the Washington State Tree Fruit Association: Cosmic Crisp.
Washington growers will begin the first plantings of the new Washington State University variety WA 38, which will be known commercially as Cosmic Crisp.
More than 600,000 trees are expected
Day 1, Washington hort show, morning summary – Video
Speakers hammered away at the theme of "change" to kick off the 112th annual meeting of the Washington tree fruit industry.
Change in a U.S. president. Change in technology. Change in food safety regulations. Change in customer shopping habits.
"Change comes no matter how long we ignore it," said Sam Godwin, chairman
Cosmic Crisp to be grown overseas: Hort Show Preview
Some Washington producers are caught off guard by international propagation plans for WA 38.
Diversity wins: 2016 Growers of the year
Blueberries, wine grapes are among Zirkle Fruit's most recent endeavors.
U.S. growers hope to send apples to Japan once again
Picking prospects: 2016-17 USApple forecast
Drought in Eastern U.S. dampens outlook, but other U.S. regions are forecasting steady — or even larger — apple crops.
USApple estimates 246 million boxes for this year's U.S. apple crop
Nominations due for Washington Trader of the Year award
The Seattle-based World Trade Club is soliciting nominations for the Trader of the Year, an honor given by Washington State's governor to a business that has done an outstanding job growing its international business. Nominations are accepted through August 12 for an award ceremony October 20.
Awards are given in two categories: Trader
Mexico dismisses dumping complaint against U.S. apple growers
The Mexican government has terminated an antidumping case filed by growers in the border state of Chihuahua and will not impose antidumping duties on U.S. apples.
The decision reverses a provisional ruling in January under which all but three U.S. exporters would have had to pay duties ranging from 2.44 percent
Thurlby: Hot for cherries
After record-setting heat in 2015, cherry growers look to new year.
Another Northwest cherry season is around the corner, and at this point, there is no reason not to expect another 20 million box crop of amazing sweet cherries!
Our cherry growing cohorts in California are reporting the best chilling hours and
Bringing workers north to Canada
Canadian farm labor program reaches 50-year milestone.
Monitoring the dump tank
The increasing emphasis on food safety means changes are ahead for tree fruit packing houses. Among them: the requirement to demonstrate that their preventive practices are effectively controlling for microbial contamination.
It's not just about producing high-quality, safe fruit anymore; it's about proving that steps are being taken to prevent the
Honeycrisp from Chile coming to U.S.
Honeybear Brands of Minnesota bringing in its largest crop from South America plantings.
New website for U.S. Apple
The U.S. Apple Association has released a new, mobile-friendly website at usapple.org.
The website continues to address the organization's position on key topics, ranging from food safety to agricultural labor reform, while increasing the appeal to consumers and the ease of use for USApple members, says Wendy Brannen, USApple's Director of
Wade: Free trade should include fair trade
A Good Fruit Grower good point by Mike Wade, USApple chairman
California council schedules June MRL workshop
The California Specialty Crops Council will hold its 2016 MRL Harmonization Workshop June 1-2 in San Francisco.
The interactive seminar based on maximum residue levels (MRLs) will address critically important issues for stakeholders with interests in exporting agricultural products. Registrants, growers, packers, shippers, PCAs, regulators, trade experts, and other stakeholders in
International cherry challenges
China's economic struggles may make for a difficult cherry export year.
Food safety research focuses on packing
Scientists hope to reduce food safety risks in Washington apple packing houses.
Gathering data for food safety
Research will help inform the FDA and producers as the Food Safety Modernization Act is implemented.
Mexico to impose duties on U.S. apples
The Mexican government is imposing provisional duties on most U.S. apple exports, beginning Jan. 7, as its investigation continues into an antidumping complaint brought by growers in the Mexican border state of Chihuahua.
Mexico is the leading export market for U.S. apples, and roughly 85 percent of those exports come from
Cherries and apples fuel demand for U.S. food in China
Chinese online shoppers love American food, with U.S. cherries and apples among the most popular sellers, says Fortune magazine.
Looking at Alibaba, China's version of Amazon, Fortune reports strong growth in online sales of Northwest cherries and Washington State apples.
Here is an excerpt:
Cherries: In 2013, Tmall.com partnered with U.S. Northwest Cherry Growers
Benefits of the TPP
Eliminating tariff rates on tree fruit is a trade policy objective of the Northwest Horticultural Council. TPP furthers this objective.
Growers rebuild after plum pox
Some Ontario growers have turned to wine grapes, while others are growing fresh stone fruit varieties.
73rd Annual Cherry Institute opens on Jan. 15 in Yakima
The 73rd annual Cherry Institute begins January 15 at the Yakima Convention Center with an update on the Cherry Breeding Program at Washington State University by Dena Ybarra of Perleberg Orchards.
Other presentations that day include: Observations on the Newest Cherry Breeding Materials by Dr. Ines Hanrahan of the Washington Tree
Asia-Pacific wine regulators meet to develop wine trade
More than 80 wine regulators and wine industry representatives from 17 Pacific Rim economies met in Adelaide, Australia, to work toward streamlining import-export requirements for wine.
The two-day Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Wine Regulatory Forum's 2015 technical meeting focused on eliminating duplicative regulations to reduce the costs of cross-border wine trade,
Washington still holds the organic edge
Although Europe has extensive organic acreage, much of it is not very productive.
Smaller apple crop raises hopes
Gala is close to overtaking Red Delicious, which has been Washington's top variety since the 1940s.
Faraway regions form a growing relationship
A Washington county and a state in Kyrgyzstan have become sister regions with goal of reviving the Kyrgyz tree fruit industry.
Alibaba's Jack Ma helps promote Washington apples in China
Leading e-commerce retailer Alibaba Group featured Washington apples at the kickoff for its online shopping frenzy in China in November.
Washington apples were the only imported fresh fruit showcased to kickoff Alibaba's T-Mall 11.11 Global Shopping Festival, which is held on the November 11 Black Friday-like shopping event known as "Singles
Tariffs on U.S. fruit to much of Asia go away with TPP agreement
The proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will cause a significant number of tariffs on fruit exported to many Asian nations by the United States to go away immediately or within several years, according to an analysis released today by the U. S. Department of Agriculture.
The TPP region accounts for nearly $63
Ups and downs of global production
Canada has the shortest apple crop in 20 years, while Mexico expects to almost tie the record.
Chinese fruit importers visit Northwest
Ten representatives from Chinese fruit importing companies are visiting Washington and Oregon this week to learn more about Pacific Northwest apples and pears.
The Chinese market opened to all varieties of apples last spring and Todd Fryhover, president of the Washington Apple Commission, believes that China could be the third-largest market
Australia's hort industry sees refugees as possible workers
Australia has announced plans to accept 12,000 refugees from Iraq and Syria, and the horticulture industry is eyeing the potential for an influx of new workers.
In a statement Sept. 15, the industry's Voice of Agriculture group said it is actively engaging with major employers and growers across Australia and seeking
Hort Council's Chris Schlect selected to meet China's leader in Seattle
Chris Schlect, President of Northwest Horticultural Council, has been invited to join a select group to greet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Seattle Sep. 22-24, an event officially confirmed today.
Seattle will be the first U.S. stop on the visit by Xi. Schlect told Good Fruit Grower he plans to be
In The Box: Arctic answers
Dear Good Fruit Grower,
We'd like to address a few points raised by Mike Willett of the Northwest Horticultural Council in his opinion piece about Arctic apples ("Why go Arctic?" Good Fruit Grower, May 15, 2015).
First, Willett fails to mention the benefits Arctic apples offer growers and packers. Nonbrowning addresses tangible
Russian closure slows pear exports
Russia had been importing almost half a million boxes of U.S. pears.
Reds still dominate apple exports
Club varieties are too expensive when freight and duties are added.
Apple varieties from A to Z
Sink your teeth into this alphabet of apples
Who's going to sell all these apples?
And who's going to buy them?
Exports benefit B.C. cherry growers
Growers are feeling positive as export opportunities ease margin woes.
China's ag agency says yes to all varieties of U.S. apples
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that China's agriculture regulatory agency has allowed access for all U.S. apple varieties, according to a news release today from Northwest Fruit Exporters.
Phytosanitary certificates for export will be available after USDA has updated their phytosanitary export database (PExD). This is expected to occur within the
Apple imports from China allowed
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has published a final rule that will allow Chinese apples to be imported into the United States, effective May 29.
The USDA's Animal Plant Health Inspection Service completed a risk analysis two years ago to determine that apples could be safely imported into the United States
Nova Scotia revisited
Nova Scotia has earned a reputation for producing the best Honeycrisp apples.
Health Canada approves Arctic apples for growth and sale
Health Canada has approved two varieties of Arctic apples, Arctic Granny Smith and Arctic Golden Delicious, for growth and sale in Canada.
The announcement was made on the Health Canada website five weeks after deregulation was granted in the United States by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The apples contain a gene
Biennial pear congress to begin this year in Italy
Beginning this year, Italy's Interpoma congress and trade show, which focuses on apples, will be alternated with Futurpera, an exhibition devoted to pears.
Interpoma, which is held every other year, was last held in November 2014 in Bolzano in the South Tyrol area. The first biennial Futurpera exhibition will be held
Crab apple pruning demos
Two pruning demonstrations have been scheduled this month to help orchardists understand how to prune Manchurian crab apple trees in order to be eligible to export apples to China.
The Chinese apple market, closed between 2012 and 2014 due to fruit infection caused by two postharvest rots, recently reopened. The two
Trade agreement is unifying: Good Point
A few years ago, Todd Fryhover of the Washington State Apple Commission was invited to speak at the Premier Apple Co-Op meeting in New York to talk about "China."
As I introduced him to the group of apple growers and marketers from basically the entire eastern apple growing states including Michigan,
Schlect: A cold Arctic blast
● USDA announced last Friday its deregulation of a Canadian firm's–Okanagan Specialty Fruits, Inc.–two varieties (Granny Smith and Golden) of GMO apples, one day in advance of a three-day weekend. This is not unusual timing for controversial announcements by federal agencies. It almost guarantees a muted response in the media.
Interpoma impressions: Photo gallery from 2014 IFTA Italy
Pictures from the international apple machinery show in Italy.
Big export year for Northwest cherries
The 2014 season was not only a record year for Northwest cherries, it was one of the best years for Northwest cherry exports, especially to South Korea, which almost doubled imports from 2012.
"Last year was one of our biggest export years ever," said Keith Hu, foreign marketing director for Northwest
China's cold chain is improving
Though China's lack of cold-chain facilities and logistics for perishable products has been its Achilles heel, improvements are expected within the next five years, says Keith Hu, Northwest Cherry Growers representative.
China is recognized as one of the hottest markets in the world due to its large population and potential for
China agrees to accept all varieties of U.S. apples
The reciprocal agreement will allow China to ship apples into the United States.
Bigger crops ahead
Growers will need to produce niche varieties and maximize production efficiency, marketers say.
Schlect: On the docks
● This fall's disruptions of ocean shipping–that have lacerated our tree fruit exports–beg for some type of long-term remedy. Unionized longshoremen should not have the kind of economic clout that can be misused to so deeply harm our growers, other innocents, and, in general, the entire U.S. economy.
One idea,
Reopening of Chinese apple market is welcome news for growers
Industry grateful as biggest apple crop ever prepares to ship.
Hort Council appoints information specialist
Drew Toop will join the staff of the Northwest Horticultural Council as regulatory information specialist on December 8. Toop, who grew up in the Yakima, Washington, earned a bachelor's degree in English and Chinese Language and Culture from Washington State University in 2012. He has spent time in Taiwan and
Growers sought for Piqa pears
The New Zealand company Prevar is looking for orchardists in North America who would like to grow new Piqa brand pear varieties developed in New Zealand. Prevar commercializes fruit varieties bred by Plant and Food Research.
Piqa Boo (PremP009 cultivar) is a red pear that combines characteristics of European, Japanese, and
New organization to promote Australia's horticulture industry
A new organization called Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited has been formed to replace Horticulture Australia Limited (HAL) and undertake research and development and marketing efforts to support Australia's $9.5 billion horticulture industry.
The move follows a recent independent report into the performance of HAL that recommended a change to a new
China opens to Washington State apples
Good news came to Washington's apple industry today when U.S. Department of Agriculture officials announced the immediate reopening of China's market to Washington Red and Golden Delicious apples. It's good timing as growers are wrapping up harvest of the largest crop on record, which some believe will be around 150
Mission to Kazakhstan
Young Kazakhs are being trained in horticulture to help them improve orchard production.
Prune out dead crab apple tissue
Reduce disease risk by pruning crab apple trees.
Research tackles decay issue
A new project will focus on controlling decay and finding pollinizers that are not disease hosts.
European consumers like bicolored apples
European consumers prefer bicolored apples and in some countries, including Germany, they associate dark red apples with mealiness.
European Fruit Magazine reported recently on research by Katrin Korsten from the Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences in Germany, who investigated whether consumers prefer a particular color of apple.
Consumers said they preferred bicolored
Apple Commission reps are ready to promote large crop
With a record crop of Washington apples, estimated at 140 million boxes or more, Todd Fryhover is hoping to see a significant boost in exports this season.
Last year, when the industry produced 118 million boxes, 37 million went to export markets.
Fryhover, who is president of the Washington Apple Commission, says
Large crop on Interpoma agenda
Online cherry promotion earns campaign of the year honor
Northwest Cherry Growers and two Chinese online retailers, Fruitday and Tmall, have received Asia Fruit Logistica's Marketing Campaign of the Year Award for their joint promotion of Northwest cherries last season.
Consumers ordered cherries via Tmall's online platform and received them within 48 to 72 hours. Around 200 tons of cherries
Tree fruit associations close down
Two long-established tree fruit organizations closed their doors on August 29 as they merged into the new Washington State Tree Fruit Association.
Neither the Washington Growers Clearing House Association nor the Wenatchee Valley Traffic Association will have staff working with the new association.
The staff at the other two organizations, Yakima Valley
Apple crop is big worldwide
United States apple growers are harvesting a big crop—the third largest ever—but that's a small part of the big picture. The U.S. crop is only about 6 percent of world production, and there are lots of apples elsewhere, especially in China.
And, more than usual this year, political events are affecting
Washington apple producers hope to resume exports to China
After being shut out of China for two seasons, some Washington apple producers will likely try to comply with a new, more onerous export protocol in an attempt to ship some Red and Golden Delicious apples there this year, says Mike Willett, vice president for scientific affairs at the Northwest Horticultural
USDA publishes proposed rule to allow imports of apples from China
The public has until September 16 to comment on the proposed rule.
Schlect: From Russia without love
● Russia's economic ban on U.S. agricultural goods will affect the Pacific Northwest's apple and pear export programs this coming crop year. While the loss of direct sales is a concern, there are also the indirect impacts. For example, where will all the European apples that ordinarily were exported
Washington expects a record apple crop of 140 million boxes
Washington State orchardists expect to harvest 140 million boxes of apples this fall, almost 10 percent more than ever before and 20 percent more than last season.
But the record crop did not take the industry by surprise, says Dan Kelly, assistant manager at the Washington Growers Clearing House Association. Packers
Herald visits Sea-Tac to watch cherries fly to China
The Yakima Herald-Republic's Ross Courtney visited Sea-Tac airport to watch cherries from the Yakima and Wenatchee areas get loaded for fast delivery aboard a China Eastern Airlines 777 cargo plane.
Courtney wrote:
Cherries sure mean a lot of work at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, just like they do in the Yakima Valley.
Northwest cherries moving in huge volumes
June saw some huge shipments of cherries, averaging 332,000 boxes per day, according to the Northwest Cherry Growers.
What was expected to be the second biggest cherry crop ever has triggered enormous movement to the marketplace. June's total came in at 10.3 million boxes.
Domestic retailers have stepped up promotions through in-store
Northwest cherry growers gain airlift capacity into Shanghai
Northwest cherry growers gained airlift capacity into China with the launch today of weekly service between Seattle and Shanghai on China Eastern Airlines. The new service serving Seattle-Tacoma International Airport will carry more than 400 metric tons of cherries to China from Northwest shippers.
In addition, China Eastern runs an e-commerce
Strong cherry crop possible
Fruit Commission expands export efforts
Washington Apple Commission revises roles in handling market access issues
The Washington Apple Commission gave a nod of approval during its annual meeting in March to changes in how responsibilities for international market access issues are divided between the Northwest Horticultural Association and Northwest Fruit Exporters.
The original memorandum of understanding between the organizations, adopted in 1998, gave NFE responsibility for
Commission: More MAP dollars mean cherries go farther
The Washington State Fruit Commission is gearing up for a strong cherry crop in 2014. Though it's too soon to estimate crop numbers, trees overwintered well and early indications point to a robust crop, which could be anywhere between 20 to 25 million boxes—if Mother Nature cooperates.
Last year's crop was
Video: IFTA members visit century-old farm
Day's Century Growers Inc. at Kelowna is one of the oldest and biggest pear producers in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley.
Pruning demonstrations on stopping postharvest disease
Three Northwest industry groups have organized pruning demonstrations on how to stop postharvest diseases spread by infected Manchurian crabapple trees.
Managing crab apple diseases
Crab apple disease management starts in the orchard with pruning.
NFE's Archer retires
After leading the Northwest Fruit Exporters for 20 years, Jim Archer retired at the end of 2013. Fred Scarlett replaced Archer in early January.
Today, NFE is responsible for managing cherry and apple export programs required by the foreign countries of Japan, Mexico, India, Vietnam, Egypt, Israel, South Africa, and Australia.
Crossing the border
Some B.C. apples moved south last fall, into Washington packing houses.
New Zealand's audacious plan
The New Zealand pipfruit industry hopes to double its worth in the coming decade.
Russian retailers see Washington harvest
Cherry sales sizzle in China
Online cherry sales in China were the highlight of a season that growers, marketers, and retailers would rather forget.
Learning from last season
The 2012 U.S. apple crop holds some lessons for apple marketers, lessons that are not "intuitive." For example, consumers will buy apples even at high prices.
Steve Lutz, executive vice president of the Nielsen Perishables Group, is an analyst who tries to understand people from what they do while shopping in
The French connection
At least a dozen orchardists along the Hudson River from New York City north to Albany are developing cideries—the apple cider equivalent of grape wineries.
They've developed the Hudson Valley Cider Alliance, are putting together a hard cider trail, and in the fall they celebrate Cider Week. It's October 18-27 this
Export promotions need shipper support
Todd Fryhover, president of the Washington Apple Commission, says the industry needs to increase demand.
Geraldine Warner
The Washington Apple Commission is strengthening its export program in anticipation of larger volumes of apples coming onto the U.S. market in the next few years and wants shippers to support its efforts by using
Good Stuff
Closer receives registration
Dow AgroSciences has received federal registration of its sulfoxaflor insecticide, sold under the brand name Closer, which is designed to control sap-feeding insects, such as aphids, in tree fruits and other crops. It is the only insecticide available for specialty crops that is classified in Group 4C, making
Cider history repeated?
Reputedly, hard cider is America's historic beverage, once considered safer to drink than water and easy to produce since apples grow readily. In 1726, according to one source, average per-capita consumption of hard cider was 35 gallons per year, and it was considered mild enough for children to drink.
But the
How many apples?
China could become big pear market
China could become a significant market for U.S. pears. Louis Ng, who represents the Pear Bureau Northwest in China, believes China could be importing 500,000 to 600,000 boxes of pears annually within the next five to ten years. That would make China the second-largest pear export market after Mexico.
Undercover production in China
Greenhouses or high tunnels can advance the ripening of peaches and nectarines. (Video and Photo Gallery at bottom of story)
First Bite
Good Point: China
Meet Washington State's new agriculture director
Good Point: Forecasting future Asian import demand
More information on the study is available on the Web site www.e-belrose.com or by sending an e-mail to email@example.com.
Leading deciduous fruit exporters around the world are seeing demand in many traditional markets either stagnant or declining. They agree that Asian markets offer the best future growth prospects because of their
U.S. pears head to China
The Pear Bureau Northwest is giving this framed God of Fortune poster to Chinese importers to demonstrate the profit opportunities for U.S. pears.
Photo courtesy of Pear Bureau Northwest
U.S. pear producers were allowed to ship fresh pears to China for the first time in January and hope it will soon become
Red-fleshed apples
The red trait, which is common in crab apples and ornamentals, produces flesh colored anywhere from pink to deep red. Skin color and flesh color are inherited separately, so yellow apples can have red flesh.
Photos courtesy of IFORED
Next Big Thing's last big thing was the SweeTango apple. Now, it appears,
Wine Wheel of Fortune
California is facing an emerging wine shortage, according to Stephens Moody with Turrentine Brokerage in Novato, California.
Turrentine, which handles bulk wines, grapes, and bottled wines, has developed a model of the typical wine cycle, which it calls the "Wine Business Wheel of Fortune."
Speaking at a grower caucus presented in November
Last Bite: Cox pipped out by Gala
Cox's Orange Pippin is a firm, juicy, full-flavored apple with an orange-red skin and cream-colored flesh.
Photo by Jacqueline King, WSU
Cox's Orange Pippin—Britain's favorite apple for 150 years or so—has been usurped by Gala, one of its grandchildren.
It's not because Gala is a better apple, British journalist Michael Leapman pointed out
Washington-Chile partnership
Washington State fruit growers and packers Gebbers Farms of Brewster and Chelan Fruit Cooperative have purchased a 50-percent stake in four fruit-producing companies in Angol, Chile. All are partners in a new company called Chilean South Apples, or CHISA.
Reggie Collins, chief executive officer of Chelan Fruit Cooperative, says the goal
The clubs of Quebec
Apple growers in Canada's Quebec Province march to the beat of a different drummer. They are much more tightly organized than are growers in the United States.
At the provincial level, all apple growers must be members of the Federation of Apple Growers of Quebec (see "Apple growers union gives market
Apple growers' union gives market power to Quebec growers
For a relatively small industry with annual apple production of about 6 million bushels, the apple growers of Quebec have a very substantial market power and are backed by loyal consumers who'd rather eat a Quebec McIntosh than any other apple. That market power is exercised through the Federation of
World awaits B.C. cherries
High quality, self-fertile cherry varieties developed in British Columbia, Canada, have become standards in the international cherry industry.
British Columbia's own cherry industry is comparatively small, with just 4,500 acres planted, but cherry varieties developed in the province, such as Lapins, Skeena, Sweetheart, Sonata, Staccato, and many more, have become world
Organic plantings drop
Organic tree fruit acreage in Washington State is on the decline overall, although plantings of organic Honeycrisp have increased significantly over the past few years, David Granatstein, Washington State University's sustainable agriculture specialist, reported this winter.
Washington's organic apple plantings have dropped from 15,735 acres to 14,296 acres since 2009. Fuji
Pests sneak into U.K.
Two new pests—the brown marmorated stinkbug and spotted wing drosophila—have snuck into the United Kingdom but are not yet established there.
Two adult brown marmorated stinkbugs were intercepted at a U.K. airport in 2010 in passenger luggage on a flight from the United States, according to a report in the January
Export focus is not new
The Washington apple industry was exporting a significant percentage of its crop, long before the Washington Apple Commission was formed. In 1930, seven million boxes, or 25 percent of the crop, were sold overseas.
Until the 1970s, most exports went to Europe and were not considered profitable. Overseas markets were a
EU regulations stifle fruit exports
Pacific Northwest apple and pear exports to Europe have dropped dramatically since pesticide regulations were harmonized among members of the European Union. Restrictive pesticide residue limits of the European Union have required U.S. producers to adopt chemical use practices and compliance systems unique to the EU market, and that's cut
Easier access to MRLs
Growers using Washington State University's online Decision Aid System this season will be able to consider pesticide maximum residue limits (MRLs) of top foreign markets when they make their crop protection chemical decisions.
In recent years, producing fruit for export markets has become more complicated because pesticide registration and setting of
Heed global trends
The global food business is increasingly complex, with new players, new linkages, and cause-and-effect reactions that impact food supply and prices, says Paul Roberts, journalist and author of The End of Food.
Growers need to be aware of event chains (events that occur continents away but have a chain reaction
Cripps Pink is in expansion mode
Access to China is near
Exports boost pear returns
Globalization threatens wine terroir
Globalization has brought the world of wine to our front door, offering endless choices for consumers and great opportunities for wine producers. But the global mass market of wine also brings challenges of quantity over quality, a lack of confidence by the consumer in making choices, and threat to the
MAP funds granted for stone fruits
Dissolution of the California Tree Fruit Agreement created opportunity for Washington State stone fruit, says Ingrid Mohn, FAS market development specialist. About $250,000 was redirected to a new market access program for Washington's stone fruit.
With federal budget cuts looming, the future is murky for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's market
Why do new varieties fail?
In spite of the 70 breeding programs around the world developing new tree fruit cultivars, most new varieties are disappointments and don't succeed, says a European researcher. Growers, packers, and marketers have responded well to improved clones of established varieties like Gala and Golden Delicious apples, but the industry has
Reds likely to reign overseas
As the Washington State apple crop shifts in terms of varieties and volumes, the Washington Apple Commission must match its export efforts to what is happening in the industry, says Todd Fryhover, commission president.
The big upsurge in Honeycrisp, which is selling at high prices on the domestic market, will likely
U.K. growers try to lower residues
Jerry Cross is in charge of entomology and plant pathology at East Malling Research, where trials to minimize residues on fruit were successful.
Geraldine Warner
A "name and shame" policy by the British government several years ago prompted apple growers to make efforts to reduce the residues on their fruit.
The government does
Southeastern peaches enter Mexican markets
H-2A workers in the Titan Farms packing plant cheered when they found their peaches were going to their home country.
Richard Lehnert
For the first time since 1994, peaches from the southeastern United States moved into stores in Mexico in June this year.
The breakthrough came after about five years of work by
Reviving the British pear
British pear growers have been removing pear orchards at an alarming rate because they've not been profitable. Now, the East Malling Research Center in the United Kingdom is trying to demonstrate the feasibility of growing pears using modern systems.
It's been reported that U.K. pear acreage dropped by 40 percent between
U.K. grower demos modern concepts
Tony Sunnucks, a fruit grower in Kent, England, is developing a concept pear orchard financed by the U.K. fruit marketer OrchardWorld.
The concept orchard at Sunnuck's Rankins Farm at Linton includes the new pear varieties Delsanne, Gourmande, Verdi, and Elliott and is designed to show how growers can achieve high yields
Buy local gets a boost
Many growers have children in school and have been frustrated that their taxes have been paying for apples from competitors for school lunch programs.
The "buy local" movement got a shot in the arm this spring when the U.S. Department of Agriculture implemented a new rule allowing some buyers—especially schools—to specify
European rule takes the shine off apples
Malaysian labeling will be required
Mark Powers is vice president of the Northwest Horticultural Council.
Jim Black
Fruit exporters should gear up to label cartons destined for Malaysia in the Bahasa Malaysia language starting August 1, says Mark Powers, vice president with the Northwest Horticultural Council.
Initially, the government of Malaysia announced a January 1, 2011, implementation date
Opportunities for cherry exports
The Pacific Northwest cherry harvest is running later than usual this year, which could open up opportunities in export markets.
Because of a late spring, shipments were expected to peak after the Fourth of July weekend, which is a crucial time for cherry promotions and sales. However, the season has been
WSU to protect new varieties
Washington State University is taking steps to protect its new apple variety, WA 2, in overseas countries. WA 2, the first variety to emanate from its apple breeding program, is moving into the commercialization phase and is available to Washington growers only.
Dr. Kate Evans, WSU's pome fruit breeder, said plant
China has big appetite for U.S. cherries
Northwest cherry industry representatives saw hundreds of street hawkers selling fresh cherries on the outskirts of Yantai during a recent trip to northern China.
Asian markets traditionally have been major importers of U.S. cherries, but a new player in the Far East—with a big appetite—has altered the export priorities of Pacific
Cherries in China
Cherries as far as the eye can see, and in a hodgepodge puzzle of different growing practices and varieties is how B.J. Thurlby sums up the cherry production he saw in northern China on a mid-April trip.
Thurlby, president of the Washington State Fruit Commission, which administers the Northwest Cherry Growers,
Cherry production in China
Up to 20 acres of cherries were seen being grown under greenhouse covers during a trip to learn about China's cherry production taken by the Northwest Cherry Growers. The greenhouse entry doors were often locked and guarded by mean-looking dogs.
A country the size of China could overwhelm U.S. cherry producers
More export focus needed
Because of an increasingly competitive U.S. market, the salvation of the Washington apple industry will be overseas markets, and the industry will need to become more export oriented than in the past, says agricultural economist Dr. Desmond O'Rourke.
O'Rourke sees little promise in the domestic market, where per-capita consumption of fresh
Export funding increase unlikely
Todd Fryhover, president of the Washington Apple Commission, is concerned about a possible decrease in federal funding for export promotions.
Photo by Geraldine Warner
Since generic apple promotions in the U.S. market are a thing of the past, export markets seem to offer better opportunities for selling more apples, Washington Apple Commission
Small orchards, but big impact
South Tyrol extension advisor Bernhard Botzner shows the concrete poles used for trellis supports.
Published January 15, 2011
Don't let the small size fool you. Individual apple orchards near Merano, in Italy's Vinschgau Valley, may only be a few acres in size, but the valley has trees planted wall to wall, and
Why Italian orchards are so productive
Dr. Martin Thalheimer says the South Tyrol's high productivity in apples is due to a combination of factors—uniform, high-density plantings, a strong extension service, and adoption of modern orchard management techniques.
Published January 15, 2011
The high apple yields in Italy's South Tyrol region are a result of improved management practices, the
Italian extension service is well funded
Published January 15, 2011
The South Tyrol Advisory Service performs many of the same services that Cooperative Extension does in the United States—educating growers about integrated pest management, irrigation, fertility, and nutrition. The biggest difference is funding.
The budgets of Cooperative Extension in the United States are often squeezed when state and
Staying profitable
Hillsides near Bolzano are planted to apples and wine grapes, utilizing every meter of land.
Published January 15, 2011
An international group of tree fruit industry members traveled to northern Italy last November to see how mechanization has been adopted in high-density tree fruit plantings. The group saw the latest technology at
Economic outlook for tree fruit
The economic outlook for the tree fruit industry in Washington State and the Pacific Northwest is quite good. This conclusion may surprise many readers accustomed to the steady stream of negative stories in the media. However, the reason for this optimism about the fruit industry is that it now services
More quantity than quality in China
Chinese packers have been unable to convince growers to update orchards to improve yields and color. Shandong growers are unwilling to lose production in the short term in order to improve future production.
Although China is the world's top apple producer in terms of volume, its apple producers have a limited
Quick Bites
Large apple crop forecast
The Washington apple industry expects to harvest a record 108.8 million boxes of fresh apples this fall. That's six million boxes more than during the 2009-2010 season that just ended, but only slightly more than the 108.3 million boxes shipped two years ago.
"This number, even if it
Apple Lines
John Baker, center, talks with supermarket staff in Dubai, a major market for Washington apples.
The Washington Apple Commission is running a training program for supermarkets in export markets to help retailers boost their sales of Washington apples and to ensure that consumers receive a high-quality product.
The commission began the retail-training
China: big country, small wine market
Wine importer and distributor Scott Hitchcock, left, sampled Butch Milbrandt's wines (Milbrandt Vineyards) during the Washington Wine Commission's Wine Experience. Hitchcock came to learn about the potential of importing Washington wines into China.
China and its 1.4 billion population is one of the world's largest markets for many products. For wine,
Yakima Valley wines in China
Hyatt Vineyards, in the Yakima Valley subappellation of Rattlesnake Hills, was founded as a small estate vineyard surrounding the winery in 1983 by Leland and Lynda Hyatt.
What appeared to be a normal wine tasting visit by two locals and two foreigners has turned into a surprising niche market for Zillah,
Good Point – Kevin Moffitt
A recent study shows how successful the Market Access Program and the Foreign Market Development programs are and can be. It would be a shame if the funding for these programs were reduced in the upcoming Farm Bill. The United States Department of Agriculture has already begun holding listening sessions
Good Stuff
Voliam label expansion
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation has approved a label expansion for Voliam Xpress insectide, which allows its use on pome and stone fruits, and other crops. Voliam, developed by Syngenta Crop Protection, contains two active ingredients with different modes of action: the diamide insecticide chlorantraniliprole and the
Quarantine alternative
Dr. Wee Yee, entomologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Yakima, Washington, is conducting research to assess the likelihood of cherry fruit fly becoming established in certain overseas markets that are concerned about potential infestations of the pest, such as Indonesia and Thailand. Dr. Lisa Neven is cooperating on
Moth poses little risk in Taiwan
Dr. Lisa Neven is studying the survival of codling moth larvae in tropical conditions.
There is little risk of codling moth larvae shipped in apples to Taiwan resulting in the pest becoming established in that country, research by Dr. Lisa Neven, insect physiologist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's research laboratory
Good to Go
Italy orchard tour
Susan Pheasant and Mauricio Frías are offering an intensive technical tour of South Tyrol orchards in November to learn about high-density orchard systems, production practices, and specialized machinery for tree fruit. The tour will begin in Venice and include key visits in Bolzano, Ferrara, and Bologna. Also included
Eye on the Middle East
Last Bite – Pioneer of exports to Europe
The firm of Simons, Shuttleworth, and French Company, Inc., was one of the first to specialize in exporting apples from the Pacific Northwest to England and the European continent.
The company was organized under the laws of the State of New York in 1907 and formally incorporated in 1908. The company
Apple Lines–Full access to China needed
China is open to Red Delicious apples from Washington. Whereas Red Delicious can be shipped direct to major markets in China, Gala and Granny Smith apples reach China through the gray market via Hong Kong.
Gala and Granny Smith apples grown in Washington State remain officially excluded from China. The market
Cherries in Chile
Shawn Gay visits a high-producing Bing, Lapins, and Sweetheart orchard in the Puente Negro area of Chile.
Like other fruit-growing regions around the world, Chile is seeing a rapid expansion of its cherry industry. Its wide range of climates allows its cherry growers to have cherries on the world market at
Taking cover
Iuar Iraira (foreground), manager of the Fundo Agua Buena orchard (in the center picture), discusses the Voen louvered rain cover with international visitors. The area, south of Temuco, receives more than 70 inches of rainfall annually.
Producing some of the latest maturing cherries in Chile is Leonardo Salas's competitive advantage—and perhaps
Nursery goes high-tech
Swiss company expands to Chile
Ditzler uses five machines to harvest sweet dark cherries for processing into yogurts and ice creams. Cherries are harvested day and night.
A Swiss company that produces frozen fruits for yogurts and ice creams is growing some of its cherries in Chile.
Arturo Garcia, general manager of an orchard at Morza, Chile,
Cherries with a challenge
Chilean cherry grower Pablo Garcés (fourth from left) is general manager and part owner of 800 growing hectares (almost 2,000 acres), half of the acreage is planted with cherries.
Former agronomist Oscar Letelier decided to become an orchardist the hard way by growing organic cherries. He is one of very few
Argentine cherry
Argentina, the second-largest country in South America, has a small but expanding cherry industry. Around half of the countrys 7,000 acres of cherry orchards are in the state of Mendoza, which is located east of Santiago, Chile, in the eastern foothills of the Andes mountain range. It is the earliest
The race to market
A group of more than 30 cherry growers and horticulturists from around the world took part in a recent tour in Argentina and Chile organized by Susan Pheasant, Mauricio Frias, and Claudia Acosta. Geraldine Warner compiled this report.
Orchardists in northern Argentina aim to be the first on the world market
Nursery perspective
These finished nursery trees will soon be harvested and prepared for later planting by growers.
With the proliferation of new tree fruit varieties released in the last decade, the next ten years should spark consumer interest and excitement in the tree fruit category, say nursery representatives.
The most important change that Wanda
Australia's water crisis forces changes
Dealing with rising temperatures may be a conundrum for fruit growers confronting climate change, but in Australia it's been complicated by widespread drought since 2003.
Two years ago, participants in the annual International Fruit Tree Association conference and tour heard how competition for water rights, a relatively new phenomenon here in
Changes will come faster. Will you keep up?
Optimistic about the crop
The Washington Apple Commission is focusing its export efforts this year on markets that have the potential to take more large-sized apples.
The commission is matching its strategy with the 2009 crop. The volume appeared to be below the initial industry estimate of 107 million boxes, commissioners reported at their October
M.9 prevails in Poland
Malling 9 is the most popular apple rootstock in Poland, closely followed by M.26, but growers are also using dwarfing Polish rootstocks, and Geneva rootstocks are being tested.
Dr. Alojzy Czynczyk at the Research Institute of Pomology and Floriculture in Skierniewice, Poland, said the climatic conditions in Poland are variable, with
Apple Lines – Todd Fryhover
As we move together into another apple harvest, the Washington Apple Commission strives to evolve to mirror the ever-changing export market requirements, matching international consumer tastes and preferences with Washington growers' commitment to growing the Best Apples on Earth. To achieve our goals, we have made a few changes to
Pear export prospects
A family samples USA pears in a supermarket in the city of Dubai. The United Arab Emirates is a significant market for USA Pears.
Jeff Correa, Pear Bureau Northwest
The Pear Bureau is looking forward to marketing one of the industry's largest pear crops for the 2009-2010 season. With warm summer weather
Pear access negotiations continue
Apple Lines – Todd Fryhover
Adversity provides opportunity. This is the mantra for the 2008–2009 Washington apple season. We're facing a world economic downturn, plummeting foreign currency exchange rates, import protectionism, static domestic apple demand, and the largest Washington apple crop in history—simultaneously. What more adversity could be heaped upon the Washington apple industry this
Swiss interested in Geneva stocks
Fireblight-resistant apple rootstocks developed at Cornell University in Geneva, New York, could secure a place in the Swiss apple industry, members of the International Fruit Tree Association heard during their annual meeting in last February in Germany.
Dr. Simon Egger, horticulturist with the Agroscope-Changins Wädenswil Research Station in Switzerland, reported on
Good Question – Pear Industry Issue
Rob Peterson
Hood River, Oregon
Mexican tariff
Peterson said the most pressing issue is the 20 percent tariff on U.S. pears, cherries, and apricots imposed by Mexico in March. Mexico imposed the tariff after the U.S. Congress voted to end a pilot program allowing some Mexican trucks to enter the United States,


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Higher Education-Student Affairs Administration (HSA)
Higher Education-Student Affairs Administration (HSA) Courses
HSA 5003. History of American Higher Education. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
A knowledge of history makes possible the awareness and understanding of present-day issues in higher education, such as the interdependence and role of higher education in society. This course covers the development of western higher education from the 11th century to the present with an emphasis on the development of U.S. higher education since the colonial colleges. Course sections may use chronological, critical, thematic, or other strategies for covering content.
HSA 5023. Foundation and Function of College Student Personnel. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Provides initial insight into the student affairs profession, including expectations and ethical standards of the profession. This survey course introduces students to the numerous differentiated student affairs functional areas in postsecondary education by using theory-based and application-oriented approaches.
HSA 5103. College Student Development. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course offers those who work or plan to work in post-secondary educational institutions the opportunity to build an understanding of classic and contemporary college student development theories and their application in practice.
HSA 5203. Multicultural Issues in Higher Education. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course focuses on diversity and multiculturalism regarding institution types, student populations, and research. Special attention is given to the impact of HBCUs, HSIs, PWIs; race, ethnicity, and gender among students; and income and first generation status on student achievement. Students are introduced to scholarship on multiculturalism and institutional transformation, and apply their knowledge in a culminating project. (Credit cannot be earned for more than one of the following: HSA 5203, AHE 5633, ALT 5633, and COU 5633.).
HSA 6003. Higher Education Law. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course examines the legal status of higher education in the United States, the rights and responsibilities of educators and students including fair employment, due process, tort liability and contracts, student rights, landmark court decisions, and federal and state legislation having an impact on education.
HSA 6103. Assessing Higher Education Environments. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course explores the application of environmental theory to the assessment of human environments. A focus on the study of select campus environments and their influence on students.
HSA 6123. Program Planning and Evaluation in Higher Education and Student Affairs. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
An overview of program evaluation theories, models and perspectives currently being applied in higher education. Emphasis will be on how to plan programs and perform evaluations of functional areas and/or organizational units in higher education that are focused on student support, activities and success.
HSA 6143. Administration of Student Services in Higher Education. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Examines the organization and administration of student services in institutions of higher education. Theories, research, and methods are used to encourage the application of theory to practical experience. Topics will include the administrative environment of student affairs, organizational and management issues of student affairs, essential skills and competencies for student affairs managers, professional standards and principles of good practice, and challenges for the future.
HSA 6203. Contemporary Thought in Higher Education. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
A study of current thought as it relates to the management of institutions of higher education.
HSA 6303. Seminar in Governance in Higher Education. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Analysis of current practices and issues in the governance of higher education that affect students, faculty, and administration. Study of the scope and role of colleges and universities.
HSA 6403. Financing Higher Education. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Examination of representative methods of state funding of public colleges and universities; elements of funding formulas; rationales for funding patterns; and policy implications of various funding methods for colleges and universities.
HSA 6503. The Community College. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Examines the history, purpose and societal role of the American community college. Provides an overview of the different functions of the community college and the major issues impacting community college governance and administration. The role of community colleges in P–20 efforts is also discussed.
HSA 6943. Internship in Higher Education. (0-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Individually supervised field experiences in student personnel services, college administration, college teaching, institutional research, development, or other areas of college and university work. May be repeated for a total of 6 semester credit hours.
HSA 6961. Comprehensive Examination. (0-0) 1 Credit Hour.
Prerequisite: Approval of the appropriate Graduate Program Committee to take the Comprehensive Examination.
Independent study course for the purpose of taking the Comprehensive Examination. May be repeated as many times as approved by the Graduate Program Committee. Enrollment is required each term in which the Comprehensive Examination is taken if no other courses are being taken that term. The grade report for the course is either "CR" (satisfactory performance on the Comprehensive Examination) or "NC" (unsatisfactory performance on the Comprehensive Examination).

subset: commoncrawl


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50,000 dutch nurses use NFC phones daily
Last month we hit a big milestone at Nedap. Today more than 50,000 nurses in the Netherlands use NFC phones in their daily work. Now you might be thinking: "How did NFC get so big so quickly in the Netherlands?". Well actually we have been steadily rolling out NFC phones to nurses for the past 10 years. Together with Nokia and Samsung, we have been developing and field testing the last five generations of NFC phones. The Nokia 3220-NFC, Nokia 6131-NFC, Nokia 6312-NFC, Samsung S5230-Star-NFC and currently the Samsung Star S2-NFC and the Nokia C7-NFC.
Why do nurses need a NFC phone?
The nurses we are talking about here are nurses that provide home healthcare. They provide care to the patients in the comfort of their own home. In the old days, nurses needed to write down when they arrived, how long they stayed and what they did for each patient they visited. All this information was entered into a central system, which in turn sent bills to the patients. All this administration was error prone and a big hassle for the nurses. Instead of digitizing this problem by using something like a PDA, we opted to design a completely automated solution. When the nurse enters the patients house, she touches a patient card with her phone. When she leaves, she touches the same card again. We do all the administration for them. This way the nurse has more time for her patients!
How can I get my hands on some NFC goodness?
Currently Nokia and Samsung have been building these phones to order only, but both parties say that this will change for the coming generation of phones. If you want to do more with NFC now, you can go out and buy a Google Nexus NFC or you might find our !D handscanner interresting. It's a UHF RFID/barcode/Mifare reader, compatible with iPod, iPhone, iPad and Windows CE and has a public API. More information at a dealer near you: http://www.nedap-retail.com/our-business-partners.


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Bears agree to terms with first-round pick Long
Lake Forest, IL – The Chicago Bears agreed to terms with guard Kyle Long on a four-year contract, the club announced Friday night.
The contract includes a team option for a fifth year.
Long, the son of Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long, was selected by the Bears with the 20th overall pick in last month's draft.
The 6-foot-6, 313-pounder was actually selected by the White Sox in the 2008 Major League Baseball draft, but decided to accept a scholarship to pitch at Florida State.
Poor grades and issues off the field prevented Long from playing baseball at Florida State, however. He resumed his football career in 2010 at Saddleback Community College in California, where he initially played defensive end before moving to the offensive line in 2011.
Long played in 11 games for Oregon in 2012, starting the final four contests at left guard.
The entire 2013 Bears draft class is now under contract.


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Turin Olympic Games - Preview - 2 Days To Opening Ceremony
PRAGALETO, ITALY - FEBRUARY 08: U.S. Skiers (L-R) Todd Lodwick, Johnny Spillane and Carl Van Loan prepare to train in the Nordic Combined Normal Hill Individual Gundersen offical training jump session prior to the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games on February 8, 2006 in Pragaleto, Italy. The opening ceremony will take place on February 10, 2006 at the Olympic Stadium. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)


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The Neotopy includes storytellers, filmmakers and sound engineers who specialize in immersive VR/360 cinematic experiences. Their skills and talents make one of their most recent projects, "Expedition Antarctica", a breathtaking VR/360 experience of the nature and wildlife of Antarctica. Alexandre Regeffe recently discussed the development of the VR project and how Neotopy managed the VR/360 post-production process.
Q: Tell us about the "Expedition Antarctica" and its environment - what is the basic premise of "Expedition Antarctica"?
A: "Expedition Antarctica" is the first return to Antarctica by famous French director Luc Jacquet, who directed the documentary "La Marche de l'Empereur" in 2006, which won the Oscar at the Academy Award in 2006. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_of_the_Penguins and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7tWNwhSocE . Luc wanted to return to Antarctica to see what had changed in the years following his first documentary. So he and his filmmaking team arranged this expedition to do a second documentary about the wildlife in Antarctica. Just before going, they decided to bring along a 360° camera rig to do some shots.
Q: Who is the client?
A: The main producer is Wild Touch (http://www.wild-touch.org/), an ecological organization that organizes expeditions around the world to testify about the wildlife on earth, and the impact humans have on nature. They asked the European broadcaster Arte (http://www.arte.tv/fr), which has a 360/VR platform called Arte 360, if they wanted to produce VR content for the project, and the 360 adventure begins.
Q: How did you get involved?
A: There are several co-producers on this project. One of them, Paprika Films (http://www.paprikafilms.fr/) works with me on several TV projects. One day the producer said to me, "I've just returned from Antarctica with VR footage. Now, how can I post produce it?" Well, he was speaking to the right person! After a few discussions and showing Neotopy's skills, we got involved as a co-producer on this project. It's a co-production between Arte France, Paprika Films, Wild Touch Productions, Andromede Oceanology, Kolor, and Neotopy.
Q: What post tasks did you do, e.g. conform, color grading, finishing, compositing, VFX?
A: We did all of the post-production process - conform, color grading, finishing, creating and compositing of VFX. We also worked as advisors a lot for the storytelling because we are creators, not only technicians.
Q: Who was the DP? And how did the shoot occur?
A: There wasn't a DP on set as the project came together very quickly. When the team decided to shoot in 360, they didn't have the particular knowledge or training about cinematic 360 or cameras. Kolor provided them with the GoPro rigs and they thought, "let's shoot!" You can imagine how epic this shoot was. Despite a lack of expertise, the team shot very good scenes in this wild nature environment.
Q: Who was the director?
A: Two directors worked on the cinematic 360: Luc Jaquet himself and Jeanne Guillot.
Q: Which cameras were used in the filming?
A: The team used Freedom 360 rigs, and Abyss rigs for underwater scenes - both GoPro rigs. Unfortunately because of the extremely cold weather conditions, the hardware failed sometimes.
Q: How was the stitching done? In what format did you receive the stitched material?
A: We received folders with MP4 files from individual cameras of the rigs. We used Kolor Autopano Video to do the stitching. Some shots were difficult to stitch well because the rigs weren't properly established on set. Seam lines were very visible, so we had to handle this with rotoscoping and tracking in SCRATCH VR. There are a few scenes where the stitch is not perfect, but we had budget and time limitations.
Q: What was your workflow and in general, what tools did you use?
A: The expedition team came back with a lot of shots. First, we provided content expertise, and decided with the directors which shots would be usable and which not. They experienced extreme weather conditions during the shooting so the camera rigs sometimes failed to record properly.
Then we did a pre-stitch in low res so that we could do the editing process on Adobe Premiere with Mettle plug-ins. Once edited, we did the final stitch and processed the stitched shots in 4K ProRes (4096x2048) at 60fps, which is the shooting frame-rate we wanted to preserve. Then we went on ASSIMILATE's SCRATCH VR to do the color grading, shot by shot.
The final step was to de-noise, add some sharpness, and create some visual effects to hide rigs (but not the nadir tripods, which they want to keep). For example, in the helicopter shot in the first chapter, the steel barrel didn't exist on the shot; it was made in post to properly hide the rig attachment. We also created the opening scene and end credits. We handled all the sound part of the films, such as sound editing and spatial mix.
Q: What hardware/ software is the bare necessity for finishing in VR?
A: To post produce VR (cinematic 360) you have to use huge amounts of GPU and CPU power. You're working with large-definition frames, high-frame rates, and you want to work in real-time! For example, we built several workstations with multiple Titan X Pascal GPUs in order to render the final stitching as fast as possible - like some optical flow stitches with the OZO camera that are very time consuming at the rendering point.
On the software side we chose Adobe Premiere and After Effects to do the editing and FX work, combined with Mettle Skybox plug-ins. With these tools, we were able to decide how to rotate the whole sphere, in real time, with real-time views in a headset (Oculus Rift or HTC Vive). For the color grading and finishing we rely on SCRATCH VR because if offers advanced VR tools that are streamlined into a single workflow. For example, the masks automatically repeat on the right or left side to the equirectangular image. SCRATCH VR also makes it easy to manage the highlights and lowlights within the material, drawing out the depth of shadows and softening the glares.
Q: For the deliverables, the differences in the VR headsets and browsers must be a nightmare - how do you compensate grading and finishing for each?
A: It's a big problem. Lots of different devices, screens -- you have to constantly check the devices to see if you get the same image as on your grade 1 monitor. And it's not. We choose to grade and master in the DCI P3 color space, DPX and sometimes in ProRes BT 2020. In my opinion, the headset screens have to be compliant with the BT 2020 color space -- HDR, UHD TV -- to provide life-like colors and contrasts, which the look and feel needs for a good immersive experience.
Q: What advantages did you get in using SCRATCH VR for your post of VR/360 content?
A: The advantage of SCRATCH VR is in the advanced and specific VR features. We can use XML files from Adobe Premiere, and conform this XML with the final stitched material just in one click. This way we can manage each shot in the right length and with the transitions we chose in Premiere. And we can add titles directly on the shots, in 360 mode. The playout on Oculus Rift is also a big advantage for grading, to see the result immediately and then modify in real time. It's very important to our business model to have SCRATCH VR as our primary VR tool.
Q: What challenges did you face in doing the color grade/finishing for "Expedition Antarctica"?
A: The primary difficulty was the color disparity between cameras that are on the same rigs. Also, when you grade an icy or snowy environment, the tint differences are immediately visible, like color spots. So, we had to grade by zones and then unify all zones to get a good image of the landscape. De-noising was also a challenge on H264 captured images (the GoPro sources) because you have to deal with banding when you push the grade.
Q: In comparison to "normal" footage, how much extra-time was necessary for this project?
A: I think you can safely say that we doubled the time compared with "flat" footage. And it's far more if you work in stereoscopic 360!
Q: Where and how does the 360/VR workflow deviate from the normal workflow?
A: Cinematic 360 is very specific image projection. You work in a sphere, so you need tools like SCRATCH VR that are able to deal with equirectangular (latlong) images by distorting 2D titles and graphics, for example. Today SCRATCH VR handles all these issues pretty well!
Q: Did you use special tools and plug-ins / add-ons for this project?
A: We used plug-ins like Skybox from Mettle; they are designed to work in a sphere by creating a virtual rig in After Effects. They also provide contextual blur and sharpen effects, and many other things. We also use Neat Video as an open FX plug-in in SCRATCH VR to deal with noise.
Q: If someone wants to get into 360 finishing, what challenges are waiting for them?
A: Underestimating render times! You'll have to test your decisions all the time, and go back-and-forth between steps, so you need to have a flexible pipeline.
Q: If you could start the project all over again, would you do anything differently?
A: Being involved as soon as possible in the project, and especially in all cinematic 360 projects is essential. You can speak to the DP and director to give them key advice for shooting, such as camera positions to minimize parallax and avoid seams. You can tell the producer your experience about different camera rigs, and help to choose the best solutions for each shot.
Q: What are the best VR examples you have seen to date?
A: Of course Neotopy's projects come to mind, but today there are thousands of 360 videos available. The key is not technical achievement or "world's first"; for me the key is storytelling. It's all about the stories, the ideas. People should watch "Invisible", a drama VR series. I love the National Geographic videos because they show the beauty of nature in 360. VR journalism is often very good to discover, like the New York Times VR experiences. You need to discover and experience VR yourself - it's so easy to get a headset and begin exploring.
See "Expedition Antartica" at http://future.arte.tv/fr/antarctica/expedition-antarctica-360deg


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Cornmeal griddle cakes are probably our guests' favorite pancake, and ours as well. They are light, tangy with yogurt, and with a nice crunch that the cornmeal provides.
For 4 servings:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal (preferably stone ground)
3 TBS sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup low fat yogurt
2 eggs
2 oz. unsalted butter, melted
Mix together dry ingredients. Whisk together yogurt and eggs and add melted butter, then. stir into the flour mixture.
Cook on medium-hot griddle. Start with a scant 1/4 cup of batter per pancake and experiment with size since they grow a bit as they cook. Flip when top is bubbly and the bottom is nicely browned. Remove from griddle when 2nd side is browned. Serve with maple or blueberry syrup.


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An affordable way to stack your wrist with zodiac Zen, this gold bangle bracelet from the Carmie's Boutique™ collection features a magical mix of charms personalized for a Cancer. Decorated with a rhinestone and abstract accent, this astrological bangle also features a moon and star charm to represent the constellations above. The final charm is a sign coin that's stamped with 'Cancer' and a respective symbol.
Slightly expandable to fit most wrists, this lightweight bangle measures 7 inches in circumference. Perfect for displaying alone or pairing with a stack, this bangle charm bracelet makes a beautiful statement.


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An assortment of barbecue rubs for ribs, chicken, turkey, lamb and pork
Instead of buying your rubs like the one pictured here, why not make your own? I found quite a few rib recipes for you to choose from for just about any kind of meat you are barbecuing. Kansas City Rib … Continue reading
Posted in BBQ Recipes, BBQ Rubs, General BBQ Tagged babyback ribs, BBQ Rubs, chicken, ingredients, lamb, pork, ribs, turkey 2 Comments


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You awaken to find the world in ruin, your heart beset with unexplained guilt. A cataclysm has destroyed the cities and empires of men and disfigured the spirit of humanity. In this nightmare, it falls to you to descend a mysterious tower in search of absolution. Battle merciless foes through treacherous dungeons, scour for new items to aid you in your travels, and unlock the secrets of a devastated land. You will find death in the depths, yet learn that death is not the end of the story; in the twisted world of Baroque, it is only the beginning.


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In collaboration with UNFPA and UNAIDS, FCI brought together high-level policymakers and international leaders for a 2004 roundtable on the critical linkages between HIV/AIDS and reproductive health. The resulting statement, New York Call to Commitment: Linking HIV/AIDS and Sexual and Reproductive Health has received widespread international support from governments and civil society.
Download the New York Call to Commitment in English (14 KB) and French (16 KB).
This publication is only available for download at this time.