Cherries are an important crop in the Pacific Northwest, and a number of growers got together in Yakima recently to network, and attend seminars providing vital information about their industry. The meeting was the yearly Cherry Institute of the Northwest Cherry Growers.
Attendees learned that their industry faces a number of challenges, and what they can do to continue growing high-quality cherries. Some of the issues covered included how academic research can help the industry succeed; how growers can identify the viruses and pests that prey on the cherry crop, and how to combat them; and how to promote their products in the international and domestic markets.
They also discussed recent cherry crops, which in some cases set records, and the troubling outbreak of Little Cherry Disease in some orchards in Washington. Washington State University's Scott Harper gave a presentation about the disease, and urged the growers work to control it. The concern is warranted, as a similar outbreak in the 1970s nearly destroyed British Columbia's cherry industry.
Growers were also urged to develop plans to mitigate conditions of extreme smoke and heat, which affect their workers. The last few years have demonstrated that heat and smoke are becoming commonplace in Washington State in the summer, and in some cases can threaten workers' lives.
Events like this provide a great deal of information, which organizers might collate and publish with the help of a local brochure printing company.
