What Consumers Want

It’s pretty safe to say now that “sustainability” is more than just a buzzword. With carbon footprints and food miles top of mind for consumers from coast to coast, growers are tasked with ensuring the food they produce is not just safe and nutritious, but grown using sustainable practices that will help them maintain profitability and long-term viability. For that reason, the theme of the 2010 Washington State Horticultural Association (WSHA) Annual Meeting — “Sustainable Farming for Today’s Consumer” — seems fitting.

The meeting was held in conjunction with the annual NWHort Expo/Trade Show in Yakima, WA, Dec. 6-8, 2010. The keynote lecture, the 31st annual Batjer Address, was delivered by American/Western Fruit Grower columnist Desmond O’Rourke. During his presentation, O’Rourke offered some sound advice to growers who are trying to grasp and embrace sustainability: “Sustainability requires continual change,” he said. O’Rourke pointed out that average fruit consumption has increased only 3% over the last 20 years, and most of that comes in the form of bite-size fruit, such as berries. The saving grace for the tree fruit industry? The export market, O’Rourke says, which has almost tripled in the last 20 years. O’Rourke added that Washington is in a good position to capture many of these developing markets. The first step? Good portfolio management, he notes. Growers must get variety choice right first, and the rest will come.

Award Winners

Another highlight of the event was the WSHA banquet, sponsored by Western Fruit Grower and DuPont Altacor. Each year during the banquet, several individuals are recognized for their contributions to Washington’s tree fruit industry. Here, you can find information on and photos of each winner, as well as incoming WSHA president, West Mathison.