This story is written by Ross Courtney and Shannon Dininny with Good Fruit Grower.
Gary Grove, a soon-to-be professor emeritus of plant pathology at Washington State University, told growers they face “significant but surmountable challenges” at the Washington State Tree Fruit Association Annual Meeting at the Yakima Convention Center.
Not to worry, he said, during his Baetjer Address, considered the academic keynote of the annual gathering and trade show that kicked off Dec. 9. The industry has faced plenty of challenges before and made it through: the Alar scare, destructive fire blight years and cherry fruit fly, to name a few.
But the industry also has, and has always had, a lot of advantages — ample resources, a cooperative spirit, top-rated research talent and more.
“That’s what’s going to get us through all of this,” said Grove, a history fan who sprinkled his presentation with anecdotes from Russian World War II biographies.
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