December 2020 - 1

Driscoll's, Plenty
research vertical
farming for
strawberries
WSU to study
winegrapes exposed to
wildfires
8
22
28
$4.8M multi-state
effort aims for easier
bud-counting
December 2020 | Volume 59 |
Issue 12
Learning year
Pick-your-own farm experiences attract customers
Owners Al and Nancy Rose live in a 1700s-era farmhouse on Red Apple Farm. Photos: Red Apple Farm
By Stephen Kloosterman
Associate Editor
A weird year doesn't have to be a bad
year, one family farm operation and farm
market business found out in 2020.
Third-generation growers Al and
Nancy Rose have been running the family
farm, Red Apple Farm in Phillipston,
Massachusetts, since 2001, but the quirks
of this season taught them much about
their customers and the value that family
farm operations have to offer.
" It's going to be a learning year, " Al
Rose said.
A customer-centered business
The 37-acre farm, which was
established in 1912 and has been in
the Rose family since 1929, grows a
diverse variety of crops, including
blueberries, raspberries, apples,
peaches, sunflowers, ornamentals,
flowers and even pumpkins. At an
elevation of 1,200 feet, the climate is
good for fruit, but the soil in the area is
notoriously rocky.
" The joke is, 'You move three rocks,
and you can plant a tree, " ' Rose said.
The focus of the business has been
on farm market sales for at least 20
years. While the COVID-19 pandemic
and the associated precautions handed
down by authorities made dealing with
customers more complicated, Rose said
it's been " one of their busiest seasons. "
" Even the demand from Monday to
Friday was very hot, " he said. Like many
See CUSTOMERS, page 5
Query: Blueberry imports' impact
By Stephen Kloosterman
Associate Editor
U.S. blueberry growers, importers
and purchasers - as well as foreign
growers and exporters - on Nov. 16
turned in questionnaires that will play
an important role in an investigation
into the international trade of fresh,
chilled and frozen blueberries.
While those individual questionnaires
are confidential, they're part of a
process that will include a Feb. 11
vote by the U.S. International Trade
Commission (USITC) on whether
" increased imports of blueberries have
caused serious injury or threat thereof
to domestic blueberry growers, " using
the USITC's language.
The commission will send a report to
the White House on March 29, 2021. If
it finds domestic growers are being hurt
by imports, the USITC may recommend
remedies such as an increase in duty or
imposition of a quota.
Background
The Section 201 global safeguard
investigation was requested Sept. 29,
2020, by U.S. Trade Representative
(USTR) Robert Lighthizer who
referenced the Report on Seasonal and
Perishable Products in U.S. Commerce
jointly released by USTR, the USDA
and the Department of Commerce.
The report included testimony by
several Southeastern growers about how
imports were affecting their business.
" Florida blueberry growers continue
to experience undue hardship as
a result of Mexico's unfair trading
practices, " said Brittany Lee, president
of the Florida Blueberry Growers
Association. " My family farm is well
See IMPORTS, page 6

December 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2020

December 2020 - 1
December 2020 - 2
December 2020 - 3
December 2020 - 4
December 2020 - 5
December 2020 - 6
December 2020 - 7
December 2020 - 8
December 2020 - 9
December 2020 - 10
December 2020 - 11
December 2020 - 12
December 2020 - 13
December 2020 - 14
December 2020 - 15
December 2020 - 16
December 2020 - 17
December 2020 - 18
December 2020 - 19
December 2020 - 20
December 2020 - 21
December 2020 - 22
December 2020 - 23
December 2020 - 24
December 2020 - 25
December 2020 - 26
December 2020 - 27
December 2020 - 28
December 2020 - 29
December 2020 - 30
December 2020 - 31
December 2020 - 32
December 2020 - 33
December 2020 - 34
December 2020 - 35
December 2020 - 36
December 2020 - 37
December 2020 - 38
December 2020 - 39
December 2020 - 40
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/april-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/march-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/february-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/january-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/december-fgn
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/fgn-vgn-40-under-40-class-of-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/buyers-guide-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/november-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/october-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/september-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/august-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/july-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/june-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/may-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/april-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/march-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/february-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/january-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/december-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/november-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/buyers-guide
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/october-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/september-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/august-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/july-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/june-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/may-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/april-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/march-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/buyersguide-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/january-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/december-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/november-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/october-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/september-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/august-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/july-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/june-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/may-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/april-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/march-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/february-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/buyersguide-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/january-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/december-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/november-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/october-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/september-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/august-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/july-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/june-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/may-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/april-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/march-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/february-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/buyersguide-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/january-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/december-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/november-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/october-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/september-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/august-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/july-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/june-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/may-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/april-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/march-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/february-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/january-2019
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com