February 2020 - 39

INDUSTRY NEWS
WSU professor Moyer
gets Extension honor
On learning that she had won
the 2020 Extension Distinction
Award from ASEV - the American
Society for Enology & Viticulture -
Washington State University (WSU)
associate professor and Extension
specialist, Michelle Moyer was
shocked.
" I almost didn't accept it, " she
said. " I thought it should go to
someone else. When you look at
the list of those who have won this
award, it is very humbling. "
Awarded by the nation's
preeminent viticulture and enology
organization, the Extension
Distinction Award is based on an
individual's advancement of the field
of viticulture or enology in one of
two ways.
That Moyer has made substantial
contributions to the field of
viticulture is without question. A
professor at WSU since 2011, she has
played a vital role in Extension with
statewide responsibilities, helping
transfer the latest research into the
hands of Washington's growers and
the viticulture industry at large. In
this capacity, she has developed
workshops, educational programs,
and taught classes in WSU's V&E
Certificate Program.
And as project director of FRAME
Network (Fungicide Resistance
Assessment Mitigation and
Extension), Moyer won a $4.7
million grant for her ongoing work
on powdery mildew.
USApple joins praise
of USMCA trade pact
our two largest export markets is a
sorely-needed win for apple growers
across the U.S. The U.S. Apple
Association commends President
Trump for signing the USMCA.
" The USMCA
is significant for
the U.S. Apple
Association and
its members as
Mexico and Canada
represent our
top two export
markets, totaling
JIM BAIR
nearly a half-billion dollars annually
toward a positive balance of trade, "
Bair said. " Canada, Mexico and the
United States combine to make up
the most competitive and successful
regional economic platform
in the world. Under the North
American Free Trade Agreement,
the predecessor to USMCA, apple
exports to Mexico quadrupled and
those to Canada doubled. We look
forward to strong, healthy trading
partnerships with Mexico and
Canada in the years to come. "
Nutrien pledges $10M
to Colorado State
President Donald Trump signs the U.S.Mexico-Canada
Agreement on Jan. 29.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
Sonny Perdue issued the following
statement after President Donald
J. Trump signed the U.S.-MexicoCanada
Agreement (USMCA) on
Jan. 29.
" This agreement shows the rest
of the world the United States is
open for business. USMCA is critical
for America's farmers and ranchers,
who will now have even more
market access to our neighbors to
the north and the south. I am excited
to see the economic benefits of this
agreement increase the prosperity of
all Americans, especially those living
in rural America. "
Jim Bair, president and CEO, U.S.
Apple Association, said, " Locking in
Colorado State University (CSU)
and Nutrien, a provider of crop
nutrients, inputs and services, have
entered into a strategic partnership.
Nutrien is providing CSU's College
of Agricultural Sciences $1 million
each year over the next 10 years.
This $10 million gift will fund stateof-the-art
research and teaching
initiatives on campus and provide
scholarship support to students.
" We are grateful for this
incredible support from Nutrien, "
CSU President Joyce McConnell
said. " Both Nutrien and CSU share a
vision of using high-tech agriculture
to help sustainably feed the world.
Mike Frank, executive vice
president and CEO of retail at
Nutrien, said studying strategic plans
put together by CSU and the College
of Agricultural Sciences that look
10 years into the future inspired his
company to seek a partnership with
the university.
2020 Adverse Effect
Wage Rates kick in
The U.S. Department of
Labor's H-2A regulations (20 CFR
655.120(l)) require employers to
pay H-2A temporary agricultural
workers and workers in
corresponding employment at
least the highest of the:
* Adverse Effect Wage Rate
(AEWR).
* Prevailing wage.
* Prevailing piece rate.
* Agreed-upon collective
bargaining wage (if
applicable); or
* Federal or State minimum
On Jan. 23, the EPA and the
Department of the Army finalized
the Navigable Waters Protection
rule to define " Waters of the
United States " and thereby establish
federal regulatory authority under
the Clean Water Act.
The Navigable Waters Protection
Rule will replace the 2015 Waters of
the United States (WOTUS) rule that
would have given federal agencies
extensive authority to regulate
routine farming activities.
Congress, in the Clean Water
wage in effect at the time the
work is performed.
Except as otherwise provided in 20
CFR part 655, subpart B, the regionwide
AEWR for all agricultural
employment for which temporary
H-2A certification is being sought
is equal to the annual weighted
average hourly wage rate for field
and livestock workers (combined)
for the region as published each
year by the USDA.
The 2020 AEWRs to be paid for
agricultural work performed by U.S.
and H-2A workers were published
in the Federal Register on Dec. 19,
2019, and became effective on Jan.
2, 2020.
Tim Nourse receives
NASGA award
At the North American
Strawberry Growers Association
Annual Meeting & Conference
held in January in San Antonio,
Texas, Tim Nourse was presented
the 2020
Annual
" Service
with Impact
Award "
by board
member
Kevin Edberg.
The North
American
Strawberry
Growers
Association
Act, explicitly directed the agencies
to protect " navigable waters. "
The Navigable Waters Protection
Rule to define " Waters of the
United States " regulates these
waters and the core tributary
systems that provide perennial or
intermittent flow into them.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
Sonny Perdue praised the EPA for
defining WOTUS rule with the
Navigable Waters Protection Rule.
" It clearly delineates where federal
regulations apply and gives state
and local authorities more flexibility
to determine how best to manage
waters within their borders, " Perdue
said of the new rule.
Michigan fruit
processor to expand
The Michigan Commission of
Agriculture and Rural Development
on Jan, 22 approved a $135,000
performance-based Food and
Agriculture Investment Fund grant
to Peterson Farms, located in
Shelby, Michigan.
Peterson Farms is beginning an
expansion project that requires a
multi-year capital investment of $22
million but is expected to yield an
additional 50-70 new jobs for the
rural community.
Tim Nourse, left, receives
NASGA award from
Kevin Edberg.
honor is given to a person deemed to
have made outstanding contribution
to the strawberry industry.
Nourse, who turned 81 in
December, is the owner of Nourse
Farms in western Massachusetts.
He's been in the industry for more
than 50 years, and his company is
one of the major suppliers of small
fruit plants in the United States.
EPA replaces WOTUS
with new rule
According to a news release, the
project is also being supported by $3
million in net proceeds from Federal
New Market Tax Credits from
Michigan Community Capital and
the Michigan Strategic Fund and a
$1 million Community Development
Block Grant through the Michigan
Economic Development Corporation
and the Michigan Strategic Fund.
Peterson Farms specializies in
individual quick-frozen fruits, fresh
cut apples, apple sauce, fruit purees,
juices, and cold storage operations.
The expansion project will include
three production lines and a new
juice bottling capability. A frozen
blueberry line currently residing in
Georgia will be relocated to increase
processing capabilities of Michigangrown
blueberries by 50 million
pounds annually.
New ABL apple peelers will be
installed to increase yield on the
existing line by 15% and is expected
to result in an additional 1 million
pounds of finished fresh sliced
apples annually.
In addition, a new juice bottling
line will be acquired from New
York and will be relocated to
Shelby, which will increase the
purchase of Michigan tart cherries
by 15 million pounds.
FGN | FEBRUARY 2020 | 39
February 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2020
