CONTENTS POSTHARVEST ISSUE | NOVEMBER 2024 18 Growing great plums 63 FEATURES 06 Industry initiative Apple consumption push drives Ridgefest updates 10 Maintaining orchards Water quality management is critical 14 Grove insights IFTA members view Central Valley tech, orchard practices 18 Plum factors Successful varieties offer growers opportunities 22 Juice processing and berry fertilization New techniques for Concord grape crop nutrition at the 2024 Great Lakes EXPO 23 Great Lakes EXPO Schedule preview 25 Meet the Class of 2024 33 Cutting chemical fumigation Researchers studying natural method to help strawberry growers 36 Tree fruit worker decision sparks reaction Washington state labor ruling could affect growers nationally 63 SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION EXCLUSIVE 38 Tree Fruit Variety Showcase 45 2025 Fruit & Nut Growers Buyers' Guide Including: Organic family roots DEPARTMENTS 04 Editor's Letter 68 72 Farm Market & Agritourism 74 Ag Labor Review 76 Classifieds 78 Ad Index On the Cover A court's ruling on Washington's H-2A rules could affect tree fruit growers nationally. Photo courtesy of Riveridge. PAGE 36 FRUITGROWERSNEWS.COM | 3 Fresh Viewshttp://www.FRUITGROWERSNEWS.COM