September 2020 - 31

INDUSTRY NEWS
More crops eligible
for CFAP funding
USDA announced Aug. 11 that
additional commodities are covered
by the Coronavirus Food Assistance
Program in response to public
comments and data. Additionally,
USDA is extending the deadline to
apply for the program to Sept. 11, and
producers with approved applications
will receive their final payment.
The following additional
specialty crop commodities are
now eligible for Coronavirus Food
Assistance Program (CFAP): aloe
leaves, bananas, batatas, bok choy,
carambola (star fruit), cherimoya,
chervil (french
parsley),
citron, curry
leaves, daikon,
dates, dill,
donqua (winter
melon), dragon fruit (red pitaya),
endive, escarole, filberts, frisee,
horseradish, kohlrabi, kumquats,
leeks, mamey sapote, maple
sap (for maple syrup), mesculin
mix, microgreens, nectarines,
parsley, persimmons, plantains,
pomegranates, pummelos,
pumpkins, rutabagas, shallots,
tangelos, turnips/celeriac, turmeric,
upland/winter cress, water cress,
yautia/malanga and yuca/cassava.
Additional details can be found
at www.farmers.gov/cfap.
Washington apple crop
estimated to hold steady
The Washington State Tree Fruit
Association released its forecast for
the 2020 Washington state fresh
apple crop on Aug. 7.
The 2020 forecast is for a crop of
134 million standard 40-pound boxes
of fresh apples. This is very close to
2019's 133.9 million box crop.
" The 2020 Washington state apple
crop looks to be similar in size to last
year's. Harvest
is underway
and growers
anticipate being
able to meet
strong consumer
demand with
an ample and
high-quality
harvest, " Jon
DeVaney, Washington State Tree
Fruit Association president, said in a
news release.
For the second straight year, Gala
will be the most numerous variety
at 23%, Red Delicious is projected
at 17%, followed by Fuji at 14%,
and Granny Smith and Honeycrisp at
13% of total production. This year,
Cosmic Crisp is forecast to come in
at 1.2% of the total crop and Cripps
Pink at 5%.
Organic apple production is
forecast to be 16% of the total, or
21 million boxes. Up from 15 million
boxes in the 2019 apple crop.
Blueberry sector adds
$12.7M to economy
U.S. highbush blueberry growers
generate more than $4.7 billion
in annual
economic
impact,
accounting
for more
than $12.7 million flowing into the
U.S. economy every day, according
to a study commissioned by the U.S.
Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC).
There are 12,739 blueberry farms
in the U.S., according to Kasey
Cronquist, president of the USHBC.
" Behind every farm are growers
who not only tend a truly
remarkable superfruit, but also
stimulate business activity, create
thousands of jobs and contribute
mightily to the economy, " Cronquist
said in a news release.
The study also showed benefits of
the U.S. blueberry industry, relating to:
* Jobs: U.S. highbush blueberry
growers create and sustain
more than 44,535 full-time
equivalent jobs as a result of
their business activities.
* Labor income: Dollars going
to wages generate nearly $1.8
billion in labor income.
* Indirect business taxes: Every
year, more than $145 million
in indirect business taxes (not
including income tax) are
generated by the growers.
In blueberry-producing states, the
study reports the industry's economic
impacts (in millions and jobs created):
* Michigan: $530.4/6,600 jobs.
* Georgia: $521.8/4,140 jobs.
* California: $458.6/4,240 jobs.
* Washington: $464.4/4,450 jobs.
* Oregon: $353.5/3,505 jobs.
The full study is available at
www.ushbc.org.
Plant breeding programs
face sharp reductions
Public plant breeding programs are
declining across the United States.
A team of scientists led by Kate
Evans, a Washington State University
(WSU) horticulture professor who
leads WSU's pome fruit (apples and
pears) breeding program, found
that public plant breeding programs
are seeing decreases in funding and
personnel.
The study was published in the
journal Crop Science.
Evans and her colleagues conducted
a survey of 278 plant breeding
programs around the country.
Public programs are chiefly federal
programs, like those run by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, or based
at public research universities.
In the surveys, respondents
estimated a 21.4% decline in full
time employee (FTE) time for
program leaders over the past
five years and an estimated 17.7%
decline in FTE time for technical
support personnel.
The researchers also found that
retirement looms for a significant
number of plant breeding program
leaders. Over a third of the
responding programs reported
having leaders over the age of 60
and 62% are led by people over 50.
This decline is concerning because
plant breeding has a direct impact on
food security, Evans said.
The focus on food security has
received more attention in the
last few months, as the COVID-19
pandemic has moved around the
world, she
said.
" Plant
breeding is
a long-term,
sustainable
way to
address
reorganization chapters.
As of Aug. 3, $6.8 billion in CFAP
payments have been delivered to
farmers and ranchers. Many farmers,
particularly those who are not
regularly eligible for aid, have not
applied for assistance or may not
know the assistance is available.
Farmers can learn more about
coronavirus assistance at
www.farmers.gov/cfap.
Arkansas blackberry
gets breeding award
Ouachita blackberry, a 2003
thornless variety from the
University of Arkansas System
Division of Agriculture, received
the Outstanding Fruit Cultivar
Award from the Fruit Breeding
Professional Interest Group of the
American Society of Horticultural
Science (ASHS).
The Outstanding Fruit Cultivar
KATE EVANS
concerns over having enough food
and keeping our food sources
secure, " said Evans, who is based
at WSU's Tree Fruit Research &
Extension Center in Wenatchee.
Mixed news on
farm bankruptcies
Farm bankruptcies increased
8% over a 12-month period, with
580 filings from June 2019 to June
2020. A six-month comparison,
however, shows the number of new
Chapter 12 filings slowing. Several
contributing factors are likely at play
as farmers struggle to stay afloat
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Midwest, Northwest and
Southeast were hardest hit,
representing 80% of the filings
across the U.S. Wisconsin led the
nation with 69 filings, followed by 38
in Nebraska. Georgia and Minnesota
each had 36 filings.
A closer examination of the
numbers shows that while
year-over-year filings increased for
the month of June, filings slowed
during the first six months of 2020
compared to the first half of 2019.
The latest AFBF Market Intel, written
jointly with the Association of
Chapter 12 Trustees, shows from
January to June 2020, there were 284
new Chapter 12 bankruptcy cases, 10
fewer than the same time in 2019.
The reduction in filings coincides
with aid distributed in the CARES
Act that compensates farmers and
ranchers for losses incurred from
January through mid-April of this
year. According to the Association of
Chapter 12 Trustees, approximately
60% of farm bankruptcies are
successfully completed - the highest
successful percentage of all the
Award recognizes noteworthy
achievements in fruit breeding
and highlights a modern fruit
introduction that has a significant
impact on the industry.
The award was presented in July
during the ASHS Fruit Breeding
Professional Interest Group meeting,
which was held virtually this year.
The award has been presented
since 1987 to noteworthy cultivars,
according to information on the
ASHS website.
" Ouachita has been the most
important variety from our fruit
breeding program, " said John Clark,
distinguished
professor of
horticulture for
the Division of
Agriculture, and
fruit breeder for
the Arkansas
Agricultural
Experiment
JOHN CLARK
Station, the division's research arm.
Clark said almost 5 million plants
have been propagated and sold,
based on reports from licensed
propagators, who sell the plants to
nurseries and commercial fruit farms.
An earlier award winner, Navaho,
had nearly 2 million plants sold.
" Ouachita contributed
substantially to the establishment
of a commercial shipping market
blackberry industry in the eastern
U.S., especially in the South, in
the years following its release in
2003, " Clark said. " It has also been
planted in other regions of the U.S.,
including western, Midwestern and
northeastern states. "
The first major plantings of
Ouachita began in southern Georgia
and central Arkansas, Clark said,
and expanded to North Carolina,
the Midwest and other states as the
shipping industry grew. Ouachita has
also been planted in Western states,
particularly in California.
FGN | SEPTEMBER 2020 | 31
http://www.farmers.gov/cfap http://www.farmers.gov/cfap http://www.ushbc.org
September 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2020
