July 2019 - 22

CALENDAR OF EVENTS
ADVERTISER INDEX
July 26-27
Produce Marketing Association
Foodservice Conference
Monterey, California
Aug. 20-21
North American Strawberry Growers
Association Summer Tour
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Sept. 12-17
United Fresh Washington Conference
Washington, D.C.
Oct. 8-11
Process Expo
Chicago, Ill.
Nov. 10-13
Western Growers Annual Meeting
Maui, Hawaii
Dec. 2-6
2019 Irrigation Show & Education
Conference
Las Vegas, Nev.
Dec. 10-12
Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable
and Farm Market EXPO
Grand Rapids, Mich.
Jan. 9-12, 2020
Southeast Regional Fruit &
Vegetable Conference
Savannah, Georgia
Agro-K Corp.
Bejo Seeds Inc.
Belchim Crop Protection USA
Buckeye Tractor
CropCare Equipment
Danville Industries
Gowan USA
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April 2017 | Volume 56 |
Issue 4
200
H-2A workers approved for U.S.
150
Tougher pesticide
safety rules are
now in effect
13
App to help
migrant laborers
connect with jobs
14
Growers share pros
and cons of H-2A
program
100
H-2A struggles to keep
up with grower demand
50
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Graphics: U.S. Department of Labor Office of Foreign Labor Certification
GrowSpan - Growers Supply
Michigan Valley Irrigation Inc.
Monte Package Company
Naber's Ag Equipment
Oesco Inc.
OMEX USA
Photo: Stemilt
By Gary Pullano
Associate Editor
H-2A, the country's agricultural guest-worker
program, continues to grow.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor
(DOL), the number of H-2A workers jumped
from 77,246 to 165,741 between 2011 and 2016.
Since 2001, there's been a 106 percent increase
in H-2A certifications. Certifications in Florida,
North Carolina, Georgia, California, Arizona and
Washington have doubled since 2011, according
to DOL.
In Washington state, H-2A labor certifications topped
15,000 last year, compared to just over 12,000 in 2015,
said Dan Fazio, executive director of wafla (formerly the
Washington Farm Labor Association).
In 2010, Florida employed about 4,500 H-2A
workers. By 2016, that number had risen to more than
22,800, said Michael Carlton, director of labor relations
for the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association.
The H-2A program is for seasonal workers,
generally for a period of 10 months or less, to
provide farms with short-term agricultural labor
when the number of available domestic workers
is insufficient.
The program has been criticized because it
See DEMAND, page 6
Washington growers focus on top apples
By Gary Pullano
Associate Editor
Several apple growers shared their
strategies for taking product " From Bud
to Bin, " which was the theme of the 60th
annual International Fruit Tree Association
conference in Wenatchee, Washington,
Feb. 19-23.
The conference was structured with
two days of orchard tours, two days of
educational sessions and a ton of networking
in between. Emphasis was placed on trends
and planning what to plant, how to prepare
and how to grow high-value varieties.
Production systems were a focus, and crop
load balance - including how to target fruit
and optimum return - were discussed.
Knowing when to harvest upon crop
maturity also was explored.
In the first day of tours, Jake
Robison, a fourth-generation grower at
Robison Orchards in Chelan, said he's
part of a transition plan to take over
the business, focusing the 125-acre
operation on identifying high-value
varieties in order to remain profitable.
Robison outlined the succession planning
that started on the family farm four years
ago. It's anticipated it will take seven years to
complete the process.
It's all about using high-value varieties
to avoid having to compete with larger
growers on lower-value selections. The
operation is located on sloping hills, unlike
flatter ground to which larger growers
likely have access, he said.
" What's good for the business is good for
the business, " Robison said. " The higher the
value, the better. We're always looking for
the next big thing that would make us a
lot of money. "
Harvesting 3,600 bins of apples in
2016, the effort came with 30 percent of
the orchard under renovation and out of
production, said Robison, who topworked
a Scifresh (Jazz) block.
See APPLES, page 8
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Rockford Package Supply Inc.
Roeters Farm Equipment Inc.
Smart Solutions
10
19
18
Phil Brown Welding Corp.
ProducePackaging.com
8
17
24
6
11
20
8
19
9
15
16
2
20
17
13,14
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July 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2019
