Pear Growers Approve Special Project

Pear Growers Approve Special Project. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

Apple and pear growers throughout Washington have agreed to make a historic investment of $27 million over the next eight years to support tree fruit research and extension at Washington State University. Dan Bernardo, a dean at WSU says the money is the largest single gift in the history of the university.

BERNARDO: This is framed by the industry with us. It is going through any iterations. It has three major purposes and those will I think exemplify how this is a game changer.

Bernardo talks about the three purposes of the funds.

BERNARDO: The first major purpose is to fund 6 endowed chairs. Those endowed chairs are used to recruit and retain world class faculty to truly bring in the game changers. The research business is about people. It’s about having the very best talent in the world.

The best people produce the best research for the industry.

BERNARDO: It funds 5 technical transfer positions. People in the field that will take the research and information generated from WSU and make sure it reaches the producer in a form that they can use. And the third component is to fund an endowment which will provide operating funds for our orchards her at IAREC here in Prosser as well as our new Sunrise orchard in Wenatchee.

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.