Sustainable Gift & Pear Harvest

Nordland, Washington’s Lisa Painter has always been a woman of vision, that’s why the gift of her longtime farm to Washington State University came as no great surprise. During a dedication ceremony October 23 Painter gave the twenty-six acre Jefferson County farm to WSU in memory of her late partner and parents, stating that “We wanted to be sure this land would always remain as agricultural, organically managed land where the soil and water, all the plants and animals, were treated respectfully as part of the full, natural cycle of life and death.” The farm will now serve as an incubator for the Jefferson County WSU Extension Farm Innovation, Education and Leadership Development program, providing multidisciplinary study into sustainable agriculture.

The rumors are true, Washington pear growers had a good harvest this year. Pear Bureau Northwest’s Executive Director Kevin Moffitt concurs.

MOFFITT: I think what you’re hearing is true, it’s looking pretty good. The fruit is off the trees and the crop is probably 2% below where we estimated it in June. But still it’s a good size crop and it’s starting out at good movement, very good movement, and good pricing.

Moffitt also says that pear growers reported no major hail damage this year and that the crop had excellent quality, with a good finish and not much in the way of scuffing or blemishes, and that the sizing is superior to last year’s crop. Even though there had been reports of a 15 to 20% labor shortage that worried a lot of the growers, all the fruit did get picked. Back in a minute.

I’m Lacy Gray and that’s Washington Ag Today on the Ag Information Network.