CFAP Aid for Apples Pt 1

CFAP Aid for Apples Pt 1

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
With today’s Fruit Grower Report, I’m Bob Larson. In a state that’s number one in apples production, number one in hops, number two in potatoes, along with other tree fruit, berries and others, Washington specialty crop growers are getting almost no love from the USDA in the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program.

US Apple Association President Jim Bair says it’s truly amazing …

BAIR … “The entire state of Washington has specialty crop growers, when I tell you this, you’re going to think I’m pulling your leg, but 22 specialty crop growers have received payments, of all specialty crops. That’s 0.097% of all the U.S. specialty crop checks that have gone out, and 0.031% of all the CFAP recipients nationally.”

If you look at the money, Bair says just 1.5% of the funds paid out nationally have gone to those Washington growers …

BAIR … “You would think just by dumb luck, you know, there’s 50 states and, well, you know, Alaska doesn’t grow much, and probably some other states don’t grow a lot of stuff, but you would think just out of dumb luck that Washington state would comprise, you know, what, 5%, 10% of, you know, it’s a big ag state. 0.008%.”

Bair says it should be a pretty simple payout for apple growers based on what’s left in storage …

BAIR … “It’s self-attested, just like when we do our taxes, but there is some audit rate so there’s an incentive not to cheat and if you do they’re going to claw that money back. But, at any rate, we sent that to the USDA three weeks in advance and said this is a very simple and straight forward and justifiable way.”

Listen tomorrow for more.

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BL: Welcome back to another “Fruit Bites” brought to you by Valent U.S.A. Joining me again is Valent’s Allison Walston. And this week Allison, we are talking about Insect Growth Regulators.

AW: Insect Growth Regulators, IGRs for short, control insect development by tricking the insect into producing another larval stage or not being able to produce an exoskeleton. These insect specific hormones are methods used to control certain types of insect pests.

BL: Staying forever young, I like the sound of that.

AW: Staying forever young would be an example of a juvenile hormone mimic. It’s keeps an insect immature forever and preventing it from reaching an adult stage, or sterilizing the adult female insect preventing future offspring.

BL: Either way, it sounds like those immature bugs would nothing but mush.

AW: Exactly, without an exoskeleton, the insect would be mush and either dry up or get preyed upon. An IGR can block the first step in the molting process so the insect never develops and exoskeleton.

Look for both of these IGRs in a new insecticide call Senstar from Valent.

BL: Well, thanks Allison. Join us again next time for Fruit Bites, brought to you by Valent. Until then, I’m Bob Larson.

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