Little Cherry Disease Pt 2
With today’s Fruit Grower Report, I’m Bob Larson. The USDA is being called on to help find an answer for the growing problem of Little Cherry Disease that currently has no solution, other than removing entire orchards.
U.S. Representative Dan Newhouse and Pennsylvania Republican GT Thompson spoke with growers recently who say it could be devastating …
NEWHOUSE … “So, that’s the reason that both Mr. Thompson and I contacted USDA to make sure that this is a priority moving forward, to get to the bottom of the questions that we have as quickly as possible in order to save our cherry industry in the Pacific Northwest.”
The letter, Newhouse says should have come as no surprise …
NEWHOUSE … “We have been in contact with USDA offices to make sure and alert them a letter was coming so they wouldn’t be caught off guard and to help them understand the importance of this, not just to Mr. Thompson and I, but to an entire agricultural industry.”
Newhouse says they just hope to get the ball rolling …
NEWHOUSE … “We will continue to work with them to make sure that the response, it’s really just a matter of prioritizing and that’s what we want to make sure happens. And so, we’re going to be working as hard as we can to make sure that this is a high priority for the agency.”
Northwest Horticultural Council president, Mark Powers says “Little Cherry Disease” continues to spread at an alarming rate and without swift action, it will continue to attack more and more orchards.
