09/21/06 Harvest time

Harvest time. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. The fruit harvest continues throughout the northwest despite worker shortages. According to Dan Kelly, Assistant Manager of the Washington Growers Clearing House while some crops are pretty much done, others are just getting underway. KELLY: Harvest is going to be in full swing this week starting more in the southern region and then later this week, early next week in the northern areas. Bartlett's and Gala's are pretty much finished harvest, Golden's are getting started, Red's are getting started in a bigger way this week. Some Fuji's but not many. We are slowly winding through the different varieties. And Kelly notes that labor is still an issue. KELLY: And I hate to be a broken record but labor is a huge problem. Everybody is talking about they'd seen more signs out than they've ever seen. Some guys said yeah they've put out signs for the first time and a number of them are talking about well they'd called Worksource to place job orders which they've never done before and Worksource has not been able to fill those orders for the most part, most of them. And how does the crop look? KELLY: Other than some russeting issues mostly on Golden's but not; a little bit on other things, mostly the crop looks pretty good. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.