01/11/07 Tree Fruit Day

Tree Fruit Day. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. You don't always get the opportunity to speak your mind, especially if it involves your legislators. But sometimes it's nice to meet them on their turf to get your message across. That's what Tree Fruit Day is all about according to Jim Hazen, Executive Director of the Washington State Horticultural Association. HAZEN: This will be the 5th Annual Tree Fruit Day, January 30th. It's really an opportunity, I think, to inform and educate legislators on Washington's tree fruit industry by allowing producers to tell their story and their experiences directly to legislators. On average 20 to 25 producers will make the trek to Olympia for a day full of meetings. Hazen says some legislators need to understand that the majority of agriculture is on the other side of the Cascades. HAZEN: The majority of agriculture in Washington State is east of the Cascades and tends to be isolated from the power center of the Puget Sound. Though it seems difficult to understand or even believe, there is a real disconnect with a number of legislators and their understanding and their knowledge of not only Washington's agricultural industry but the tree fruit industry. And it's critical that they understand our story, because their laws and rules that they're discussing and passing in Olympia affect us directly. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.