12/28/07 2007 Part 2

2007 Part 2. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. 2007 was a year of loss in the wine industry as several pioneers passed away. In March, George Carter died at 94 and then in July Chas Nagel died. Nagel and Carter along with Walter Clore and a handful of other wine pioneers blazed the way for today's growing wine industry. And speaking of Walter Clore, the Center that bears his name is still in the planning stages but got a needed shot in the arm during 2007 as a new director was named. Patrick McFarlan has the task of bringing the two sides of the state together. MCFARLAN: I think 509ers and 206ers, certainly Cougs and Huskies and all of those things have really created a divide in the state which makes it very difficult to connect the two sides. I believe the future of tourism in the state of Washington revolves around agri-tourism and it revolves around culinary and wine tourism. One of the strangest stories in 2007 was the disappearance of the bee. One of the smallest creatures that fruit growers depend upon went missing in action and a new term was brought to the public. CCD, Colony Collapse Disorder. Eric Mussen with UC Davis was one of many trying to solve the riddle. MUSSEN: You can almost now define it, although you don't know why it's caused but you can more or less say if this is what you've found in your operation, then you've got what we're calling this&this disorder. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.