Prunings T
heOkanagan Tree Fruit Co-op,which has nowchanged its name to theB.C. Tree
Fruits Co-operative, has sold its Clement Avenue property in Kelowna, subject to completion of the deal this summer. Interest also has been shown in the Vaughn Avenue property in Kelowna. A 1.25-acreHighway 97 piece of the Rutland-area property is being subdivided off to be sold aswell. The co-op plans to spend $12.5
million this year on a comprehensive upgrading to packing and storage facilities up and down the valley. That includes an $8million upgrade to the CAfacility inWinfield,which should be ready for the start of the apple harvest this year. Aswell, $2.5 millionwill be spent updating the pre- grade line upgrade in theWinfield plant, and $2million upgrading Oliver’s cherry line. The co-op received a $2.7million grant fromthe federal/provincialAgriFlex program towards thework. Co-op CEO Alan Tyabji commented, “We continue to streamline our operations andwewill deliver both cost savings and improved packing as a result of strategic operational changes and fromthese capital investments...” In April,B.C. Tree Fruits
presented theB.C. Cancer Foundationwith a cheque for $2,000 on behalf ofVuNguyen, of Richmond,whowas thewinner in the AppleMonth contest called ‘Good to Go.’ Both he and his charity of choice won $2,000 in the contest,which promoted BCTF apples and healthy living... TomLowery, research scientist at
the PacificAgri-foodResearch Centre in Summerland, known to growers for hisworkwith the plumpox virus, leafhoppers, aphids and habitat for beneficial insects,was presented with aQueen Elizabeth II Diamond JubileeMedal in recognition of his leadership in integrated and sustainable pest management for grapes and his contribution to agriculture Canada’s National PlumPoxVirus Program... Despite cutbacks across the country,
PARCat Summerland posted the research scientist position in plant pathology inMay, to the relief of both grape growers and orchardists,who had lobbied hard to achieve a replacement for the head of the plant pathology department after his
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retirement... TheOkanaganWine Festivals
Society,which did not hold a summer wine festival last year, has teamed up with Silver StarMountainResort to present a newsignature summer tasting event Aug. 10 calledMileHigh Wine, presented byValley First. EricVonKrosigk, chair of the
society board andwinemaker at Summerhill PyramidWinery, says thiswill be an opportunity for people to enjoy freshmountain air, smooth reds, crispwhites and refreshing roses from across
theOkanagan.More than 100 wines from30winerieswill be featured in an outdoor setting alongMain Street in Silver Star Village, alongwith appetizers and live entertainment from 4 to 7 p.m... The International Fruit Tree
Association (IFTA) is offering new sponsorship opportunities for its 2013 Study Tour, taking place July 16-17 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. For the first time, tour sponsorswill have the opportunity to support the attendance of young growers. Building upon the success of scholarships fromthe IFTA’s annual conference inBoston, companies or individuals can have their contribution assist young growers (under age 35)with $200 toward their $300 tour registration fee. Young growerswill need to fill out a scholarship application andwill be screened by an IFTA committee. Study tour attendeeswill visit nine orchards in theAdams County, PAarea and learn fromthe demonstrations and presentations at the Pennsylvania State FruitResearch and Extension Center FieldDay. Registration is open on the IFTA website,
www.ifruittree.org. A detailed itinerary for the programis also available online. The associationwas established in 1958 to promote understanding of the nature and use of intensive orchard systems and to
expand knowledge in this industry by encouraging continued research efforts... SGS Canada Inc. has been added
to the list of certification services for CanadaGAP participants. CanadaGAP, theOttawa-based national food safety certification programfor fresh fruit and vegetable operations, says SGS joinsQMI-SAIGlobal, NSF-GFTC andBureau de normalisation duQuébec as available certification bodies for CanadaGAP. They provide audit and certification services for participants, whomust complywith the standards of CanadaGAP and complete on-site audits. Buyers that require CanadaGAP certification by their suppliers include LoblawCompanies Limited, McCain Foods Canada, Simplot Canada and
Lamb-Weston.New participants to CanadaGAP can choose their preferred certification body on the programenrolment form. Information about enrolling in CanadaGAP and about the certification bodies providing services is provided online at
www.canadagap.ca... As ofMay 1, about 36.9million
bushels of fresh-market apples in theUnited States had yet to be shipped,mostly inWashington. That’s 21 percentmore than last year at the same time. The total alsowas 21 percent above the five-year average, according to theMayMarketNews report fromthe Vienna, Va.-basedU.S. AppleAssociation.Washington accounted for 36million of the 36.9 million bushels still in storage. Holdings of allmajor apple varieties were up fromMay 1, 2012. Red Delicious rose from13.8million to 16.2 million bushels, Fujis from2.9million to 5.1million bushels,Galas from3.7 million to 5million bushels,Golden Delicious from3.7million to 4.5 million bushels andGranny Smiths from4million to 4.1million bushels...
Moving?
If you’ve got a new address, make sure we know about it, so delivery of your BC Fruit Grower will continue uninterrupted. Name _______________________________________ Old Address: __________________________________ ____________________________________________ New Address: _________________________________ ____________________________________________ Email:
growersubs@omedia.ca Snail Mail: 515, 22-2475 Dobbin Rd., West Kelowna, BC V4T 2E9
British Columbia FRUIT GROWER • Summer 2013
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