The new WA 64 apple growing on trees at a WSU orchard in Quincy, Washington. The trees are bred to be shorter and denser to produce more fruit. (Credit: Washington […]Read More
The new Washington State University apple, currently known as WA 64, is smaller than the Cosmic Crisp. It has a lighter orange and pink blush exterior. (Credit: Washington State University) […]Read More
Freshly picked red delicious apples gather in a bin. Northwest red delicious and galas are again shipping to India after tariffs were lifted. (Courtesy: Washington Apple Commission) Read Many Northwest […]Read More
Cosmic Crisp apples on the Mother Tree near Wenatchee Washington. (Credit: Bob Hubner / Washington State University) Listen (Runtime 1:06) Read Known for its crunch and sweet taste, the Cosmic […]Read More
For decades boatloads of Northwest apples have shipped to India – especially the variety Red Delicious. But since Trump-era tariffs on steel and aluminum went into place, retaliatory tariffs have put a crunch on that valuable fruit market. Now, Washington state's full congressional delegation is asking the federal government for help.Read More
Hans Engelke’s orchards in north Franklin County, Washington, were inundated with snow in the early spring of 2022 during full bloom. Credit: Hans Engelke Listen (Runtime 1:04) Read Northwest apples […]Read More
The Washington apple harvest is underway. Bins of Red Delicious are loaded onto a truck. (Photo courtesy of the Washington Apple Commission) Listen Washington’s apple crop is projected to be […]Read More
Record heat across the Northwest is taking a toll on agriculture – both the crops and the workers who harvest them. Read More
Seven apple varieties previously believed to be lost or extinct have been found in eastern Washington, including several on land near the communities of Pullman, Colfax and Moscow.Read More
A boom in American consumers’ online shopping during the pandemic has prompted a boost in imports from Asia. But that left U.S. agriculture products without a ride back. Many ships aren’t waiting to be loaded with agricultural goods at West Coast ports before heading back across the ocean with empty containers. Plus, the Trump administration’s trade war hit apples hard. Read More
Homes, schools, parks and daycares on Central Washington’s former orchards could soon be one step closer to sitting atop less contaminated ground. A workgroup is finalizing a report to help spread the word about pesticide contamination from more than a century ago – and to give advice on how to help clean it up.Read More
In Washington, bringing a home-grown apple from west to east is a misdemeanor. There are road signs and posters. The penalty can cost 90 days in jail. But the Washington Department of Agriculture has never enforced the law. Sources at the department say it’s more about education.Read More
Thurston County, where Inslee lives in the governor’s mansion, is under apple maggot quarantine, whereas Douglas County is not. It’s illegal to bring apples to Douglas County, apple country, from Thurston County.Read More
It's not often that you'll read an obituary for a tree. Or that a dead tree gets a memorial service of sorts. But then there aren't many like Vancouver, Washington's "Old Apple Tree."Read More
In a lawsuit against fruit-growing giant Stemilt, workers say allegations stemmed from a change in production standards set forth in the company's guest worker contract. A separate case involved a challenge to Washington's rules on farmworker housing and sleeping quarters during the pandemic.Read More
So far this month, more than 400 Yakima Valley fruit packing workers have gone on strike, according to Familias Unidas Por La Justicia. The farmworker advocacy group, based in Skagit County, is helping these workers organize committees, negotiate with employers and seek legal advice. Read More
Yakima County has the highest rate of COVID-19 infections among counties on the West Coast. That means a larger portion of the county's population has tested positive for the coronavirus compared to other counties.Read More
A team of retirees that scours the remote ravines and windswept plains of the Pacific Northwest for long-forgotten pioneer orchards has rediscovered 10 apple varieties that were believed to be extinct — the largest number ever unearthed in a single season by the non-profit Lost Apple Project.Read More
The coronavirus pandemic continues to make its presence known in all facets of daily life, including agriculture. That extends to some supply and demand economics lessons for Northwest apple and potato growers.Read More
About 250,000 workers came to the U.S. on H-2A visas last year, the majority of them from Mexico. They've become an increasingly important piece of America's food industry.Read More
As more old orchard land in central Washington is converted into housing developments and schools, there are concerns over legacy pesticides in the soil where children play and families live. That’s especially true in Wenatchee and Yakima. Read More
The apple in question is WA 2, known to consumers as Sunrise Magic. WSU claims that Yakima apple grower Pro Orchard Management and affiliated packer Apple King infringed on the patent by growing and selling Sunrise Magic without a license.Read More
For the love of Johnny Appleseed! Why are so many apples left hanging (and rotting) on trees in Northwest orchards after the fall harvest? Industry experts and growers says it’s a combination of factors – but really not due to tariffs, as some people think.Read More
After more than 20 years of development by the Washington State University Tree Fruit Research Commission, the Cosmic Crisp is ready to come to hit store shelves. The goal of new variety is to be attractive to consumers, easy to grow and easy to store over a long period of time.Read More
The consumer-advocacy organization Consumer Reports tested 45 fruit juices, including apple, grape and juice blends, and found that 21 of them had "concerning levels" of cadmium, arsenic and/or lead, according to a new report. Juice samples came from 24 national and private-label brands.Read More
People who most intensely oppose genetically modified food think they know a lot about food science, but actually know the least, according to a peer-reviewed paper published in January in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.Read More
The chemical’s especially dangerous for babies and small children because it can have lasting neurological effects. Chlorpyrifos can blow from orchards into nearby houses; parents who work in orchards can transport the chemical home on their clothes and in their cars; and chlorpyrifos can make its way into developing fetuses through umbilical cord blood.Read More
With harvest wrapped up, the regional apple industry is in prime packing time. But growers and shippers are nervous. The fruit isn’t moving to international markets as quick as usual because of the trade wars. Read More
Northwest farmers are anxiously watching Washington, D.C.’s lame duck session to see if a Farm Bill will be passed before the New Year. Read More
In our globalized economy, we expect nothing less than to be able to consume our favorite fruits and vegetables all year, even when they're not in season locally. Placing strawberries from Mexico in your shopping cart in February and stocking up on kiwis from Chile in July – that's pretty much normal, even expected.
But to buy an apple in March? That's a whole different story. Read More
Retaliatory tariffs levied by China on U.S. goods are taking a toll on Pacific Northwest farm exports. Details about cancelled orders came out this week at a state Senate committee hearing in Seattle.Read More
Consider this year’s apples: Born from the seeds of an earlier generation’s trees, the fruit you hold in your hand this fall will allow you “to shake hands with a […]Read More
Ask Dr. Universe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3uM9c4BdiE&list=PL6pHcbVJ2q0Fk-wRbMlYR4TZIzjZkXKWC&index=7Northwest Public Broadcasting and Washington State University Communications teamed up to bring Dr. Universe to life, well at least to an animated series. Do you have a […]Read More
This month, India may impose retaliatory tariffs on American products – including apples. And that could upset the export apple cart.Read More
In the wake of the Me Too movement, a sexual harassment and retaliation case at a large fruit company brings the issue closer to home in Wenatchee. Stemilt Growers, a leader in Washington’s apple and cherry industry, has agreed to pay nearly $100,000 to settle a lawsuit with a former employee.Read More
With China threatening to slap the United States with $3 billion in retaliatory tariffs, one group that is worried is Washington apple farmers.Read More
Something has gone sour between Washington State University and a Seattle-based biotech company. It's over a new, highly-prized apple variety that has not yet hit the market.Read More
Five types of apples, once thought to be extinct, have been rediscovered in northern Idaho and eastern Washington. The Lewiston Tribune newspaper reported that “apple detective” David Benscoter located the trees growing near Steptoe Butte on the rolling hills of the Palouse.Read More
The end result of careful selection and pollination: an edible apple, in this photo a crimson gala. Photo credit: John Clements Facebook Google+ Twitter Email Anyone who’s tried to plant […]Read More
Malus sieversii, the ancient apple, seen here in Kyrgysztan. Sieversii comes in many sizes and colors, but are generally inedible. Photo credit: Creative Commons The apple as we know […]Read More
The Northwest is home to many of the world’s most popular apples. But it also has apples many believed no longer exist. On eastern Washington’s Steptoe Butte, researchers found two apple […]Read More
Before robots will begin picking apples, machines like this, which help human pickers do their jobs faster and more easily, will bridge the gap. Right now, your apples are […]Read More
Honeycrisp apples are popular and profitable – but only as long as the quality keeps up. Photo credit: “Andria,” Creative Commons Facebook Google+ Twitter Email The sweet, tart crunch […]Read More
Jennifer Garcia with her daughter, Hannah, 2. Garcia found out the soil in her yard tested high for arsenic. It’s left over from pesticides sprayed before the 1950s on […]Read More
Bill Rietveldt, Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center curator, shows off apple labels. “The great northern railroad advertised Wentachee as ‘The Place to Go Grow Apples,” Rietveldt said. “That’s […]Read More
