Pear Growers Vote on OR/WA Partnership

Pear Growers Vote on OR/WA Partnership

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
With today's Fruit Grower Report, I'm Bob Larson. Pear growers in Oregon and Washington will have a say this year on a federal marketing order that's been allowing them to collectively promote their pears since 1939.

Pear Bureau Northwest administers the order organized by the USDA and comes around for grower approval every six years ...

KATHY STEPHENSON ... "I'll start by suggesting that this organization has continued to innovate, and continued to find ways to increase the rate of returns for growers. I think that over the leadership that we've had for that period, it's always been successful working very closely with the board of directors which is made up of the industry, growers, shippers, industry leaders, and then having good solid strategies."

The Pear Bureau's Kathy Stephenson says her organization has been working with the industry for 85 years and seen the partnership evolve ...

KATHY STEPHENSON ... "You know, I'll continue to brag a little bit about the Pear Bureau, but definitely a leader as a commodity board. And we are looked at across the agriculture industry as a model for how an agriculture board can run whether that's the walnut folks looking at how we do things, the mango board, etcetera. So, it's just continuing to innovate and, I believe, good leadership too."

Stephenson says the Pear Bureau will continue to create promotions, increase training, have contests, encouraging all of the best practices that we have identified for retailing Pears from Oregon and Washington.

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