Tree Fruit Merger

Something big is happening in the Washington tree fruit industry. The announcement was made last week that the Washington State Horticultural Association, Yakima Valley Grower-Shippers Association, Wenatchee Valley Traffic Association and Washington Growers Clearing House Association will merge into one group to be called the Washington State Tree Fruit Association. Stephanie Chance with the Hort Association explains.

CHANCE: As of September 1, that our target date all this complete, the necessary filings done, the new staff in place and then we have a transition board which is comprised of two members appointed from each of the merging organizations and also their executive directors and that board will be pretty much in place until December, until our annual meeting.

Chance talks about the benefit of the merger.

CHANCE: Well what's great is there's going to be no interruption to services. We're still going to have the same mission of producing information and data and education to our members, to our growers like we always have and there's going to be no duplication of efforts. It's all going to be streamlined and the same great service.

Timing is right since this will be the first year for the hort convention being in the Tri-Cities.

CHANCE: The whole theme of this years convention is a time of change. We think it would be really perfect to have it as our first Washington State Tree Fruit Association meeting but at this point WSHA, the hort association is planning it and it's being planned just like it's always planned but the only difference it will have is a different name.

That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.