February 2022 - 39

INDUSTRY NEWS
Sloan new blueberry,
small fruit educator
Cheyenne Sloan is the new
blueberry and small fruit educator
in southwest Michigan and is
housed in the Van Buren County
Michigan State University (MSU)
Extension office in Paw Paw.
Sloan succeeds longtime fruit
educator Mark Longstroth, who
retired in November after serving 27
years with MSU
Extension.
Getting to
know the area
and learning
about blueberry
and small fruit
production
in Michigan
by attending
meetings and
interacting
with growers
CHEYENNE
SLOAN
has been her priority over the last
couple months.
Originally from southeast
Michigan, Sloan received her
bachelor's degree studying
horticulture and crop and soil
science at MSU. While at MSU,
she gained experience working in
labs that focused on agricultural
nematology, tree fruit and plant
pathology.
She received a master's degree
in soil science at Washington State
University (WSU). While studying at
WSU, she was housed at a research
and Extension center.
Tree Fruit Commission
views funding requests
The Michigan Tree Fruit
Commission's (MTFC) 2022 call
for projects received 21 funding
requests from Michigan State
University's five research stations.
a fruit grower from Suttons Bay,
Michigan, and MTFC chair. This
prioritization helps the MTFC board
evaluate which projects to fund.
Exports to SE Asia
show 'drastic loss'
The U.S. Apple Association said on
Jan. 27 apple exports to Southeast
Asia have declined by 40% in the
last three years. The drastic drop
in exports is especially being felt
as Chinese New Year (Feb. 1) got
underway.
The holiday helped secure a large
market for the U.S. apple industry
prior to a series of retaliatory tariffs
imposed by China. USApple is
calling on the Biden administration
to eliminate Sec. 232 and 301 tariffs
on Chinese products so that China in
turn will drop its retaliatory tariffs
on U.S. products including apples.
" There is a long, rich heritage in
Southeast Asian countries of gifting
apples as a gesture of friendship
and good health during Chinese
New Year, " USApple President and
CEO Jim Bair said in a news release.
" Sadly, this year most of those
apples won't be from the U.S. "
Overall, U.S. apple exports have
taken a big hit in recent years.
Washington state, responsible for
about 95% of U.S. apple exports, is
at a 22-year low with only 21.3% of
its apples being exported.
Organic produce sales
top $9B for first time
Organic fresh produce grew sales
by 5.5% in 2021, topping $9 billion
for the first time, and outpacing
conventionally grown produce in
year-over-year gains in both sales
and volume, according to the 2021
Organic Produce Performance
Report released Jan. 26 by Organic
Produce Network and Category
Partners.
The requests include funding
for equipment, equipment
repairs/upgrades, new orchard
establishment and a lab upgrade.
The five stations are the
Northwest Michigan Horticultural
Research Center at Traverse City, the
Trevor Nichols Research Center at
Fennville, the Southwest Michigan
Research and Extension Center
at Benton Harbor, the Clarksville
Research Center at Clarksville, and
the West Central Michigan Research
and Extension Center at Hart.
" Each research center prioritizes
their requests, " said Jim Nugent,
Despite the return of foodservice
in 2021, organic produce sales and
volume at retail outlets still showed
year-over-year growth in all four
quarters of last year. Total organic
fresh produce sales for 2021 were
$9.2 billion, an increase of $477
million compared to 2020.
The
organic
fresh
berry
category (which includes
strawberries, blueberries,
raspberries, and blackberries)
was the star performer when it
came to year-over-year growth
in 2021, with a 14% gain in sales
and a 10% rise in volume. Despite
organic berries' large year-overyear
dollar increase, packaged
salads were again the number one
organic fresh produce category by
total sales, topping $1.5 billion.
In 2021, organic berries also
exhibited significant price premiums
over conventional: blackberries
($3.01/lb.), blueberries ($2.18/lb.),
and raspberries ($2.52/lb.).
Vaccine rules will
impact H-2A workers
As of Jan. 22, the Department
of Homeland Security is requiring
essential and non-essential travelers
entering the U.S. to show proof of
COVID-19 vaccination.
H-2A workers arriving on Jan.
22, 2022, or after, will be required
to show proof of vaccination. This
goes for all essential and nonessential
travelers entering the U.S.
These restrictions are temporary
and will remain in effect through
April 21, 2022, unless amended or
rescinded prior to that date.
For purposes of travel to the
U.S., the only vaccines accepted are
those authorized for emergency use
or approved by the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration or listed for
emergency use by the World Health
Organization.
COVID testing is not required for
entry via a land port of entry or
ferry terminal.
" We are concerned that this
final declaration is being finalized
24 hours from its required
implementation. In turn, this will
cause great concerns for those
responsible for adhering to this
requirement as well as officials at
the border who have to implement
this new order, " said International
Fresh Produce Association Vice
President of Supply Chain and
Sustainability Ed Treacy.
Cranberry growers
honor Nick Vorsa
Rutgers professor of plant
biology Nicholi Vorsa was named
as a 2022 recipient of the Service to
Industry Award by the Wisconsin
State Cranberry Growers Association
(WSCGA).
The WSCGA awards are given to
individuals for their work on behalf
of the WSCGA and the Wisconsin
cranberry community.
Vorsa has built a nationally
recognized cranberry breeding
program at Rutgers New Jersey
Agricultural Experiment Station
at the Philip E. Marucci Center for
Blueberry and Cranberry Research
and Extension in Chatsworth,
New Jersey, where he served as
director from 1988 until 2021.
The program has released seven
patented cranberry varieties with
increased productivity and fruit
quality. The cultivars have received
wide acceptance and are being
extensively planted and grown in all
U.S. cranberry growing states and
Canadian provinces, as well as in
Chile and New Zealand.
Vorsa's program focuses on the
development of cranberry varieties
with enhanced disease resistance,
insect resistance and adaptation to
stresses.
The award was presented on
Jan. 19, during the 2022 Wisconsin
Cranberry School and Conference.
CAWG salutes vineyard
in Excellence Awards
The California Association of
Winegrape Growers (CAWG)
selected Bogle Vineyards as the
2022 Grower of the Year and Anita
Oberholster as the 2022 Leader the
Year.
The recipients were honored at an
awards reception on Jan. 25 during
the 2022 Unified Wine & Grape
Symposium in Sacramento.
" We applaud the outstanding
leadership and exceptional efforts
of the Bogle family and Dr.
Oberholster, who are very deserving
of these awards, " CAWG President
John Aguirre said in a news release.
The Grower of the Year Award is
bestowed to an individual, family
or company that represents an
outstanding example of excellence
in viticulture and management.
The Bogle family has farmed
in the Clarksburg region of
the Sacramento Delta for six
generations.
Today, Bogle is one of the largest
wine producers in the nation. It
farms nearly 1,900 acres in the
Clarksburg AVA and sells more than
2.5 million cases around the world,
shipping to all 50 states and more
than 40 countries.
FGN | FEBRUARY 2022 | 39
February 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2022
