An emerging agricultural carbon market could generate profits from piles, according to Ben Bardsley, founder of BX, at right, standing with grower Byron Borton in front of a Red Delicious apple block Borton Fruit removed in March in Yakima, Washington. These piles will be burned, Borton said, but he’s hopeful that next year he’ll be able to convert similar stacks of old wood into biochar. (TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower) A new ag tech company wants to help orchardists get paid for their climate-friendly farming practices.  “Without a doubt, our ability to sell carbon credits is the bi ..read more

Washington State University’s Viticulture and Enology department will host a two-day symposium on sustainable wine production, new technologies and climate resilience on May 9 and 10. The event, entitled “Tomorrow’s Vintage,” will be held at WSU’s Tri-Cities campus and feature visiting speakers from Washington, California, Australia and New Zealand. Topics include drought adaptation, carbon capture in vineyard soils, wastewater management, pomace upcycling and sensor technology for sustainability.  The symposium is part of the Ravenholt Lecture Series, which is supported by an endowment f ..read more

The U.S. Apple Association will host a webinar May 14 to take a rearview-mirror look at the 2023–24 apple season. Chris Gerlach, the association’s director of industry analytics, will review final production data from 2023-24, look ahead to the coming harvest and explore trends in apple storage, movement, trade, prices and more, according to news release from the group. The webinar begins at noon Pacific time, 3 p.m. Eastern time. To register, or for more information, visit: usapple.org/events/webinar-may-14-2024. —by Ross Courtney The post USApple to host season-end webinar May 14 first appea ..read more

Oliver May of Discovery Vineyard in Central Washington rigged up subsurface irrigation for replanted Cabernet Sauvignon vines by using a drip irrigation emitter to divert water directly to the roots via a PVC pipe inserted in the ground. The method is helping the young vines, replanted in 2022 after rogueing for grapevine leafroll disease, catch up to their mature neighbors that were planted in 2005. (TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower) A method of irrigating wine grapes belowground is catching on. Several vineyards in Washington and other grape-growing areas in the American West are putting to use ..read more

University of California, Santa Cruz, assistant professor Colleen Josephson is developing an inexpensive soil moisture sensor that uses radio frequency. (Source: Colleen Josephson/University of California, Santa Cruz; Jared Johnson/Good Fruit Grower) A California researcher is developing a remote soil moisture sensor that uses radio signals and would be many factors cheaper than those currently on the market. Colleen Josephson, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at University of California, Santa Cruz, has built a prototype of a passive radio-frequency tag that ..read more

Bindweed in a Michigan tart cherry orchard. Bindweed, Canada thistle and other perennial weeds are more likely to infest orchards and vineyards, which have long-term structures such as trees and vines that aren’t rotated annually. (Courtesy Karen Powers/Michigan State University) Growers need multiple methods of weed control, because even though herbicides are highly effective, their overuse leads to resistance, said Michigan State University assistant professor and weed scientist Erin Burns. Burns, who normally works with row crops, discussed integrated weed management — a subset of integrate ..read more

California cherry growers expect to harvest a 10.2-million-box crop with relatively normal timing, according to the crop estimate released by the California Cherry Board this week.  Harvest is expected to start in late April, according to the estimate, with peak volumes between May 15 and June 6.  Northwest Cherry Growers plans to release its first-round estimate after the five-state meeting on May 15. Northwest packers report plans to start shipping in late May or early June.  —by Kate Prengaman The post California Cherry Board releases crop estimate first appeared on Good Frui ..read more

This map of snowpack across Washington as of April 16 shows the snow water equivalent falling far below normal. This led the state’s Department of Ecology to issue a drought emergency on April 16. (Courtesy USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service) On April 16, the state of Washington declared a drought emergency for almost the entire state, citing snowpack at 68 percent of normal and warm, dry conditions in the forecast. “There is simply not enough water contained in mountain snow and reservoirs to prevent serious impacts for water users in the months ahead,” according to a news release fr ..read more

This state-of-the-art fertigation system was an investment for Sauk Farm, a 20-acre organic tree fruit farm in Washington’s Skagit Valley, but grower Griffin Berger says it’s a critical part of his approach to “build resiliency in the trees.” (TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower) No recipe exists for regenerative organic apple growing in the western foothills of Washington’s Cascade Range, a world away — climate-wise — from the apple industry’s epicenter east of those mountains.  “We don’t have the luxury of five generations of knowledge,” said Griffin Berger, who co-owns Sauk Farm with his fat ..read more

A wood chipper makes quick work of a removed orchard block near Quincy, Washington, in March. This process marks the first step for a new industry partnership known as The Soil Center, which aims to transform ag waste products from orchard and livestock operations into carbon-rich soil amendments. (Courtesy The Soil Center) In Royal City, Washington, hungry worms happily munch on wood chips and dairy waste — filtering water, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and giving a second life to ripped-out orchards.  The success of the worm farm system at Royal Family Farming inspired its owners, t ..read more