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December 2, 2016 CapitalPress.com 5 PNW pear sales post a good start By DAN WHEAT Capital Press WENATCHEE, Wash. — Sales of the 2016 Pacific Northwest pear crop are off to a good start with generally strong pricing and high qual- ity. A year ago, the pear crop suffered from too much cork, a decay brought on by calci- um deficiency caused by too much heat early in the grow- ing season. This year, the price of Bartlett is down compared to a year ago because of a record crop, and the price of d’Anjou is up because there’s fewer of them. As of Nov. 18, the 18.7 million, 44-pound-box crop is right on the June 2 forecast and is 2 percent larger than the 2015 crop but 7 percent less than the 20.2-million-box average of the past five years, according to The Pear Bureau Northwest in Portland. The record is 21.6 million boxes in 2013. The Bartlett crop is a re- cord this year at 4.8 million boxes. There are 89,200 box- es of Red Bartlett and 350,156 boxes of Starkrimson and oth- er summer-fall pears. The winter category is led by 8.6 million d’Anjou, 3.2 million Bosc, 1 million Red d’Anjou, 319,833 Comice, 53,784 Seckel and all others at 165,904. Regionally, Wenatchee leads with 8.7 million boxes, followed by Mid-Columbia (Hood River, Ore.) at 6.7 mil- lion, Yakima at 2.3 million and Medford at 927,160. The average wholesale asking price of U.S. No. 1 grade Bartlett, size 80, in the Yakima and Wenatchee dis- tricts was $24 to $29.90 per box on Nov. 21 compared to $28 to $32.90 a year ago, Rick Bowmer/Associated Press File In this 2011 file photo, water flows through the Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River near Cascade Locks, Ore. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is closing the river from Dec. 12 through March 20. The extended closure allows the corps to make repairs at six dams on the river system, including navlock controls at Bonneville Lock and Dam and new operating machinery for the downstream gate at Ice Harbor Lock and Dam. PNW industry gears up for 14-week river closure Dan Wheat/Capital Press Hernaldo Flores works in pre-size sorting of d’Anjou pears at Duckwall Fruit in Hood River, Ore., on Oct. 12. Established in 1919, Duckwall is one of the top pear packers in Oregon. according to USDA Market News. While lower, that’s still “very good from a histori- cal perspective,” said Bruce Grim, manager of the Wash- ington and Mid-Columbia Pear Marketing Associations in Wenatchee. “Last year was amazing on the Bartlett side. It was a small crop. Prices started high and just went higher. There were some amazing re- turns. This year won’t match that because there’s several hundred thousand more,” Grim said. Prices averaged $40 per box last year on U.S. No. 1 grade Bartlett, he said. U.S. No. 1 grade d’An- jou, size 80, in Yakima and Wenatchee was $30 to $34.90 on Nov. 21 compared to $28 to $30.90 a year earlier and Bosc U.S. No. 1, size 110s, was $20 to $24.90 compared with $22 to $24.90. As of Nov. 18, 35.6 per- cent of the PNW pear crop was sold and shipped com- pared to 39.4 percent a year ago and more than 37 percent in two of the three years be- fore that. Kevin Moffitt, president of The Pear Bureau, said ex- ports are down because of a strong dollar and fewer small fruit, which is preferred in export markets. “The bottom line is we need to sell more fruit do- mestically right now and we’re not. We have to take up the slack from lack of ex- port,” he said. The large apple crop also is competition, he said. But Grim, who manages the Washington Apple Mar- keting Association as well as the two pear marketing asso- ciations, said regardless of crop sizes, apples and pears don’t compete much. He said the slower pear movement percentage is not statistically significant. “We’re moving at a de- cent pace for the crop size we have and prices are remain- ing at very decent levels,” Grim said. “We are slightly behind in shipments but it’s not a huge crop so it should be a year of good returns,” Moffitt said. The Pear Bureau, the pro- motional arm of the North- west pear industry, is mark- ing its 85th year, having been incorporated in the summer of 1931, several years before receiving a federal marketing order. Cattlemen pick Walla Walla rancher for president Producer: Let’s tell our side By DON JENKINS Capital Press Courtesy of Washington Cattlemen’s Association Walla Walla rancher Tyler Cox was selected president of the Wash- ington Cattlemen’s Association at the group’s annual convention Nov. 11 in Cle Elum. Cox says ranchers should try to connect with consumers. “We’re proud of what we do,” he says. “Come have a look.” tive branch proposals. The group’s executive vice pres- ident, Jack Field, heads up the staff. The group’s wide-ranging policy interests are reflected in the many resolutions that were adopted at its annual convention. The resolutions touch on animal diseases, property rights, endangered species, predators and, of course, regulations. Asked whether state or federal regulations concern him the most, Cox said, “There are plenty to go around.” Cox said he looks for- ward to meeting with state lawmakers during the up- coming 2017 session. He said he’s learned from prior sessions that urban lawmakers are willing to listen. “Most of them have been pretty happy to at least hear what I have to say.” By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press Ag industry representa- tives say they’re as ready as possible for an upcoming 14- week closure of the Colum- bia-Snake river system that carries their crops and goods. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is closing the river from Dec. 12 through March 20. The extended closure al- lows the corps to make repairs at six dams on the river sys- tem, including navlock con- trols at Bonneville Lock and Dam and new operating ma- chinery for the downstream gate at Ice Harbor Lock and Dam. Information from the corps includes repairs costing at least $33 million. The closure affects grain traffic and other commodities that use the river system for overseas export, said Kristin Meira, executive director of the Pacific Northwest Water- ways Association. “This is an investment in U.S. infrastructure and ulti- mately an investment in the reliability of U.S. products,” she said. “The industry has taken all the steps it can to prepare for the long closure,” said Dan Hart, general manager of Almota Elevator Co. in Colfax, Wash. “(The corps) was extremely proactive in getting the word out to all affected parties so there was ample time to plan for the disruption.” Companies must have their last barge loaded by Dec. 10, said Damon Filan, manager of Tri-Cities Grain in Pasco, Wash., and an in- dustry representative on the Washington Grain Commis- sion. Grain companies aren’t likely to get all the barges they ordered, due to rainy weather that slowed the fleet down, Filan said. “We’ll probably get 90 to 95 percent of the barges we have ordered,” he said. “We still have contracts we have to fill, so we may have to figure out ways to buy rail or whatever we’ll have to do.” The biggest concern is unforeseen complications that delay reopening, Hart said. “This could have a seri- ous financial impact on ship- pers and exporters if it were longer than a day or two,” he said. The corps held stake- holder outreach sessions and monthly conference calls leading up to the closure. Calls will be weekly during the closure to keep stake- holders informed, Meira said. The closure is a week less than a river closure six years ago, Meira said. At that time, there were more unknowns, she said. “What we learned is, with the proper planning and funding, it could be done,” she said. “I think there’s a lot more confidence from all involved that we’re prepared for success a second time around.” Last time, wheat prices were high and moving high- er before harvest, Hart said. A large percentage of the crop was priced and ready to move, and export sales were on the books before the clo- sure. This year, with sluggish market conditions and prices at eight-year lows, a high- er percentage of the crop is left in the country, Hart said. “There could still be some variabilities that might make it a little bit tight,” Filan said. “There’s so much grain in the world that, if we can’t supply — and I think we can — someone else will.” The industry reps say the closure is necessary to maintain a vital river system. “This is the way you want to get this work done, rather than waiting for something to break and then having an unplanned, catastrophic clo- sure with major impacts in the region and ultimately in oth- er parts of the nation,” Meira said. ROP-40-42-4/#17 The new president of the Washington Cattlemen’s As- sociation, Tyler Cox, says cellphone and internet ser- vice isn’t the best where he lives in Walla Walla County. That’s life in cattle coun- try. “It’s something fairly common in our member- ship,” he said. Yet, one of his goals as president is to get cattle- men and consumers better acquainted through social media. “I’d hate to put words in the mouths of my customers, but it sounds to me like they would like to have some sort of connection,” he said. “We have nothing to hide. We’re proud of what we do. Come have a look.” Cox, who had been first vice president, was installed Nov. 11 at the cattlemen’s annual convention in Cle Elum. He will serve a two- year term, taking over from Bill Sieverkropp of Ephrata. The group is affiliated with the National Cattle- men’s Beef Association. In Olympia, the cattlemen’s association maintains a high profile, lobbying legislators and commenting on execu- He said he doesn’t want to force-feed facts to people, but he would like to clear up misconceptions about ranchers. “There are plen- ty of people with an ax to grind against our industry,” he said. He said he would like to impress upon people that ranchers have a lot in com- mon with everybody else. “We do the whole get- ting the kids to soccer and baseball practices,” he said. “My family doesn’t operate any different- ly than others,” Cox said. “We feed our family beef without any hesitation whatsoever.” Another goal will be to get younger people involved in the cattlemen’s associa- tion, he said. “It’s been my experi- ence that if you ask peo- ple to take on responsibil- ity, they will be happy to try.” Biggest worry is unforeseen delay of reopening 49-4/#4N
