Pear Marketing Order Passes Pt 2

Pear Marketing Order Passes Pt 2

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
With today's Fruit Grower Report, I'm Bob Larson. With a nearly unanimous approval, Northwest pear growers will continue the federal marketing order under which they've collectively promoted their fruit for more than 85 years.

The referendum organized by the USDA, comes up for a vote every six years. Pear Bureau Northwest's Kathy Stephenson says it allows the industry to continue a true team effort, more than 85 years in the making ...

KATHY STEPHENSON ... "Absolutely! A very strong collaboration with our industry growers, etcetera. We have, for instance, a group of regional marketing managers that work directly with retailers setting programs for the year, helping them to identify sales opportunities for the pear category. And those folks are in direct communication with the shippers of pears back in the Washington and Oregon markets. So, collaborating very carefully with the suppliers that are bring the fruit to the retailer and continuing to use the grower funds to create promotions, increase training, have contests, encouraging all the best practices we have identified for retailing."

Stephenson says her organization handles the administration of the order which has been very popular ...

KATHY STEPHENSON ... "In prior years, the referendum was approved at a 90% rate or more. I think it was 96% of the growers approved it, representing 88% of all volume. So, for a board and a marketing order to be approved at that rate is really incredible. We're really hoping that we continue to serve the growers in our marketing order as well as we have in the past."

The total industry vote in Oregon and Washington was 97% yes by number of growers, representing 90% of the pear volume voted.

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