California pear growers vote to expand state marketing order
California pear growers vote to expand state marketing order
Members of the California Pear Advisory Board received word in mid-April that the state's pear growers had overwhelmingly approved the expansion of the California pear-marketing program to all pear varieties produced in the state with the exception of Asian pears.
The board, which operates under oversight of the California Department of Food & Agriculture, has existed since 1992 to administer marketing programs on behalf of producers of the state's most abundant pear variety, the Bartlett. With this recent vote of support, the marketing order will now represent other pear varieties grown in the state including Bosc, Seckel, Comice, Ferelle and various red pear varieties.
"We are very pleased and excited to now be representing all pears produced in California and are looking forward to covering a wider range of the pear category offered at retail stores around the country and in export channels," Chris Zanobini, executive director of the Sacramento-based California Pear Advisory Board, said in a statement.
Mr. Zanobini noted that the average annual production of Bartlett pears in California is about 400 million pounds, mostly coming from the major production areas of Sacramento, Yuba, Sutter, Yolo, Lake and Mendocino counties. Under the expanded order, the California Pear Advisory Board will now represent another 40 million pounds of varieties other than Bartletts.
"California pears face direct competition from other states such as Washington and Oregon and countries like Argentina, Chile and South Africa, which produce a wide range of pear varieties," said board Chairman David Weiss of Bella Vista Farming Co. LLC in Lake County. "It didn't make sense for our growers to be handicapped by the fact that we could only promote one variety of pears. That has now been resolved with an overwhelming majority of the state's growers agreeing that this is the right move for our industry."
According to the CDFA, over 88 percent of the growers representing 80 percent of the state's pear volume voting in this referendum approved of the amendment to expand the varieties covered under the California pear marketing program.
Mr. Weiss added that in today's competitive retail environment, it is beneficial to market a wide variety of produce and to garner as much shelf space as possible. He noted that the additional varieties now represented by the California Pear Advisory Board would allow for larger and more colorful displays.
The California pear industry is now gearing up for the coming harvest and marketing season. The first varieties, Starkcrimson and Early Bartletts from the Sacramento River District, are expected to begin coming off trees at the end of June. Promotion activities are being developed to incorporate the new varieties into the overall program. Much more information about those activities will be revealed in coming weeks.
The board, which operates under oversight of the California Department of Food & Agriculture, has existed since 1992 to administer marketing programs on behalf of producers of the state's most abundant pear variety, the Bartlett. With this recent vote of support, the marketing order will now represent other pear varieties grown in the state including Bosc, Seckel, Comice, Ferelle and various red pear varieties.
"We are very pleased and excited to now be representing all pears produced in California and are looking forward to covering a wider range of the pear category offered at retail stores around the country and in export channels," Chris Zanobini, executive director of the Sacramento-based California Pear Advisory Board, said in a statement.
Mr. Zanobini noted that the average annual production of Bartlett pears in California is about 400 million pounds, mostly coming from the major production areas of Sacramento, Yuba, Sutter, Yolo, Lake and Mendocino counties. Under the expanded order, the California Pear Advisory Board will now represent another 40 million pounds of varieties other than Bartletts.
"California pears face direct competition from other states such as Washington and Oregon and countries like Argentina, Chile and South Africa, which produce a wide range of pear varieties," said board Chairman David Weiss of Bella Vista Farming Co. LLC in Lake County. "It didn't make sense for our growers to be handicapped by the fact that we could only promote one variety of pears. That has now been resolved with an overwhelming majority of the state's growers agreeing that this is the right move for our industry."
According to the CDFA, over 88 percent of the growers representing 80 percent of the state's pear volume voting in this referendum approved of the amendment to expand the varieties covered under the California pear marketing program.
Mr. Weiss added that in today's competitive retail environment, it is beneficial to market a wide variety of produce and to garner as much shelf space as possible. He noted that the additional varieties now represented by the California Pear Advisory Board would allow for larger and more colorful displays.
The California pear industry is now gearing up for the coming harvest and marketing season. The first varieties, Starkcrimson and Early Bartletts from the Sacramento River District, are expected to begin coming off trees at the end of June. Promotion activities are being developed to incorporate the new varieties into the overall program. Much more information about those activities will be revealed in coming weeks.
