Harvest related topics include how apples and pears have been doing this season, the upcoming WSTFA Annual Meeting in Wenatchee, and H-2A reform and how that is going.

Washington apple harvest for 2025 is upon us and we talk with Washington State Tree Fruit Association president Jon DeVaney and Washington Apple Commission president Michael Schadler about this season's forecast and what to expect from this year's crop as harvest gets underway.

We talk with WSTFA President Jon DeVaney about cherries and other tree fruit-related subjects. Then we are joined by Karley Lange, the Domestic Promotions Director for Northwest Cherries, to tell us about the estimates for the upcoming crop and what to expect in the weeks ahead when the cherries are on store shelves.

On this episode of Bearing Fruit, we talk with former and returning Executive Director of the Washington Apple Education Foundation Jennifer Witherbee about return to the post and what WAEF is up to this year. We also talk with Larry Mattson, the new Director for the Office of Columbia River about what growers should expect from the water supply in 2025.

This month we talk with WSTFA President Jon DeVaney about the upcoming 120th Annual Meeting and Hort Show as well as the Ag Leadership Program. We also talk with Monson Fruit Grower Relations Rep, Jeff Baldwin who is the chair for this year's WSTFA Annual Meeting and what will be happening there. We also chat with Viri Acevedo, an office operations manager at Zirkle Fruit and a graduate of the Ag Leadership Program. She will share her experience with ALP and why she believes in the program and why it might be something you should consider as well.

We talk with Washington State Tree Fruit Association President, Jon DeVaney who shares his thoughts on the early estimates for this year's apple crop ... and then we chat with Pear Bureau Northwest International Marketing Director Jeff Correa about how things are looking for our pear crop this season.

We begin talking with WSTFA President Jon DeVaney about the new Pear Bureau President and other changes there. We also discuss the upcoming WSTFA Golf Tournament coming on August 27th. Then we meet Pear Bureau's new President CarrieAnn Arias and the new role for International Marketing Director Jeff Correa as Manager of the Fresh Pear Committee.

We kick things off with WSTFA President Jon DeVaney to talk about tree fruit harvest that are underway or soon to begin. We follow up with Todd Myers, Senior Vice President of Research at the Washington Policy Center, a beekeeper himself, about the threats to our honeybee populations and whether it's something to BEE too concerned about. Then, we talk with Brandon Hopkins, Assistant Research Professor with the Washington State University Apiary Program to get his take on what their studies show when it comes to honeybee threats.