WSU, OSU will hold preharvest tours, photos, fingerprinting

PROSSER, Wash. -- The Washington State University Cherry Field Day and the Oregon State University Cherry Pre-Harvest Tour will be held June 7 and 8.

The OSU tour begins at 8 a.m. June 7 at the Steve Agidius Orchard, 3455 Doane Road, The Dalles. The tour continues through the day at three other area orchards.

The WSU field day begins at 8:30 a.m. June 8 at Wolverton Orchards, Buena, Wash., and includes an orchard at Outlook and WSU Roza experimental orchards at Prosser.

Collaboration with OSU for a two-day event, an earlier date and later harvest should make it easier for growers to attend, said Matt Whiting, lead researcher at WSU-Prosser.

The Oregon tours include discussions of labor camps, pruning, new cherry coverings, plantings to increase beneficial insects, drip irrigation and soil monitoring, among other things.

The WSU tours include hand thinning, upright offshoots for fruiting walls and demonstrations of new harvest technologies.

Both days offer photos and fingerprinting for growers to obtain newly required federal explosive permits for bird control.

Discounted motel rooms are available June 7 at Days Inn and Suites in Toppenish, Wash., at 509-865-7444. Mention the field day to get the discount.

-- Dan Wheat

Links to the WSU and OSU tour agendas: http://sweetcherryresearch.wsu.edu