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.

We open up with WSTFA President Jon DeVaney talking about hot topics in the tree fruit industry and then move to a pair of leaders in the NW tree fruit industry who have recently announced their upcoming retirements. We talk with Keving Moffitt, President and CEO of Pear Bureau Northwest, and Washington Apple Commission President Todd Fryhover, about their accomplishments over the years, the challenges their replacements will be facing and what their plans are moving forward.

On the March edition of Bearing Fruit, we talk with WSTFA President Jon DeVaney about the good and not-so-good from the recently completed legislative session in Olympia. We also talk with a student, Elena Tucker, and a professor, Mike Rogel, from Central Washington University about their Food and Agribusiness program where students can earn a minor or a certificate.

WSTFA President Jon DeVaney talks with us about what's going on in Olympia during the current legislative session and bills we should keep an eye on. We also talk about the importance of getting involved and helping educate lawmakers about the actual needs of the tree fruit industry and agriculture in general. We also chat with Washington Apple Education Foundation Executive Director, Dr. Faviola Barbosa about the fast-approaching deadline for scholarship applications.

We're lead off, as always, with WSTFA President Jon DeVaney with his recap of what to expect at this year's annual meeting in the Tri Cities. He will be followed by David Magana, a RaboResearch executive who is giving the Key Note Address at the annual meeting's opening day. He will be followed by this year's Batjer Address speaker, David Granatstein, Professor Emeritus from WSU to give a tease of his talk on sustainability.