<p><strong>Portland, OR</strong><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> The Northwest pear industry met at its annual pear meetings to project the size of the upcoming coming fresh pear harvest. Pacific Northwest growing regions of Wenatchee and Yakima, Washington and Mid-Columbia and Medford in Oregon had reports of an excellent crop and quality. Total projection is showing to be approximately 19.3 million standard 44-lb box equivalents(or 424,080 tons) of pears for the fresh market, according to a press release. This estimate is about 2% larger than the five-year average, and 6% smaller than last year’s record crop.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> The quality of the fruit looks excellent so far, with no significant weather issues affecting the crop as of yet. Early August will kick off with the Starkrimson variety being picked first followed by Bartletts. Winter pear varieties such as the Anjou, Bosc, Comice, Concorde, Forelle, and Seckel will be picked from early September through mid-October.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> With this full crop of excellent quality, PearBureau Northwest’s president and CEO, Kevin Moffitt, states that he is confident the marketing programs planned for the forthcoming season will be effective in helping to move the crop. “We have developed innovative retail programs for this season based on new pear category information, which we will be custom-tailoring for retailers,” said Moffitt.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> An integrated PR and communications program enhances ongoing activities with consumer outreach emphasizing nutrition, recipe development for both consumers and foodservice. Growing presence for USA Pears on media outlets and www.usapears.org will assist with visibility.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http:// www.usapears.org " target="_new"> Polymer Logistics </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
