01/21/05 One hundred years at the Hort, Part 2

01/21/05 One hundred years at the Hort, Part 2

It was a special event within a special event. The documentary, 100 Years, produced by Jamie Howell, to commemorate last month's centennial meeting of the Washington State Horticultural Association. And as it was designed to do, it was meant to reminisce about the past and present while studying what the future might hold for the tree fruit industry. Subjects covered ranged from the importance of water and irrigation to the industry to technological advances. And in many ways, the various components of the tree fruit industry are tied together. For example, as more mechanical advances in the orchard takes place, the less labor will be needed. Yet, labor has been closely tied with opportunity in the industry, with migrants from first the dust bowl states, the South, and later south of the border coming to the Northwest to seek their fortune in the orchards. And that advancement still burns in those who want to see the current labor force move up into management. VIDEO: You can climb to the top of the ladder and there's no dead end, and I kind of like that. I would like to see a lot more Hispanics kind of holding to the next step. Sure is fun to watch people to try it and it's not easy, but it kind of gives you this sense of pride. Another correlation involves technology and transporting fruit to market. More on that in our next program.
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