The Fruit Growers News

Your article entitled “Michigan Apple Committee needs to find the cheese” certainly addressed many serious problems in our apple industry today and your comments will hopefully enlighten Michigan growers of the importance of these issues. These issues should revolve around the great need for all apple growing regions to work together and to cooperate.

The U.S. Apple Association (USApple) is designed to represent the U.S. apple industry, offering the voice and the strength of a unified industry. The important word, is unified, and unless all members equally participate, our effectiveness is weakened.

We are all faced with extreme financial problems, and we all appreciate the value of grower money, and how hard it is to receive it. It is for this reason that it is so important to leverage our funds together to work the best for us all. Now, more than ever, the most sensible and efficient way to best use grower funds, is on a national level that best improves our apple industry. Each state apple board or commission presently is trying to improve their market shares by spending an unbelievable amount of money pushing their apples through the system. Are we doing that well, with $8 fob prices?

Advertising allowances are being spent to promote apples that are being purchased at 30 cents per pound and being sold at $1.30 per pound. One would think that the opportunity to make that amount of markup is all that is needed to get the retailers to promote apples. You cannot blame the retailers, since they are in the business to make money, not sell apples, the blame is at the $8 fob level. If this practice was supporting a strong fob, and our growers were making money, there would be no discussion. Since this in not the case, it is safe to say this is not working, and a change is needed. Together, as a unified industry, we should make these changes.

USApple should be supported evenly by all apple producing states. We sincerely hope, that Michigan apple growers will realize the importance of the value of this effort, and that they will join New York, Pennsylvania, Washington and California by supporting USApple at an equal level. New York values the relationship they have with Michigan on many fronts, such as apple and cherry processing, grower groups, farm bureau and the USApple Export Council.

Over the years, success has been reached by working together. We look forward to continuing our successes, with Michigan as a full dues paying member of USApple.



		All Apple Growing Regions Need to Work Together Your article entitled “Michigan Apple Committee needs to find the cheese” certainly addressed many serious problems in our apple industry today and your comments will hopefully enlighten Michigan growers of the importance of these issues. These issues should revolve around the great need for all apple growing regions to work together and to cooperate. The U.S. Apple Association (USApple) is designed to represent the U.S. apple industry, offering the voice and the strength of a unified industry. The important word, is unified, and unless all members equally participate, our effectiveness is weakened. We are all faced with extreme financial problems, and we all appreciate the value of grower money, and how hard it is to receive it. It is for this reason that it is so important to leverage our funds together to work the best for us all. Now, more than ever, the most sensible and efficient way to best use grower funds, is on a national level that best improves our apple industry. Each state apple board or commission presently is trying to improve their market shares by spending an unbelievable amount of money pushing their apples through the system. Are we doing that well, with $8 fob prices? Advertising allowances are being spent to promote apples that are being purchased at 30 cents per pound and being sold at $1.30 per pound. One would think that the opportunity to make that amount of markup is all that is needed to get the retailers to promote apples. You cannot blame the retailers, since they are in the business to make money, not sell apples, the blame is at the $8 fob level. If this practice was supporting a strong fob, and our growers were making money, there would be no discussion. Since this in not the case, it is safe to say this is not working, and a change is needed. Together, as a unified industry, we should make these changes. USApple should be supported evenly by all apple producing states. We sincerely hope, that Michigan apple growers will realize the importance of the value of this effort, and that they will join New York, Pennsylvania, Washington and California by supporting USApple at an equal level. New York values the relationship they have with Michigan on many fronts, such as apple and cherry processing, grower groups, farm bureau and the USApple Export Council. Over the years, success has been reached by working together. We look forward to continuing our successes, with Michigan as a full dues paying member of USApple. Jim Allen, President and CEO New York Apple Association

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