USApple's 2007-2008 Goals

• Lobby for passage of agricultural immigration reform legislation (AgJOBS). Seek effective short-term improvements to H-2A agricultural guest worker program.
• Promote strong, science-based efforts to ensure USDA does not allow fresh apples from China into the United States until proven no harm will result to the U.S. apple industry.
• Continue working for apple priorities in the 2007 Farm Bill and sound USDA implementation.
• Encourage greater foreign market access for American apple exports, with a level playing field.
• Support science- and risk-based food safety practices as Congress considers mandatory standards that include good agricultural, handling, and manufacturing practices to continue providing healthy and nutritious apples for consumers.
• Preserve the use of safe and effective crop protection tools required by the apple industry.
• Monitor and represent the industry's interests on biotechnology regarding apples, especially relating to scientific and regulatory developments and communications.
• Work with USDA and Congress to resolve apple crop insurance problems when they arise.

• Keep apples in the media and "top of mind" when consumers make purchasing decisions.
• Track ongoing apple health research, including two on-going studies funded by USApple that are expected to be completed in 2008.
• Promote results with more apple health news to generate favorable apple media coverage for consumers; produce health educator newsletter, An Apple A Day.
• Conduct fall harvest PR campaign, a color feature page, electronic press kit for magazine editors, develop and promote new apple recipes which include Latino focus.
• Participate in Healthy Snacks and Meals TV Media Tour in 10 "top-30" markets in partnership with chef/food writer with back-to-school focus.

• Participate in winter horticultural meetings to share latest developments and listen to industry concerns.
• Communicate with apple growers and other industry members about issues facing the industry via media releases, monthly Apple News, and regular columns in key industry publications.
• Maintain emphasis on member relations and increase communications with individual members.

• Increase participation in USApple's 2008 Apple Crop Outlook & Marketing Conference.
• Provide timely and accurate information on the apple crop, including movement and storage data to Congress, the media, USApple staff and industry members.

• Be prepared to promptly manage a crisis that develops; minimize adverse impacts in coordination with industry leaders and state associations.
• Maintain updated, comprehensive crisis communications plan for use as needed on behalf of the apple industry.

USApple's 2006-2007 Accomplishments

Labor Reform … Implemented Apple Campaign for Agriculture Immigration Reform to build support in Congress and the media for reforms to provide growers with reliable, legal farm workers.

• Industry leaders and USApple staff met with members of Congress and generated extensive press, radio and TV coverage to move public opinion and drive home the labor crisis to the White House, and U.S. Congress
• Created 24-7 "Keep Agriculture Working" website devoted to immigration reform/AgJOBS with email-your-legislator capability which generated 1,154 letters directly to Congress from 21 states, including major apple producing states as well as others including Arizona, Florida, Kentucky, Utah, and Wisconsin.
• Gained inclusion of ag labor reform (AgJOBS) in Senate immigration reform legislation.
• Co-hosted "March on Capitol Hill" in which agricultural groups and 160 growers from across the nation held 150 meetings with their Members of Congress about the need for ag labor reform. Over one-third of attendees were from the apple industry.

• Wrote testimony for apple leaders across the country for use in at Congressional and USDA Farm Bill hearings in support of a strong fruit/vegetable Farm Bill.
• Held lobbying meetings on Capitol Hill and gained over $1.6 billion in new/expanded Farm Bill programs in marketing, research, export, pest/disease and conservation for apples and other specialty crops in House-passed legislation. Expanded Tree Assistance Program (TAP) in bill to assist with replanting costs for orchardists who lost trees or vines due to qualified weather related disasters.

Research … A new research program for specialty crops in the 2007 Farm Bill adopted by the U.S. House of Representatives gained support as a result of work by the USApple-supported National Tree Fruit Technology Roadmap and other specialty crops.

• Co-organized workshop on Engineering Solutions for Specialty Crops as part of the Technology Roadmap.
• Technology Roadmap partners grew in past year to include National Science Foundation, NASA and engineering universities such as Carnegie Mellon and MIT. Supporters include USDA policy makers.

• Supported use of carbaryl (Sevin®) by showing EPA its importance to growers. Met with EPA and the Mancozeb Task Force to urge the agency to reduce the preharvest interval from 77 days to 45 days. EPA is evaluating the request.

Health Research Promotion … Advised national media on apple issues, including major new apple health benefits research, resulting in widespread media coverage.

• Funded and publicized two scientific discoveries by University of Massachusetts which found apples and apple juice may protect cells from Alzheimer's disease and may improve memory like existing medication for the disease. Media reach: 422 million consumer impressions.

• Results included apple articles in Martha Stewart Living, Real Simple, Family Circle, Self Cooking Light, Shape and others. Media reach: 130 million consumer impressions.

Total media reach of 665 million consumer impressions.

Membership/Communications

Membership … Participated in numerous state winter horticultural meetings to share the latest developments and listen to industry concerns.

• USApple leadership attended meetings in Washington State, Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia, New York and Pennsylvania.

• Communicated through media releases, the monthly publication of Apple News, regular columns in key industry publications and industry conference calls.

2006 Apple Crop Outlook and Marketing Conference … 260 + participants came from around the globe to hear up-to-the-minute crop forecasts and market outlooks, as well as coming marketing trends.

Crop Movement … USApple published the industry's only compendium of crop production data, Production and Utilization Analysis and the industry's only national crop movement and storage report, Market News.

Crisis Communications

Crisis communications preparation and training occurred this year … USApple twice reviewed and updated USApple crisis plan. USApple held crisis communications training as did several apple states.

• Compiled positive apple B-roll for media use during a crisis.
• Addressed consumer issues, such as childhood obesity and animal rights, in the media.
• USApple is prepared in the event of a crisis of potential national impact to defend and protect the apple industry