New co-operative elects first board of directors

Staff Writer, Lake Country Calendar — 9 Sep 2008

You should have a better eating experience when you choose B.C. tree fruits at the market, now that there’s only one co-operative packing and shipping fruit.

Growers elected the first board of directors for the new Okanagan Tree Fruit Co-operative Thursday in Penticton, after voting earlier this year in favour of amalgamation of the four packinghouses in the valley.

Interim president Jim Elliot said the company will be putting new bylaws in place changing the criteria for when growers harvest fruit, with the intent of ensuring it’s picked at its optimum.

Up to now, if growers didn’t want to comply, they could always go elsewhere, but now they’ll have to comply, with only one packinghouse, noted Elliot.

Harvest times will be science-based.

It could be more difficult for larger growers to get all their fruit picked at the same time, but the result will be higher quality fruit going to market, and better prices.

It’s just one of many changes that will occur as a result of the unification of the tree fruit industry in the valley, he said.

“There are some big things on the horizon,” he commented.

Only about 85 of the 900 or so members in the new co-operative attended the first annual meeting, but that was twice the quorum needed to conduct the meeting, said Elliot.

An interim board has been governing the business of the OTFC for its first couple of months, until the membership meeting, and the same five growers were elected from the northern half of the valley.

However, in the southern half of the valley, Don Kato of Naramata did not run for election, although he was on the interim board, so there was an election.

Nine were nominated for the five southern positions, and three new board members elected, said Elliot.

New members are Joe Hart of Naramata, Ron Vollo of Summerland and Jack Machial of Oliver.

Re-elected to represent the south from the interim board are: Rob Dawson of Cawston and Claude Moreira of Osoyoos.

Representing the north are: Elliot, Glenn Cross, Sam Di Maria and Steve Day of Kelowna, and Malcolm Mitchell of Lake Country.

Board members will elect a president from among those board members at the first meeting Sept. 25.

Elliot said he would be willing to continue as president, and he feels it would be helpful to have the continuity with changes coming in the industry.

Elliot thanked incumbents Doug Boult and Joe Lucich, who were not re-elected to the board.

Altogether, Elliot said it was a “jovial meeting.” He admitted he much preferred standing up in front of growers this year, with higher prices coming in for early apples, than in 2003 or 2004.

“The price of apples is up, so that’s good for us politicians,” he laughed.

Cooler, wet weather the past couple of weeks has helped apples to colour up before they become over-mature, so the weather is ideal for the upcoming apple harvest.

Despite pockets of hail damage, the crop this year is expected to be a good one, although smaller than normal.

Elliot said this year it’s anticipated this will be the smallest crop in the whole of North America, of the past five years.

Members also heard financial reports from the nine companies involved, including the four packinghouses.

This year’s merger resulted in one of the largest producer co-operatives in Canada’s farming industry, with multi-million dollar assets throughout the southern interior of B.C.

In 2006, the wholesale value of the fruit packed by all four was more than $100 million, with shipments across Canada, as well as to the U.S., Mexico, Latin America, Europe and Asia.

It employs 640 people.

Category: Agriculture, Business