House committee hears testimony supporting Rep. Gloria Mendoza’s Heritage Orchard bill to preserve Washington’s historic apple varieties
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House committee hears testimony supporting Rep. Gloria Mendoza’s Heritage Orchard bill to preserve Washington’s historic apple varieties
Rep. Gloria Mendoza, R-Grandview, testified Tuesday before the House Postsecondary Education and Workforce Committee in Olympia in support of bipartisan legislation she sponsored to establish a Heritage Orchard Program at Washington State University.
House Bill 2525 would direct WSU to create a statewide registry of heritage orchards, provide resources to help preserve qualifying trees, propagate rare and lost apple varieties, and maintain a list of apple cultivars no longer in commercial production. The bill builds on WSU’s existing tree fruit research and extension work and focuses on apples that are part of Washington’s agricultural history but are at risk of being lost.
During her testimony, Mendoza emphasized both the economic and cultural importance of apples to Washington state.
“Washington is the leading apple-producing state in the nation, accounting for more than 60% of U.S. apple production,” said Mendoza. “Apples are not only just an industry for our state, but they are also part of our identity, our history, and, and our rural communities.”
Mendoza noted that while consumers are familiar with only a few commercial apple varieties, many historic apples still exist on small farms throughout the state.
“What we are now discovering, however, is that some of those lost varieties were never truly gone,” she said. “They are still growing quietly on small farms across Washington.”
She explained that researchers working with WSU have already identified dozens of rare and historic apple trees, some more than 75 years old, and that the bill would work to protect them.
“House Bill 2525 creates a formal partnership with WSU to identify, register, and help preserve these heritage orchards,” Mendoza said. “The program would maintain a statewide registry to support preservation for rare and lost apple varieties.”
Also testifying in support of the bill was Mike Burgess, representing the Washington State Tree Fruit Association, who highlighted the value of preserving historic apple varieties for future research and education.
“Maintaining the bank of these heirloom trees is important for access to have these varieties available for future research,” Burgess said. “House Bill 2525 does that by expanding the work already done with WSU.”
Burgess also emphasized the bill’s educational value.
“We view this as agricultural education,” he said. “It’s important that the public knows where their food comes from and where it’s grown.”
“For me, this legislation is also personal,” Mendoza told the committee. “I grew up working in agriculture in the Yakima Valley. I understand the pride small farms take in the land they steward and the history they protect. When farmers say, ‘we kept this tree because it’s special,’ that matters.”
The committee is expected to consider the bill for a vote at a later date.
