With support from organizations like WSTFA, the state’s climate-resilient agriculture stands to influence practices beyond the Pacific Northwest—and Kiterocket is here for that story.
At Kiterocket, sustainability is a common thread that ties together many things we care about. This goes from the ground up, starting with the soil. Washington’s tree fruit industry—the nation’s top producer of apples, pears, and cherries—generates $2 billion annually in apples alone, with millions more from pears and cherries, while supporting tens of thousands of rural jobs. For this industry, sustainability is the difference between thriving and surviving.
Now, increasingly unpredictable or extreme weather events, such as drought, late spring frosts, and record-breaking heat, are reshaping what it means to grow tree fruit in the Pacific Northwest. With the tireless support and advocacy of organizations like our client the Washington State Tree Fruit Association (WSTFA), growers, researchers, and innovators are coming together to adapt. This is agriculture directly tied to climate resilience, and the kind of story Kiterocket is proud to tell.
Necessity: Mother of Innovation
When environmental challenges mount, necessity sparks invention. Washington growers, for example, have partnered with Washington State University to develop new apple varieties like Cosmic Crisp®, bred not just for flavor but also for resilience. While Honeycrisp delivers great quality, it was bred in Minnesota so it can be difficult to grow in Eastern Washington’s hot, dry climate. Cosmic Crisp solves that challenge, thriving in these conditions while still offering fruit consumers can’t get enough of. Today, it makes up 9.6% of Washington’s apple harvest, a remarkable rise for a variety only a few years into commercial production—and a clear sign that breeding advances in sustainable agriculture are tied to both grower needs and environmental realities.
In orchards facing water scarcity, growers are also adopting advanced techniques to keep fruit viable while conserving resources. Precision irrigation delivers water directly to tree roots with minimal waste, tree-specific cooling systems use targeted misting to prevent sunburn during extreme heat, and shade cloth reduces canopy stress while maintaining fruit color and quality. Together, these practices conserve water, lower energy use, and protect fruit yields. WSTFA helps scale these innovations through its highly regarded educational events—like its Annual Meeting and NW Hort Expo, the nation’s largest tree fruit conference—which serve as forums for growers, researchers, and educators to share and spread best practices across the industry.
Leveraging Climate-Ready Technology
Technology is also giving growers a new edge against climate extremes. AgWeatherNet (AWN), a statewide network of over 160 weather stations operated by Washington State University, receives financial support from WSTFA and promotion at its educational forums and industry events. AWN provides real-time, hyperlocal data that guides daily orchard decisions. Frost warnings can determine when wind machines are deployed overnight, while heat stress alerts help time irrigation, harvest timing, and worker safety. Growers also rely on AWN’s irrigation scheduler to stretch limited water supplies by adjusting watering based on evapotranspiration and soil conditions.
The network recently expanded with a dedicated frost forecast program to support the Washington tree fruit industry, offering more accurate guidance on when frost protection measures are needed. These decision-aid tools show how technology is moving from raw data to actionable insights. By integrating forecasts and irrigation models directly into orchard management, AgWeatherNet has become more than a weather network—it’s a lifeline for adapting to climate shifts and advancing sustainability across Washington’s orchards.
Tapping and Scaling Local Ingenuity
Farmworker knowledge and creativity are important forces shaping the future of Washington’s orchards. For example, the Semillero de Ideas Innovation Challenge, with support from groups including WSTFA, provides a platform for farmworkers to pitch new ideas and tools for orchard management.
In its second year, more than 100 local and H-2A guest farmworkers from Mexico participated, proposing innovations to improve efficiency, sustainability, and safety. Winning concepts included a prototype tree-thinning tool, safer ladder designs, pollinator habitats, and improved training guidelines for H-2A workers. Winners received funding and support to further develop and share their ideas across the industry.
By elevating farmworker-driven solutions, Semillero de Ideas shows that innovation often starts in the field. With WSTFA’s involvement, these ideas gain visibility and the potential to scale, helping orchards stay resilient to climate pressures.
A Smart Model to Clone
Climate-smart agriculture is about protecting food supplies, sustaining rural economies, and preserving ecosystems. Apples, pears, and cherries together represent Washington’s largest tree fruit crops and anchor communities across the state – which may be why its model is increasingly looking like a playbook for other regions facing climate pressure. In places already seeing shortened growing seasons and lower water allocations, these innovations aren’t distant possibilities—they are urgent necessities.
Washington’s growers are proving every season that resilience is possible—but not without creativity, investment, and collaboration. As WSTFA President Jon DeVaney told Irrigation Leader: “One of the greatest strengths of our industry is the creativity and ingenuity of growers who are constantly developing solutions to the challenges they face. With the right investments, these innovations can scale to benefit growers everywhere.” That perspective underscores the central theme of this story: Growers are not only adapting but leading the way in solutions that will define the future of agriculture.
That’s why Kiterocket is proud to share these stories—because amplifying the voices of industry leaders and innovators makes a real difference in building a resilient future. And if Washington growers have shown us anything, it’s that sustainability can bloom and grow anywhere, as long as it is cultivated with care.
