Bill and John Borton own one of the largest apple growing operations in the nation, farming more than 6,500 acres of apples, pears and cherries in central Washington. The Apple Grower of the Year selection committee decided to honor both Bill and John as the 2019 recipients for a multitude of factors, including the diversification of their operation and their involvement in the apple industry. Bill and John have championed new fruit varieties, including being early-adopters of Granny Smith, Fuji and Honeycrisp varieties. Today, they are focusing on marketing ROCKIT apples, which are a New Zealand variety that are smaller in size than traditional apples and can be packaged in a unique way for convenience stores, children and coffee shops.
To learn more about the Bortons' operation, read
this article from the August 2019 issue of American Fruit Grower magazine.
Valent U.S.A. has been a proud sponsor of the Apple Grower of the Year award for the past five years, in conjunction with the U.S. Apple Association and Meister Media, publishers of American Fruit Grower magazine.