In the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, work in Mid-Columbia orchards continues on.  Columbia Gorge Fruit Growers Chair Adam McCarthy says daily operations haven’t been impacted so far, noting orchardists are implementing best practices suggested by state agencies for small businesses to reduce employee contact with one another.  He says their workforce is outside all the time, and usually working independently at distances of 20 feet or greater from one another.  One concern will come later in the spring as cherry harvest approaches will be the ability to bring in labor to pick the fruit.  McCarthy said a couple of days ago applications for the federal H-1-N-A guest worker program were halted briefly, but the Secretary of Agriculture’s office stepped in to restart them, citing the need to maintain a secure and safe food supply.