Matt Milkovich is an associate editor at Good Fruit Grower magazine. Based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Milkovich expands our coverage of the Eastern U.S. fruit growing regions and provides a perspective from east of the Mississippi.
Milkovich earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Michigan State University and served as the former managing editor of Fruit Growers News and Vegetable Growers News, where he worked for more than 12 years. He also worked as a communications manager at MSU and as managing editor of a trade magazine covering the manufactured housing industry.
With a self-professed fondness for writing about farming — and especially fruit — Milkovich brings a depth of experience and enthusiasm for our industry.
Phone: 616-633-5669 — Email
My Recent Articles
Sounding the alert for spotted lanternfly
Stakeholder networks attempt to slow spread of spotted lanternfly.
Ag researchers learning how to teach a robot
Scientists at Cornell and Carnegie Mellon universities are teaching a machine to prune grapevines like humans do.
Brett Baker named chair of USApple board of directors
The U.S. Apple Association named Brett Baker the new chair of its board of directors...
Ag tech apps with a small-farm focus
Labor apps expand reach to help growers with smaller operations.
USApple estimate for 2024-25 predicts slightly smaller crop than last year
The U.S. Apple Association made its final prediction of the size of the 2024–25 U.S. apple crop: 260 million 42-pound bushels...
Michigan’s RidgeFest speakers push apple consumption collaboration
U.S. apple consumption continues to decline, a fact the apple industry can’t afford to ignore...
Giving bad blueberries the boot
USDA funding aids fruit rot management.
Dealing with a replant dilemma
Nova Scotia growers search for fumigant alternatives.
Michigan seeks tweaks to produce sweeter blueberries
Michigan State University studies ways to improve flavor and fruit quality of existing varieties.
Georgia peach growers back in bigness
Southeast peach crop larger than normal after devastating 2023 loss.
Minnesota apple delivers a mouthwatering munch
New University of Minnesota apple release, Kudos, could be a perfect fit for farm markets and U-picks.
A vinifera for Virginia
State’s vineyardists partner with USDA to create wine grape breeding program.
Targeting a triple threat to apple scab
Researchers seek extra layers of scab resistance in apple genome.
Field day helps Washington growers learn WA 64 apple’s horticultural traits
Washington State University and Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission researchers discussed WA 64’s horticultural traits at WSU’s Roza research orchard near Prosser on June 13...
Science targeting tart cherry breeding
Annotated Montmorency genome is the latest step in the search for a new tart cherry.
Productive pruning in older orchards
Growers reinvigorating Nova Scotia apple orchards.
Tech for measuring tart yields
Researchers study yield variability monitors in tart cherries.
Winery startup aims to establish Detroit-grown grapes
Partners starting winery and vineyard in Michigan’s biggest city.
Peach growers optimize advantages of local loyalty
Regional peach production still powers Midwest retail sales.
Apple growers facing a crisis in rising guest-worker wage rates
Michigan growers struggle to afford H-2A wage increases.
Michigan vineyards moving toward mechanization
Grape growers turn to technology and H-2A to make up for labor shortfalls.
High costs and low prices causing double bind for apple growers
New York growers feel squeeze on labor costs.
On the spectrum, on the farm
Autistic workers can thrive in a fruit-growing environment.
High-tech weed terminators targeting specialty crops
New machines find creative ways to kill weeds.
For better weed management, deplete the seed bank
Fighting weeds in fruit crops requires a concerted approach.
Keeping pollen cool during hot weather
Overhead irrigation during blueberry bloom can mitigate extreme heat and protect the crop.
Scheduling irrigation in sandy soils
Sandy saturation: Michigan State University researchers study high-density irrigation scheduling in sandy soils.
Research revealing grapevine root relationships
Penn State University scientists find complexity in the interactions between grapevine roots and soil microbes.
Milkovich: Where do we grow from here?
Our changing climate demands resilience.
Managing frost threats in the vineyard
Spring freeze protection starts with vineyard site and cultivar selection.