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
Michigan hort society honors Dave Smeltzer and Vance Baird
The Michigan State Horticultural Society presented two Distinguished Service Awards during the 2024 Great Lakes
EXPO update on SWD parasitoid releases
—by Matt Milkovich The invasive spotted wing drosophila can devastate cherries and blueberries in Michigan,
Great Lakes EXPO speaker examines the sweetness-to-acidity ratio for sweet cider
Shanthanu Krishna Kumar, right, Penn State University assistant professor of tree fruit, discusses sweet cider
EXPO preview: Talking about your regeneration
Great Lakes EXPO speaker shares approaches to regenerate your soil, your plants and your bottom line.
Farmfluencers building brands for their farms
Branding brings benefits and drawbacks for agritourism.
Trellis tryout for peach production
Ohio growers share experiences with planar peach plantings.
Grand Rapids gathering
2024 Great Lakes EXPO packed with fruit sessions.
Hurricane Helene inflicts $6 billion in damages to Georgia ag
Hurricane Helene left behind an estimated $6.46 billion in damage to Georgia’s agriculture and forestry industries, according to preliminary damage assessments...
Studies reveal a bitter pit breakdown
Michigan State University research into Honeycrisp physiology shows timing is key for managing bitter pit.
Apples made in the Midwest
Quest for the perfect variety grows beyond one region.
Industry advocating Eat More Apples campaign
Downturn in apple consumption sparks new marketing effort.
Promising picks in the pear pipeline
USDA pear breeding program getting back into gear.
Penn State offers online food safety course for apple packers
Penn State Extension is offering a new online course for apple packing house operators that want to provide food safety training to employees...
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.