Ross Courtney is an associate editor for Good Fruit Grower, writing articles and taking photos for the print magazine and website. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Pacific Lutheran University.
Courtney worked as a writer, photographer and video producer for the Yakima Herald-Republic starting in 2000, covering agriculture, education and local government. He was the author of the Herald-Republic‘s popular Crop Lines blog.
Earlier in his career, he worked as a communications specialist for a Pasco, Washington, company representing agricultural groups. Before that, he covered sports for the Tri-City Herald.
Courtney joined the magazine in 2015. He lives in Prosser with his family.
Follow the author — Contact: 509-930-8798 or Email
My Recent Articles
- Turning farm dreams into reality
—A startup farming family in North Central Washington experiments with everything from regenerative to organic practices, including grazing sheep, farm-to-fork dinners and selling lamb meat. - Farmworkers skilled in bindustrial arts — Video
At Washington Fruit Growers in Yakima, a couple of guys with crowbars, pneumatic nail guns and keen eyes for the sturdiness of wood are among the crews that repair tens of thousands of bins each year to keep apple and pear harvest moving along.
- A robot-compatible cultivar?A promising robotic harvester will resume limited trials in Washington this fall, and a few WA 64 trees near Prosser are ready. “We are doing… Read more: A robot-compatible cultivar?
- Judge agrees to Brewster Heights bankruptcy sale in Eastern WashingtonA federal judge has said he will approve a bankruptcy sale of one of the largest fruit producers in Washington to the sole bidder. Judge… Read more: Judge agrees to Brewster Heights bankruptcy sale in Eastern Washington
- Cherry inspectors bid goodbye to ‘California crush’—California has agreed to streamline the phytosanitary screening process for Northwest cherries moving south.
- Survey reports impacts of overtime lawIn a recent survey, most farmworkers in Washington said they make less money five years after the state passed its agricultural overtime law. Washington State… Read more: Survey reports impacts of overtime law
- Pears offer proof that blemishes are beautiful — Video
—Imperfect pears for an imperfect world. Pear Bureau Northwest leans into the imperfection of the fruit, and pear growers are in favor of the change.
- Pear growers emerging from disaster
—Oregon pear growers have good things to say about the 2026 pear crop. Things couldn’t get much worse than the 2025 harvest.
- Legendary Fruit advances to sale hearing in Brewster Heights bankruptcyNo new bidders surfaced by the court-imposed deadline in the Brewster Heights Packing and Orchards bankruptcy case, meaning Legendary Fruit Co. will have the sole… Read more: Legendary Fruit advances to sale hearing in Brewster Heights bankruptcy
- Federal court overturns new Adverse Effect Wage Rate rulesA federal judge has told labor officials they must rework how they determine H-2A wages. Nothing has changed yet. The current Adverse Effect Wage Rates… Read more: Federal court overturns new Adverse Effect Wage Rate rules
- A cherry smart turn for orchard tech
—What’s good for apples and blueberries is good for cherries. Washington State University researchers have set up a cherry version of the Smart Orchard for all things tech at one of Olsen Bros.’ UFO-trained Black Pearl blocks near Benton City, funded with a Specialty Crop Block Grant from the Washington State Department of Agriculture.
- Ag tech innovator Reservoir partners with John Deere for $10 million, three yearsReservoir, an experimental farm group in California, has partnered with John Deere for $10 million and three years of research and development to help commercialize… Read more: Ag tech innovator Reservoir partners with John Deere for $10 million, three years
