Recently published articles featured on Good Fruit Grower.
Giving bad blueberries the boot
USDA funding aids fruit rot management.
Dealing with a replant dilemma
Nova Scotia growers search for fumigant alternatives.
Know your costs to grow
Washington State University produces how-to video for ag enterprise budgets.
Smart Orchard continues testing technology
Trials begin at the third Smart Orchard location in Central Washington.
Soil sampling helps build carbon models for farmers
Jackson Family Wines partners with soil nonprofit to scale up soil carbon monitoring and assess climate-smart farming practices.
Michigan seeks tweaks to produce sweeter blueberries
Michigan State University studies ways to improve flavor and fruit quality of existing varieties.
Peach grower finding the sweet spot for profitable production
California canning peach grower tries some fresh sales in a search for the right scale.
Field-fresh peaches fill specialty market demand
Wapato, Washington, farm delicately hand-packs fruit right in the orchard.
Low labor supply keeps Smallwood stone fruit crop small
Labor crunch limits scale of Washington stone fruit grower.
Georgia peach growers back in bigness
Southeast peach crop larger than normal after devastating 2023 loss.
Farmers facing more worker reworkings
For third time in four years, fruit industry adjusts to H-2A changes.
Good Stuff, July 2024
A selection of the latest products and services for tree fruit and grape growers.
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.
Early interest in a new early cherry
Grower thinks his cherry could offer growers an alternative to Chelans, but could a club model help it in the marketplace?
Targeting a triple threat to apple scab
Researchers seek extra layers of scab resistance in apple genome.
Washington Apple Commission announces new president
The Washington Apple Commission announced the hiring of a new president, Michael Schadler, to take the reins of the export-focused organization in September...
Family-centered farming in Central California
California fruit family turns to cidery, direct sales and U-pick to keep fourth generation involved.
Apple growers nurturing the niches
Small growers bet on high-value managed varieties.
A clean outlook for clean cultivars
A lot of time and money goes into giving new cultivars a clean start, and two clean plant centers that serve the tree fruit industry have made significant changes.
Market prepping for Washington’s next apple — Video
WA 64 winds its way through commercialization.
Good Stuff, June 2024
A selection of the latest products and services for tree fruit and grape growers
India Cain, a young grower from Port Orchard, Washington
https://youtu.be/9HgwwfER8ds family background/ India is pursuing a graduate degree in horticulture at Washington State University.
Research to help growers schedule the sustenance
Washington State University researchers look for ways to optimize cherry nutrient timing.
Northwest pear industry votes to increase assessment
Facing declining crop volumes and budget, Northwest pear officials increased annual assessments for the first time in 25 years.
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.
Washington vineyards reduce acres, reuse and recycle
Vine removal and sustainability goals intersect in Washington.
Cherry growers and consumers continue reaching for Rainier
It’s increasingly expensive to grow labor-intensive blush cherries, but consumers love them, so growers are looking for efficiencies.
Industry benefits from aggregating insights
Industry veterans discuss the critical importance of cherry crop estimates.
Best practices to banish blind wood — Video
Washington State University’s new “textbook for WA 38” showcases best pruning approaches.
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.
IFTA tour showcases many systems, same goal for cherry growers
International Fruit Tree Association tours Central Washington cherry orchards training to high density.
Thurlby: The power of price
Cherry consumers rank quality and flavor as most important, but cost is a key metric, too.
Good Stuff, May 15, 2024
A selection of the latest products and services for tree fruit and grape growers.
Webinar series will cover water, from drought to deluge
Tree fruit industry members are invited to discuss water management with experts in a series of virtual meetings in June...
Peach growers optimize advantages of local loyalty
Regional peach production still powers Midwest retail sales.
Nonprofit center cultivating innovation with ag workforce
Fruit worker aims to patent picking harness with help of new nonprofit.
Robert Pittman, a young grower from Manson, Washington
Robert is a fourth-generation farmer who studied business and accounting at Central Washington University before returning to the family farm. He is the son of Kathy and Rick Pittman, and his grandfather was Harold Pittman.
Apple growers facing a crisis in rising guest-worker wage rates
Michigan growers struggle to afford H-2A wage increases.
New H-2A regulations to take effect June 28
The U.S. Department of Labor has enacted updated H-2A regulations that will affect everything from terminating worker contracts to union access to bus seat belts...
Fruit industry groups focused on preventing sexual harassment
Ag safety center funds push for more training throughout the industry.
Michigan vineyards moving toward mechanization
Grape growers turn to technology and H-2A to make up for labor shortfalls.
Internship program introduces students to ag careers
Fruit company partners with local school district to launch new approach to internships, with hopes to inspire other ag employers.
High costs and low prices causing double bind for apple growers
New York growers feel squeeze on labor costs.
New tools track worker-safe weather data
Washington university experts partner to develop tools to help growers comply with new heat safety rules.
Ladder businesses still standing in orchard industry
Orchard ladder manufacturers see little business decline despite platforms and dwarfing trees.
On the spectrum, on the farm
Autistic workers can thrive in a fruit-growing environment.
Good Point: Bulletin basics for pesticide applications
New EPA program — “Bulletins Live! Two” — aims to protect endangered species from pesticides.