Recently published articles featured on Good Fruit Grower.
Good Point: New leadership at the helm for Northwest pear industry
Pear Bureau Northwest welcomes Arias as president and CEO; Correa named new manager of Fresh Pear Committee.
Washington pear growers have Happi hopes
A new pear and a new outlook could be key to innovating the Washington state pear industry.
Cal Bosch: 1930–2024
The Good Fruit Grower staff was sad to learn that Cal Bosch, a longtime editor
Good to Know: Of balance and bounties with vineyard nutrient management
A closer look at how harvest and leaf fall impact grapevine nutrition.
Engineering immunity in trees
New USDA research program brings cutting-edge, disease-fighting technology from citrus to cherry.
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.
Ag tech apps with a small-farm focus
Labor apps expand reach to help growers with smaller operations.
Data-based dialogues help ag industry grow
Washington packer puts new focus on experiments to test technology and communicate across the company.
Cloud-powered packing
New tools help fruit packers manage increasing amounts of data.
Automation adoption won’t drive itself
Relationships between manufacturers, growers and distributors all help usher in automation technology.
Good Stuff, August 2024
A selection of the latest products and services for tree fruit and grape growers.
Sam Lutz and Cassian Ferlatte, young growers from Rockland, Nova Scotia
family background/ Sam is a sixth-generation farmer who is engaged to Lucia Ellis and is the son of Larry and Janice Lutz. Cassian is a first-generation farmer who is married to Emily Lutz and is the son of Jean-Guy Ferlatte and Bernadette Fernandes.
Low-tech device can help measure water stress in orchards — Video
Consider pressure chambers to inform precision irrigation decisions.
Robots reaching beyond harvest — Video
Washington and Oregon university researchers collaborate on orchard robot for many tasks.
Pear psylla IPM efficacy the topic at Washington State University field day
To test how well pear psylla IPM is working for growers in the Wenatchee River Valley area, Washington State University entomologists set up a series of paired orchards to compare pest levels in conventional orchards and in those using integrated pest management strategies...
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.