Recently published articles featured on Good Fruit Grower.
A new look at labor costs for apple growers
By crunching apple growers’ financial records, Northwest Horticultural Council hopes to draw attention to critical need for H-2A policy reform.
Dininny: We can find hope in hard times together
Despite today's obstacles, there are still paths to better days ahead.
DeVaney: Growers are not OK
Sometimes, it’s necessary to admit that.
Hort Show preview: Uninformed foodie fight
WSTFA keynote speaker to discuss how to push back against critics who don’t understand farming.
EXPO preview: Talking about your regeneration
Great Lakes EXPO speaker shares approaches to regenerate your soil, your plants and your bottom line.
Leading by listening: 2024 Good Fruit Grower of the Year
A mix of people skills and horticultural expertise earn Tom Gausman of AgriMACS in Chelan, Washington, the 2024 Grower of the Year award from Good Fruit Grower.
Seeing the big picture: 2024 Good Fruit Grower of the Year
Tom Gausman shares lessons on developing large orchards.
Rise of the orchard manager: 2024 Good Fruit Grower of the Year
Outside investment and increased need for management mark Grower of the Year Tom Gausman’s career.
Precision prescription for vineyard researcher
U.S. Department of Agriculture hires an ag engineer for new viticulture research role for the Northwest wine industry.
Farmfluencers building brands for their farms
Branding brings benefits and drawbacks for agritourism.
Leo Sarmiento, a young grower from East Wenatchee, Washington
family background/ Leo graduated from Wenatchee Valley College and Washington State University with a degree in business administration. He is the son of Margarita and Francisco Sarmiento.
Quest for automated apple harvest continues
Robot company advanced.farm returns to Washington for another harvest of fine-tuning.
Trellis tryout for peach production
Ohio growers share experiences with planar peach plantings.
Good Stuff, November 2024
BX opens its new U.S. headquarters in Yakima Ben Bardsley, CEO and founder of BX,
Change of hue for Washington vineyards
As Washington’s red wine grape tide falls, whites are on the rise.
Good Point: Navigating a season of adversity
Northwest fruit industry gathers next month to learn from a challenging 2023–24 crop and chart better paths forward.
Grand Rapids gathering
2024 Great Lakes EXPO packed with fruit sessions.
Hansen: Winterizing wine grapes
Practices to prepare vineyards for dormancy under study at Washington State University.
Vineyard pruning approach cut cold damage after frigid weather
Washington wine grape growers’ freeze response ushered in a full crop.
Dininny: Changing as we grow on
Your favorite fruit magazine is resizing to a slightly smaller format beginning in 2025. Think 10 row instead of 9.
A three-for-all approach to orchard systems
Cornerstone Ranches stays the course with three-leader V-trellis system, regardless of variety.
Growers and food groups overcoming an apple oversupply
West Virginia growers and government pivoting with surplus of processing apples.
Sweet stops on California stone fruit tour
International Fruit Tree Association summer tour sweeps through California’s stone fruit industry.
Studies reveal a bitter pit breakdown
Michigan State University research into Honeycrisp physiology shows timing is key for managing bitter pit.
Early apple is on time for California market
California apple growers develop variety that harvests in early July.
Robot demonstrates spot-on fertilizer application for orchards
Work on robotic nitrogen applicator steers industry toward tree-level management.
Semillero de Ideas boosts prize money for second contest
Semillero de Ideas, a Washington nonprofit helping farmworkers commercialize their own inventions, is gearing up for its second innovation contest and has significantly boosted its prize money...
Arresting Washington’s most wanted wine grape pest
Successfully scouting for phylloxera in Washington vineyards requires knowing when and where to look.
Apples made in the Midwest
Quest for the perfect variety grows beyond one region.
Fryhover: Supply, demand, decisions
U.S. apple industry is at a critical crossroads of difficult choices.
Industry advocating Eat More Apples campaign
Downturn in apple consumption sparks new marketing effort.
A healthy choice for Washington apples
Washington apple industry considers promoting the health benefits of apples in a collectively funded domestic marketing campaign.
Good Stuff, October 2024
A selection of the latest products and services for tree fruit and grape growers.
International ag tech tours — Video
Groups trade visits to orchards in the Netherlands and Washington, organized by the Orchard of the Future collaboration.
Canadian co-op collapse
After years of economic struggles and dissension, BC Tree Fruits folds, leaving many growers in the lurch.
Promising picks in the pear pipeline
USDA pear breeding program getting back into gear.
A light crop and a heavy burden for Wenatchee Valley pear growers
Pear growers in Washington’s Wenatchee Valley may face shortest crop in 40 years.
Good Stuff, September 2024
A selection of the latest products and services for tree fruit and grape growers.
California pear growers feeling the delta blues
Sacramento River pear growers face uncertainty.
A win-wine situation for Pacific Northwest industry
Temporary approval to import juice and grapes will help British Columbia wineries weather a crop loss and help Washington growers find a home for surplus.
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 launches support program for agricultural fuel users
The Washington State Department of Licensing launched its Agriculture Support Program in late August to help eligible industry members impacted by requirements in the Climate Commitment Act...
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.
Washington State University issues WA 64 apple license to INN
Washington State University has finalized a licensing agreement with International New Varieties Network, or INN, to represent the WA 64 apple...
Sounding the alert for spotted lanternfly
Stakeholder networks attempt to slow spread of spotted lanternfly.
Wine grape smoke task force launches website
The West Coast Smoke Exposure Task Force unveiled a new website this week to give growers, winemakers and other industry representatives resources to contend with exposures to wildfire smoke...
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.