Kate Prengaman is the editor for Good Fruit Grower, writing articles for the print magazine and website. She earned her bachelor’s degree in biology and environmental science at the College of William and Mary and a master’s degree in science journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Kate joined the magazine in 2016. Prior to the Good Fruit Grower, she covered the natural resources beat for the Yakima Herald-Republic and reported environmental stories for the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism. She lives in Yakima with her husband and two daughters.
Contact her at 509-853-3518 or at kate@goodfruit.com and follow her on twitter @kprengaman
My Recent Articles
- California cherry industry exploring grade and pack standards
This week, the California Cherry Board established a committee to discuss grade and pack standards to recommend as an update to the state’s marketing order.… Read more: California cherry industry exploring grade and pack standards - WAEF welcomes new board membersThe Washington Apple Education Foundation added four new board members this year, the charity recently announced. Board members from across the tree fruit industry help… Read more: WAEF welcomes new board members
- Washington Apple Education Foundation celebrates studentsThis year, the Washington Apple Education Foundation gave a record $1.3 million in scholarships to 320 students whose parents work in the tree fruit industry. … Read more: Washington Apple Education Foundation celebrates students
- Growing a nimble nursery—Starting a farm business without owning farmland sounds impossible, but the founder of Similkameen Nurseries said that building his business on leased land allowed him to invest in inventory and people to generate cashflow and grow rapidly.
- Industry assessing after Washington wildfiresThe high-risk wildfire season experts predicted due to drought conditions across the Northwest has already arrived: In the past two weeks, fires have destroyed dozens… Read more: Industry assessing after Washington wildfires
- New extension educator, Antonia Sánchez-Labbé, joins WSUCherry growers have a new resource at Washington State University, with Antonia Sánchez-Labbé joining as a horticulture extension educator based at the Irrigated Agriculture Research… Read more: New extension educator, Antonia Sánchez-Labbé, joins WSU
- Washington’s Okanogan County contends with crop lossCherry growers in Okanogan County, Washington’s northernmost growing region, should be in the peak of harvest. Instead, many orchards are fruitless following freeze damage in… Read more: Washington’s Okanogan County contends with crop loss
- Arctic apples co-founder buys back Okanagan Specialty FruitsOkanagan Specialty Fruits president Neal Carter has bought back the genetic engineering company he and his wife, Louisa, founded in 1996 to develop nonbrowning apples.… Read more: Arctic apples co-founder buys back Okanagan Specialty Fruits
- Predicting a peachy pace for harvest—Colorado State University’s Ioannis Minas realized that the most pressing problem for his region’s peach growers was predicting the complex harvest timing to optimize maturity and set sales contracts. Using commercially available sensors, he developed a system that can predict harvest with precision about a month ahead of time. Now, it’s rolling out commercially in other peach regions as well.
- Lacewing field day focuses on release strategiesLacewings love to eat the aphids that apple growers want to keep in check in organic orchards. That part sounds simple, but figuring out how… Read more: Lacewing field day focuses on release strategies
- Training for taste testing—Sensory scientists at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Summerland Research and Development Centre are training humans to evaluate fruit quality metrics and studying what consumers really want, so growers can use the data to produce the most efficient and profitable crops.
- Idaho wine introduces itself to ASEVThe booming Boise population creates a growing consumer base for Idaho wines, even as the rampant development puts pressure on farmland prices in the traditional… Read more: Idaho wine introduces itself to ASEV
