As harvest winds down for growers, the staff members at Good Fruit Grower have the opportunity to regroup and prepare for our own busy season.

Conference time.

Good Fruit Grower’s mission is to provide educational information to growers. Nowhere does that become more evident than at the many shows and research reviews we cover to keep you updated on the latest developments on everything from pest and disease management to pollination.

It’s why we publish 17 issues a year on a variety of subjects vital to your success. It’s why we launched our popular eFlash electronic newsletter and developed an app for quicker display on mobile devices. It’s why we introduced a Spanish-language website to better serve a segment of our audience with an obvious need.

In that same effort, we are redoubling our efforts to keep you, our readers, up-to-date on the latest news on topics that are more fluid, such as trade.

Jonelle Mejica at Good Fruit Grower magazine in Yakima, Washington, on Friday, October 12, 2018. (TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)

Jonelle Mejica

Good Fruit Grower is pleased to announce the addition of Jonelle Mejica as a writer and copy editor. Jonelle holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from San Diego State University, but, more importantly, she understands the importance of this industry.

She grew up among the strawberry fields that once dotted Orange County, California, and, with parents who nurtured an interest in gardening, has always had a love and appreciation for agriculture.

When she relocated to Yakima in 1994, she began learning about Washington state’s agriculture industry, first while working in the corporate communications department at Tree Top, Inc., and later as a self-employed writer and editor serving the agriculture industry through a variety of projects.

Jonelle will manage content for the magazine’s website and social media. Plus, you’ll see stories by her from time to time in the magazine, beginning in December. We look forward to adding another voice to bring you and your businesses the information you need to flourish.

As always, we hope we’ll hear from you when you see things you like in the magazine, online and on our social media platforms — and things you don’t.

We are continually striving to improve and remain an essential resource for the industry, so please don’t hesitate to stop us to chat when you see us in the conference rooms this winter. Our “field” team — Associate Editors Ross Courtney and Kate Prengaman and Digital Producer TJ Mullinax — always have time for coffee.

As do I. But make it cocoa. •

—by Shannon Dininny