Recently published articles featured on Good Fruit Grower.
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.
Brett Baker named chair of USApple board of directors
The U.S. Apple Association named Brett Baker the new chair of its board of directors...
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.