May 2022 - 4

EDITOR'S LETTER
Fruit
Turning the page
This edition of Fruit Growers News presents a stellar example of the
breadth and scope of specialty crop industry coverage this publication has
provided to its readership for more than 60 years.
We start in California with assistant editor Doug Ohlemeier's Page 1
story on International Fruit Genetics, a
fruit-breeding company known for its Cotton
Candy and Sweet Globe table grape varieties,
that is now touting its new low-chill cherry
production that could be a
game-changer for the industry.
The ongoing impact on agriculture of
global events, increasing input costs and
far-wielding competition, particularly in the
Southeast, are reviewed in Ohlemeier's report
on the Florida Agricultural Policy Outlook
Conference.
Gary Pullano
Editor
Ohlemeier also takes a look at Lost Oak
Winery, a Fort Worth, Texas-area vineyard operation that is making its way
in a harsh wine-producing environment in the South Central United States.
Moving to the Midwest, correspondent Dean Peterson shares an update
on Michigan State University's newest research center, the West Central
Michigan Research and Extension Center in Hart, Michigan.
We stay in that region with a report from the University of Minnesota on
its effort to trace the family tree of the Honeycrisp apple - one of the top
10 varieties produced in the U.S.
FGN's familiar crop-focused special sections are represented in reports on
blueberry soil testing, the impact of anthracnose fruit rot in blueberries and
a partnership on newly released grape varieties between Cornell AgriTech
and Sun World International.
Regular FGN columnists continue to put a focus on a myriad of important
agricultural topics, including Penn State's Brian Moyer's Farm Market &
Agritourism column, National Council of Agricultural Employers CEO
Michael Marsh's ag labor report, popular Illinois grower Jerry Mills'
enlightening Notes from the Farm dispatch and Cherry Marketing Institute's
President Julie Gordon's update on the tart cherry industry.
I continue our GrowAhead series with the second part of a package
focused on FruitScout, an innovative smartphone app that uses computer
vision technology to determine the optimal capacity of a fruiting tree by
taking a picture of the trunk, buds, blossoms and fruits.
FruitScout's story is a familiar one in the specialty crops industry as
well-intentioned technology wizards attempt to adapt other-industry bells
and whistles with the day-to-day tasks, budgets and knowledge base of
agriculturalists.
Matt King, a CEO and co-founder of FruitScout, is a former Boeing
engineer. He wants growers to use a smartphone to save time and money in
managing their crop load.
As the story indicates, the successful development of such a product is an
evolutionary process. Mid-Atlantic apple grower Mark Boyer and university
researcher Rich Marini took a close look at FruitScout. They encountered
unanticipated challenges in using the technology. King acknowledged some
kinks in the initial rollout, but took issue with some of the methodology
Boyer and Marini used.
In a nutshell, that's why we report on technology and other impacts in the
ag world that can directly benefit or hinder growers' profitability.
Meeting the increasing needs of our diverse audience has been a great
pleasure for me over the past nine years. I learn something new about the
industry every day, and wouldn't have had it any other way.
Later this month, I am moving into a new phase of my life - semi-retirement.
I'm fortunate that my byline will still appear on these pages as I assume
a senior correspondent role for Great American Media Services' (GAMS)
agriculture group.
Veteran agriculture journalist Chris Koger has joined GAMS as managing
editor of Fruit Growers News and Vegetable Growers News. He will team
up with assistant editor Ohlemeier to further enhance the publications'
numerous print and electronic platforms.
Koger was with The Packer for nearly 21 years, most recently serving as
its news editor. He started his journalism career 30 years ago, working for
several daily publications prior to becoming an agriculture specialist.
Koger's impressive background will help catapult Fruit Growers News
into a new realm of accomplishment and recognition. We welcome him to
the team!
Growers
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USHBC president named Ag Association
Leader of the Year
Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S.
Highbush Blueberry Council, has been
named the National Agri-Marketing
Association's Ag Association Leader of the
Year for 2022. Cronquist was recognized at
an awards ceremony on April 7 at the 2022
Agri-Marketing Conference in Kansas City.
Georgia apple assessment approved
Georgia apple producers recently voted to
continue the Georgia Apple Commission
Marketing Order for an additional three
years. The new marketing order will allow
the assessment rate to be changed from the
current two cents per marketed bushel to
a range of two to four cents per marketed
bushel.
Total apples in storage April 1: 75.5 million
bushels
The U.S. Apple Association has released its
latest USAppleTracker survey results. The
total number of apples in storage on April
1, 2022, was 75.5 million bushels, 1.1% more
than last April's total of 74.7 million bushels
and 1.5% below the five-year average for
that date.
USDA releases Local Food Marketing
Practices Data
Over 147,000 U.S. farms produced and
sold food locally through direct marketing
practices, resulting in $9.0 billion in revenue
in 2020, according to the Local Food
Marketing Practices data released April 28
by USDA's National Agricultural Statistics
Service.
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May 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May 2022
