Equipment

Cool, Rainy Summer Helping Michigan Apple Crop

Cool temperatures and heavy summer rains have apple farmers in certain parts of the country expecting a bountiful harvest this year. The yield should be especially high in Michigan, the nation's third-largest apple producer. Grand... more »

Open House on Aug. 20

The Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Station (NWMHRS) Open House will be held Thursday, Aug. 20. The equipment show and grounds open at 1 p.m. Educational sessions will begin at 3 p.m., and will conclude with... more »

Mich. Blueberry Growers See Sweet Harvest this Year

This summer's cooler-than-usual weather may have some Michigan residents grumbling, but it has blueberry growers reveling.Although this year's blueberry harvest is expected to be somewhat smaller than last year, due to a few extra-chilly nights... more »

Leaf Spot Disease Threatens Maine Wild Blueberries

Valdensinia leaf spot, a fungus that thrives in wet years like this one, has moved from Canada into Maine and has been found in spots in eight wild blueberry fields there. The fungus spreads quickly,... more »

Growers Look at Bumper Fruit Crops To Sell This Year

Across the board, there will be big fruit crops for growers and packers to sell this year. Lots of apples. Lots of sweet cherries. Many more tart cherries. More wine grapes. More juice grapes. More... more »

Northwest Pear Crop Estimated 10 Percent Above Last Year

As pear tree branches grow heavy with fruit, the Pear Bureau's initial estimates suggest that the 2009 Northwest pear crop will be the fourth largest on record, with approximately 19.1 million boxes. That would make... more »

CIAB Sets Tart Cherry ‘Restricted’ Percentage at 42

The Cherry Industry Administrative Board (CIAB), which administers the federal marketing order governing red tart cherries, recommended that the restricted percentage of the 2009 crop be set at 42 percent. That means 113 million pounds... more »

Some Juicy News: Finally, Fruit Is Coming in from Cold

A cooler than normal spring has delayed Michigan's fruit crop development by a couple of weeks, but local growers say they are expecting a full, healthy crop of strawberries, blueberries, cherries and other fruit later... more »

Cool Grapes: New Wines Flow from New Minnesota Grapes

The number of wineries is growing in Minnesota, as seems to be true all over. Today, about 30 Minnesota wineries with 700 acres of wine grapes are trying to make names for themselves. In 1975,... more »

Fruit and Wine Grape Research Meeting June 24 at Rutgers Research and Extension Center

Tree fruit and wine grape growers will gather June 24 at the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Upper Deerfield Township, N.J. They will see and hear some of the latest research findings by... more »