Fruit Program News

The Apple Grower of the Year award recognizes growers who have reached outstanding levels of success through their efforts in innovative production, marketing, horticultural, and management practices. These high standards have been in place for nearly four decades. We recently announced the 2026 Apple Grower of the Year overall winner as Robert (Bobby) Brown of Orchard Dale Fruit Co.

The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources’ Spotted Lanternfly Survey Team has reported that spotted lanternfly egg masses have started hatching in Massachusetts, with small black nymphs now active in some areas of the state. Hatch is expected to continue over the next several weeks, depending on weather conditions, so there is still time to find and destroy unhatched egg masses.

May 8, 2026:

Today, Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Rebecca Tepper declared worsened drought conditions in several regions of Massachusetts. The Connecticut River Valley, Central, and Northeast Regions and Nantucket County are now in a Level 2 - Significant Drought. The Western and Southeast Regions and Dukes County have moved to a Level 1 – Mild Drought. During March, Massachusetts received approximately 3 to 5.5 inches of precipitation, which is normal for this time of year. Some areas – like Essex, Middlesex, Dukes, and Nantucket Counties – got less than normal, about 0.5 to 1.5 inches below average. 

Join the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday May 20, 2026 at 2 PM ET for a public webinar on an overview of the draft Fungicide Strategy. EPA released its draft Fungicide Strategy that identifies practical protections that fungicide users can take to ensure protections for federally endangered and threatened species. The draft Strategy provides flexibilities for states and growers and proposes a more efficient, science-based approach to meet EPA’s obligations under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). 

UMass Extension Small Fruit Educator John Galvan has been awarded a Northeast SARE Research and Education Grant to support blueberry growers across Massachusetts and the Northeast. His project, “Blueberry School,” was one of only 7 proposals funded out of 95 submissions and received $137,000 in support.

Growers should be watching temperatures closely tonight into Tuesday morning. Check NEWA for the nearest weather station to your farm. 

Check out the most current tree fruit bud stages!

Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Rebecca Tepper declared the Normal conditions have returned to the Southeast and Western Regions of the state. The Connecticut River Valley, Central, Northeast, and Nantucket County Regions have improved to a Level–1 Mild Drought. The Cape Region remains in a Level 2–Significant Drought.

The UMass Extension Fruit Team’s Lunch Bunch Zoom Series returns this season as a companion to the Healthy Fruit newsletter, offering informal lunchtime discussions on timely pest and horticulture issues for tree and small fruit growers.

New video showcasing local orchards and IPM.

The farm is just a constant presence in our lives, and we grew up going to work with our dad. So, us kids used to have races of who could make the most two-quart boxes in a minute or 5 minutes.

Hokkaido University (HU) delivered a four-day webinar series on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) together with its international strategic partner, the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMA). 

Sanitation is a foundational principle of disease IPM. In apple scab, extensive literature demonstrates that practices such as urea application, leaf chopping, or combinations thereof can significantly reduce primary inoculum and subsequent infection risk. Sanitation concepts are similarly extended to bitter rot management, particularly the removal of overwintered fruit “mummies” from the canopy. While this widely repeated recommendation, there is limited published data showing the impact of mummy removal on bitter rot infection risk.

Announcing the 2026 Northeast Extension Fruit Consortium's Winter Webinar Series!

UMass Extension Educators Jon Clements, Susan Scheufele, and John Galvan attended the Great Lakes Expo (GLEXPO) December 9-11, 2026 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

From 27 to 31 October, Hokkaido University (HU) hosted three professional staff members from its Strategic International Partner, the University of Massachusetts Amherst. 

We've uploaded a new video!