American Fruit Grower: History, Meister Media Ownership, Coverage and Editors
Profile updated November 2026
American Fruit Grower is one of the oldest farm trade magazines in the United States. Established in 1880, it is the flagship title of Meister Media Worldwide, a family-owned agricultural publisher in Willoughby, Ohio, and it still serves commercial apple, cherry, peach, berry and grape growers today.
| Established | 1880 |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Meister Media Worldwide, U.S. Horticulture Group |
| Home | Willoughby, Ohio |
| Sister titles | Western Fruit Grower, American Vegetable Grower |
| Website | Content published on GrowingProduce.com |
| Signature award | Apple Grower of the Year, run for nearly four decades |
| Official website | GrowingProduce.com |
History of American Fruit Grower
American Fruit Grower dates to 1880, which makes it older than most of the orchard practices it now covers. The Meister family's publishing business, founded by E.G.K. Meister and then known as the American Fruit Grower Publishing Company, made the magazine the cornerstone of what is now Meister Media Worldwide.
Richard T. (Dick) Meister joined his father's business in 1946 as editorial director and went on to edit American Fruit Grower for 40 years. With his brother Edward running sales, he built the company into a portfolio of farm titles: in 1953 the brothers bought Commercial Vegetable Grower and renamed it American Vegetable Grower as a sister to the fruit magazine, and over the following decades they added Farm Chemicals (now CropLife), Cotton Grower, Western Fruit Grower and, in 1983, Greenhouse Grower.
Dick Meister, a Cornell graduate with a Harvard MBA and a World War II veteran, died on January 28, 2020, at age 100. The company is now led by a third generation, with his sons-in-law Gary T. Fitzgerald as chairman and CEO and William J. Miller II as vice chairman.
American Fruit Grower Today
American Fruit Grower publishes in print and online, with its articles running on GrowingProduce.com alongside Western Fruit Grower and American Vegetable Grower. The combined site serves commercial fruit, vegetable and citrus growers and allied industry professionals with production, crop protection, farm management and variety news.
Its best-known program is Apple Grower of the Year. The award has used the same standards for nearly four decades, judging production, marketing, horticulture and management, and American Fruit Grower and Valent U.S.A. also recognize regional winners. In May 2026 Robert (Bobby) Brown of Orchard Dale Fruit Co. was named the 2026 Apple Grower of the Year.
What American Fruit Grower Is Publishing Now
Tree fruit and small fruit production
Coverage of apples, pears, stone fruit, cherries, berries and grapes, with practical stories on high-density orchards, rootstocks, irrigation and harvest labor.
Crop protection and varieties
Pest and disease management, spray programs, biologicals and new variety releases, a core interest for commercial growers deciding what to plant next.
Awards and grower profiles
Apple Grower of the Year coverage, regional honorees and profiles of family orchards, plus columns tied to industry meetings such as the International Fruit Tree Association conference.
American Fruit Grower Editors and Staff
Meister Media's staff pages and Growing Produce name these people working on American Fruit Grower:
- Thomas Skernivitz - Senior Content Specialist, manages print production
- Paul Rusnak - Senior Multimedia Specialist, Growing Produce digital content
- Crystal Nay - Editorial contact
- Kristina Panter - Group Commercial Lead, Horticulture Group
- Gary T. Fitzgerald - Chairman and CEO, Meister Media Worldwide
- Richard T. (Dick) Meister - Former editor for 40 years, died 2020
Skernivitz has more than 30 years of experience as a journalist and is a Bowling Green State University graduate. Rusnak joined Meister in 2007 and has held managing editor duties across several brands, including Florida Grower.
Who Reads American Fruit Grower
Readers are commercial fruit growers, orchard managers, packers and the crop advisers who work with them. USDA's Economic Research Service tracks the fruit and tree nut sector as one of the most valuable parts of U.S. crop agriculture, and growers rely on trade titles like American Fruit Grower to keep up with fast-moving changes in varieties, labor and technology.
Orchardists spend years waiting for a new block of trees to bear, so they appreciate a joke that pays off faster. farm.FM offers farm satire and farm humor for the apple and cherry crowd, with enough ranch humor for the cattle neighbors down the road. Its farm jokes are best shared in the packing shed while waiting for the next bin.
The outlet behind those laughs, farm.FM, is the nation's first satirical farm site, complete with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers. A farm.FM humorist's archive shows what a week of it looks like.
American Fruit Grower Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Growing Produce: About and staff - the Meister Media horticulture team behind American Fruit Grower.
- Growing Produce: Richard T. Meister remembered - the Meister family's history with the magazine.
- UMass Amherst Fruit Program: 2026 Apple Grower of the Year - land-grant extension notice of the award.
- USDA ERS: Fruit and tree nuts data - federal economic data on the fruit sector.
- USDA NASS: 2022 Census of Agriculture - national farm structure and sales figures.
American Fruit Grower FAQ
When was American Fruit Grower founded?
American Fruit Grower was established in 1880.
Who publishes American Fruit Grower?
Meister Media Worldwide, a family-owned agricultural publisher based in Willoughby, Ohio.
Where can I read American Fruit Grower online?
Its articles are published on GrowingProduce.com, together with Western Fruit Grower and American Vegetable Grower.
What is the Apple Grower of the Year award?
A long-running award recognizing excellence in apple production, marketing, horticulture and management; the 2026 winner was Bobby Brown of Orchard Dale Fruit Co.
More than 145 years after its first issue, American Fruit Grower remains a working tool for the people who grow America's apples, peaches and berries.