Good Fruit Grower: History, Washington State Fruit Commission Ownership, Content and Editors

Profile updated November 2026

Good Fruit Grower has been the magazine of the Pacific Northwest tree fruit industry since 1946. Owned by the Washington State Fruit Commission and run as a grower-owned nonprofit, it covers apples, pears, cherries and stone fruit, along with juice and wine grapes, for subscribers in every U.S. state and 50 countries. In 2026 it marked 80 years.

History of Good Fruit Grower

Good Fruit Grower began in 1946 and has served Northwest growers ever since. It has always been grower-owned: the Washington State Fruit Commission owns the magazine, which operates as a nonprofit company serving the people who grow, pack and sell Northwest fruit.

For nearly three decades the magazine was shaped by Cal Bosch, who was born in eastern Montana in 1930 and served as editor from 1955 until he retired in 1984. He then founded Cal Bosch Advertising and stayed connected to the industry. He died on July 14, 2024, at age 94.

Shannon Dininny joined Good Fruit Grower in 2015 after a long newspaper and wire career, including roughly 14 years with the Associated Press, 10 of them as its Yakima correspondent. She was named AP Employee of the Year for Washington State in 2009 and now plans the magazine's editorial content as managing editor.

Good Fruit Grower Today

Good Fruit Grower publishes 17 issues a year, twice a month during the busy winter and spring meeting season and monthly the rest of the year. In 2025 it moved to a slightly smaller print format, and it has shifted to a member-based model with a paywall for premium content online.

The magazine redesigned its English and Spanish websites at goodfruit.com and expanded its Spanish-language coverage with a new writer and translator, serving the many Spanish-speaking orchard workers and managers in the industry. Recent coverage has included the Growers of the Year honors, the industry's cautious optimism and lessons from New Zealand's fruit growers.

What Good Fruit Grower Is Publishing Now

Orchard production

Growing, training systems, rootstocks, pest control and harvest for apples, pears, cherries, apricots, peaches, nectarines and plums.

Packing and marketing

Packing, handling, storage, marketing and promotion, following fruit from the orchard to export markets.

Grapes and Spanish-language news

Juice and wine grape production coverage and a dedicated Spanish-language website for the industry's workforce.

Good Fruit Grower Editors and Staff

Good Fruit Grower's website names:

• Shannon Dininny - Managing Editor
• Cal Bosch - Former editor (1955-1984), died 2024

The magazine's website invites accomplished photographers and artists to submit cover art.

Who Reads Good Fruit Grower

Readers are orchardists, packers, field staff, researchers and suppliers, centered in the Pacific Northwest but spread across every state. Washington is the nation's leading apple-producing state, and USDA's Economic Research Service and NASS track the acreage, production and trade that drive the decisions Good Fruit Grower readers make.

Good Fruit Grower Sources and Agriculture Authority Links

• Good Fruit Grower: About - ownership, frequency and reach.
• Good Fruit Grower: Staff and history - managing editor profile and Cal Bosch obituary.
• Good Fruit Grower: Spanish-language website - the magazine's Spanish service.
• USDA ERS: Fruit and tree nuts data - federal tree fruit acreage, price and trade data.
• USDA NASS Quick Stats - apple, pear and cherry statistics by state.

Good Fruit Grower FAQ

When was Good Fruit Grower founded?

In 1946.

Who owns Good Fruit Grower?

The Washington State Fruit Commission; the magazine runs as a grower-owned nonprofit.

How often is Good Fruit Grower published?

Seventeen times a year: twice monthly from January through May and monthly from June through December.

Who edits Good Fruit Grower?

Shannon Dininny is managing editor; Cal Bosch was editor from 1955 to 1984.

Eighty years on, Good Fruit Grower is still owned by growers and written for the people who keep Northwest orchards productive.