Building practical, research-backed systems for a more resilient Fruit Ridge.
FruitRidge Research is a Michigan nonprofit dedicated to applied research and education for fruit and specialty-crop systems. We work with growers, conservation partners, and educators to evaluate practices that support soil health, water stewardship, and long-term crop resilience.
Where field experience, science, and stewardship meet.
FruitRidge Research is being built as a bridge between research-grade experimentation and everyday farm decision-making. Our work emphasizes real-world trial design, clear communication of results, and tools that are genuinely usable by growers.
- On-farm trials designed around grower questions.
- Monitoring soil, water, and crop response over time.
- Translating data into straightforward, farm-ready guidance.
A local institute with a practical, field-first approch.
Our mission is to support fruit and specialty-crop growers as they navigate changing weather patterns, shifting markets, and evolving expectations around environmental stewardship. We focus on the Fruit Ridge and broader Great Lakes region while sharing results and methods openly for others to adapt.
Advance sustainable production systems
We conduct applied research that helps growers make informed decisions about irrigation, fertility, groundcover, and ecological practices like balancing yield, quality, and long-term land health.
Collaborative, transparent, and grounded
Projects are co-designed with growers and partners, monitored with clear metrics, and communicated through concise summaries, field days, visual reports, not just academic papers.
Stewardship, clarity, and trust
We emphasize ecological resilience, straightforward communication, and governance that reflects the interests of the landscapes and communities we serve.
Early program areas.
FruitRidge Research is in its founding phase. These program areas describe the initial direction for our work as we develop partnerships and pursue support for multi-year projects.
On-farm trials & monitoring
Carefully structured trials hosted on commercial farms and orchards in the Fruit Ridge and surrounding regions.
- ✓ Fertigation strategies and water-use efficiency
- ✓ Cover crops, groundcovers, and soil organic matter
- ✓ Tree and vine health under variable climate conditions
- ✓ Habitat plantings, pollinator resources, and edge zones
Translation & education
Helping research results travel the last mile—from a data table or field notebook into real decisions on real operations.
- ✓ Concise, visual summaries of field results
- ✓ Workshops and discussion-based events with growers
- ✓ Collaboration with educators and conservation staff
Initial research priorities.
As capacity grows, FruitRidge Research will refine and expand these priorities. Each area is intended to be grounded in measurable outcomes and well-documented methods that others can replicate or build on.
Soil function & nutrient movement
Exploring how timing, rate, and delivery of water and nutrients influence crop performance, soil structure, and downstream water quality in perennial systems.
Managing variability & extremes
Assessing practices that help growers respond to frost events, heat waves, intense rainfall, and drought conditions without sacrificing fruit quality or long-term plant health.
Habitat, diversity & edge spaces
Studying how windbreaks, wildflower strips, and perennial plantings around production blocks support beneficial insects, pollinators, and overall farm resilience.
Stay in touch as the institute develops.
Until formal communication channels are in place, the best way to follow FruitRidge Research & to connect about potential collaboration or governance roles, is through LinkedIn.
FruitRidge Research on LinkedIn
Updates about the organization, early projects, and opportunities to collaborate will be shared through our company page.
in Visit the FruitRidge Research LinkedIn pageFounder profile
For background on the founder’s experience in cultivation systems, environmental controls, and sustainable agriculture, connect on LinkedIn.
in Connect with Matthew Griffin on LinkedIn