WASHINGTON, D.C. (RFD News) — Fruit growers treated large shares of orchards and berry fields in 2025, but USDA data show chemicals were only one part of a pest-management strategy built around scouting, prevention, and resistance control.
The National Agricultural Statistics Service surveyed 20 fruit crops across 12 states. Fungicides reached 75 percent of apple and blueberry acres and 89 percent of peach acres. Insecticides covered 77 percent of apple acres, while herbicides treated 61 percent of blueberry acres and 60 percent of peach acres.
The more revealing numbers involve management practices. Growers scouted 98 percent of acres for insects and mites, 96 percent for diseases, and 96 percent for weeds. They also cleaned equipment, maintained barriers, and used biological pesticides.
Those practices show fruit production depends on observation and layered controls rather than routine spraying alone. Seventy-two percent of acres used pesticides with different mechanisms of action to slow resistance and preserve future treatment options.
The findings give producers, regulators, and consumers a clearer picture of how specialty crops are protected. Future surveys will show whether biological controls and resistance management continue gaining ground.
Farm-Level Takeaway: Fruit growers are combining pesticides, scouting, prevention, and biological tools to protect crops while managing resistance.
