At January’s Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention, longtime orchard leader Joy Cline was presented with the East Regional Grower of the Year award at the Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention. The annual convention was held January 27-29, 2026 at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey, PA. Cline, with a humble manner, said “the award is shared by the entire team behind Bear Mountain Orchards.”
“It’s very humbling. It’s quite an honor,” Cline said as she reflected on receiving the recognition. Rather than viewing the award as an individual achievement, she emphasized the collective effort required to succeed in modern agriculture. “Our workers are the most important commodity. The award given to me is an award that I feel is deserving of everyone that works at Bear Mountain Orchards because everyone has a piece of it to make our end goal possible.”
The Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention is an opportunity for growers to attend informational seminars and network with other growers. Cline’s prestigious award was presented by Greg Clarke from Valent USA. Cline has spent 35 years in the industry, beginning her career on the packing-house side before moving into her current role managing farm operations. Today, Bear Mountain Orchards operates as a wholesale-focused orchard business.
Cline credits the orchard’s continued success in a fragile field to a willingness to adapt. She noted that sustainability in agriculture is inseparable from innovation. Over the years, the operation has transitioned to higher-density orchard plantings and developed in-house expertise for specialized techniques such as top-working trees, allowing the farm to reduce outsourcing while strengthening internal skills.
Empowering employees is central to her leadership philosophy. Even the best ideas, she said, cannot succeed without a committed workforce. “You might have all the visions and spectacular things in your mind and on paper, but if we don’t have the workforce behind us and we don’t have them buying into our end goal, how is anybody going to be successful?”
Modern consumers expect fruit that is flawless as well as flavorful, a standard that can be difficult to meet in real-world growing conditions. Cline explained that Bear Mountain Orchards has long relied on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices to balance crop protection with responsible chemical use. The approach helps control costs while producing fruit that meets both quality expectations and environmental considerations.
Still, she acknowledges that growers face one constant variable beyond their control: the weather. “We try to manipulate everything we can to make a tree do exactly what we want. We cannot manipulate Mother Nature,” she said, noting that wet springs or windy conditions can affect everything from spraying schedules to harvest timing.
Although the orchard experimented with new varieties, market realities often guide planting decisions. Grocery stores have limited shelf space, she explained, so maintaining a strong core group of proven varieties can be more practical than constantly introducing new ones. Cline likes growing classic apples such as Gala and Golden Delicious.
Besides weather related challenges, hiring harvesters is another challenge that growers face. Cline said Bear Mt. Orchards have been using the H-2A program to help with obtaining farm help for roughly 5 years. “Through the program, two of our supervisors went to Mexico to interview possible workers to help during the harvesting time.” Cline prides herself that the trained employees return year after year.” “It’s a true blessing.” She is pleased that most of the harvesters are able to help starting with the peaches and working through apple harvesting season.
For Cline, the Grower of the Year honor is less a milestone than a reminder of the people and processes that sustain agriculture. She reflected, “I came from the school of hard knocks. I worked on every aspect on the farm – weeding, calibration, mowing, spraying. I could even weld if I had to.” Her philosophy is to empower employees. While the award lists her name, Cline insists it represents the dedication of the entire agricultural team. She also is quick to credit God, “He’s given me the opportunity to be where I am at at today. I’ve also got an amazing husband, too.”