A recent announcement from the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) comes as good news for American dairy producers. Vietnam has signed a decree that will unilaterally lower tariffs on a number of key dairy products and ingredients, including skim milk powder, whole milk powder, cheese, and protein isolate. The decree is set to go into effect on July 10, and …
Poisonous Plants in the Home
Houseplants add color, beauty, and life to our homes, but some plants should be grown with a little extra caution. Some plants are more toxic than others. Poisonous houseplants can cause skin irritations, stomach upsets, and burning of the mouth and throat. Use care when growing and displaying these common poisonous plants in your home. Many spring bulbs, including hyacinths and …
First CFAP Payments Issued by USDA
The first payments for farmers and ranchers have been issued through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that CFAP payments totaling more than $545 million have been approved by the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA). A total of $16 billion in financial assistance is being made available through CFAP, which was one of …
You Should Keep a Garden Journal
Jotting down notes about the weather and keeping track of when your flowers bloom will help you enjoy your landscape more. When you start recording these botanical events, you’ll notice natural patterns from year to year. This info can help you choose plants and figure out when to time gardening chores, such as when to jump on those spring weeds. …
A Secret Weapon for Fighting Off Unwanted Pests in Your Garden
When it comes to your garden, you’ll likely also have to contend with hungry bugs that want to nibble your prized flowers or move into your lettuce patch. But now there’s a secret weapon to help deal with those uninvited critters, thanks to The Big Bug Hunt. This citizen science project aims to give you a heads-up when certain pests …
Plants You Can Grow to Feed Ducks
Ducks are versatile eaters that will happily munch on all kinds of food. Some basic options include bird seed, chicken feed, poultry grit, cracked corn, bugs, fruits & vegetables, grains, and supplements. But if you’re interested in being more self-sustaining on your homestead, you can grow your own duck feed. Such as duckweed, it survives throughout the winter. It will …
Common Diseases that Can Dampen Your Summer Tomato Crops
The tomato plant disease known as late blight occurs during periods of cool, rainy weather that may come at the end of a growing season. It looks almost like frost damage on leaves, causing irregular green-black splotches. Fruits may have large, irregular-shaped brown blotches that quickly become rotten. This tomato plant disease fungus also affects potatoes and can be transferred …
Tomato Plant Diseases to Watch Out for this Summer
Nothing will ruin a tomato crop plant than diseases like leaf spots and blights that can pop up and ruin your garden party. Don’t let these potential problems scare you away, though. Growing healthy tomato plants is relatively simple when you plant disease-resistant varieties, space plants properly, mulch, and water at least 1 inch per week. Septoria leaf spots is …
Building a New Flower Bed
A new flower bed offers you the chance to get creative and fill it with whatever you can imagine. When you’re starting from scratch, there are a few things to consider first. Here are the questions you need to answer: Where will it go? How much will sunlight will it get? What’s the soil like? Once you’ve chosen a site, …
Plants that Thrive in Your Garden, No Matter What
Add a little flower power to your garden this year with some tough as nails hardy perennial bloomers. Practically indestructible, daylilies will flower profusely in almost any sunny spot. They are drought and insect resistant and offer a wide range of colors and bi-colors. Epimediums, also called barrenwort, is one of the best shade perennials that provides a ground cover …