The American Fruit Growers held its annual State of the Industry survey. Labor was a big topic in the survey, and one-third of the respondents say it’s not an issue for them, at least not yet. Growing Produce says they typically have a stable team of employees, and in 20 percent of those cases, it includes family members. For the …
Popcorn’s Effects on Gut Microbiomes
Eating popcorn may be good for your digestive health. That’s today’s This Land of Ours. A new study, published in the leading journal Frontiers in Microbiology, focuses on how popcorn can impact our personal microbiome. Americans eat more than 13 billion quarts of popcorn a year; an average of about 40 quarts per person. Nate Korth, a Ph.D. student at …
More Flexibility for Specialty Crop Growers in Crop Insurance Reporting
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced some new crop insurance rules that may help lift one burden that many specialty crop producers have had to deal with. Gary Crawford has more information. Sponsored ContentWhat Sets Provysol® Fungicide ApartJuly 8, 2025CIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2025Nuseed Carinata Covers New GroundOctober 1, 2024
Farmers Received Smaller Share of Price for Fresh Tomatoes in 2021
The farm share of the retail price of fresh, field-grown tomatoes—the ratio of what farmers received to what consumers paid—fell from 43 percent in 2020 to 36 percent in 2021. While the national, monthly average price of such tomatoes at grocery stores fell 11 cents to $1.85 per pound in 2021, the monthly average price received by farmers simultaneously fell …
Forage Producers Invited to Enter World Forage Analysis Superbowl
Forage producers across North America are invited to enter the World Forage Analysis Superbowl. The 2022 contest is set to award over $26,000 in cash prizes. The deadline to submit corn silage samples is July 8, while all other entries must be submitted by August 25. The $35 entry fee provides entry into the contest along with a detailed sample …
Black Farmers Vie for Marijuana License
(NSF/TALLAHASSEE/June 24, 2022) — A 99-year-old matriarch who began her agricultural career in cotton fields in Northwest Florida. A rancher who served in Vietnam and grew up in an Alachua County community terrorized in the past by lynchings. A family that got its start picking apples on a New York farm. They’re among people vying for a potentially lucrative medical-marijuana …
Tea Tree Oil Applications in Ag
Using tea tree oil to fight agricultural problems. That’s today’s This Land of Ours. Tea tree oil is a home remedy for many things, everything from acne to insect bites, but it also has a use in large-scale agriculture. Dr. Eric Tedford with Summit Agro USA, which recently launched a new tea tree oil product, says the oil provides added …
Seminar Topics at Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo
The 2022 Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo just a couple of months away, as it will be held August 17-18 at the Lee County Civic Center in North Fort Myers and there will be various seminar topics at this year’s event that you won’t want to miss. Topics of interest to all growers will be highlighted the first morning of the Expo, …
Secretary Vilsack on Ukraine
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack spoke with farm broadcasters recently, and on the topic of the war in Ukraine and its effects on agriculture, he discussed production losses. “My concern is that we calibrate the importance of production and profit. When I say that, I mean clearly the world is going to need more production in terms of being able to …
Celebrate Avocados in June
A ten-year milestone for a certain fruit. That’s today’s This Land of Ours. Ten years ago, the California Avocado Commission first observed June as the official California Avocado Month and they continue the tradition this year. Avocados are grown by about 3000 California growers primarily with Groves from San Diego to Monterey. The California Avocado Commission was created in 1978 …