A little berry with big impact. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Aronia berries have been around for hundreds of years, but they’re just now coming into the spotlight. Greg Nelson is an aronia berry grower, one of the few in the United States. The plant is native to North America, and is also grown in other countries …
U. S. Wine Imports
Imports of Wine Increasing in the U.S. That’s today’s this land of ours. Growing consumption of wine in the U.S. has contributed to an increase in wine imports, from 127 million gallons in fiscal year 2000 to 456 million gallons in 2021, reaching nearly $7.5 billion in value. USDA’s Economic Research Service reports most wine imports come from the European …
Quinoa Bacteria Research
Expanding the possibilities of quinoa. That’s today’s This Land of Ours. Quinoa is increasingly popular as a high-protein, slightly nutty flavored grain-like seed that can be made into flour for bread and pasta, used in soups and cereal, eaten as a snack food, and fermented into alcoholic beverages like beer. Colorado and Nevada currently lead U.S production of quinoa, but …
Approximately $6 Billion Provided to Commodity and Specialty Crop Producers Impacted by Natural Disasters
First Wave of Payments Based on Crop Insurance Data (WASHINGTON, May 16, 2022) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that commodity and specialty crop producers impacted by natural disaster events in 2020 and 2021 will soon begin receiving emergency relief payments totaling approximately $6 billion through the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) new Emergency Relief Program (ERP) to offset crop yield and …
Avocados Are Good for More Than Guacamole
It’s a Cinco de Mayo favorite, but avocados are good for more than just guacamole. A study published recently in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that eating avocados may lower the chances of heart attacks and heart disease. They compiled research collected over the last 45 years. Medical News Today says, “After adjusting for major dietary and lifestyle …
Add Years to Your Life Eating the Right Diet
Young adults could possibly add a decade to their life expectancy by eating the right foods, and limiting the wrong ones. Eating an ideal diet could add as much as ten years to the life expectancy of a young adult. That’s according to an extensive study by researchers at The University of Sydney, Australia. Their modeling methodology used meta-analyses, data from the …
Boosting the Nutritional Bounty of Carrots and Onions
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are looking to beef up your salad—not with complementary slices of tender chicken, steak or other meat but rather new, improved varieties of carrots and onions. Philipp Simon, research leader of the ARS Vegetable Crops Research Unit in Madison, Wisconsin, is coordinating the effort to fortify these popular salad items and fresh-market favorites with increased levels of …
Low Pesticide Residues on Fresh Produce
How safe is your fresh produce? We answer that question coming up on this land of ours. Fresh fruits and vegetables and known for being healthy for us, but sometimes misinformation is put out about pesticide residue. One organization even claims to base its misinformation on a government study. So, advocates of healthy foods for American families went to work …
Finding The Truth About Pesticides in Produce
Finding the truth about pesticides in produce. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Each year, an anti-conventional farming organization puts out a list of fresh produce products that they claim are contaminated with harmful pesticide residues. However, there is no scientific evidence to support their claims, and they’re simply false. Another organization works to fight that misinformation. Teresa Thorn …
University of Florida Researchers Focus on Biofuel Crop?
(NSF/Tallahassee, FL/April 11, 2022) — Researchers with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) are studying ways to scale up production of a crop that can be used for things such as renewable jet fuel. Carinata is an oilseed crop that is closely related to the mustard family of plants. The crop is not used to …