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Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Specialty Crops”
In our weekly “Around the State with Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture Rick Pate”, Commissioner, the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) recently hosted the 20th annual Tomato Sandwich Lunch at the Ed Teague Arena in Montgomery. Were you pleased with this year’s event? Again, to find a local farmers market near you, check out the Sweet Grown Alabama website, which includes a searchable …
Great news for those adding cherries to the Fourth of July menu. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. The summertime treat of fresh cherries is abundant for this Independence Day. The USDA forecast for sweet cherries this season is expected to be about 371 million tons, which is a 60 percent increase from last year. The USDA National …
by Sabrina Halvorson Fruit and vegetable plant breeders who use gene editing are now facing more regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA recently increased oversight of some gene-edited crops and added to the workload and waiting time for those in the produce industry. Dr. Margaret Worthington is an Associate Professor of Horticulture at the University of Arkansas …
(GDA/Atlanta, GA/June 27, 2023) — Yesterday, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack issued a natural disaster declaration for numerous Georgia counties following the untimely March freezes that caused significant damage to Georgia’s peach crop as well as other commodities. This declaration allows USDA’s Farm Service Agency to extend essential emergency credit to Georgia farmers and follows a months’ …
By Will Jordan The 2023 peach harvest will look different than usual with an estimated 90% crop loss this spring due two adverse weather factors. The lack of adequate winter chill and the spring freeze growers experienced in mid-March combined to decimate this year’s fruit production. Matthew Price, Director of the Chilton Research and Extension Center, explained why peaches will …
by Sabrina Halvorson The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) is keeping specialty crops in focus for trade deals and working on disputes under the United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA). Chief Agricultural Negotiator Doug McKalip touched on those and several other topics while speaking at the Agri-Pulse Food and Ag Summit West, held in Sacramento, California. As for specialty crops, he said the importance …
by Sabrina Halvorson The specialty crop industry wants farm bill funding for research and new programs, but lawmakers ask, where’s that money coming from? Dave Puglia, president and CEO of Western Growers and co-chair of the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance says it’s hard to say what is the most important of all the priorities for specialty crops in the …
by Sabrina Halvorson As U.S. lawmakers consider ways to prevent Mexico’s seasonal produce from flooding U.S. markets, Mexican trade officials are watching. Former Chief Trade Negotiator for Mexico and current partner at AGON, Kenneth Smith Ramos says the U.S. must remember to remain within the confines of the U.S-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA) as it looks at ways to protect domestic …
(NSF/TALLAHASSEE, FL/May 23, 2023) — Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state Cabinet on Tuesday approved spending nearly $100 million on land deals that will secure about 36,000 acres as part of a growing wildlife corridor. The 12 land deals are part of the Florida Forever program and the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program. They involve purchasing conservation easements, which …
Big growth in the mango industry. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. The mango industry is having record volume of high-quality fruit arriving in the U.S. this year. Mango volume for the past three weeks has topped the charts at 4.4M, 5.1M and 4.6M boxes per week. The National Mango Board has engaged its growers, importers, and retailers …
