The National Mango Board wants to help you celebrate Cinco de Mango. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. The National Mango Board has added something extra to this year’s “Cinco de Mango” campaign. Upon visiting the “Party with Mango” page on Mango.org, visitors will be greeted with suggested mango recipes to make their Cinco de Mayo fiesta pop and …
Inflation Impacting Organic Fresh Produce Sales
Inflation is having an impact on another industry. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Inflation continued to impact organic fresh produce sales in the first quarter of 2023. Overall dollar sales grew by slightly less than one percent, and volume declined by 3.4 percent from the same year-over-year period. The data was released by the Organic Produce Network …
Florida Farmers Challenge Feds Over Wage Rule
(NSF/TALLAHASSEE/April 25, 2023) — Warning about a “looming disaster,” Florida farmers and agriculture groups have filed a lawsuit seeking to block a new federal rule about wages for farmworkers. The lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court in Tampa, centers on a minimum wage related to temporary farmworkers coming into the United States under what are known as H-2A visas. The …
U.S. Potato Exports Hit $2.1 Billion in 2022
It was a big year for potatoes. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Potato exports reached a record $2.1 billion in sales in 2022. Compared to 2021, volume sales dropped 4.2 percent but were higher than in 2018 and 2020. The value of U.S. potato exports rose across all potato types, resulting in an 11 percent increase over …
USDA Research: Increasing Vegetable Consumption May Better Mental Health
New research finds that increasing vegetable consumption has a positive effect on how happy a person feels. USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) says that holds true for adults who consume the daily amount of vegetable servings recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Researchers at the Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center conducted the eight-week study. The study divided healthy …
Research Shows Vegetables May Help Mental Health
Are you working on taking care of your mental health? Add another serving of vegetables to your dinner plate. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. We’ve heard that to grow up big and strong, we need to eat our veggies. And once we grow up, research shows veggies may also make us happy. USDA’s Agricultural Research Service says …
Eating Almonds Before Meals May Help Lower Blood Sugar
Eating a handful of this nut before meals may help lower blood sugar. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Two new research studies with almonds, one conducted over three days and the other over three months, demonstrated benefits to blood sugar control for Asian Indians with prediabetes and overweight/obesity – and the three-month almond intervention broke new ground, …
Vidalia Onion Season Date Announced
A favorite sweet onion heads to supermarkets soon. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. The start of Vidalia onion season is almost here, with the official pack date announced by the Georgia Agriculture Commissioner and Vidalia Onion Committee. Vidalia onion fans across the country can mark their calendars for April 17, when the sweet onions are set to …
Breeding Better Potatoes for Better Potato Chips
Breeding better potatoes for better potato chips. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Americans eat more potato chips than any other nation; more than four pounds a person a year, according to Potatoes USA. About 22 percent of the U.S. potato crop—nearly 7,500 million pounds annually—are made into chips. And USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) helps ensure that the country …
Sorghum: A Useful Pollinator Food Source
An alternative food source for pollinators. That’s coming up in This Land of Ours. Sorghum bicolor, a pollen-rich grass species cultivated for grain and forage, which looks similar to corn, can be an important food source for pollinators and other beneficial insects during times when pollen and nectar are scarce. Researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) …