The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reviewed a new tomato variety from Norfolk Plant Sciences. The tomato was modified to alter its color to purple and enhance the nutritional quality. The agency says it found the plant is unlikely to pose an increased plant pest risk compared to other cultivated tomatoes and is not subject to regulation. …
New Tomato Variety Approved by APHIS
There may someday be a new tomato in the produce department. That’s coming up on this land of ours. Norfolk Plant Sciences requested approval from U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service for a new tomato. The tomato was modified to alter its color and increase its nutritional quality. APHIS found that from a plant pest risk …
Fruits, Vegetables, Top Local Foods Purchased by Schools
Many U.S. school food authorities purchase local foods such as fruits, vegetables, dairy, and proteins for their district’s cafeterias. In addition to buying locally produced foods, many school districts participate in other farm to school activities, such as product-specific promotions, taste tests of local foods, onsite edible gardens, and field trips to farms. Approximately two-thirds of U.S. school districts participated …
USDA Announces New Opportunities to Improve Nutrient Management
Now that both the U.S. Senate and House have passed the Inflation Reduction Act, it only awaits the signature of President Biden. And the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) welcomed the passage of the Act, which they note will deliver $19.5 billion in new conservation funding to support climate-smart agriculture. Funding from the Act is designed to will bolster new steps …
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 …
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 …