By Dennis O’Brien, USDA Agriculture Research Service “Sunpreme” grapes dry naturally on the vine, eliminating the costly pre-harvest step of cutting the canes (branches) to speed up drying. (Photo by…
Western View: Pulse Irrigating Saves the Farm
…by at least 20 per cent. They had devised this system out of necessity, but it was incredibly labor intensive. They were changing 7 separate sets, 6 times a day,…
Funding for Robotic Research
…Space Administration (NASA), Department of Defense, and Department of Energy. “These technologies are helping meet farm labor needs and making farming safer, more efficient, and more profitable,” said NIFA Director…
Survey Shows Little Assistance from Farm Bill Dairy Program
…prices that are below their cost of production. According to survey results released by Wisconsin Farmers Union, the average estimated cost of production for conventional milk reported by Wisconsin dairy…
Poultry Industry Fears RFS Increase Will Alter Grain Prices
…American chicken producers are only one drought, flood or freeze away from another crisis. The RFS has cost our industry $59 billion more in feed costs since it was implemented.”…
World Soil Day: Celebrating the Magic Beneath
…share the cost of adopting healthy soil practices. The University of California and a growing number of non-profits and industry groups are also offering assistance. In 2017 CDFA will begin…
Cost Studies for Growing Plums and Raisins in SJV
…many commodities are available online. To download the cost studies, visit the UC Agricultural Issues Center Cost Studies website at http://coststudies.ucdavis.edu. The cost and returns program is funded by the…
Farm Income Drops 17 Percent in 2016
…slump isn’t just hitting on-the-farm producers, either. The weakened Ag economy is triggering cost-cutting measures and job layoffs at major farm input suppliers like Monsanto and John Deere, which have…
Winter Vegetable Harvest Gets Early Start
…strength of the dollar is a big problem.” So is the cost to employ harvest help, as farmers have reported elsewhere. “The state of California has the highest labor (costs)…
Agri View: Hard Work
Everett Griner talks about dairy farming, more than just hard work, in today’s Agri View. Hard Work I don’t see where any industry is more labor intense than farming. And…
California Fighting Global Warming on the Backs of Dairy Farmers
…U.S. News and World Report publication. California dairy farmers are dealing with five years of drought, low milk prices and rising labor costs. A spokesperson for Western United Dairymen says:…
Agri View: Farm Production
…total labor force. Alright a hundred years later. 1890 population total was just under 63 million. Farmers were then about 43 percent of the labor force. Finally let’s go to…
CA State Plan: Make Water Conservation A Way of Life
…and now prepare for a more unpredictable and disruptive future marked by a changing climate – and do it equitably and cost effectively.” This plan represents a shift from statewide…
New Process Quickly Analyzes Acrylamide in French Fries
…about $250 per sample to test French fries and other products for acrylamide, according to FSRU research leader Van-Den Truong. The cost per sample using the new model would be…