…seeing labor challenges, especially in California. Growers often struggle in some degree to find capable workers to harvest the mass amount of specialty crops grown in the state. California Farm…
Agri View: The Gourd
…contact in North America found extensive gourd use, including the use of bottle gourds as birdhouses to attract purple martins, which provided bug control for agriculture. Almost every culture had…
Alyssum Attracts Good and Bad Insects
…an eye on the practice. More About Bagrada Bug The UC Integrated Pest Management website says the Bagrada bug, Bagrada hilaris, also called the painted bug, is a stink bug…
Spotting Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
There are a lot of stink bugs in California however spotting brown marmorated stink bugs is a little easier when you look for a distinctive identifier. Spotting BMSB in the…
Agri View: Migrant Trends
…others, their hopes and dreams do not always materialize to the degree envisioned and promised with 61 percent of U.S. farm workers’ income falling below the poverty level. A median…
Agri View: Eat Your Vegetables
…plants which grew locally would have been cultivated, but as time went on, trade brought exotic crops from elsewhere to add to domestic types. Nowadays, most vegetables are grown all…
Agri View: Drones-Technology Driven
…The drones are capable of spraying crops with more precision than a traditional tractor, which reduces costs, and potential pesticide exposure to workers who might have otherwise sprayed the crops….
The Western View: Water Projects
…around the state, especially in the northern third. The good news is the area around Lake Shasta has received almost twice the normal amount of rainfall so far this year,…
Ranches Surviving California Drought
…that measure soil moisture and report back to the office and a smartphone every 15 minutes. This allows the ranch to water these crops precisely and only when needed. “Farms…
Snowpack’s Water Content Far Greater than One Year Ago
…first media-oriented manual snow survey today, and despite the higher-than-average water content for the statewide snowpack, officials said snowfall during the remainder of the winter will largely determine whether California’s…
What Does Horticulture In America Look Like?
USDA’s Census of Horticulture takes a look at who grows the nursery plants and specialty crops we buy, grow, and use, and where. Rod Bain reports. What Does Horticulture In…
Growing Organic, Conventional and GMO on the Same Farm
…25 different types of produce growing in coexistence at Terranova Ranch. Don’s farm demonstrates it’s possible to grow organic, conventional and GMO crops at the same time. For example, he…
CCM Weather Watch-Cold Temperatures Just Beginning for Crops
California Citrus Mutual reported this morning on their Weather Watch that this is just the beginning of the cold temperatures for crops. CCM Citrus Frost Report…
San Joaquin Valley Citrus Growers Dodge Another Cold Night
…raise grove temperatures by 3-5 degrees. Growers will typically start running wind machines on Mandarin varieties when temperatures fall to freezing. Orange and lemon varieties tend to be more cold…