…building one. The easiest and least labor-intensive method is sheet mulching – or the lasagna method. Layer upon layer of organic material atop the soil. This creates a raised bed…
Benefits of No-Dig Garden Beds
…Beds Imagine a garden where you never have to lift a shovel, dig into the ground and turn up the soil. You just create your garden by piling organic matter…
NIFA Invests in Research to Help Boost Organic Farming, Ranching
…The grants are funded through the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) and Organic Transitions Program (ORG). “Organic farming is one of many approaches to making American agriculture sustainable…
Grow Kale in the Winter
…be high in nitrogen, as well being rich in organic materials. The best time to plant kale is when the soil is between 60 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit. As colder…
California Benefits from Specialty Crop Block Grant Program
…of organic and sustainable production practices, along with pest control and disease study. Grant awards also addressed workforce concerns throughout the supply chain. Funding for employee training on new technologies,…
Farm Bill Opposition Groups Discuss Strategy
…on the (conservative) right to the Organic Consumers Association and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group on the (liberal) left. Agri-Pulse attended the meeting and noted that there are going…
Medfly Quarantine Affects Solano Farms
…quarantine. The answer was to apply an organic insecticide to the crops four times during a 30-day period. Lum decided to do that, with the first application taking place on…
Methods for Building Fertile Soil
…nitrogen-fixing plants – since nitrogen is the main ingredient in most fertilizers. Plant green manure during rest periods when crops aren’t being produced. Don’t forget to mulch – using organic…
Organic Field Crop Production Numbers Rising
Organic farming is a rapidly growing segment of U.S. agriculture. Organic vegetables, fruits, and livestock make up the bulk of the entire segment. However, a new USDA report shows organic…
Bacon and Chicken Up, OJ Too
…1/2 gallon regular milk, $2.07 and 1/2 gallon organic milk, $4.27. For many food items, the year-to-year direction of the marketbasket survey tracks with the federal government’s Consumer Price Index…
2016 Sales of U.S. Certified Organic Agricultural Production Up
California continues to lead in certified farms, acres, sales Sales of organic agricultural production continued to increase in 2016, when U.S. farms produced and sold $7.6 billion in certified organic…
Medfly Quarantine Issued in Los Angeles County
…with an organic formulation of Spinosad to eliminate mated females and reduce the density of the population. Crews will also be working to remove fruit from trees within 100 meters…
Lowest Navel Orange Projection in Nine Years
…Kings, and Kern counties. The forecast was conducted from July 8 to September 1 and included conventional, organic and specialty varieties such as Cara Cara and Blood oranges. Information that…
OTA Files Lawsuit Against USDA Over Organic Livestock Standards
The Organic Trade Association announced a lawsuit against the Department of Agriculture over its failure to advance new organic livestock standards. The suit alleges USDA violated the Organic Foods Production…