Western Farm Press News Archive

Immigration reform tough for Congress

Sep 24, 2009,

By Ron Smith, Farm Press Editorial Staff

The thorny issue of immigration reform may get pricklier before it gets better, and Congress may have a narrow window of opportunity to make meaningful changes in a system that has not worked well for years before the cycle of national elections makes passing any contentious issue even more difficult....

Spray adjuvants: What’s in a name?

Sep 24, 2009,

By Franz Niederholzer, UCCE Farm Advisor, Sutter and Yuba Counties

If you cannot speak the language, you cannot follow the conversation. ...

Strategizing for water cutbacks

Sep 24, 2009,

By Gary Bender, UCCE Tree Crops Advisor and David Shaw, UCCE Ornamental/Landscape Advisor, San Diego County

By now almost everyone growing tree crops in California is undergoing some amount of mandatory water cutbacks, especially if they are buying water from water districts....

Alfalfa conference focuses on profit

Sep 24, 2009

Dismal prices, sluggish sales, high production costs and challenging weather conditions have left alfalfa farmers with little to no profit in 2009, prompting a focus on “Improving Your Odds of Profitability” at this year’s Western Alfalfa and Forage Conference, Dec. 2-4, in Reno, Nev....

Biotechnology boosts wheat supply

Sep 24, 2009

Biotechnology could potentially help reverse the loss of wheat acres in the United States and help ensure there will be adequate supplies to feed a hungry world. ...

Honey bee Web site launches

Sep 24, 2009

A newly launched University of California Web site promises to be a one-stop site for information about honey bees and native bees....

EPA’s indirect land use rules challenged

Sep 23, 2009,

By Forrest Laws, Farm Press Editorial Staff

Three Midwest senators have introduced legislation that would prevent EPA from penalizing U.S. corn and soybean growers for land use changes or potential land clearing for increased biofuel production in other countries....

Food-safety costs double

Sep 23, 2009

Seasonal food-safety costs for California leafy greens growers more than doubled in the year after the September 2006 outbreak of E. coli in spinach, according to a survey by the University of California Small Farm Program....

California Crop Weather report

Sep 23, 2009

The latest California crop weather update from the National Agricultural Statistics Service’s Sacramento, Calif., field office:...

Arizona Agri-Weekly report

Sep 23, 2009

The latest Arizona agriculture update from the National Agricultural Statistics Service’s Phoenix, Ariz., field office:...

Regulatory change for produce industry

Sep 22, 2009,

By Ron Smith, Farm Press Editorial Staff

The United States produce industry, the entire food production system, in fact, can look for increased emphasis on food safety from the Food and Drug Administration and the USDA with a focus on handlers....

California field crop review

Sep 22, 2009

The latest California field crop update from the National Agricultural Statistics Service’s Sacramento, Calif., field office:...

Cost studies for lettuce

Sep 22, 2009

New cost-of-production studies for growing romaine hearts and iceberg lettuce on California’s Central Coast are available from the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE)....

Challenges for organic crops

Sep 22, 2009,

By Dan Bryant, Contributing Writer

“The major challenge when using organic sources of nitrogen is knowing how much to apply and how fast it will be available to the crop,” says Robb Mikkelsen, U.S. western director of the International Plant Nutrition Institute....