Western Farm Press News Archive

Alliance, UT group to study climate change

Aug 3, 2009,

By Forrest Laws, Farm Press Editorial Staff

With the debate over climate change seeming to heat up daily, the 25x’25 Alliance and a team of University of Tennessee economists have announced they will conduct an in-depth analysis of the impacts of global warming on U.S. agriculture and forestry....

Lower limb dieback of almond

Jul 30, 2009,

By David Doll, UC Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor, Merced County

Lower limb dieback (LLDB) is an emerging problem within many almond orchards throughout California. Observations of orchards with LLDB occur independent of soil types, irrigation systems, varieties planted, and planting spacings, while typically affecting orchards that are in their eighth leaf or older....

Gopher control — better late than never

Jul 30, 2009,

By Joe Connell, UC Farm Advisor, Butte County

If you have an orchard where individual trees are yellowing, have thin canopies with small leaves, or lack of new growth, gopher damage is a possible cause. ...

Cheatgrass' success secret revealed

Jul 30, 2009

Cheatgrass, a weedy invader that looks something like a scraggly wheat plant, is elbowing its way into vast rangelands of the American West. ...

House defeats Food Safety bill

Jul 30, 2009

The U.S. House of Representatives defeated the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 (H.R. 2749), which would have expanded the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) authority to regulate domestic and imported food....

Managing grapevine canker diseases

Jul 30, 2009,

By Stephen Vasquez and George Leavitt, UC Cooperative Extension

As harvest begins to wind down, growers are starting to decide whether their canker infested vineyards are financially fruitful....

Guerrero retires from UC Extension

Jul 30, 2009

Highly educated and well-versed in international agriculture, UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor for Imperial and Riverside counties, Juan Guerrero, said he never stopped being a "plow jockey." ...

Almond pest management courses Nov. 4 -5

Jul 30, 2009

The Almond Pest Management Alliance is sponsoring a one-day almond pest management training event at two locations this fall....

Analysts see 12.5 million bale crop

Jul 29, 2009,

By Elton Robinson, Farm Press Editorial Staff

At the halfway point of the 2009 U.S. cotton crop, analysts are saying the crop is shaping up to be between 12.42 million and 12.56 million bales, which is about 750,000 bales under USDA’s July 10 estimate. The analysts made their projections at the annual Cotton Forum in New York City on July 24....

California crop weather report

Jul 29, 2009

The latest California agriculture update from the National Agricultural Statistics Service’s Sacramento, Calif., Field Office:...

Arizona Agri-Weekly report

Jul 29, 2009

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

New yeasts for biofuel production

Jul 29, 2009

A new yeast that makes ethanol from both five-carbon and six-carbon sugars without needing oxygen has been developed by an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist....

Budget cuts reduce Avocado Commission staff

Jul 28, 2009,

By Cary Blake, Farm Press Editorial Staff

The California Avocado Commission (CAC) has reduced its staff by 39 percent, from 18 to 11, due to budget cuts....

Deadline near for Corn Yield Contest

Jul 28, 2009

Saturday, Aug. 1, is the deadline for entries to the National Corn Growers Association's popular National Corn Yield Contest, one of the most popular programs for farmers for more than four decades. ...