Western Farm Press News Archive

Time to stand up for water rights and the right to farm

Oct 10, 2008,

By Aaron Kiess
Executive Director, California Alfalfa and Forage Association

If you’ve never written or called your state legislators, it’s time to let them know you oppose the Pacific Institute’s “More With Less” report....

Postharvest activities kick off preparation for 2009 almond crop

Oct 10, 2008,

By Bob Curtis
Senior Manager,Production Research
Almond Board of California

This year’s record-breaking almond harvest is the result of carefully planned and executed orchard management programs by California’s almond growers....

34 supply chain leaders endorse plan for chain-wide electronic produce traceability

Oct 9, 2008

Thirty-four companies from throughout the produce supply chain have endorsed a new plan developed by the Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) to move the supply chain to a common standard for electronic produce traceability by the end of 2012....

City trash plus farm leftovers may yield clean energy

Oct 9, 2008

Tomorrow's household garbage might be blended with after-harvest leftovers from fields, orchards, and vineyards to make ethanol and other kinds of bioenergy....

Mechanical olive harvesting advances described to growers

Oct 9, 2008,

By Dan Bryant
Contributing Writer

Mechanical harvesting research in California olives during the 2007 season documented greater efficiency with hedgerows over traditional trees, according to Louise Ferguson, University of California, Davis Extension specialist in pomology....

Almond growers meet to shape destiny

Oct 7, 2008

“Shaping Our Destiny” is the theme chosen for this year’s Almond Industry Conference, to be held Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 10-11 — one week later than usual — at the Modesto Centre Plaza, 1150 9th Street, Modesto. The event is sponsored by the Almond Board of California (ABC)....

California citrus industry braces for impact of Asian citrus psyllid

Oct 7, 2008,

By Cary Blake
Farm Press Editorial Staff

California’s $1.3 billion commercial citrus industry is bracing for what could be a massive threat to the future of the state’s 290,000 acres of citrus trees which grow about 85 percent of the nation’s fresh citrus....

New sustainable ag classes begin, with new major on the way

Oct 7, 2008

A growing student interest in sustainable food and farming systems that are good for people and the environment has led to new classes and development of a new major at UC Davis....

Maximizing technology a successful path for Piña Vineyard Management

Oct 7, 2008,

By Cary Blake
Farm Press Editorial Staff

John Piña, Jr. launched his Piña Vineyard Management Co. in 1960 in California’s Napa Valley with a pickup truck and a single telephone in the kitchen....

Arizona farm groups sue governor, state treasurer over state-swept grower funds

Oct 7, 2008,

By Cary Blake
Farm Press Editorial Staff

Four farm groups have filed a lawsuit against Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano and State Treasurer Dean Martin to regain $161,400 of grower-paid assessment funds the state “swept” earlier this year to help offset a $1.2 billion 2008 state budget shortfall....

$1.1 million National Science Foundation grant awarded to UCR for nematode research

Oct 7, 2008

The challenge of unearthing and identifying more than 1 million species of nematodes or round worms living among us has been met with enthusiasm by a team of UC Riverside researchers....