The California Farmworker Foundation has launched a new campaign, La Seguridad Empieza con Usted, which translates to Safety Starts with You, to help the farmworker community stay safe through the pandemic by providing encouragement for best practices and information on additional resources. The campaign will reach farmworkers in the greater Bakersfield and Fresno growing regions. Advertisements on Spanish-language radio will …

The University of California, Riverside, has won a $10 million grant to develop artificial intelligence that will increase the environmental and economic stability of agriculture in the Western U.S.  This Sustainable Agricultural Systems grant is one of nine given by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, or NIFA, annually to shape the future of U.S. agriculture toward …

Fruit World Co., a family-owned, flavor-focused grower-shipper of organic and conventional fruit and the largest California grower of organic Thomcord grapes, has announced that it expects to begin shipping this popular variety the first week of August in new high-graphic 2 lb recyclable paper totes. Known for being especially aromatic and flavorful, Thomcord grapes are a hybrid of Concord and …

ARS researchers have shown some freeze-dried berry powders—especially freeze-dried strawberry powder—can act as outstanding stabilizers in ice cream and other frozen dairy desserts. Freeze-dried strawberry powder is so effective a stabilizer that frozen dairy desserts with it included will maintain their shape even after reaching room temperature, according to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) research food technologist Cristina Bilbao-Sainz with the Healthy …

Pinto beans are good for us. They are nutritious, packed with protein and fiber. They also contain a host of micronutrients like B vitamins and folate. But being good isn’t enough for pinto beans. They also need to look good. Typically, pinto beans have a striking mottled pattern of dark and light brown. However, the beans can darken after harvesting. Consumers perceive pinto beans …

Whether you grow it, grind it into other forms or just enjoy it at mealtime your choice of squash from California is almost without limits.  Florida is the only state that produces more squash than California, but a half dozen other states produce it commercially. Production in Mexico has increased steadily, competing primarily with growers in the Coachella Valley for …

Almond harvest 2020 is upon us in all its hectic glory. As growers in the southern San Joaquin Valley start shaking this week, equipment that has been largely resting for an entire year will be put to work in furious fashion to safely bring in this year’s crop. And while harvest 2020 is understandably the key focus of this time …

On March 4, 2020, China announced market access for fresh U.S. nectarines as part of the U.S.-China Economic and Trade Agreement (ETA). This report briefly mentions the market access conditions for U.S. nectarines, discusses several key factors of China’s nectarine market (including import competition), and offers market-entry recommendations to consider when exporting fresh U.S. nectarines to China. Product Description & Access Overview On March 4, 2020, in …

For many years, a federal ban on growing hemp, a nonpsychoactive type of cannabis, dimmed the promise it holds for sustainable construction materials, textiles, and many other products. While the 2018 Agricultural Act legalized industrial hemp, methods for processing hemp stalks are stuck in the past. Pulping, the process of extracting valuable cellulose fibers from plant stalks, for example, releases …

Nut-loving consumers looking to lose a few pounds can feel better about keeping pistachios at hand as a result of a new study.  The study, published in the July 20 issue of Nutrients, shows adding U.S. pistachios to the diet can contribute to weight loss, in the context of a calorie-restricted diet in a behavioral intervention, and may contribute additional …