Fresno, California – The California Fresh Fruit Association (CFFA) today announced the hiring of Courtney Razor as its new Director of Member Services and Communications. Mrs. Razor comes to the Association after serving as the Chief Operations Officer for the Fresno County Farm Bureau for the last six and a half years. In her role at the Fresno County Farm Bureau, Mrs. Razor managed …

The purpose of the SCRI program is to address the critical needs of the specialty crop industry by awarding grants to support research and extension that address key challenges of national, regional, and multi-state importance in sustaining all components of food and agriculture, including conventional and organic food production systems. Projects must address at least one of five focus areas: …

September 28 and 29, alpaca business owners throughout North America will celebrate the 12th annual National Alpaca Farm Days. Alpaca Owners Association, Inc. (AOA) invites you to visit participating member farms and ranches during this fun-filled family event. Alpaca owners will open their doors to the public to meet their alpacas and learn more about these inquisitive, unique animals, the …

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) is expanding its payment options to now accept debit cards and Automated Clearing House (ACH) debit. These paperless payment options enable FSA customers to pay farm loan payments, measurement service fees, farm program debt repayments and administrative service fees, as well as to purchase aerial maps. “Our customers have spoken, …

Small Grains, Other Field Crops: Cotton fields are in full bloom and bolls are filling. Alfalfa hay continues to be cut and baled. Corn for silage and related summer row crops are being harvested, and land is being fertilized in preparation for the next crop. Dried beans are being shipped to Southern California. Black-eyed beans are maturing and drying in fields. Deciduous …

Following a record rainfall this past winter and a cool spring, the summer growing season has been near-perfect for Sonoma County winegrapes.  Now grape growers and winemakers throughout Sonoma County are in constant contact coordinating their schedules as the 2019 harvest began overnight. Among the first grapes of the season harvested in Sonoma County were picked this morning just after …

The new 2019-2020 board of directors took office during the July meeting of the Lodi Winegrape Commission. Diego Olagaray joins current commissioners Kendra Altnow, Ben Kolber, Aaron Shinn, Galen Schmiedt, Bruce Fry, Curt Gillespie, Matt Lauchland, and Ed Van Diemen. Joining current alternates Brandon Sywassink, Art Prudhel, Tom Murphy, Clifford Castelanelli, and Phil Abba are Mitch Spaletta, Todd Maley, Garret …

Atlas Vineyard Management, Inc. has acquired the premier viticultural group, Bowland Vineyard Management. The addition of the 34 Bowland properties to Atlas’ existing client portfolio represents over 3000 total acres of premier vineyard property in the prime winegrowing regions of California, Oregon, and Washington states. Atlas Vineyard Management facilitates everything from site selection, vineyard development, vineyard farming, viticulture services, and …

Marcelo Bustamante, PhD student in Akif Eskalen’s lab, is on a mission.  A sort of microbial safari.  Only the fungi and bacteria Marcelo is collecting aren’t easy to catch-they live inside the grape vine, potentially protecting it from deadly canker disease organisms.  To capture these microbes, Marcelo and his lab mates use a sterile drill bit to drill a small hole in grape vine trunks …

Small Grains, Other Field Crops: Cotton fields are in full bloom and bolls are filling. Alfalfa continues to be cut and baled with some fields on their third cutting. Corn for silage is being cut. Processed horse feed is being exported to Japan. Deciduous Tree Fruits, Nuts, And Grapes: Mature stone fruit continues to be harvested. Peaches are being exported to …