Save the date, Tuesday, November 9th for the annual Tree & Vine Expo at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds, in Turlock, California, the heart of North Valley wine grape, tree nut and fruit country.  Held by Malcolm Media Ag Publishing in cooperation with California Ag Network, Pacific Nut Producer, American Vineyard, and California Fresh Fruit Magazines, it is the ultimate postharvest …

California is the country’s top agricultural producer and in October the state’s wine and winegrape growing community honors the farmers and farmworkers who nurture and harvest more than 400 crops – ranging from fruits, vegetables and nuts to more than 100 winegrape varieties.   “California Farmer and Farmworker Month is an important opportunity to recognize all those who work incredibly hard to bring the Golden State’s world class wine and agricultural products into the homes and communities across the state, the nation …

The U.S. Agency for International Development will provide a base $15 million investment over the next five years, with up to $34.5 million total funding possible, to support a global research program led by the University of California, Davis, that advances fruit and vegetable production, handling, and consumption. The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture will work with and …

October is California Farmer and Farmworker Month, and the California Prune Board is celebrating those within the industry who work so hard to produce the premium fruit that contributes to health and wellbeing. “California’s prune growers and orchard workers have worked tirelessly through the pandemic to keep this wholesome fruit on tables and in pantries for families, frontline workers, and …

No weigh? Weigh! Bring it on burly, beefy, bodacious behemoths! The excitement is building in Pumpkintown as the World’s Greatest Gourd Growers and their mind-blowing, Volkswagen-sized orange orbs hope to squash the world record on Monday, October 11 at the 48th Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off — the “Super Bowl of Weigh-Offs” — in the World Pumpkin Capital of Half Moon …

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released their annual per-capita dairy consumption data today and the story, despite major shocks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, remains America’s growing love for dairy products of all shapes and sizes. The information from USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) adds 2020 data to an accounting of per capita dairy consumption dating back to 1975 …

Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture Karen Ross and other state and local officials joined California Dairies, Inc. (CDI) on Wednesday, September 29, at a groundbreaking ceremony in Kern County, CA, at the future site of CDI’s new ultra-high temperature (UHT) and extended shelf-life (ESL) milk processing facility. “This is an exciting day and marks the launch …

The checkoff-founded Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy released its biennial 2020 U.S. Dairy Sustainability Report inclusive of progress made in 2019 and 2020 within environmental stewardship and broader social responsibility commitments to people, animals and communities. The report provides a transparent accounting of the progress and impact that the dairy community has made against the U.S. Dairy Stewardship Commitment since its launch …

Scientists have figured out how plants respond to light and can flip this genetic switch to encourage food growth. The discovery could help increase food supply for an expanding population with shrinking opportunities for farming. The research on this genetic switch, led by UC Riverside, has now been published in the journal Nature Communications.  Almost every aspect of plant growth and development …

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will invest $248 million in 10 new school feeding projects expected to benefit more than a million children worldwide, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Jewel Bronaugh announced today. USDA’s 2021 commitment, through the Foreign Agricultural Service’s McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program, includes both direct financial support and the donation of U.S.-grown commodities …