People are increasingly trying to grow both food and clean energy on the same land to help meet the challenges of climate change, drought and a growing global population that just topped 8 billion. This effort includes agrivoltaics, in which crops are grown under the shade of solar panels, ideally with less water. Now scientists from the University of California, …
A recent multi-university collaborative study is showing consistent increases in milk production for dairies converting to robotic milking systems across the nation. Watch this brief interview with Dairy Management Specialist Camila Lage from Cornell Cooperative Extension as she explains. Read more about it in California Dairy Magazine. Please thank this video’s sponsor Clean Energy for their industry support.
While automation is not a cheap investment, Travis Hooker and his father are invested in the future of the California dairy industry, and automating their milking system is one way they working to meet today’s challenges. Watch this brief interview with Travis on how this new system is panning out on his family dairy in Chowchilla, CA. Read more in …
There is not always sufficient time and labor to accomplish all the tasks that need to be taken care of in the vineyard. Fortunately researchers and allied industry stakeholders have collaborated and innovated to provide an economical way for the full automation of winter pruning in wine grape vineyards. Watch this brief video with Kaan Kurtural from UC Davis as …
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced that the Department is awarding $502 million in loans and grants (PDF, 221 KB) to provide high-speed internet access for rural residents and businesses in 20 states — including California. The funding is part of the Biden Administration’s commitment to investing in rural infrastructure and providing reliable, affordable, high-speed internet for all. …
Many almond growers have heard their peers, as well as others with interest in improving pollinator habitat and soil health, endorse the planting of cover crops to accomplish those goals. Those same growers may have wondered if money spent on seeds and labor as well as the cost of time to manage cover crops truly pay off. Can the economic …
Monitoring the progress of your grape composition and timing harvest just right when you have thousands of acres, several varieties and diverse growing conditions can be difficult to keep up with. Well, the Fresno State Department of Viticulture & Enology has been working with industry collaborators on speeding up with process with greater accuracy. Watch this brief video with Luca …
Drones are being more widely employed for various purposes in the agricultural sector. The Fresno State Department of Viticulture & Enology is taking things to the next level by measuring grapevine water stress through hyperspectral imaging, using drone-accumulated data to further automate the irrigation process. Watch this brief interview with Luca Brillante and Kaylah Vasquez to learn more, and read …
Cowpea is an important crop in many parts of the world, especially sub-Saharan Africa. It is resilient and can grow in areas with little rainfall and low-quality soils. But as hardy as it is, cowpea yields can decrease by drought and low levels of soil phosphorus. In a recent study, researchers determined cowpea root characteristics that could help the plants grow …
A record number of growers will be mechanically harvesting their grapes this year, due in part to increasing labor limitations. There have been many recent innovations in mechanization that go far beyond the machine harvesting of grapes. From mechanical leaf and sucker removal to automated winter pruners, watch this video with Aaron Lange from Langetwins Family Winery & Vineyards for …
Connie Tittle: I'm in Gavilan Hills in Riverside County. The StinkNet Oncosiphon piluliferum is...