Blue Diamond Growers today announced the official grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony of its new 52,000 square-foot, energy-saving manufacturing facility in Salida, California. The event marks the completion of the facility to add new pasteurization technology and processing lines. The announcement follows the cooperative’s recent groundbreaking of its receiving warehouse on the same property in Salida, which is the largest almond …

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: …

Just as we blend, cut, and fold ingredients together to follow a recipe, farmers use equipment to stir together soil and crop residue (stalks and roots of previous crops) before planting. This mechanical action is called tillage. Similar to our kitchen cupboard with a blender, mixer, and beater, farmers have access to a variety of tillage equipment. Farmers choose the …

California vineyard owners are carefully watching grapes mature on the vine this summer, just one in a list of responsibilities that determines their chances at a successful season. Years of experience working the land have been the main tool for these growers, but environmental restrictions and requirements are making the job increasingly complicated. David Ebert of Purdue University’s College of …

Wildfires blackened nearly 8.8 million acres in the United States last year, highlighted in the news by California’s Camp Fire, the deadliest in that state’s history. One of the many things that make wildfires so difficult to contain is the effect a fire has on local winds, which can move the fire in unexpected directions with virtually no notice. But, …

As the farm labor force in California continues to shrink and costs continue to climb, growers have been compelled to mechanize much of their farming tasks.  Harvesting is one of the most labor-intensive tasks for California raisin growers, and fortunately, mechanical harvesting is an option for them.  The technology has been around for quite some time now; however, some growers …

A team of researchers at Washington State University is putting satellites and drones to work in the hunt for better wheat varieties to help feed a growing world more sustainably. WSU scientists launched a new project this spring, developing techniques that let satellites and flying drones identify and study wheat varieties from overhead. The research is funded by a $500,000 …