The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service has forecasted contracted production for California processing tomatoes at 12.9 million tons for 2023, averaging 50.8 tons per acre. The current production forecast is 23% above last year’s contracted production of 10.5 million tons, and 2% above the May forecast. The projected harvested acreage of tomatoes grown under contract is 254,000 acres, up 13% from 2022. …

Grassroots networking and communication are key to spreading the word about opportunities available through the USDA Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP). TOPP regional leads are planting boots on the ground to connect producers interested in transitioning to organic with organic farmers interested in mentoring them. In early summer, Southwest TOPP Regional Lead California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) toured Domitila …

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is expanding its insurance coverage options for specialty crops and other actual production history (APH) crop programs. Through its Risk Management Agency (RMA), it will expand the availability of enterprise units to crops where they were previously unavailable, giving agricultural producers greater options to manage their risk. An enterprise unit allows a producer to insure all acres of the …

The California Strawberry Commission (CSC) is announcing two key hires to advance the industry through research and communications. Dr. William “Bill” Turechek joins the CSC as the new Vice President of Research. Bill joins the CSC after serving since 2006 as a Research Plant Pathologist at the USDA-ARS Horticultural Research Laboratory in Fort Pierce, Florida, where he worked on epidemiology …

Western Growers and S2G Ventures are now accepting applications for the 2023 AgSharks Competition, a unique event where startup companies pitch their innovations in front of a live audience of the world’s largest specialty crop producers to win a $250,000 minimum investment. Impact-driven entrepreneurs and startups developing technologies that promote a more healthy and sustainable food and agriculture system can …

In recent years, there has been an increase in crown rot/vine decline problems in processing tomatoes. Many tolerant, as well as several susceptible tomato cultivars, have been identified from previous efforts funded by CTRI. The number of fields in the Sacramento Valley with confirmed Fusarium falciforme vine decline has been increasing each year. In 2022, eight new tomato fields were diagnosed in Sutter …

The Annual UC Cooperative Extension and California Potato Research Advisory Board (CPRAB) Variety Trial Field Day is an opportunity to see tubers of potentially new varieties, how they performed this year, and how they performed compared to standard varieties. The event will take place on Wednesday, June 21 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Hart Memorial Park (8 miles northeast …

Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, the Chairman of the Panetta Institute of Public Policy, will deliver the keynote address at the Salinas Biological Summit, speaking on the topic of food security and innovation. Registration is now open to attend the event, which will be held June 20-21, 2023 at CSU Monterey Bay’s Salinas City Center. Co-presented by Western Growers and …

Grower-Shipper Association of Central California – Possibly due to colder winter and spring weather conditions as well as mitigation strategies taken by farmers, pest and disease pressure associated with the Thrips-Vectored Impatiens Necrotic Spot Virus (INSV) have lessened in leafy greens fields as compared to 2022. As observed and reported by the Grower Shipper Association’s (GSA) INSV Task Force, this reduced …

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) today released a report finding that 97% of fruits and vegetables sampled within the state in 2021 met federal pesticide safety standards. The 2021 California Pesticide Residue Monitoring Program Report shows that 97% of domestically grown and imported produce samples collected in 2021 had either no detectable pesticide residues or had residues within the allowable …