Pre-Season ground prep work was completed in late-2021, first-turn plantings have been well under way since November, and harvesting of early Cole crops have begun in earnest. For Tri-County vegetable growers their cycle of implementing their standard cultural practices for the 2022 growing season has been under way since late-2021. The standard fundamentals of “blocking and tackling” to successful growing …

The word ‘honeydew’ sounds benign, but the sugary waste product of aphids can promote growth of bacteria that are highly virulent to the pests, according to a new study. The research takes a step towards understanding how some strains of the bacteria Pseudomonas syringae that live on leaves and are pathogenic to aphids might one day be used to control …

March is National Nutrition Month. And while we understand that the purpose is to promote enhanced nutrition and improve diets, for the Grower Shipper Association (GSA) this month is about celebrating our food supply and the farmers and farm workers who grow, nurture and harvest the nation’s fruits and vegetables. Farming is hard. There are many challenges. But farmers will tell you it …

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will not conduct broad sampling of leafy greens grown in the Salinas Valley region of California for the 2022 growing season. The decision was made based on data from Western Growers, the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture inspection activities. The FDA encouraged the organizations to continue to …

On February 23, 2022, 3-4 pm Dr. Brenna J. Aegerter, Farm Advisor with the University of California Cooperative Extension San Joaquin County will lead a zoom meeting under the UC Ag Experts webinar series discussing powdery mildew, black mold fruit rot, and various soilborne diseases in processing tomatoes. She will describe symptoms, factors that contribute to their development, and management options. …

The value of California’s 2021 utilized vegetable production dropped 15% to $7.24 billion compared to 2020’s value of $8.55 billion according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Pacific Regional Field Office. Despite the decrease in state’s overall total value of utilized production, crops showing an increase included asparagus, snap beans, cabbage, celery, cucumbers, garlic, honeydews, onions, chile peppers, pumpkins …

The UC Cooperative Extension (Colusa, Sutter, Yuba, Yolo, Solano & Sacramento Counties) invites growers to attend the 2022 Sacramento Valley Processing Tomato Production Meeting virtually (Zoom) on February 10th from 9:00-11:40 a.m.  DPR and CCA Continuing Education Credits have been requested. Registration is free and can be done online HERE.  Some of the topics of discussion will include: broomrape biology & …

Growers are excited to be gathering back in-person for the 56th annual Sweetpotato meeting held by the UC Cooperative Extension in the UCCE Classroom at 2145 Wardrobe Ave. in Merced, CA. The Sweetpotato Council of California will also be holding their business meeting right after. Due to current Covid rules, face masks will be required to be worn throughout the …

Growers are keen to adopt automation to bridge the growing labor gap and ensure that their crops can be picked in time, according to the Global Harvest Automation Report, a first-of-its-kind study commissioned by Western Growers. The report is the first in a new annual series that will track, measure and report on industry progress in harvest automation across the fresh produce …

USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service — As of January, California’s tomato processors reported they have, or will have, contracts for 12.2 million tons in 2022, which is an increase of 10% compared to 11.1 million contracted tons forecast in the August 2021 California Processing Tomato Report. Processors estimate that the contracted production for 2022 will come from 245,000 acres, generating an average …