Maeli Melotto and her team at the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences are looking for strains of lettuce that are genetically stronger at resisting bacteria that can make people sick. Their work has led to the identification of a gene that could play a role in the plant’s susceptibility to E. coli, a bacterium that causes potentially lethal intestinal illness. …

Strawberry growers, researchers, and other industry members from around the globe are invited to attend the 10th North American Strawberry Symposium (NASS), a meeting of  to be held in conjunction with the annual North American Strawberry Growers Association (NASGA) conference, March 7-10, 2023 at the Embassy Suites in San Luis Obispo, California, USA. California, where nearly 90% of U.S. strawberries are grown, features a unique coastal environment …

The UC Cooperative Extension will be hosting its 2023 Carrot Research Symposium on Tuesday, February 14th online via Zoom from 8 a.m. to noon.  Attendance is free and open to the public.  The symposium will focus on the latest information in research and activities related to carrots, with 1.5 hrs. of ‘Other’ CEUs applied for from the CA Dept. of Pesticide Regulations.  Some …

As of January, California’s tomato processors reported they have, or will have, contracts for 12.4 million tons in 2023, which is an increase of 18% compared to 10.5 million contracted tons forecast in the August 2022 California Processing Tomato Report. Processors estimate that the contracted production for 2023 will come from 248,000 acres, generating an average yield of 50.0 tons per acre. …

Growers of organic vegetables and strawberries across California are invited to attend an online training to learn how to manage nitrogen fertilization. UC Cooperative Extension is offering the three-part Nitrogen Planning and Management in Organic Production of Annual Crops Workshop on Nov. 29, Dec. 5 and Dec. 12. Growers, certified crop advisers, pest control advisers and other agricultural professionals who are interested in learning …

Two newly developed, low-cost tests that use nanoparticles to detect chemicals can accurately measure tiny amounts of two potentially harmful herbicides in fruits, vegetables and their products. Reporting in the journal Food Chemistry, a Washington State University research team used two testing methods to measure the levels of two herbicides, namely atrazine and acetochlor, in samples of apples, strawberries, cabbage, corn and …

On Nov. 1, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will mail the 2022 Cost of Pollination Survey to over 2,700 CA crop producers. The survey will be sent to nearly 16,000 producers nationwide. “Honey bees are important pollinators of crops ranging from almonds to zucchinis,” said Gary R. Keough, director of the NASS Pacific Regional Office. “To help accurately depict …

The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) and partners are hosting a webinar for stakeholders and producers that focuses on the new Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops (FSCSC) program. FSCSC will provide up to $200 million in assistance for specialty crop producers who incur eligible on-farm food safety program expenses to obtain or renew a food safety certification in calendar …

Western Growers is welcoming the seventh class of Future Volunteer Leaders, a group who will be embedded in specialized networking and agricultural leadership development events with the organization for the next two years. Class VII includes: Celeste Alonzo, Junior Enterprises Jose Covarrubias, Wholesum Farms Krystal Del Bosque, Del Bosque Farms Briana Giampaoli, Live Oak Farms Shay Myers, Owyhee Produce Garrett …

Fresno-area farmers face water management and business viability challenges like never before, but financial and technical resources are available to help growers and landowners navigate these challenges. American Farmland Trust is partnering with the Sierra Resource Conservation District and USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to gather women in agriculture around these issues and feature services they can lean on at a Women for the Land Learning Circle …