http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news en dsigler@greatamericanpublish.com Copyright 2012 Wed, 16 May 2012 18:00:20 GMT http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/california-gets-ag-license-plate/ http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/california-gets-ag-license-plate/#id:17251#date:18:00   The California Department of Food and Agriculture has collected enough applications to establish a California Special Interest License Plate. The California Agriculture License Plate will support future generations of farmers and ranchers through agricultural education, career awareness, career training and youth leadership programs. Proceeds generated through plate renewal fees will be awarded to agricultural education groups to support youth education and enrichment. It is anticipated that the first funding for educational programs will become available in July 2013. CDFA is still working the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to incorporate the license plate into… Fruit Growers News, Vegetable Growers News Wed, 16 May 2012 18:00 GMT http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/agraquest-gets-ok-to-expand-use-of-serenade-soil-fungicide/ http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/agraquest-gets-ok-to-expand-use-of-serenade-soil-fungicide/#id:17213#date:17:33 Agraquest has been given the green light to use its Serenade Soil fungicide for control of Verticillium in California strawberries. Available in the U.S. for tomatoes, potatoes and melons since 2010, Serenade Soil has proved effective with strawberries, said Sarah Reiter, vice president of marketing, AgroChemicals & Food Value Chain. Reiter said it's a timely move, given that methyl bromide is now prohibited in California - and that 85 percent of U.S.-grown strawberries come out of California. "Methyl bromide for a long time was used ... to control soil diseases, insects and weeds," Reiter said.… Fruit Growers News, Spudman, Vegetable Growers News Mon, 14 May 2012 17:33 GMT http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/some-alabama-farmers-cut-back-crops-citing-crackdown/ http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/some-alabama-farmers-cut-back-crops-citing-crackdown/#id:17208#date:15:28 Some Alabama farmers say they are planting less produce rather than risk having tomatoes and other crops rot in the fields a second straight year because of labor shortages linked to the state's crackdown on illegal immigration. Associated Press Read more here.   Vegetable Growers News Mon, 14 May 2012 15:28 GMT http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/mcdonalds-kicks-off-from-michigan-for-michigan-initiative-promoting-locally/ http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/mcdonalds-kicks-off-from-michigan-for-michigan-initiative-promoting-locally/#id:17131#date:19:03 By Kathy GibbonsEditorial Director Al Dietrich didn't get a lot of sleep last night. The Conklin, Mich., grower had to be up and at his family's Dietrich Orchards' packing facility by 4:15 a.m. today in preparation for hosting McDonald's announcement of a new "From Michigan For Michigan" initiative to raise awareness of locally sourced food.Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder was on hand for the event, recognizing local suppliers and McDonald's for its contributions to the state's $91.4 billion food and agriculture system. "You hear the word ‘Big Three', most people will name three auto companies," Snyder… Fruit Growers News, Vegetable Growers News Wed, 09 May 2012 19:03 GMT http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/usda-grants-to-increase-farmers-market-participation-in-snap/ http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/usda-grants-to-increase-farmers-market-participation-in-snap/#id:17122#date:18:06   Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan announced awards to help States expand availability of wireless technology in farmers' markets not currently participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The $4 million in funding provides SNAP participants greater access to fresh and healthy food, while supporting American farmers and local economies. "Our country's 7,100 operating farmers markets offer opportunities to our children and their families to access healthy food across the country," said Deputy Secretary Merrigan. "SNAP participation at farmers' markets helps provide fresh fruit and vegetables to families and expands the customer base for… Fruit Growers News, Spudman, Vegetable Growers News Wed, 09 May 2012 18:06 GMT http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/find-a-farmers-market-near-you-or-list-one-at-usdas-national-online-directo/ http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/find-a-farmers-market-near-you-or-list-one-at-usdas-national-online-directo/#id:17106#date:18:26 The USDA is currently accepting additions to its National Farmers Market Directory. The directory is designed to make searching for a farmers' market - wherever you are - easy. Currently, more than 7,000 are listed. Besides offering lists of markets, along with their locations, operating hours and products offered to be a resource for consumers, the USDA National Farmers Market Directory is a marketing tool for markets themselves. According to USDA, getting listed in the directory is a great way to increase a market's visibility as well as provide updates on new developments, products and… Fruit Growers News, Vegetable Growers News Tue, 08 May 2012 18:26 GMT http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/crescent-fruit-vegetable-farms-launches-new-website/ http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/crescent-fruit-vegetable-farms-launches-new-website/#id:17095#date:14:25 Crescent Fruit & Vegetable, a year-round grower and distributor of watermelons and onions, announces the launch of their new website designed specifically with today’s fresh produce consumers in mind.   The website, www.moonlitfarms.com, shares the name of Crescent Fruit & Vegetable’s consumer brand and delivers high graphic content that aims to attract and educate consumers, as well as highlight the “Sweet & Savory” characteristics of ruby red watermelons and plump, flavorful onions. With both families and foodies in mind, a categorized recipe section, complete with attractive photography of the plated dishes, allows visitors to find… Fresh Cut, Fruit Growers News, Vegetable Growers News Mon, 07 May 2012 14:25 GMT http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/yakima-valleys-asparagus-season-lean-on-skilled-cutters/ http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/yakima-valleys-asparagus-season-lean-on-skilled-cutters/#id:17094#date:14:21 Across the Yakima Valley, farmers say the same thing: It's hard to perfect the art of cutting asparagus, and the workers who return year after year are an invaluable resource. Asparagus season started in mid-April and will run through mid- to late June.   It's backbreaking work: Bending at the waist every two or three feet to cut the stalks just below the surface of the soil, then dropping the vegetables into a plastic box that hangs from a belt around the hips and grows heavier with each handful. But for asparagus cutters in the… Vegetable Growers News Mon, 07 May 2012 14:21 GMT http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/campbell-soup-blackstone-to-bid-on-bolthouse-farms/ http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/campbell-soup-blackstone-to-bid-on-bolthouse-farms/#id:17092#date:12:55 Campbell Soup Co. and Blackstone Group LP (BX) made bids for natural juice maker WM Bolthouse Farms Inc., according to people with knowledge of the matter. First-round offers, which were due April 27, also came from other private-equity firms, said one of the people, who declined to be identified because the deliberations are private. Bids submitted to Madison Dearborn Partners LLC, the Chicago-based private-equity firm that owns Bolthouse Farms, came in higher than $1.5 billion, said one of the people. Bloomberg Business Read more of the story here.   Fresh Cut, Vegetable Growers News Mon, 07 May 2012 12:55 GMT http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/women-farmers-who-are-making-bank-in-agritourism/ http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/women-farmers-who-are-making-bank-in-agritourism/#id:17035#date:14:22 Often it's farm women who are first to recognize the opportunity inherent in what is sometimes called agritourism or agritainment. Forbes Click here to read more.   Fruit Growers News, Vegetable Growers News Wed, 02 May 2012 14:22 GMT http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/colorado-cantaloupe-farmers-face-uncertain-future/ http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/colorado-cantaloupe-farmers-face-uncertain-future/#id:16990#date:15:08   Last fall, a listeria outbreak in cantaloupes traced to a southeastern Colorado farm killed thirty people and sickened dozens more in 28 states. The economic fallout from the tragedy has also been far reaching. Farms from Colorado to California closed and workers were laid off as consumer demand for melons dropped in half. Now, with the Spring planting season underway, farmers that are still in business are in a desperate attempt to repair their image. KNUC Read more of the story here.   Vegetable Growers News Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:08 GMT http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/pasco-farmer-abandons-asparagus-field/ http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/pasco-farmer-abandons-asparagus-field/#id:16977#date:19:19 The once-closed tips of the thigh-high asparagus spears have ferned out. The giant stems cover a 100-acre field that Larsen Farms of Pasco stopped harvesting about a week ago because they -- along with other Tri-City area farmers -- couldn’t find enough workers this year to cut asparagus. Owner Gary Larsen said it’s the first time he’s had a labor shortage since he started farming asparagus in 1984. Asparagus harvest started the second week of April. Warm weather starting Friday caused a flush of asparagus spears that caused harvest to really take off. In one… Vegetable Growers News Fri, 27 Apr 2012 19:19 GMT http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/labor-department-scraps-child-worker-rule/ http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/labor-department-scraps-child-worker-rule/#id:16976#date:18:01 The U.S. Department of Labor issued the following statement today, regarding the withdrawal of a proposed rule dealing with children who work in agricultural vocations: "The Obama administration is firmly committed to promoting family farmers and respecting the rural way of life, especially the role that parents and other family members play in passing those traditions down through the generations. The Obama administration is also deeply committed to listening and responding to what Americans across the country have to say about proposed rules and regulations. "As a result, the Department of Labor is announcing today… Fruit Growers News, Spudman, Vegetable Growers News Fri, 27 Apr 2012 18:01 GMT http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/produce-industry-invited-to-join-in-smart-irrigation-month/ http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/produce-industry-invited-to-join-in-smart-irrigation-month/#id:16973#date:19:44 The Irrigation Association is laying the groundwork for Smart Irrigation Month, to be observed in July. Smart Irrigation Month is designed to increase awareness of the value of water-use efficiency, water-saving products, practices and services. Goals include: •Educating homeowners, businesses, growers and other users about simple ways to save money and water. •Encouraging industry firms and professionals to promote smart irrigation practices and technologies to customers. •Helping water providers minimize peak water use and reduce demands on infrastructure in their communities. •Reinforcing the role efficient irrigation plays in providing solutions to today's water challenges. Following… Fruit Growers News, Spudman, Vegetable Growers News Thu, 26 Apr 2012 19:44 GMT http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/us-asparagus-industry-sees-slight-recovery/ http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/us-asparagus-industry-sees-slight-recovery/#id:16961#date:12:48   Asparagus farmers crushed for decades by a flood of South American imports have begun to expand production again in the hope that healthy eating trends and demand for homegrown vegetables will help bolster prices and sales of their stalks. U.S. asparagus production is still only a third of what it was 25 years ago, thanks in large part to a pair of federal policies meant to combat drug trafficking and improve economic trade. A 1991 law exempted some crops, including asparagus, from tariffs to help Andean countries expand their alternatives to drug crops —… Vegetable Growers News Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:48 GMT http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/senate-committee-begins-farm-bill-mark-up-april-26/ http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/senate-committee-begins-farm-bill-mark-up-april-26/#id:16960#date:12:42 The U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry is in the process of considering and marking up the 2012 Farm Bill.The markup is also being streamed live on the Senate Agriculture Committee website at http://ag.senate.gov.The text of the Committee Print of the 2012 Farm Bill is available to access and download on the Senate Agriculture Committee's website at http://www.ag.senate.gov/issues/farm-bill. Fresh Cut, Fruit Growers News, Spudman, Vegetable Growers News Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:42 GMT http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/appeals-court-upholds-migrant-workers-conviction-in-killing-of-farmer/ http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/appeals-court-upholds-migrant-workers-conviction-in-killing-of-farmer/#id:16941#date:19:10   The Michigan state Court of Appeals has upheld the first-degree murder conviction of farm worker Socorro Hurtado-Garcia in the Feb. 5, 2010, killing of his boss, Ed Rasch. Hurtado-Garcia, 59, who worked for Rasch more than two decades, and was considered part of the Rasch extended family, is serving a life sentence after shooting Rasch while the men were in the farm's winter quarters in Alpine Township near Grand Rapids, Mich. Hurtado-Garcia was upset over being laid off, and believed he was being replaced by younger, illegal migrant workers. He shot Rasch in the chest… Fruit Growers News, Vegetable Growers News Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:10 GMT http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/midsize-ny-state-farms-may-get-space-at-hunts-point/ http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/midsize-ny-state-farms-may-get-space-at-hunts-point/#id:16939#date:13:48 Midsize upstate New York farmers may get a place at the table at the Hunts Point wholesale produce market in the South Bronx, according to this article from The New York Times.   Vegetable Growers News Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:48 GMT http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/avian-control-receives-epa-approval/ http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/avian-control-receives-epa-approval/#id:16918#date:17:58 Avian Control bird repellent has received EPA approval to be used in agriculture on cherries, blueberries, grapes, apples, stone fruit and sweet corn. It may be sprayed or fogged onto targeted crops to dramatically reduce or eliminate damage caused by foraging birds. Avian Control is also EPA approved to remove nuisance birds from barns, packing sheds and other structures. Avian Control bird repellent is entirely formulated with food grade ingredients that are generally regarded as safe by the FDA. The Stone Soap Company, Sylvan Lake, Mich., manufactures Avian Control under license.   Fruit Growers News, Vegetable Growers News Mon, 23 Apr 2012 17:58 GMT http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/senate-releases-draft-of-2012-farm-bill/ http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/senate-releases-draft-of-2012-farm-bill/#id:16902#date:13:30 The U.S. Senate has released a draft of the proposed 2012 Farm Bill.  You can read the entire bill here. Be forewarned, it is over 900 pages. This is the first public draft of the bill. Stay tuned for further updates. Fresh Cut, Fruit Growers News, Spudman, Vegetable Growers News Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:30 GMT