West

California farms impacted by illegal dumping may get help

Illegal dumping on private lands in rural communities is an issue that has plagued farmers and ranchers for many years. Old mattresses, sofas, appliances, tires and household garbage are routinely discarded along roadways, causing an... more »

Structure fire in Salinas, California, brings Taylor Farms’ response

On on Wednesday, April 13, a structure fire significantly damaged Taylor Farms’ California Foodservice production facility in Salinas, California. According to reports, all individuals present at the facility were safely evacuated and all shelter in... more »

Grower-shipper to host Viva Fresh podcast

A grower-shipper’s podcast will be hosted live at this year’s Viva Fresh Expo on April 23. The Fresh CrEd podcast, featuring Craig Slate and Ed Bertaud of Rio Rico, Arizona’s SunFed, will be onsite performing... more »

Farmers facing water cuts in California’s Klamath Basin

Food production along the California-Oregon border will likely be significantly curtailed after the federal government announced April 11 that it intends to allocate 50,000 acre-feet of water to Klamath Basin irrigators in California this year.... more »

Agricultural robotics event launches US edition in California

World FIRA, the leading event in ag robotics, will launch FIRA USA in Fresno, California, Oct. 18-20, to provide autonomous systems and robots to California and North American growers. Jointly organized by the Global Organization... more »

Gas emissions can be cut with drip irrigation in arid regions

Under the blistering sun of Southern California's Imperial Valley, it's not surprising that subsurface drip irrigation is more effective and efficient than furrow (or flood) irrigation, a practice in which up to 50% of water... more »

Kalera opens vertical farming facility in Denver

Colorado residents will soon be able to shop local for lettuce and microgreens from Kalera, a hydroponic indoor vertical farming company, thanks to the opening of the company's new Denver farm. The nearly 90,000-square-foot facility,... more »

Top state scientist to head California Bountiful Foundation

Amrith Gunasekara, manager of environmental programs for the California Department of Food and Agriculture, has been hired to head a research foundation conducting and supporting scientific studies on critical matters affecting California farm communities. [caption... more »