News

U.S. certified organic ag production sales up 23 percent

Sales of organic agricultural production continued to increase in 2016, when U.S. farms produced and sold $7.6 billion in certified organic commodities, according to data released today by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Res... more

New Jersey offers grants for soil, water conservation

New Jersey Agriculture Secretary Douglas H. Fisher said Sept. 20 that $500,000 is available in cost-sharing grants to farmers and landowners to help them implement soil and water conservation projects on preserved farms. “Conserving soil and wat... more

Former director, shareholder of Rijk Zwaan dies

Maarten Zwaan passed away on Monday, Sept. 18, at the age of 82. According to an item on the Rijk Zwaan website, Maarten Zwaan was on the board of directors at Rijk Zwaan from 1988-2000 and was co-shareholder of the company. Rijk Zwaan, based i... more

Western Growers releases 2017 compensation, HR data

Western Growers has released its 2017 Professional Compensation and HR Practices Surveys, exclusive data on base pay, incentive pay, merit increases and health plan coverages of the California and Arizona produce industry. Information from th... more

New application of CRISPR breaks yield barriers in crops

Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) in New York state have harnessed the still untapped power of genome editing to improve agricultural crops. Using tomato as an example, they have mobilized CRISPR/Cas9 technology to rapidly generate v... more

Rotary connects farmers and food banks

A program created by Rotary members in Seattle, Washington, is fighting hunger and poverty in Arkansas thanks to connections formed through Rotary. Rotary First Harvest has been funneling donations of imperfect or “ugly” produce to food banks ... more

Food safety resources available for Colorado growers

Colorado produce growers can benefit from a grant the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) received from FDA. The department has partnered with Colorado State University (CSU) Extension to offer a variety of resources to help farmers comply with ... more