Water
Agreement limits use of methomyl
EPA and the manufacturers of the insecticide methomyl have agreed to cancel some uses and limit use on certain crops to reduce risks to drinking water. From 1995 to 2013, exposure from food to carbamates,... more »
New business focuses on specialty crop growers
Specialty Crop Solutions has announced the establishment of a new business focused on serving the specialty crop grower. Specialty Crop Solutions provides services and products not currently available to the small- to medium-sized specialty agricultural... more »
BioSafe Systems names new manager
BioSafe Systems recently added Ed Chell as California territory manager for the agrichemical division, supporting the crop protection, water treatment and food safety business segments. Based in Camarillo, California, Chell will grow and develop the... more »
Heirloom tomato growers benefit from new varieties
There was a time when heirloom tomatoes were typically associated with production, handling and shipping challenges that did not attract commercial growers.According to Jeanine Davis, North Carolina State University (NCSU) horticulturalist and Extension specialist, the... more »
Drip irrigation management leads to efficiencies
Vegetable growers in Florida are using plasticulture to improve water and nutrient management practices on more than 5,000 acres of production. And the effort is paying off, according to one Extension official familiar with the... more »
Spectrum introduces cloud-based software
Spectrum Technologies has introduced SpecConnect, an advanced web portal cloud solution for crop environmental monitoring using wireless networks. The cloud-based software monitors and captures weather and temperature, plant health and soil moisture data across various... more »
Get the most from your pre-emergent vegetable herbicide
If used correctly, pre-emergent herbicides are an effective means of controlling early season weed problems, helping crops get a good start and potentially enabling them to out-compete mid- and late-season weed pressure. Herbicide applications are... more »
USDA releases 2013 pesticide data summary
USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has posted data from the 2013 Pesticide Data Program (PDP) Annual Summary. The PDP summary confirms that overall pesticide chemical residues found on the foods tested are at levels below... more »
JV Farms Organic recycling efforts spread companywide
The CEO of a large western U.S. vegetable operation was front and center when it came time to rally companywide support for stronger recycling and sustainability efforts.JV Farms Organic, based in Soledad, California, has launched... more »
Precision agriculture poised for growth
An agricultural engineering professor, in the forefront of high-tech innovation, believes there are significant advantages for specialty crop operators who pursue and adapt precision agriculture technologies.The bottom line – impacted by such trends as a... more »