USDA expands insurance for California grapevines
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Risk Management Agency (RMA) is expanding the grapevine insurance program beginning in 2025. Source link
What’s really behind high food prices?
High food costs have become major talking points in the upcoming presidential election, with both sides citing different reasons for rising grocery store prices over the past four years. Economists…
Australian pomegranate pioneers aim to expand local consumption
What started off as a project to test irrigation equipment in Australia ended up in the first importation of pomegranate trees from Israel by Mare and Annette Goldstein. “There were…
Questions abound as Harris raises prospect of price gouging ban
Legal experts and economists say it’s hard to tell how a federal ban on price gouging in the food industry would work, and they warn that price controls such as…
Dems embrace labor, climate change even as they seek to cut GOP rural margins
Democrats insist they plan to win in November by campaigning everywhere, including rural America, where they have lost considerable ground in recent elections. They also are unabashedly embracing labor unions,…
Ag bills captured in Legislature’s fiscal gauntlet
More than 800 bills faced the Legislature’s fiscal gatekeepers last week, and about a third failed to pass. The biannual Appropriations culling brought some relief on the agriculture front, but…
Thune says farm bill extension likely needed
Senate Republican Whip John Thune said Wednesday that another one-year farm bill extension will likely be needed amid the ongoing partisan gridlock over current proposals. Passing an extension would enable…
Pressure mounts to fix nitrate contamination in drinking water
Environmental justice advocates are growing frustrated with California’s pace in solving one of the most perplexing water problems in the West. Nitrates in fertilizer and from dairy manure—some decades old—have…
Zespri to deliver strong value back to growers
Zespri has released its first full forecast for the 2024-25 season, with forecast per hectare returns up from last season for all categories, reaching record levels for Green and Organic…
California needs another Central Valley Project—just to manage salinity
Reduced water allocations along with water conservation mandates and climate impacts are leading to more salt accumulation in soils and groundwater, posing a growing threat to the San Joaquin Valley.…