Western Farm Press

California Crop Weather: citrus bloom is complete

Thu, 31 May 2012 00:41:00 +0000

The citrus bloom was complete. Nets were removed from seedless tangerine groves. The Navel orange harvest was nearly complete. The harvests of lemons and Valencia oranges continued.

Higher California wine grape prices expected to continue

Wed, 30 May 2012 23:35:00 +0000

Prediction: higher prices for next three years

Sustainable prices for California wine grape growers will continue for at least the next three years. Many wineries believe the wine grape supply will be short for the next three to five years. Varietal grape prices have rebounded to levels last seen in the pre-surplus days in the mid-to-late 1990s. Consumer demand for wine has jumped 10 percent to 12 percent so far this year. If this growth trend continues, grape prices could trend higher. The premium grape industry shows signs of rebound after a decade of financial struggles.

Jeff Bitter on future California wine grape prices — photo gallery

Wed, 30 May 2012 23:26:00 +0000

Arizona Agri-Weekly: cotton plants shift into squaring

Wed, 30 May 2012 22:10:00 +0000

Cotton squaring has occurred on almost one fourth of the acreage. The crop is in mostly fair to good condition.

Wheat, weather and trade

Wed, 30 May 2012 20:31:00 +0000

Ross Korves, Truth About Trade and Technology

Hot, dry weather in some major wheat exporting regions has caused world markets to react from fears of a short crop as occurred in 2010. According to the FAS estimates released in early May, wheat trade of 145.1 million metric tons (MMT) accounts for 20.9 percent of this year’s wheat consumption.

2011 California walnut acreage at 280,000

Wed, 30 May 2012 20:27:00 +0000

NASS estimated 2011 California walnut acreage at 280,000; up 10 percent from 2009, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Can insurance handle price and yield risks?

Wed, 30 May 2012 19:46:00 +0000

Daryll E. Ray and Harwood D. Schaffer

As congressional activity heats up for the 2012 Farm Bill, risk management is the central justification for most of the commodity title program proposals.

Rice production hindered by carbon dioxide levels

Wed, 30 May 2012 19:43:00 +0000

Ann Perry, USDA

Rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide facilitate the flow of genes from wild or weedy rice plants to domesticated rice varieties. As a result, domesticated plants could take on undesirable weedy characteristics that may interfere with future rice production.

Plants can get even more from light

Wed, 30 May 2012 19:37:00 +0000

Wageningen University

A new discovery could lead to the development of plants that produce more food by reducing the amount of these non-photosynthetic pigments.

USDA budget belt cuts off 125 offices

Wed, 30 May 2012 19:32:00 +0000

USDA shuts doors on 125 offices

FSA will consolidate 125 of the 131 USDA offices originally proposed for consolidation with other USDA service centers, consistent with provisions of the 2008 Farm Bill.

Capital is top need of young farmers

Wed, 30 May 2012 19:05:00 +0000

NSAC

Capital is the No. 1 need of young and beginning farmers in the United States.

Safeguarding American's billion dollar agriculture industry

Wed, 30 May 2012 18:56:00 +0000

Rebecca Blue, Deputy Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, talks about the significance of having effective pest and disease management to safeguard the nation’s multi-billion ag industry.

Audio File:

safeguard.MP3

EPA reports 94 million biodiesel gallons in April

Wed, 30 May 2012 18:54:00 +0000

NBB

EPA said that 94.5 million gallons of biodiesel were produced in April, reporting year-to-date production of 331 million gallons through the end of April.

CRP program records near 4-million acre sign-up

Wed, 30 May 2012 18:51:00 +0000

USDA will accept 3.9 million acres offered under the 43rd Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general sign-up. During the extended five-week signup, the Department received nearly 48,000 offers on more than 4.5 million acres of land.

Budget cuts hinder battle against invasive thistle

Wed, 30 May 2012 18:46:00 +0000

Yellow star thistle is public enemy No. 1 in the California weed world, found in every county but one and covering as much as 14 million acres.

Cotton market stuck in tumble mode

Wed, 30 May 2012 18:38:00 +0000

Don Shurley, University of Georgia

Cotton prices have thus far attempted to stop the bleeding twice. The first attempt around 75 cents was unsuccessful. The second attempt is around 70 cents — where we are right now. I shudder to think where prices are headed if the bleeding doesn’t stop soon.

Crop report timing gets USDA review

Wed, 30 May 2012 18:37:00 +0000

USDA is reviewing release times for several major statistical reports due to recent changes in market hours by major commodity exchanges.

Tools for Increasing Avocado Production seminar June 5, Nipomo

Wed, 30 May 2012 18:28:00 +0000

Outdoor Seminar - Tuesday June 5, 2012 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.

Located at 530 Mehlschau Road, Nipomo

Speakers:

Jane Moore-Puresense Environmental Inc.,
Jeremy Otto-Hortau Simplified Irrigation
Lanny Sowell-The Irrometer Company
Ken Wahlen-Adcon Telemetry will present information on the different tools commercially available for efficient irrigation in your groves.

California Avocado Growers’ Seminar Series is presented jointly by: University of California Cooperative Extension San Luis Obispo County California Avocado Commission & California Avocado Society.

Tools for increasing avocado production seminar June 5, Nipomo, will be held Tuesday, 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.

Location

Nipomo Nipomo , CA

United States

35° 2' 33.918" N, 120° 28' 33.5964" W

See map: Google Maps

Senate farm bill formally introduced

Wed, 30 May 2012 18:22:00 +0000

National Cotton Council

Farm bill legislation will be considered by the Senate in early June but no specific date has been announced.

US hosting next TPP negotiations

Wed, 30 May 2012 16:39:00 +0000

National Cotton Council

U.S. Chief Negotiator Weisel indicated that TPP trade ministers, who will be meeting in June, are not likely to make a decision on whether Canada, Japan and Mexico can join the negotiations.

SURE disaster deadline June 1 for 2010 crops

Wed, 30 May 2012 16:29:00 +0000

Producers have until Friday, June 1, to apply for assistance for 2010 crop losses under the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments (SURE) Program.

Safety of US fruits and vegetables reinforced

Wed, 30 May 2012 16:20:00 +0000

The release of the USDA’s Pesticide Data Program results should reinforce to consumers that both conventional and organic fruits and vegetables are being grown in an extremely safe manner.

US, Brazilian cotton industries seek cooperation

Wed, 30 May 2012 16:15:00 +0000

NCC

The NCC and ABRAPA, Brazil’s national cotton producer organization, issued a joint statement following a recent meeting of U.S. and Brazilian cotton industry leaders in Atlanta.

Dairy producers call for more money

Wed, 30 May 2012 16:10:00 +0000

If dairy producers don't start getting paid more for their milk, the dairy industry in Tulare County could die out, according to local dairy owners.

New generation of ethanol coming

Wed, 30 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

First cellulosic ethanol from corn kernel

NCERC

Researchers have successfully produced ethanol from the cellulosic portion of the corn kernel. The potential for cellulosic ethanol has significant immediate and long-term impacts on the biofuels industry generally and the ethanol industry specifically.

UCANR releases highly anticipated IPM citrus manual

Wed, 30 May 2012 14:25:00 +0000

Integrated Pest Management for Citrus — 3rd Edition, released by UCANR

This highly anticipated Integrated Pest Management for Citrus — 3rd Edition was updated as a response to Asian citrus psyllid and citrus greening disease — a disease that according to the USDA threatens to destroy over 1 million commercial citrus acres with a production value of approximately $3 billion.

Biotech crops continue to yield tremendous benefits

Wed, 30 May 2012 13:56:00 +0000

National Cotton Council

Crop biotechnology consistently has provided important economic and production gains, improved incomes and reduced risk for farmers around the world that have grown genetically modified (GM) crops. The adoption of GM crops is making an important contribution to the development of crop production systems that require fewer pesticide applications, reduces the risk of crop losses due to insects and weeds, and increases the yields for all types of farmers in developed and developing economies.

Atrazine settlement allows for continued use

Wed, 30 May 2012 13:34:00 +0000

Atrazine-related lawsuit settled

NCGA

“Atrazine safety has been verified by thousands of studies and numerous reviews by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and we’re happy to have this nuisance lawsuit behind us so our growers can move forward and do what they do best – help feed and fuel the world, sustainably.”

Specialty crops a vital plank of farm bill

Wed, 30 May 2012 13:29:00 +0000

Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance

There is strong support in Congress for the specialty crop industry and there is a strong desire to pass the Farm Bill before it reaches its Sept. 30 expiration date. 83 members of Congress representing key specialty crop interests sent a message to House agriculture leadership about the need to defend specialty crop programs and to swiftly pass the Farm Bill.

Water crisis in California, Texas threatens US food security

Wed, 30 May 2012 13:28:00 +0000

Western water scarcity issues becoming more severe

University of Texas at Austin

California and Texas produced agricultural products worth $56 billion in 2007, accounting for much of the nation's food production. They also account for half of all groundwater depletion in the U.S., mainly as a result of irrigating crops.