West

Never-ending rain leads to pest, disease concerns

A seemingly endless flow of water saturating their fields is burdening California growers with pests and diseases. Growers of strawberries and other fruits expect the heavy rains to delay some planting and harvesting and cause... more »

Global Biological Accelerator debuts at Salinas event

A new venture designed to spur development of biological products that kill pests, diseases and weeds that afflict specialty crops is taking a novel approach to further research. The Global Biological Accelerator, which will see... more »

California bill addresses fire costs to farms

Wildfires that raged across California over the past several years have devastated farms, spoiling crops and burning farm buildings. After the flames were extinguished, the threat of wildfires has continued to cost farmers in other... more »

California cherries to miss Memorial Day promo push

As the first one out of the gate, cherries typically kick off the stone-fruit season with peak volumes heading into the Memorial Day holiday. But longer periods of cool weather this spring have slowed development... more »

Commentary: Golden State growers want solutions for flood-control issues

The destruction to agricultural properties and crops from January and March flooding in Monterey County is considerable. There is frustration about a failure to address known dangers that caused or worsened the flood toll in... more »

Technology revolutionizes cherry, small fruit grading, packing

Technology upgrades have swept through West Coast fruit packinghouses, with everything from stone fruit, apples and citrus processed on more sophisticated equipment than a generation ago. That includes cherries, which present several special handling needs:... more »

CFFA’s LeMay to succeed Nave at California grape commission

Ian LeMay, president of the California Fresh Fruit Association, will become president and CEO of the California Table Grape Commission in the spring of 2025, succeeding longtime commission head Kathleen Nave. Nave joined the commission... more »

Smoke in the vineyard: Oregon State studies wildfire smoke

Oregon State University (OSU) researchers have discovered a new class of compounds that contributes to the ashy or smoky flavors in wine made with grapes exposed to wildfire smoke. The development is significant for winemakers... more »