News

USDA announces $420M investment in watershed infrastructure projects

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was joined April 21 by White House Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu and Congressman Sanford Bishop of Georgia to announce the USDA will invest $420 million in 132 infrastructure projects in 31 states, includ... more

DHS H-2A vaccine requirement extended

In January, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security implemented a rule requiring essential and non-essential non-citizen travelers entering the U.S. to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination. The regulation was set to expire this week, but on April 21... more

Organic Produce Summit to look at organics in era of inflation

“Organics in an Era of Inflation and Changing Consumer Behavior” will be the subject of the fourth educational session at the upcoming Organic Produce Summit 2022, featuring an exclusive sales analysis of organic fresh produce sales through the f... more

Eckert’s to host Illinois Summer Horticultural Field Day in June

The Illinois State Horticultural Society has announced the annual Summer Horticulture Field Day at Eckert’s Belleville Farm in Belleville, Illinois. The Eckert family is proud to invite guests to tour their farm and agritainment operation on Thu... more

Organic fresh produce sales up 4% in Q1 2022

Total organic fresh produce sales for the first quarter of 2022 increased by 4% from the same period last year, topping $2.3 billion for the quarter, according to the Q1 2022 Organic Produce Performance Report released exclusively by Organic Produce ... more

Importation of peach live dormant stem cuttings from Spain viewed

The government of Spain has requested USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to authorize the importation of peach (Prunus persica) live dormant stem cuttings for planting from Spain into the continental United States. USDA's Animal and... more

Would blueberries benefit from more nitrogen?

It is soon time to apply nitrogen fertilizer to blueberries. Urea or ammonium sulfate are the recommended materials. Use urea if your soil pH is in the recommended range of 4.5 to 5.0 and use ammonium sulfate if pH is greater than 5.0 or if you have ... more