News

Washington state crops, like cherries, ‘hit hard’ in trade war

Between April and September, according to a new report, Washington farmers and other export-dependent producers saw foreign sales plummet by between 20 and 28 percent over the same period last year. The losses stem from tariffs on U.S. exports impose... more

Wildfire-affected winegrape growers seek funding support

Leaders of five California agricultural organizations have joined together to request Congress include the state’s winegrape growers in a disaster assistance bill. Congress is expected to soon take up a disaster assistance bill to help agricultu... more

Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor Practices webinar offered

The Produce Marketing Association (PMA) and United Fresh Produce Association launched the Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor Practices in July of 2018, and the associations are scheduled to host a webinar Dec. 4 to educate companies across the prod... more

Illinois Specialty Crops, Agritourism and Organic Conference set

The annual Illinois Specialty Crops, Agritourism, and Organic Conference (ISCAOC) will be held Jan. 9-11, 2019 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Springfield, Illinois. This year the conference offers sessions for specialty crop growers and small farm ... more

Specialty crop grants for Virginia awarded

Gov. Ralph Northam announced an award of $556,321 in grant funding from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for ten Virginia agriculture-related projects. The project awards resulted from a competitive grant process established by the ... more

Plant response to future climate change viewed

If you were to take a seed and zap it into the future to see how it will respond to climate change, how realistic might that prediction be? After all, seeds that actually grow in the future will have gone through generations of genetic changes and... more

Block grants boost investments in Maine agriculture

Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Commissioner Walt Whitcomb announced that Maine is partnering with USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program to invest $538,073 to support Maine specialty crop producers. The Agricultural Resource Development divi... more