Labor
Inmates Fill in for Immigrant Farm Workers
Sixty acres of peaches are ripening up on Antelope Hill Fruit Farm, row after row of trees loaded with fuzzy, sunset-colored fruit. High Country News Click here to read the rest of the story. more »
Summer Pruning, Done Right, Is Quite Effective on Apples
There are many elements, pros and cons that go into the decision to summer prune apples. There are some rules for applying this practice to make it a positive experience, because otherwise the grower may... more »
Teenagers Tackle Tons of Tedious Tasks
Thinking about hiring high school or college kids? Worried about potential difficulties? Well, don’t worry too much. There are advantages and disadvantages, of course, but hiring teenagers isn’t as troublesome as one might think, according... more »
Fresh Apple Holdings at 62 Million Bushels
Fresh Apple Holdings at 62 Million BushelsMarch 1 holdings of fresh apples were at 62 million bushels, down 13 million bushels from Feb. 1, according to the U.S. Apple Association (USApple). During February, movement of... more »
Michigan Cultivates a New Industry: Cranberries
Michigan agricultural officials see a big opportunity for jobs in a little red berry that is rapidly growing in popularity. The Detroit News more »
Pheromone-Based Approaches To Managing Pests
Many fruit growers are making pheromone-based mating disruption the foundation of their pest management programs. An estimated 500,000 acres worldwide, including nearly 175,000 acres in North America, are treated with pheromone to control codling moth... more »
January Fresh Apple Holdings up 7 Percent from 2008
January movement of fresh and processing apples was 7 percent above the same month last year and 14.4 percent higher than the five-year average, according to the U.S. Apple Association's monthly survey of fresh apple... more »
The Light Turns Green
If everything has gone right, we should be about two weeks into a new administration in Washington and seeing signs of things to come. The key question is, progress or discord? I feel optimistic when... more »
Growers Plan To Replant Some Orchard Sites Lost To Plum Pox
Tim Weiser plans to plant 7 acres of stone fruit next spring, and some of his neighbors are planting, too. That’s a big deal in Adams County. Adams County, the biggest producer of stone fruits... more »
Northeast Growers Reach More Customers with Red Tomato
About 40 farms in New England, New York and Pennsylvania sell produce through Red Tomato – and none of them appear to have a bad word to say about it. Some of them rely on... more »