Berries

NASS is out with the top commodities for Oregon in 2020. The state’s greenhouse and nursery industry experienced a COVID-19 boon with value of production topping $1 billion for a second year in a row. Industry experts say the “stay home” orders boosted sales nationwide as more people took up gardening and landscaping. Coming in at #2 ...

Northwest Washington’s Suzan DelBene recently announced $10 billion in relief funding for farmers and other agricultural producers impacted by the summer heat and drought. Nick Martin, with DelBene’s office, said this funding was secured via WHIP+ program, recently approved by the House. "Th ...

According to NASS, fruit growers across the Northwest anticipate a larger crop this year. Based on August 1st conditions, Oregon apple production is forecast at 190 million pounds, up 9% from 2020. Washington apple production is forecast at 7 ...

Washington State University scientists say they have come up with a new way to preserve the structure of frozen raspberries when thawed. WSU’s Department of Biological Systems Engineering professor, Shyam Sablani, said it’s a three step process before the berries are frozen. First he noted ...

The U.S. International Trade Commission recently said fresh, chilled, or frozen blueberries are not being imported into the U.S. at a fast enough rate to cause injury to domestic producers. “As a result of the recent vote, the investigation will end, and the Commission won’t recommend a remedy to the President,” the USITC said. The decision ...

Fewer and fewer children are connected to farming these days. In an effort to educate those young people about where their food comes from, the Oregon Department of Agriculture has their Farm to School Program. This grant process encourages farmers from across the state to provide their commodities for students statewide, allowing the kids to enjoy fresh food, while the farmer gets to educate th

What's the size of the U.S. horticultural industry? And how has it changed over the past five years? The answers to that and other related questions are now available. The USDA is just out with its 2019 Census of Horticultural Specialties, which Lance Hoenig with the Department's Statistic Service calls the most comprehensive look at the horticulture industry ...

Fresh produce coming into the United States is getting increasing scrutiny from the Trump Administration. Imported strawberries are now on the list of imported items that the administration wants investigated for possibly harming U.S. fruit and vegetable growers ...

Precision Agriculture has made some of its greatest improvements and strides in the row-crop realm. Yet there are advances notable in specialty crop farming as well; such as what is dubbed as an intelligent pesticide sprayer system. "We use a high-speed laser scanning sensor to see, plan, to measure plant size, shape, and leaf density ...

The value of agricultural production in Washington last year totaled $9.49 billion, a 2% decrease from 2018 numbers. According to NASS apples remain the leading agricultural commodity in the state accounting for $1.96 billion last year, an 8% year over year drop ...