harvest

We’ve heard the term “precision upgrades” talked about a lot in the last few years.  Kyle Barry, manager of precision upgrades marketing for John Deere, talks about precision upgrades and why it’s time that farmers look into them.   “When we talk about...

University of Idaho Extension and USDA recently conducted a study looking at what advantages may exist when it comes to leaving straw in the field following grain harvest.  Pat Hatzenbuehler, UI Extension specialist, said straw has a variety of markets, from compost, to bedding, as well as mushroom production.  But he ...

A group of 10 Northwest bases students were recently honored for their contribution to the future of agriculture.  Washington State University graduate students as well as undergraduates at Toppenish-based Heritage University were recently honored for the autonomous fruit bin hauling robot they developed.  The tea...

A robotics company from halfway around the world away is helping Washington growers overcome labor and other farm challenges.  Robotics Plus is a New Zealand-based company with offices in California and the Evergreen state.  The company recently showcased its multi-use autonomous vehicle for orchards and vineyards at FIRA USA, an ag robotics event, in northern California.  Steve Saunders is... Rea

According to the latest numbers from NASS, Idaho’s potato crop this year is forecast at 135 million cwt, down 6% from last year.  Harvested area, at 314,500 acres, is down 15,000 acres from 2023.  Yield is expected to be 430 cwt per acre, down 5 cwt from 2023.   Potato prod...

When it comes to USDA’s crop production forecasts.   “By the time we get to November, the forecasts are usually very close to what we end up saying as the final yields,” noted NASS' Lance Honig.  And the USDA's Ag statistics service will release its crop production forecast later this week.   “In a year like this in part...

Surviving a down economy is challenging, but for the farming community it can be even more difficult.  Todd Stencel, a farm business management professor at South Central College in Minnesota, has a few Tips for Surviving in a Down Economy.  He said...

USDA’s October crop production forecast show mixed numbers for Northwest crops.   Idaho is expected to harvest 93,000 acres of canola this year, resulting in 67 million pounds.  The yield is forecast at 1,800 pounds per acre.  Meanwhile, Wa...

According to NASS, the amount of wheat held in storage increased across the three Northwest states this year.   In Oregon, wheat stored in all positions totaled 49 million bushels, up from 38.3 million bushels a year ago. Off-farm stocks were up 26%, while on-farm stocks were up 35% compared to the previous year.  ...

“Without AI, this wouldn't be possible," said Mike Jacob, Founder of Terra Force.  His company has developed a robotic harvester that uses AI to identify whether watermelons and pumpkins are ripe and ready for harvesting.  Then, the AI technology is used to carefully pick the fruits with very little human oversight.   “We're solv...