vegetables

Many in the ag community have expressed an elevated interest in tracking the import of fruits and vegetables. USDA economist, Bart Kenner, took a look at the first 11 months of 2020. "Fresh and frozen fruit imports from Mexico and Chile are down 1% and 4% respectively, but up 16% from Peru ...

The American Farm Bureau Federation says Phase One of the trade deal with China has been a success. Farm Bureau Senior Congressional Relations Director Dave Salmonsen disputes some media and social media claims that Phase One, which is still short of annual targets, is a “failure”. “Oh ...

Last week, the USDA approved $1.2 billion in contracts for the Farmers to Families Food Box Program. The program is designed to connect excess meat, dairy and produce on farms with families facing food insecurity. The funding far exceeds the $100 million per month the department initially planned for the program, due to high interest and need ...

This week, the USDA announced details of the $470 million in Section 32 food purchases to occur in the third quarter of fiscal year 2020 in addition to purchases previously announced. The purchases will provide additional support for producers and Americans in need, in response to changing market conditions caused by the COVID-19 national emergency ...

Could Washington become the new California when it comes to vegetable production into the future? That’s the question a recent Journal article penned by a Washington State University PhD candidate tried to answer. Fidel Maureira said there are two issues that will impact California’s ability to produce fruits, vegetables and nuts into the future. Fir ...

We haven’t celebrated Christmas yet, but Washington State University’s Dr. Tim Waters says it’s already time to think about pest management in your vegetable crop.  Waters, and Oregon State’s Dr. Stewart Wright recently talked about insect management, specifically when it comes to thrips.  Waters noted more and more...

The Washington State Department of Agriculture is now accepting Concept Proposals for the 2020 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.  WSDA’s program is used to award USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funds for projects that enhance the competitiveness of Washington’s specialty crops.  Projects canno...

Can you afford the USDA's recommended daily allowance of fruits and vegetables?  In other words, how easy is it to purchase the needed produce to meet those dietary guidelines?  USDA economic researcher Hayden Stewart said it's surprisingly affordable!   ...

The Western Growers Association says the Farmers Aid package proposed by the USDA this week falls short meeting the needs of fruit, vegetable and tree nut farmers.  According to a UC Davis study, the direct trade losses for U.S. fruit, vegetable and tree nuts growers conservatively top $2.6 billion...

The Global Food Price Index has increased 2% in the past year.  The most recent monthly record of global food prices by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations averaged 173.5 points, up 2.7% from April 2017.  While the prices of most cereal grains and dairy products continued to increase in April, sugar prices fell further.  Vegetable oil and...