Twitter

Morning, fired up for another day of strawberry harvest and packing.. #british #fruit #harvest21 🍓🇬🇧🇬🇧🍓 #eatfruit #sunrise pic.twitter.com/1iaHTFwcWY — James Thompson (@farmerThomo) April 16, 2021

ktiv.com

Elementary school makes place for college greenhouse

Demolition begins Wednesday morning at the former Longfellow Elementary School located near Morningside College. Crews will be clearing the two-and-a-half-acre plot to make way for the brand new Rosen Ag Center for Morningside. The Rosen Ag Center will house a 3,300 square-foot greenhouse, a headhouse,…

News Center Maine

Falmouth students build 'greenhouse classrooms'

The district is building greenhouses to be used as outdoor classrooms now, and then actual greenhouses, later down the road. Greenhouses on the grounds at Falmouth Public Schools are not just for growing vegetables, they are also serving as outdoor classrooms."In Maine, we can use these year-round. If…

Aljazeera

Egypt, Ethiopia & Sudan set for more dam talks

This weekend, Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan will meet this weekend to discuss the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which broke ground in 2011. The three countries are in a longstanding dispute over the project. Foreign ministers from Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan have agreed to meet in the Democratic Republic of…

A fungus to reduce the use of inputs in tomato crops

According to a new study conducted by the Southwest University of China, the Ceriporia lacerata fungus could reduce the use of inputs in tomato crops. The team of university…

US: Western Growers launches global harvest automation initiative

Western Growers (WG) is spearheading a Global Harvest Automation Initiative (GHAI) to accelerate harvest automation across the fresh produce industry, with a goal of…

Berry growers work with new solutions to fight crop loss

Bee Vectoring Technologies International Inc.today announced that the Company has tripled its sales commitments among blueberry growers in the US Midwest, signing nine…

Small-scale spinach farmer supplies Africa’s biggest retailer

South African farmer Kipas Melodi started his business by spotting a gap in the market and through sheer luck he was aided by the buying team at Shoprite and Checkers.…

"Spider mites in tomatoes no match for Phytoseiulus-System"

Two-spotted spider mite can be a challenging and persistent pest in glasshouse tomato crops – but it’s no match for our Phytoseiulus-System. “The voracious predator Phytoseiulus persimilis eats all stages of the pest, getting hotspot quickly under control," says Biobest advisor, Nick Nagels. “Now…

New Zealand investors focus on agtech

Finistere Ventures, an investor in agrifood technology companies, today announced the launch of the $40M NZD Finistere Aotearoa Fund in partnership with New Zealand Growth…

Germany: Demand for Italian products at record high at Landgard

As the days get longer and warmer, the season flowering plants and Mediterranean herbs from Italy are really picking up speed. "From January, the sales of fresh Italian herbs already started at retail level and since the end of March, consumers have been able to buy flowering plants from Italian…

BBC

UK exports to Europe partially rebound after January slump

After a steep drop in January - following Brexit - trade between the UK and EU partially recovered in February. According to official export figures, shipments to the EU jumped by 46.6%, from £3.7 billion to £11.6 billion. Still, the Office for National Statistics said exports remained below last year's…

More Qatari vegetables sold in March

According to the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME), Premium Qatari Vegetables and Qatar Farms programs achieved significant sales in March. A total of 3,751 tons…

Pam Harnden / Livermore Falls Advertiser

US: Greenhouses find ways to keep growing during pandemic

The past year was not "business as usual" for local greenhouses and gardening centers. Each growing season can be a bit different for plant growers but the coronavirus pandemic and the weather created challenges that left greenhouses and their customers scrambling. “Every day was a Saturday for two…

Murcia exported 112,000 tons of peppers in 2020

In the Spanish region of Murcia, one industry experiencing the most growth in export sales is pepper cultivation; last year there was an overall production of 165,000 tons.…

Tom Zaunmayr/Broome Advertiser

Broome supermarkets run out of fresh fruit and vegetables due to roads flooding

Broome in West-Australia has become a victim of cyclone Seroja, as supermarket shelves there are bare of fresh produce. Although Broome lies more than 1,300 km from the Seroja’s epicentre in Kalbarri, it has suffered from restricted freight movements due to flooded roads in the Pilbara and Kimberley.…

The Newport Buzz

Rhode Island supports local food production with 160,000 grant

The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) announces that more than $160,000 in funding under the Local Agriculture & Seafood Act (LASA) grant program is available for projects that support the growth, development, and marketing of local food and seafood in Rhode Island. The LASA program provides…

Tomato prices up in South Africa

A South African tomato producer has confirmed there's a temporary shortage of the fruit, which has caused prices to shoot up. A statement from the ZZ2 group of companies says the heavy rains earlier…

"Consumers plant more fruit & vegetables"

While millions of new gardeners picked up their trowels due to the Covid-19 pandemic last year, the appreciation for tending green spaces doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Ferry-Morse, the largest home gardening seed packet company in the U.S., is reporting even higher online sales for the first quarter…

This digital cultivation logbook does not forget or lose anything

Walking around the greenhouse and inspecting the plants is a routine job for growers. Equipped with a notepad and an EC meter, growers are doing their job. Feeling, smelling, seeing: "Hey, seems like a pest" and "oh, those plants look kind of dry". Let's write that down. But then... a quick phone call in…

A review on LED lighting technology and use of wavelength band and irradiance modulation

Over the last decade, development of broad-spectrum light emitting diodes has improved markedly (Olvera-Gonzalez, et. al., 2013). Their application in plant photobiology has…

Tree-fungus supplement could reduce fertilizer use in tomato crops

Although Ceriporia lacerata fungus causes tree wood to rot, it also has a good side. According to a new study, adding the fungus to agricultural soil allows tomatoes to be…

Image: Xingang Wang/Lippman lab, CSHL/2021

For tomato genes, one plus one doesn't always make two

Both people and tomatoes come in different shapes and sizes. That is because every individual has a unique set of genetic variations—mutations—that affect how genes act and function. Added together, millions of small genetic variations make it hard to predict how a particular mutation will impact any…

Are you a grower or a drycleaner?

The employees at Prominent Innovation Center Groeneweg had been wearing company clothing for some time. "A professional in-house laundrette was even set up at a number of locations," says Cornelis de Rijke, General Manager. "At first it seemed a complex project to me, but when I realised that this way we…

New hot honey product features datil peppers

St. Augustine, Florida is known for growing some of the hottest chili peppers in the country, including the fiery datil pepper. Traders Hill Farm, in partnership with World…

"Consumer demands for plastic reduction have grown over the years"

“Consumers’ demands for plastic reduction have grown over the years. People are more aware of sustainable packaging nowadays, and retailers want to tune into this consumer trend,” says Arjan van Steekelenburg, chain manager at Hazera. “On the other hand, retailers want to brand their product, and exhibit…

Youtube.com

Vietnam: Homemade Ferrari 488 GT is also a melon shop on wheels

A man in Vietnam devised what can be seen as a most interesting marketing strategy: He took out a Ferrari 488 GT to sell loads of melons. Well, it's not a real Ferrari… What we see is a replica of the Ferrari 488 GT, that was built by the owner himself. Also, he showed his ingenuity in figuring out…

"We see an ever-increasing interest in hydroponic growing"

"Ever since I was a little boy, my dad took me to the greenhouses where he worked. From a very young age I knew everything about growing tomatoes: the planting, the seedlings, taking care of the growth, and picking them," says Quentin Gomis. He has just been hired as the new commercial manager for…

"A coherent strategy for organic is essential"

The UK organic certification body OF&G (Organic Farmers & Growers) has expressed concern over the widening gap between European and English policy developments, following the publication of the European Commission’s Organic Action Plan. OF&G CEO, Roger Kerr, believes that Brussels has set out a clear…

SAM Algeciras was authorized to perform cold treatments on vegetables for export

SAM Algeciras, Grupo Alonso's multimodal logistics platform located in the port of Algeciras is one step closer to becoming a strategic enclave for fruit and vegetable…

FDA: ‘Foreseeable hazard’ if leafy greens are still grown near cattle or dairy farms

Last week, the Food and Drug Administration announced that it would take ‘two important steps to advance the safety of leafy greens’. These steps will impact the way leafy…

Fruits and vegetables could help young adults improve sleep

Increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables could help young adults sleep better, especially young women, a new University of Michigan study shows. Young adults who reported consuming less than five servings of fruits and vegetables per day reported a high prevalence of chronic insomnia symptoms,…

AquaFarm & NovelFarm announce postponement: next edition will take place in Pordenone Fiere

Following a careful assessment of the possibility to let a physical event take place, Pordenone Fiere has decided to postpone AquaFarm and NocelFarm, alongside the new project…

PMA challenges industry to grow a healthier world

Produce Marketing Association (PMA) will hold an executive workshop April 19 to mobilize the industry in support of the UN International Year of Fruits and Vegetables (IYFV).…

New resource for organic tomato seed growers: free webinar and download

Organic Seed Alliance (OSA) and partners of the Tomato Organic Management and Improvement Project (TOMI) announced today two new tools to help growers produce tomato seed…

Rijk Zwaan organizes brand-enhancing studio meetings with its Sweet Palermo partners

Rijk Zwaan stays in close contact with its partners to exchange knowledge and provide them with valuable new market insights into current and future needs. Initiatives such as studio-based meetings help Rijk Zwaan to further develop the Sweet Palermo brand. Rijk Zwaan recently held a series of studio…

Vertical farming gaining popularity among traditional growers

'Where in recent years vertical farming enthusiasts have perhaps been mainly qualified as hipsters with a rather expensive hobby, this new branch of horticultural sport is steadily on the rise and traditional growers are also finding their way to the multi-layer installations.' They see opportunities in…