Happy Easter!

On behalf of the MMJDaily team, we wish you a Happy Easter! On Easter Monday, no newsletter will be sent. We will be back on Tuesday April 23rd. 

Happy Holidays!

New substrate based on brown coal

Substrates come in many shapes and sizes - there's mineral wool, perlite, peat, coco coir... and soon perhaps brown coal, at least as far as Paweł Mietlicki is concerned. His company, CarboHort, developed a new type of substrate based on brown coal. The invention, developed in collaboration with Prof.…

French growers start saving energy with CHP and LED

Michel Le Hir and Cathy Niot are market gardeners in Plabennec (Finistère) and members of French tomato production leader Savéol Cooperative. They called in Eiffage Énergie Systèmes’ services via think-tank Savéol Énergies Nouvelles, in order to control and reduce energy consumption in their greenhouses…

CA: Government invests in clean technology for greenhouse pest management

A strong economy and a clean environment go hand in hand. That’s why the Government of Canada is supporting the development of technologies that lead to less pollution,…

How do you grow from 12 rows of strawberries to a company with more than 6 hectares?

Growing from around 2,500 plants to a million plants. That really is a success story. Luc and Steven grow strawberries all year round. Clients sometimes come from afar to taste them. The strawberry vending machine near the entrance of the company turns out to be a veritable magnet for hungry visitors.…

Big Chinese project to propagate flowers and plants

It's not just greenhouse vegetable cultivation that's making serious headway in China, ornamental horticulture is also on the rise. The Chinese are getting more money in their pockets, which means consumers are increasingly willing to purchase a nice bunch of flowers or a pretty plant. In order to meet…

Burglar caught and sentenced after taking a bite from grower's tomato

What do you do when you get hungry during a burglary? You just take a bite of a tomato of course, there are plenty of them in the greenhouse. A 37-year-old burglar paid dearly…

Codema appoints a new European sales operations manager

Codema announced the appointment of Marie-Claire Reuver to the position of European Sales Operations Manager, based in Bergschenhoek. In this role she will give functional…

Researchers take stock of global aquaponics industry through survey

A group of researchers from the University of Washington on an international project – CITYFOOD – is running a global aquaponics survey and this survey will provide researchers with real-world information about existing aquaponic systems and farms which define current practices and using results from…

"If we leave on No Deal in October it will be at the worst time for these growers"

On Tuesday 16th April, Glinwell welcomed Sir Vince Cable and Daisy Cooper from the Lib Dem party and members of the NFU to their Smallford head office. A good afternoon, with a tour of the glasshouses on site, a discussion on food standards, the agriculture bill and labour post-Brexit, and a visit to the…

China: 900 Exhibitors from 31 Countries ready for Hortiflorexpo IPM Shanghai 2019 take-off

On Saturday, April 20, China's largest horticultural fair, Hortiflorexpo IPM Shanghai, will start in the Shanghai New International Expo Center. Until April 22, the trade…

Russia: 3.3 hectare greenhouse opened in Kaliningrad

The second phase of the greenhouse complex Orbita-Agro has been launched. Formally, it started operating in October already, but the governor of Kaliningrad, Anton Alikhanov, cut the ribbon only recently. The construction of the second phase with an acreage of 3.3 ha took more than a year. The official…

The Netherlands produces 716.21% more cucumbers per square meter than Spain

Dutch cucumber producers obtain 68.97 kilos per square meter; 716.21 percent more than Spaniards, who do not exceed 8.45 kilos per square meter, according to data processed by…

French growers start saving energy with CHP and LED

Michel Le Hir and Cathy Niot are market gardeners in Plabennec (Finistère) and members of French tomato production leader Savéol Cooperative. They called in Eiffage Énergie Systèmes’ services via think-tank Savéol Énergies Nouvelles, in order to control and reduce energy consumption in their greenhouses…

South Africa: Modular buildings help emerging growers

Historically a fishing and boat-making community, the small town of Macassar in Cape Town is branching out to farming. The Cape Agency for Sustainable Integrated Development in Rural Areas contacted Kwikspace about providing alternative building solutions that are prefabricated and modular for these…

AU: Farmers call for urgent water security to protect next year's summer vegetable season

Eastern Victorian farmers are calling for urgent water security, to protect them in the upcoming season. Food and Fibre Gippsland board member, and Chief Executive of Bulmer Farms in Lindenow, Andrew Bulmer says the region's water supply, the Mitchell River, is heritage listed, and does not contain a dam…

Primocane fruiting raspberries: Growth cycle and management

Primocanes? Floricanes? Are you confused by the raspberry growth cycle and how to prune? Raspberry plants have a complex growth cycle and can be managed in different ways depending on the grower's goals. This new video released by TunnelBerries explains all this and how to manage primocane-fruiting…

LRC to develop new plant lighting education program

Research from the Illumination for Plant Health (IPH) Alliance at the Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has shown that “Precision Light Dosing” can be used to combat the many pests and pathogens that reduce crop yields, and to increase plant health. At the same time, due…

Eletta, the feather in the cap of Arrabito

"Our company is located in Donnalucata, in south-east Sicily, an area that boasts the highest number of sunlight hours a year in Italy." This is what reported by Giuseppe Arrabito, administrator of a cooperative covering 35 hectares of greenhouses and open fields. One of the main strengths of this…

Australia: Supermarket giant helps farmers drought-proof operations

In Australia, Coles supermarkets is stepping forward to assist with a water-saving initiative. This has made the fight against drought conditions one step easier growers like…

Burglar caught and sentenced after taking a bite from grower's tomato

What do you do when you get hungry during a burglary? You just take a bite of a tomato of course, there are plenty of them in the greenhouse. A 37-year-old burglar paid dearly…

AgSafe bullying and harassment video helps address serious workplace safety issue

Bullying and harassment pose a potential safety risk to the physical, mental and emotional health of agricultural workers. To help employers and workers address this issue AgSafeBC has produced an informational video titled, “What is Bullying and Harassment” . The short video, available in English and…

Codema appoints a new European sales operations manager

Codema announced the appointment of Marie-Claire Reuver to the position of European Sales Operations Manager, based in Bergschenhoek. In this role she will give functional…

Happy Easter!

On behalf of the MMJDaily team, we wish you a Happy Easter! On Easter Monday, no newsletter will be sent. We will be back on Tuesday April 23rd. 

Happy Holidays!

CAN (ON): A look at spring veggies

Jennifer Valentyne of Global News traveled to Waterdown, Ontario for a tour of Beverly Greenhouse. In the resulting video, grower Jan VanderHout tells a bit more about his company, which was started by his grandfather 60 years ago. At first they grew tomatoes and cucumbers, but now they focus on…

"If we leave on No Deal in October it will be at the worst time for these growers"

On Tuesday 16th April, Glinwell welcomed Sir Vince Cable and Daisy Cooper from the Lib Dem party and members of the NFU to their Smallford head office. A good afternoon, with a tour of the glasshouses on site, a discussion on food standards, the agriculture bill and labour post-Brexit, and a visit to the…

How do you grow from 12 rows of strawberries to a company with more than 6 hectares?

Growing from around 2,500 plants to a million plants. That really is a success story. Luc and Steven grow strawberries all year round. Clients sometimes come from afar to taste them. The strawberry vending machine near the entrance of the company turns out to be a veritable magnet for hungry visitors.…

"Are bumble bees causing my tomato flowers to fall off?"

Early market hoop house tomato growers are reporting blossom drop soon after bumble bee delivery, but the flower abortions are probably not caused by bees. by Benjamin Phillips, Michigan State University Extension I get a number of calls from hoop house tomato growers in spring regarding flowers aborting…

Impact of cultivated hosts on the recombination of cucumber mosaic virus

Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) is one of the most successful viruses known, infecting over 1,200 species of plants. Like other single-stranded RNA viruses, CMV is known to have a high potential for population diversity due to error-prone replication and short generation times. Recombination is also a…

CA: Government invests in clean technology for greenhouse pest management

A strong economy and a clean environment go hand in hand. That’s why the Government of Canada is supporting the development of technologies that lead to less pollution,…

Spain: "Good results for green and Raf tomatoes this campaign"

Grupo Agroponiente, with its specialist tomato company Vegacañada, has made an initial assessment of its Green and Raf tomato line, which has obtained "magnificent results" for the second year in a row, according to its manager, Leopoldo Sánchez. This line features ribbed tomatoes, with the Raf as top…

“French radish season began 2 weeks earlier than usual”

“The radish season began 2 weeks earlier than usual,” explains Christophe Bonnet, director of La Fruitière Panier Malin. “The mild winter played an important role in the precocity of the harvest. Large local producers (Terroir Val de Saône) started 13 days ago with important volumes.” “So far, the…

China: Price of chilli peppers expected to peak in April and May

The average wholesale price of chilli peppers in the Xinfadi Market is 6.5 yuan [0.97 USD] per 0.5 kg. That is a price increase of 182.6% in comparison with the price of 2.3…

China: Prices of round eggplants show clear downward trend

Data from the Xinfadi Market shows a clear downward trend in the prices of round eggplants. The price fell by 19.64% last week as the fresh supply from glasshouse plantations…

Copa and Cogeca welcome adoption of final CAP report in AGRI Committee

With its vote on MEP Ulrike Müller’s report on the Horizontal Regulation, the European Parliament’s AGRI Committee concluded its round of discussions on the future of the CAP…

Almeria's agriculture consumes half as much water as the rest of Spain

Almeria is not only characterized by its semi-arid climate, but also by the efficiency in the use of a scarce and precious commodity such as water. In the latest edition of…

US (NC): Positioning the Triangle Region as the Ag Tech Epicenter

The Research Triangle Region is where North Carolina’s rich agriculture landscape converges with the innovation coming from the Research Triangle Park and surrounding research universities. The region is a true reflection of the growing ag tech cluster which thrives because of our unique partnership…

Average age of farm laborers, graders and sorters by place of birth 2007-17

Average age of farm laborers/graders/sorters by place of birth 2007-17

Inspiring consumers with a choice of new colours

New colour combinations in fresh produce displays can entice shoppers to choose the healthy option even more frequently. Vegetable breeding company Rijk Zwaan is therefore launching a number of colourful innovations: under the Sweet Palermo brand as well as in snack tomatoes and kohlrabi. Colour is an…

Lithium batteries now used in agriculture

The horticultural sector is adapting to respect the environment and contain energy consumption with an eye to efficiency and saving. With this purpose in mind, Bagioni is equipping various machines with lithium batteries. This innovation will be presented at Macfrut (hall B7 stand 48), especially for…

New Botanical Biopesticides available to US market

STK bio-ag technologies, Israeli supplier of botanical sustainable crop protection, has partnered with Summit Agro U.S.A., which will become the exclusive distributor of STK…

To protect stem cells, plants have diverse genetic backup plans

Despite evolution driving a wide variety of differences, many plants function the same way. Now a new study has revealed the different genetic strategies various flowering plant species use to achieve the same status quo. In flowering plants, stem cells are critical for survival. Influenced by…

Big Chinese project to propagate flowers and plants

It's not just greenhouse vegetable cultivation that's making serious headway in China, ornamental horticulture is also on the rise. The Chinese are getting more money in their pockets, which means consumers are increasingly willing to purchase a nice bunch of flowers or a pretty plant. In order to meet…

Two-thirds of US agricultural imports from Mexico consisted of vegetables, fruit or beer

2018 US agricultural imports from Mexico

Move from cups and shakers to small bags for snack mini tomatoes

You get tomatoes in all shapes and sizes. From cherry tomatoes and snack tomatoes to TOV and loose tomatoes. For every tomato, a suitable packaging solution has been found. These are needed to bring this product, undamaged, to the consumer. There is also a growing trend toward smaller, snack-sized…

Seven herbs for green sauce - now with German herbs

Parsley, chives, chervil, sorrel, pimpinelle, borage and watercress: "Every connoisseur knows that these are the necessary ingredients for the green sauce." The well-tried specialty is a seasonal highlight, especially in Southwest Germany, and especially at Easter," says Hendzel, responsible for…

New substrate based on brown coal

Substrates come in many shapes and sizes - there's mineral wool, perlite, peat, coco coir... and soon perhaps brown coal, at least as far as Paweł Mietlicki is concerned. His company, CarboHort, developed a new type of substrate based on brown coal. The invention, developed in collaboration with Prof.…

U.S. growers are harvesting an increasing amount of organic tomatoes

Fresh tomatoes have remained a staple in American kitchens even as consumer tastes and preferences evolve. For example, producers have responded to consumer demand for more organic produce by cultivating more organic tomatoes. From 2008 to 2011, consumer price sensitivity coupled with the higher price of…

New cold store and cooking facility for Swedish vegetables

The new branch of cooperation Sydgrönt in an old Findus factory in Bjuv, Sweden, will enable growers to sell more vegetables. The factory has a surface area of 3,200 m2 and…

Alexander Prokopenko

Uganda bans chilli exports to European Union

The European Union has welcomed the Ugandan government's self-imposed ban on the export of chillies and substandard vegetables to Europe, saying it was beginning to spoil the…

The benefits of eating tomatoes every day

The tomato is one of the most versatile fruits, widely consumed all around the world. Some people prefer it raw, many like to cook it with vegetables and spices. You can…

China: 900 Exhibitors from 31 Countries ready for Hortiflorexpo IPM Shanghai 2019 take-off

On Saturday, April 20, China's largest horticultural fair, Hortiflorexpo IPM Shanghai, will start in the Shanghai New International Expo Center. Until April 22, the trade…

How retailers quadruple the price of imperfect produce

In a recent Dutch tv-episode attention was paid to imperfect produce, the deformed vegetables and fruit that lie on the fresh produce shelves of retailer Albert Heijn. According to the show producers, the text on the packaging ‘throwing away is a pity’, which is put on 'ugly produce' suggests that the…

Tomatoes growing in lunar gravity 600 kilometres above Earth

The compact German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) Eu:CROPIS satellite is now rotating in space at a rate of 17.5 revolutions per minute, generating a gravitational force in its interior similar to that found on the Moon. After its launch on 3 December 2018, DLR…

Researchers take stock of global aquaponics industry through survey

A group of researchers from the University of Washington on an international project – CITYFOOD – is running a global aquaponics survey and this survey will provide researchers with real-world information about existing aquaponic systems and farms which define current practices and using results from…

HortiDaily starts MMJDaily.com

Normally we’re happy to publish all the news from the horticultural industry. Today we’ve got news for you. Our newest publication MMJDaily.com will be launched today! This publication is all about…

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