News
Study: ag workers migrating less
America's seasonal agricultural industry suffered from a perceived labor shortage in recent years as the average migrant workers became significantly less mobile, according to a new study from Ball State University. Why Do Fewer Agricultural Workers ... more
Potatoes USA chef nominee wins United Fresh award
Chef Oliver Plust, chef and part owner of Tender Greens restaurant, is the award winner of the 2016 Quick Service Restaurants category of the United Fresh Produce Excellence in Foodservice awards program, based on the nomination by Potatoes USA. Plus... more
Farms recharge groundwater
Farmers use the lion's share of California's groundwater, but they also do the most to rebuild depleted reserves of this critically important water source. We talked to Graham Fogg—a groundwater expert at UC Davis and a member of the PPIC Water... more
United Fresh 2016 connects produce industry, school nutrition leaders
For the second year, The United Fresh Start Foundation will host The Produce Forum for School Success, a program at United Fresh 2016 to connect produce companies with K-12 school foodservice buyers. The Produce Forum for School Success supports the... more
Ross Johnson joins Potatoes USA
Potatoes USA has hired Ross Johnson as its new global marketing manager for retail.Johnson has spent several years working in the consumer packaged goods industry for Kraft and ConAgra Foods. He graduated from Brigham Young University, in Provo, Utah... more
Grant expands parasitic roundworms research
NH Agricultural Experiment Station researcher Rick Cote at the University of New Hampshire has received a USDA grant to expand his research on parasitic nematodes, or roundworms, which cause approximately $100 billion in annual global crop damage. Re... more
Belchim takes stake in Engage Agro
Belchim Crop Protection is acquiring a significant minority stake in the Canadian company, Engage Agro. The agreement, which will take effect in May, was signed between Dirk Putteman, CEO of Belchim Crop Protection, and Ray Chyc of Engage Agro, along... more
Organic industry continues growth
Earlier this month, my agency – the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) – released data showing that there are now more than 21,000 certified organic operations in the United States, and more than 31,000 around the world. These numbers r... more
$4M in grants available for IPM research
The USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has made $4 million available to support research and extension efforts to mitigate pest issues and increase crop protection practices for the agricultural community. This funding is made t... more
USDA funds food safety programs for small farms
USDA has made $4.7 million available in grants for food safety education, training, and technical assistance projects that address the needs of owners and operators of small to mid-sized farms, beginning farmers, socially-disadvantaged farmers, small... more
