News
Forging a Hot Link to the Farmer Who Grows the Food
America, meet your farmer. The New York Times
Study Measures Value of Insecticides to Crop Production
A recent study from the Crop Protection Research Institute revealed that, without insecticides, 31 of 50 of the crops surveyed would suffer yield losses of 40 percent or greater and seven crops would see losses of more than 70 percent.
U.S. Deters Hiring of Foreigners as Joblessness Grows
As more Americans lose their jobs, the U.S. government is actively discouraging the recruitment of foreign workers, from dude ranchers and fruit pickers to lifeguards and computer programmers. The Wall Street Journal... more
Putting Down Roots in North Bay Soil
David Little watched his fox terrier chase away a dozen deer, sending them bouncing off like four-legged kangaroos near a hillside where potatoes soon will grow beneath the sandy loam. The Press Democrat... more
A Win-Win Idaho Water Deal
Idaho Power has agreed to let the state send Snake River water underground to recharge the aquifer that many Eastern Idaho irrigators rely on to sustain their crops. Idaho Statesman... more
Precipitation Still a Bit Below Normal for Southwest Idaho
The past few rainy days in the Treasure Valley and snowy days in the mountains didn?t add much water to reservoirs, but how that will affect water users this summer has yet to be seen, said meteorologist Dawn Fishler with the National Weather Service... more
New Potato Technology Saves Growers Thousands of Dollars
Potato growers in North America, Australia and New Zealand are saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in fertilizer and irrigation costs thanks to new technology developed by scientists at Plant Food Research. Voxy.co.nz... more
Washington’s Winter Farm Labor Supply May Dry Up
Plenty of workers were available for winter farm jobs as those laid off from construction and other industries looked to agriculture for employment. The News Tribune... more
USPB Elects New Leadership
The United States Potato Board (USPB) grower membership elected new leadership during its annual meeting in Denver, Colo., March 10-13.
Mexico Responds to U.S. Breach of NAFTA with Tariffs
When the North American Free Trade Agreement went into effect Jan. 1, 1994, it eliminated trade barriers between the United States? biggest trading partners. The agreement benefited U.S. agricultural producers to the tune of $11.5 billion in 2007, the highest year since the agreement was signed. But tariffs introduced last week on 89 products will erode much of that growth unless they?re repealed soon. The tariffs come in response to the decision by Congress, and signed by President Obama, to not allow Mexican long-haul trucks into the U.S. interior, a key point in the original NAFTA document.
