Worried sick: Salmonella outbreak hurts Florida's tomato farmers 06.20.08
Tomatoes are coming back to grocery shelves and restaurant menus, but state growers say their immediate prospects still look rotten.

Consumers--spooked by a recent government warning that certain kinds of tomatoes might be linked to salmonella--have shied away, despite assurances from regulators that many types are safe.
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Salmonellosis Outbreak Linked to Certain Types of Tomatoes in Some States 06.06.08
The Food and Drug Administration is alerting consumers in New Mexico and Texas that a salmonellosis outbreak appears to be linked to consumption of certain types of raw red tomatoes and products containing raw red tomatoes. The bacteria causing the illnesses are Salmonella serotype Saintpaul, an uncommon type of Salmonella.
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High diesel costs have shippers weighing options 05.30.08
The dramatic escalation in truck rates in 2008 is forcing produce marketers to rethink timeworn truths about movement of fruits and vegetables, triggering acreage adjustments and greater efficiencies for suppliers and a search for nearby production for buyers.

As the cost of a barrel of oil has soared past $128 per gallon on May 27 - up from the 2007 average of just $72 per barrel - perhaps the...
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Bush criticizes subsidies to millionaire farmers 04.29.08
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush criticized lawmakers on Tuesday for writing "a massive, bloated farm bill" that would subsidize multimillionaire farmers and not respond to rising food prices.

Some six dozen House and Senate negotiators were scheduled to meet later in the day to nail down details of the bill. It would cost $610 billion...
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US: Ph.D.s put heads together to combat citrus greening04.25.08
The sex life of the Asian citrus psyllid provided one of the few light moments during a conference about the disease those insects spread: Citrus greening. A 1-minute video showing a male and female psyllid finding each other among the citrus leaves, "mooing" as they got acquainted, also demonstrated one of the few options Florida's citrus industry has as it tries to survive while enduring the onslaught of the bacterial disease.Full Story>>

Analysis: Congressional climate is tough for farm bill 04.18.08
WASHINGTON (SP) - It's not a good year for a farm bill.

Crop prices are sky-high, President Bush, who thinks the nation's farm program is bloated, is leaving office and doesn't need to court voters in rural America. There is less budget money to work with. The leadership in Congress doesn't exactly hail from farm country, and those lawmakers... Full Story>>

Lawmakers scrutinize state leafy greens pact 03.14.08
SACRAMENTO - In dual legislative hearings Wednesday, the leafy green industry found itself alternatively portrayed as a victim and as an insider with little public accountability for food safety.
In a two-hour Senate hearing, industry leader Joe Pezzini and other representatives of the Leafy Green Handler Marketing Board were grilled...
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Citrus growers strategize for bumper crop 03.07.08
A potentially record-breaking Central Valley citrus harvest will need quality, not just quantity, if growers are to compete with tasty foreign produce, growres were told at Thursday's 2008 Citrus Showcase at the Visalia Convention center.
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The End of the 'Virtual Fence' 02.24.08
The major Presidential candidates talked up its innovative approach to securing the U.S.-Mexico border. Aerospace and defense giant Boenig (BA), along with dozens of subcontractors, anticipated that it would give them a lucrative foothold in future government work worth billion of... Full Story>>

Border Fence Would Slice Through Private Land 02.01.08
In at least some cases the landowners' stubbornness appears to be paying off: for Daniel Garza, 74, who lives with his wife i Granjeno,a one-road town of fewer than 500 residents about 55 miles east of Tamez's home, the fence would require demolishing their modest two-bedroom ranch. Full Story>>

Home-grown problems threaten U.S. food safety 02.01.08
More than ever before, Americans are worried about the safety of the food they put in their mouths -- and with good reason.

In little less than a year and a half, the nationwide recalls of trained products have formed their own peculiar food pyramid: meats, vegetables... Full Story>>

Food Conscious: Battle over country of origin heating up 01.16.08
A recent Taster's Choice column about frozen spinach prompted a mini-storm of e-mail from readers who were dismayed to learn that the panel's favorite brands came from China.

"It surprised me," Stockton business consultant Nancy McPherson told me in a follow-up phone call. McPherson buys lots of fresh spinach that's... Full Story>>

Favorable weather means good year for Texas citrus 01.08.08
Everyone looks forward to the South Texas citrus harvest. "And this year the grapefruit are sweet and plentiful," says Jeannie Smith, Office Manager of Obst Family Farms in Alamo, Texas, where they annually pick more than 100 acres of citrus. Full Story>>

Hussey Named Interim Dean of Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences 01.03.08
COLLEGE STATION - Dr. Mark Hussey, director of Texas AgriLife Research, today was named interim dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University by Dr. Elsa Murano.

The dean's position was held by Murano prior to her becoming Texas A&M's 234d president earlier today. Full Story>>

Citrus Growers Report Only Minor Damage 01.03.08
TAMPA, Fla. - Florida's citrus growers reported only minor damage early Thursday as the state thawed out from an overnight cold snap.

Temperatures dropped into the 20s across northern Florida, including parts of the Panhandle. The lowest temperature recorded was 20 degrees in Cross City, about 90 miles southeast of Tallahassee, according to the national Weather Service.
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Texas researchers aim to make ethanol without corn 12.26.07
WASHINGTON, DC - Investors and ethanol producers, most of them in the Midwest, cheered last week when President Bush gave new life to the foundering fuel by approving a new national mandate for its use.

But so did some producers in TExas, where researchers say they're making progress growing special crops that can make ethanol without the... Full Story>>

Senator Feinstein Secures Commitment from DHS Secretary Chertoff to Make Agriculture Inspections a Priority 12.14.07
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today announced that she has secured a commitment from U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to make agriculture inspections at all points of entry into the United States a top priority of the Department. The agreement seeks to strengthen the nation's first line of defense against destructive agricultural pests.
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Judge rules for Florida in citrus dispute with California 12.19.07
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - A judge on Wednesday let Florida's quarantine stand against the shipment of California citrus into the state.

Florida agriculture officials ordered the quarantine on Dec. 7 to protect the state's $11 billion citrus industry from a plant fungus called... Full Story>>

Eminent domain reform in Farm bureau's sights 12.08.07
In outlining the status of the Texas Farm bureau in 2007, President Kenneth Dierschke challenged the 404,735 member families to unite in the coming year to reform the Lone Star State's eminent domain laws.

In his annual address befor the 74th convention during the weekend in Waco. Dierschke told delegates the blueprint for a new bill would be... Full Story>>

FDA wants to improve traceability 12.03.07
U.S. food and Drug Administration officials see the lack of clear produce traceability as a major industry vulnerability, trade association leaders acknowledge.

A coalition of those trade associations, retailers, foodservice operators and grower-shippers--known as the Produce Traceability Initiative... Full Story>>

Thanksgiving Dinner Cost Inches Higher This Year 11.15.07
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Menu items for the traditional Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, stuffing, cranberries pumpkin pie and all the trimmings will cost more this year, but remain affordable, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

According to AFBF's 22nd annual informal survey of the prices of basic items found on the Thanksgiving Day dinner table, the average cost of...Full Story>>

Planners narrow proposed I-69 corridor 11.15.07
State highway officials have sharply narrowed the possible route of the Interstate 69/Trans-Texas Corridor, saying they plan to keep it close to U.S. 59 and other existing roads.

The news comes after months of criticism that the planned corridor and its sister project, TTC-35 in Central Texas, could divide farms and...Full Story>>

Judge: Apple moth spraying will continue 11.02.07
The Santa Cruz [California] Superior Court has denied a request to issue a temporary restraining order against next week's aerial pheromone treatment of the Santa Cruz area to combat the light brown apple moth infestation. The request had been filed by Santa Cruz County. Full Story>>

Lake Alfred Facility World Renowned 10.21.07
LAKE ALFRED - Most Polk County residents probably think lake Alfred is a sleepy little town north of Winter haven - incorrectly, as it turns out.

"Lake Alfred is a town of only about 4,000 people, and everywhere around the world people know where Lake Alfred is because of the (Ctirus Research and Education) Center," said Pete Timmer, who retired from the University of Florida research facility in May after 19 years there. Full Story>>

More weight on importers 10.17.07
WASHINGTON - Agreeing that current safeguards have failed, Congress and the Bush administration are moving toward the creation of a new system for screening imported foods that would require companies to certify that their foreign suppliers meet U.S. standards

The new system would place a much heavier burden for consumer safety on the american firms that import goods from china, Mexico and... Full Story>>

IBWC: 30 holes on Mexico side of Amistad Dam 10.16.07
AUSTIN - The collapse of Amistad Dam would cause more havoc than a hurricane to communities living downstream, the head of the International boundary and Water Commission has warned.

IBWC Commissioner Carlos Marin made his comments at a roundtable discussion on the Valley's levees at Pharr City Hall last week. He then... Full Story>>

Mexico eliminates water debt to United States 10.15.07
PHARR - For the first time since 1992, Mexico has been able to close a water accounting cycle without a water debt to the United States.

“It is great news,” Carlos Marin, head of the U.S. section of the International Boundary and Water Commission, told the Guardian.Full Story>>

Mexico Water Debt Eliminated 10.11.07
The TCEQ Watermaster announced today the receipt of more than 224,000 acre feet of water from mexico at the Amistad reservoir near Del Rio, Texas. This milestone marks the first time since 1992 that Mexico has been able to close a water accounting cycle without a water debt to the U.S.Full Story>>

Trucker law may hurt U.S. companies 10.10.07
AUSTIN - a new law aimed at cracking down on mexican truckers who pull unlicensed trailers is instead making American companies and Rio Grande Valley officials nervous it could stifle cross-border trade.

The Legislature earlier this year passed House Bill 313 by Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, which requires so-called "phantom" trailers to be... Full Story>>

Orange County citrus nursery has big plans for 2008 10.08.07
WEST ORANGE - where Orange County got its name is a mystery.

But whatever its origin, there's never been any large-scale commercial production of the fruit or trees in the county that bears the name - until now. Full Story>>

Senate Ag Committee to Take Up Farm Bill on Thursday 10.03.07
The Senate Agriculture Committee is expected to take up the 2007 farm bill for possible approval as early as Thursday, which would move the legislation on to consideration by the full Senate. The bill proposes billions in spending beyond what the committee has been budgeted. Full Story>>

Florida's citrus acreage down 4.1% 09.24.07
Florida's citrus groves have declined 4.1% since 2006, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's biennial citrus census released Sept. 14, The (Lakeland) Ledger reported. Full Story>>