The Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable & Farm Market EXPO has announced a return to in-person events in December.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack on June 15 put a number to an earlier commitment to give more government money supporting farms transitioning to certified-organic production.

Ideanomics announced June 14 it has fully acquired Solectrac Inc., a California-based manufacturer and distributor of premium zero-emission electric tractors that use clean renewable sources of energy, furthering the mission to reduce commercial fleet greenhouse gas emissions.

For the better part of a decade, there has been some version in the market of a bug vacuum for use against lygus in California strawberries. Within five years of its commercial availability, about 90% of strawberry growers adopted the vacuum into their operations, seeing it as a valuable tool not only for a more sustainable control approach, but also in situations where pesticides were not allowed or had run out. That same figure still seems true today.

Burrowing rodents can cause extensive and expensive damage to orchards and crop fields. To manage the pests without chemicals used on conventional farms, organic growers can consult a new publication from UC Agriculture and Natural Resources scientists.

Growers need not wait on the government for timely guidance to food safety questions or concerns.