The American Cancer Society estimates that one in eight or 12 percent of women will develop invasive breast cancer in their lifetime. In an effort to raise awareness of the disease and funds for researching a cure, the association sponsors National Breast Cancer Awareness month every October. Businesses and individuals alike show an outpouring of … Read more
Strawberries entice shoppers. Their brilliant hue and inviting shapes promise tantalizing taste. Food processors, too, capitalize on the appetizing color and distinctive flavor imparted by strawberries for an array of products. Strawberry production, however, presents a host of challenges. Due to the favorable climates, California produces the majority of strawberries, with Florida providing the second-largest … Read more
Cultivating specialty mushrooms Growing cold-climate specialty mushrooms is not like growing the white button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) commonly found in grocery stores. For starters, button mushrooms are grown in large trays. New Hampshire Mushroom Co.’s specialty mushrooms are grown in 1-gallon plastic bags. The process begins with mixing hardwood sawdust with two kinds of certified … Read more
Tending pistachio groves in Arizona is about as different from raising corn and soybeans in Iowa as farming can be. When fifth–generation farmer Jim Graham began operating Cochise Groves in the high desert of southeastern Arizona, some of the new issues he encountered were water restrictions, bud-time frosts and a crop with the tendency to … Read more
Garlic may not be a major crop for New Jersey farms, but for a few select New Jersey growers, however, garlic growing has led to the formation of a loose cooperative, designed to bring farmers together to share information, equipment, labor and resources and to promote garlic consumption in New Jersey. A Sustainable Agricultural Research … Read more