After four years of drought, California is finally starting to see an increase in precipitation. Despite the increase, the U.S. Drought Monitor reported in January that 100 percent of California’s soils remain “abnormally dry.” Since California farmers grow a vast majority of our nation’s produce, the ongoing drought is a significant concern. Yet at the … Read more
From laying down the crops to even selling the produce, there’s a lot that crosses a farmer’s mind. Food safety and preventing diseases should be high on the priority list. Food Safety Read about: Pollinator Health Update Taking the appropriate precautions to lessening the risk of contamination is sometimes overlooked and in turn, it can be risky. … Read more
For some time, pollinators have been on the decline as well as many honey bee colonies. With the help of government task forces such as the National Pollinator Health Strategy, honey bee health is expected to reverse that trend by 2025. Pollinator Health Read about: Onions: The Most Diverse What is the National Pollinator Health Strategy? To … Read more
The time is now – if not already – to get your seeds in the ground. Our April crop focus deals with one of the most diverse vegetables: onions. Onions: The Most Diverse Read about: Rio Farms and Gills Onions Along with its assortment of variations, the onion is also one of the eldest vegetables, from its … Read more
Growers across the nation face tremendous challenges that include everything from drought to increasing production costs, government regulations and labor issues. For fourth-generation California farmers Steve and David Gill, challenges just go with the territory in farming and are taken in stride. Steve, 65, and his brother David, 64, are co-owners of Rio Farms based … Read more