On the USDA website, Miles McEvoy, National Organic Program Deputy Administrator, outlines the five steps for becoming a certified organic grower in his blog post, Organic 101: Five Steps to Organic. Each step is an excerpt from his original post. STEP 1: Develop an organic system plan. The organic system plan is the foundation of … Read more
Want to keep up with the latest news for growers? Check back every Thursday for a quick recap of recent happenings in the fruit and vegetable industry. – Agriculture Economy USDA Invests $17.5 Million for Resilient Rural Communities and a Sustainable Agriculture Economy The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) … Read more
Once cucumbers are harvested, a grading system set up by the U.S. Department of Agriculture is used to identify the cucumbers. – How the USDA Grades Cucumbers The following grades apply to pickling cukes: U.S. Grade No. 1: less than 11/16-inch diameter U.S. Grade No. 2: 11/16-inch diameter to less than 1 1/2-inch diameter U.S. Grade … Read more