The Fight to Save Florida’s Oranges

The Fight to Save Florida’s Oranges

“We need more time,” said Rezazadeh. Growers in St. Lucie County started using the antibiotic last year. “There are some hopes that we keep the trees alive until we find a cure.” The state’s total citrus acreage suffered a massive blow in the 1990s when an eradication program for canker disease, then the industry’s biggest … Read more

Why U.S. citrus is facing a shortage crisis

Why U.S. citrus is facing a shortage crisis

U.S. orange production has plummeted as the industry faces volatile threats from extreme weather events, an incurable disease and economic pressures. Citrus growers are losing millions of dollars every year, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.  At the same time, orange juice futures have hit record highs. “Citrus production in the United States … Read more

Thousands of Aussie farms in ‘ingestion zone’ under proposed nuclear plan threatening food production

Thousands of Aussie farms in ‘ingestion zone’ under proposed nuclear plan threatening food production

The federal government has claimed that under an opposition-proposed nuclear plan, more than 11,000 farms would fall within a nuclear “ingestion zone”. Food, milk and water within an 80km radius of the proposed nuclear reactors could all be contaminated in the event of a nuclear leak, threatening the nation’s food production. The Coalition last month … Read more

A sweet, native and nutritious snack from the garden? Look no further than blueberries

A sweet, native and nutritious snack from the garden? Look no further than blueberries

I’ve been growing dwarf blueberries for three years, and my plants are covered in green fruits right now. Deliciously sweet and rich in fiber, manganese, potassium, vitamins C and K, and antioxidants, the berries are native to North America and can be grown throughout most of the continent. There are several categories of blueberries to … Read more

Pongamia trees grow where citrus once flourished, offering renewable energy and plant-based protein

Pongamia trees grow where citrus once flourished, offering renewable energy and plant-based protein

An ancient tree from India is now thriving in groves where citrus trees once flourished in Florida, and could help provide the nation with renewable energy. As large parts of the Sunshine State’s once-famous citrus industry have all but dried up over the past two decades due to two fatal diseases, greening and citrus canker, … Read more

Untreated water tied to salmonella outbreak in cucumbers that sickened 450 people in US

Untreated water tied to salmonella outbreak in cucumbers that sickened 450 people in US

Untreated water used by a Florida cucumber grower is one likely source of salmonella food poisoning that sickened nearly 450 people across the U.S. this spring, federal health officials said Tuesday. But that grower doesn’t account for all of the cucumber-related illnesses and 125 hospitalizations that were reported from late March through early June, the … Read more

Ban on live sheep exports prompts fury from Australian farmers, who motivate anti-Labor ‘Farmy army’

Ban on live sheep exports prompts fury from Australian farmers, who motivate anti-Labor ‘Farmy army’

Live sheep exports will be banned from May 2028, raising the ire of farmers who say their businesses will be ruined and regional towns will die. Last-minute lobbying by West Australian farmers and exporters was not enough to have the legislation blocked, with the bill passing the Senate late on Monday night. It will mean … Read more

McDonald’s to limit breakfast hours after bird flu causes egg supply issues

McDonald’s to limit breakfast hours after bird flu causes egg supply issues

Mass egg shortages have forced McDonald’s to change its breakfast hours as farmers across the country battle to stop the spread of bird flu. The fast food giant confirmed on Tuesday that breakfast offerings would temporarily end at 10.30am instead of midday. “We are carefully managing the supply of eggs due to the current industry … Read more

Composting set for US boom, and it needs one, decades behind recycling

Composting set for US boom, and it needs one, decades behind recycling

Some states, municipalities and private-sector companies are pushing to make composting as commonplace as recycling. But it’s a long-haul effort. Composting has many benefits for the environment. It keeps food out of landfills, leading national food chains including Chipotle to expand its use at restaurants, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Composted materials improve soil health, … Read more

Swaraj Engines: Government focus on agriculture, rural income to sustain tractor demand: Swaraj Engines

Swaraj Engines: Government focus on agriculture, rural income to sustain tractor demand: Swaraj Engines

The government’s focus on improving the state of agriculture in India and several initiatives taken by it to drive higher rural incomes are likely to support to sustain the tractor demand momentum despite industry sales witnessing a decline of 7 per cent, according to Swaraj Engines Ltd. The company, which supplies diesel engines for tractors … Read more