Nov 26th, 2008 · In Riverside, Calif., growers and food pantries are working together thanks to the efforts of an innovative group of anti-hunger advocates. Whereas the groves were previously struggling to stay relevant, now they can barely meet demand.
Oct 14th, 2008 · Pumpkin grower Thad Starr of Oregon won this year's weigh-off in Half Moon Bay, Calif. His pumpkin weighed 1,528 pounds. It took a forklift to raise the competing pumpkins onto an industrial scale. Besides bragging rights, there's a prize of $6 a pound. That means Starr won more than $9,000. He says the secret to raising his great pumpkin: good soil and "we really pamper them."
Oct 11th, 2008 · Tensions were palpable in Saturday's great pumpkin weigh-off in Warren, R.I. Steve Connolly has spent the summer feeding his pumpkin liquid fish and manure. Connolly's orange beast weighs nearly 1,800 pounds and he's hoping that's enough to edge out last year's champion grower.
Oct 10th, 2008 · It's turning out to be a bad year for pumpkins. Thanks to an unusually wet year, giant pumpkins are growing too fast and are spontaneously bursting. Growers of smaller pumpkins also say the crop is the worst it's been in years, and business is awful.
Jul 9th, 2008 · Even though the Food and Drug Administration never suspected California tomatoes in a recent salmonella outbreak, the scare has affected California growers, who are just starting to harvest their tomatoes.
Jul 9th, 2008 · Searing temperatures are expected this week in most of California. That spells more trouble for firefighters, and can be deadly for people laboring in agricultural fields. This summer, at least one farmworker has died due to heat exhaustion. California officials are trying to better enforce laws requiring growers to provide adequate water and shade. Sasha Khokha reports from member station KQED in San Francisco.
Jun 25th, 2008 · Domestic sugar producers are reeling from the news that the largest sugar cane grower, U.S. Sugar, is closing. The company is selling its land to Florida for $1.7 billion, so the state can use it to preserve the Everglades. Now domestic producers are worried that losing such a major ally in their lobbying efforts will sour their ability to shape national sugar policy and set prices in the future.
May 31st, 2008 · At a farm near Flint, Mich., European Berkshire pigs are being used to eat up ground-fall apples from the orchard. Many of the apples are infested with a bug called the plum curculio, which is among the most destructive insect to apple growers.