INDUSTRY DIRECTORY
August 31, 2023
Articles

EUROPLANT Expands Market Presence In The Mediterranean Region

Lüneburg - EUROPLANT Pflanzenzucht GmbH establishes a subsidiary in Spain to expand its market presence in the Mediterranean region. From now on EUROPLANT ESPAÑA Semillas S.L. will be responsible for the distribution of the modern and high-performance pot
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August 31, 2023
Articles

Fries On The Rise: Nearly Half Of Potatoes Now Go Into Frozen Products

According to a press release from the USDA ERS, the majority of potatoes in the United States are now sold in processed forms such as frozen, chipped, dehydrated, or canned.
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August 30, 2023
Articles

Experience Kawasaki’s All-New MULE PRO 1000 Series Line-Up Near You

Foothill Ranch, Calif. – Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. has announced the 4-Wheel Off-Road Experience Tour will be traversing across the country this summer attending various events nationwide. The tour will take place at many of the country’s largest even
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August 30, 2023
Articles
Gordon M. Hochbert, The Produce News

Ron Budd Seeing ‘A Very Good Season’ For New Jersey Potatoes

New Jersey potatoes have been exemplified so far by high quality and prices good by historical standards, helped along by pretty decent weather in the state, according to Ron Budd, vice president of Gloucester County Packing Corp. in Woodbury, NJ.
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August 30, 2023
New Products

Case IH Announces New Tractor Innovations, Product Expansions That Deliver Solutions For Today’s Farming Challenges

It’s truly the “Year of the Tractor” for Case IH as the company announces seven new or redesigned tractor models at this year’s Farm Progress Show. The headliner, the new Steiger 715 Quadtrac, is the company’s most powerful tractor ever with a 715 horsepo
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August 29, 2023
Articles

Crop Update For Potatoes From Across The U.S.

The USDA NASS has provided an update on the U.S. potato crop in its weekly crop progress report (https://www.nass.usda.gov/) for last week. Here’s a sample of what the latest report showed.
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August 29, 2023
Articles

Tereos Announces Plans To Set Up An Agristo Production Plant, Creation Of 350 Jobs On The Site Of Its Former Sugar Factory At Escaudœuvres

Tereos has signed a memorandum of understanding with Agristo to enable the development of a food processing activity on the site of its former sugar factory in Escaudœuvres, in the North of France.
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August 29, 2023
New Products

Key Technology Introduces All-New COMPASS Optical Sorters

Key Technology, a member of the Duravant family of operating companies, introduces the all-new COMPASS family of food optical sorters. Powered by next-generation inspection technology as well as a new sort engine and ergonomic user interface, COMPASS is t
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August 28, 2023
Articles

Agri-Tech Innovator Secures Project Funding To Reduce Bruised Potato Waste

B-hive Innovations, a cutting-edge, agri-tech research and development business, is embarking on a new collaborative programme that aims to reduce the risk of potato bruising and develop technologies that could reduce supermarket waste.
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August 28, 2023
Articles
Sean Ellis, Idaho Farm Bureau Federation

Lamb Weston Expansion Project Is A $415 Million Investment In Idaho Potatoes

American Falls, Idaho – Lamb Weston is in the process of significantly expanding french fry production capacity at its American Falls facility.
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August 27, 2023
Articles

CropX Appoints John Gates As Chief Revenue Officer: Proven industry leader to focus on accelerating growth and innovation for CropX

Anahem, Calif. -- CropX, a global leader in digital solutions for agronomic farm management, announced the appointment of agricultural technology veteran John Gates to Chief Revenue Officer (CRO). Gates will oversee CropX's commercial expansion globally f
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August 27, 2023
Articles

GROWMARK, Inc. Announces New Board Members

Bloomington, Ill. (AgPR) - GROWMARK, Inc. has announced Andrew Durward of Thomson, Illinois and Scott McGeachy of Chatham, Ontario, Canada, have been elected to the GROWMARK Board of Directors.
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August 27, 2023
Articles

Summit View Ag Teams Up With Meristem Crop Performance

Norwalk, Wisc. (AgPR) – Nick Fries of Summit View Ag, Norwalk, Wisc. and Meristem Crop Performance Group, LLC (www.meristemag.com), based in Columbus, Ohio, announced a new dealership agreement to serve farmers in Wisconsin.
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August 26, 2023
Articles

BRANDT Breaks Ground On Evelyn Brandt Thomas Ag Innovation Center

Springfield, Ill. (AgPR) – BRANDT, a leading retailer of professional agronomic services and manufacturer of specialty input products, has broken ground on the Evelyn Brandt Thomas Ag Innovation Center at the BRANDT Research Farm in Pleasant Plains, IL. T
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August 26, 2023
Articles

Biome Makers Wins 2023 AgTech Breakthrough Award For “AgTech Data Analytics Solution Of The Year”

Sacramento, Calif. – Biome Makers, a leading agtech company in soil health analysis and microbiome technology, announced it has garnered the “AgTech Data Analytics Solution of the Year” award in the 4th annual AgTech Breakthrough Awards program conducted
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August 26, 2023
Articles

Response To NFU Mutual’s New Rural Crime Figures

U.K.-based National Farmers Union Mutual has published its latest Rural Crime Report which shows that rural crime cost the UK an estimated £49.5m in 2022, up from £40.5m the previous year.
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August 26, 2023
Articles

USDA Announces $72.9 Million In Grant Funding Awarded To Support U.S. Specialty Crop Producers; Marks $1 Billion In Investments Through This Program

Washington -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced $72.9 million awarded to 55 states and territories through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP). The grant program provides funding to enhan
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August 25, 2023
Articles

USDA, USTR Name New Agricultural Trade Advisors

(ED—There are some familiar names on the Fruits and Vegetables committee. Click on that link to see who the new committee members are.)
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August 25, 2023
Articles

Potato LEAF Awards 2023-24 Scholarship To Washington State University Ph.D Student Jacob Meeuwsen

Washington – The Potato Leadership, Education, and Advancement Foundation (Potato LEAF) is pleased to announce Jacob Meeuwsen, a Ph.D. student at Washington State University (WSU), as the recipient of the organization’s 2023-24 Academic Scholarship. The $
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August 25, 2023
Articles

The Search For The Super Potato: Scientists have assembled the genome sequences of nearly 300 varieties of potatoes and its wild relatives to develop more nutritious, disease-free, an

As climate change continues to pose severe challenges to ensuring sustainable food supplies around the world, scientists from McGill University are looking for ways to improve the resilience and nutritional quality of potatoes. Professor Martina Strömvik
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August 24, 2023
Articles
Potatoes USA

U.S. Potato Exports Reach Record Value And Volume July 2022-June 2023

Denver – U.S. potato exports reached record value and volume in the 12-month period from July 2022-June 2023. Export values increased 19.05 percent to $2.2 billion, and export volume increased 3.85 percent to 3.3 million metric tons (fresh weight equivale
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August 24, 2023
Articles
Belle Lin , Wall Street Journal

America’s Farmers Are Bogged Down By Data: Uptake of agtech tools has been tepid, and even many farmers who do use them struggle with the software and a flood of data from their farms

A decade after data analytics promised to revolutionize agriculture, most farmers still aren’t using data tools or specialized software, and of those who do, many are swamped in a deluge of data.
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August 23, 2023
Articles

Cargill, BAR Technologies’ Ground-Breaking Wind Technology Sets Sail, Chartering A New Lower-Carbon Path For The Maritime Industry: A collaboration between Cargill, BAR Technologies, Mitsubishi Corporation and Yara Marine Technologies has the potential to decarbonize cargo vessels

Geneva, Switzerland – Cargill and BAR Technologies’ ground-breaking innovation, BAR Tech WindWings by Yara Marine sets sail on open waters, testing new technology that will bring cutting edge wind propulsion to commercial shipping for the first time.
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August 23, 2023
Irrigation
Younsuk Dong, Lyndon Kelley, Eric Anderson and Molly Sears, Michigan State University Extension

The Importance Of Checking Irrigation System Uniformity: Evaluating and retrofitting your irrigation system can help to improve irrigation water use efficiency

As center pivot irrigation systems age, a multitude of issues can be found, including leaking joints, clogged sprinklers and missing sprinkler heads, among others. These issues can cause areas of non-uniformity in the system that can make locations under-
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August 22, 2023
Articles

Potatoes Heading Down The Home Stretch Across U.S.

The USDA NASS has provided an update on the U.S. potato crop in its weekly crop progress report (https://www.nass.usda.gov/). Here’s a sample of what the latest report showed.
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August 22, 2023
Articles

Equipment Manufacturer Strengthens Strategic Vision With Director Addition: Reyco Systems appoints Patrick Hester as director of sales and marketing

Caldwell, Idaho – Reyco Systems, a growing name in the food processing equipment industry, has announced a significant enhancement to its team with the appointment of Patrick Hester as the Director of Sales and Marketing. This strategic addition reflects
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August 22, 2023
Articles

National Potato Council Statement On Completion Of Potato Wart Sampling On Prince Edward Island

Washington, D.C. — The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced it has completed its investigation related to the 2021 detections of potato wart in Prince Edward Island (PEI). National Potato Council CEO Kam Quarles issued the following statement
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August 21, 2023
Articles

Big Idaho Potato Truck Completes First International Trip To Canada; Skagway Alaska Declared July 22 Idaho Potato Day

Eagle, ID – This summer the Big Idaho Potato Truck crossed off two items on its bucket list: an international border crossing and a visit to Alaska.
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August 21, 2023
Articles

Manipulating Potato Plant Growth For Optimum Economic Return

In a presentation at this year’s Idaho Potato Conference, Washington State University’s Dr. Mark Pavek covered a wide range of topics in his seminar, including optimal seed size, source-sink relationship, nitrogen use and costs, planting direction and mor
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August 20, 2023
Articles

Burkiewicz Named GROWMARK External Communications Manager

Bloomington, Ill. (AgPR) – Sabrina Burkiewicz has been named as the new External Communications Manager for GROWMARK effective immediately. Burkiewicz comes to GROWMARK from the News and Communications Division at Illinois Farm Bureau.
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August 20, 2023
Articles

The GROWMARK Foundation Announces 2023 Scholarship Recipients: More than 500 students from across North America applied for the award

Bloomington, Ill. (AgPR) – Fifty-five students have been selected to receive scholarships totaling $2,000 each through the GROWMARK Foundation. More than 500 students from across the United States and Ontario, Canada, applied for the scholarships. Student
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August 19, 2023
Articles

McCain Opens Eastfield Community Shop To Support Local Community

Scarborough, UK - Sir Robert Goodwill MP and special guests from the community joined the UK’s largest manufacturer of frozen potato products, McCain Foods, and Community Shop, an award-winning social enterprise that redistributes surplus food and househo
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August 19, 2023
Articles

The Next Green Revolution In Regina, Sask.: Should Farmers Be Doing A Better Job Of Telling And Selling Their Story?

Farmers want to work with policymakers to craft sustainable agriculture policy. What's needed is for them to do a better job of talking about all they already do in the name of getting to net zero.
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August 18, 2023
Articles

Alsum Farms Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Friesland, Wisconsin — Alsum Farms & Produce, a leading fresh market grower, packer, and shipper of Wisconsin Healthy Grown potatoes, pumpkins, onions, and wholesaler of fresh, quality produce, celebrated 50 years in business on Friday, Aug. 11 and Saturd
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August 18, 2023
Articles

Premier Tillage Launches New Website Showcasing Growing Demand For Minimizer Blade Plows And Unparalleled Customer Service

Quinter, KS - Premier Tillage, a leading provider of agricultural equipment, has announced the launch of its new website, www.premiertillage.com.
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August 18, 2023
Articles

Idaho Governor’s Water Summit Reveals Success Stories, Challenges In Looking At Surface, Ground Water Statewide

Boise, ID – Governor Brad Little and other Idaho leaders are applauding the success of the first Water Summit of the Governor’s administration, which took place last week in the Idaho Capitol.
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August 17, 2023
Articles

Potato Vine Kill Speed And Tuber Maturity At Application Time

Dr. Pam Hutchinson, potato cropping systems weed scientist with the University of Idaho, talks about potato vine kill and tuber maturity at application time. Her presentation took place at the U of I's Aberdeen Potato IPM Field Day in August.
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August 17, 2023
Articles

Expanded API Now Available For Trimble Agriculture Cloud, Creating An Open Environment Benefiting Farmers And Their Partners

Westminster, Colo. -- Trimble announced the release of its flexible API for the Trimble Agriculture Cloud, an industry cloud that streamlines farming operations. The availability of this API represents the next evolution of connectivity for agriculture in
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August 16, 2023
Articles

Wilbur-Ellis CEO John Buckley Leads Crop Agriculture Business As Focus Intensifies On North America Ag And Food Markets, Ag President Mark Ripato Prepares To Retire

San Francisco-- Wilbur-Ellis announced that President and Chief Executive Officer John Buckley is assuming direct oversight of the company's crop agriculture business, while continuing as Wilbur-Ellis President and CEO.
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August 16, 2023
New Products

Idahoan Foods Launches Newest Product Line With Bold Flavors Including Hidden Valley Original Ranch

Idaho Falls, Idaho -- Idahoan Foods – the leading producer of quality, packaged potato products in the U.S.– expands its portfolio with the launch of Idahoan Potato Shreds.
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August 15, 2023
Articles

APHIS Seeks Comments On Proposal To Strengthen Agricultural Quarantine And Inspection Program

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is seeking comments on a proposed rule to amend regulations governing its Agricultural Quarantine and Inspection (AQI) program user fees.
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August 15, 2023
Articles

U.S. Department Of Agriculture Holds Ribbon Cutting Ceremony For The Opening Of A New Laboratory Building In Texas

Temple, Texas — The USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Grassland, Soil, and Water Research Laboratory, held a dedication and ribbon cutting for the opening of a newly renovated laboratory building that will allow scientists to continue their miss
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August 14, 2023
Articles

Water Use, Phosphorus, Drone Demonstration Among Focuses At 2023 Montcalm Field Day

Members of the Michigan potato industry gathered at the Montcalm Research Center near Lakeview Aug. 3 for the 2023 Montcalm Field Day.
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August 14, 2023
Articles

UPL Appoints David Elser As North American Regional Head

In mid-July UPL announced David Elser as the regional head for North America.
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August 11, 2023
Articles

University Of Idaho Extension Field Days In Aberdeen, Parma To Highlight Spuds, Other Crops

Moscow, Idaho — University of Idaho Extension has scheduled late-summer field days in the state’s southeastern and southwestern regions, providing producers updates on the latest research and a chance to see symptoms of various crop diseases.
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August 11, 2023
Articles

PrairieFood Welcomes Jason Tatge As New CEO, Robert K. Herrington As Chairman Of The Board

Lawrence, Kan. (AgPR) — PrairieFood, developer of an innovative approach to converting waste biomass into safe, valuable, micro-carbon products for agriculture and other sectors, has announced the appointment of Jason Tatge as its new chief executive offi
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August 10, 2023
Articles

Lamb Weston Announces Addition Of New Director: Rita Fisher joins Lamb Weston board of directors

Eagle, Idaho -- Lamb Weston Holdings announced the appointment of Rita Fisher, Chief Information Officer and Executive Vice President, Supply Chain, at Reynolds Consumer Products to its board of directors, effective in late July.
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August 10, 2023
New Products

Knegt Electric Tractor

Against a backdrop of commercial necessity, global climate concerns and new emissions legislation, et-sun is introducing the Knegt brand of electric tractor onto the next rung of this evolutionary ladder.
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August 09, 2023
Articles
Greg Johnson, Vice President of Media, Blue Book Services

Potato Broker Sentenced To Prison For Stealing From Growers

A potato broker was sentenced to six months in prison and eight years of probation after pleading guilty to stealing nearly $800,000 from potato growers.
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August 09, 2023
Articles
Hoosier Ag Today

Purdue Survey: Farmers Remain Cautiously Optimistic About Ag Economy

Farmers are more optimistic about their perception of current conditions and future expectations on their farms according to the latest survey from Purdue University’s Center for Commercial Agriculture.
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August 08, 2023
New Products

Meristem Announces NextGen Bio-Capsule Technology: “... solid results on 3.1 million acres this year make us confident we can reach 8.5 million in 2024 ...”

Delavan, Wisc. (AgPR) – Keeping microbes alive and vigorous is bringing big benefits to crops and farmers. Meristem Crop Performance unveiled the next generation of its patented BIO-CAPSULE TECHNOLOGY delivery system. The reveal came in front of nearly 30
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August 08, 2023
New Products

ROPA Keiler 2 DoubleSelect Presented At Weuthen Potato Day, International Potato Europe: Offers increased separation efficiency under cloddy, stony harvesting conditions

Sittelsdorf/Schwalmtal-Waldniel/Tourani - ROPA is expanding its product portfolio with the Keiler 2 DoubleSelect to increase separation performance on cloddy and stony soils. This potato harvester has an additional triple UFK on pintle belt 2 with a separ
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August 07, 2023
New Products

Kawasaki Unveils New MULE Pro-FX 1000, MULE Pro-FXR 1000, MULE Pro-FXT 1000 Side-By-Sides In 2024 Lineup

Kawasaki introduces a new series of its flagship side-by-sides to its 2024 MULE lineup with the MULE PRO-FX 1000, MULE PRO-FXR 1000 and MULE PRO-FXT 1000 models. Kawasaki’s MULE PRO 1000 series models are renowned as full-size utility/recreation side-by-s
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August 07, 2023
Articles
John O'Connell, University of Idaho

U Of I Graduate Student Finds Mineral Oil Effective At Preventing PVY In Irrigated Spuds

Moscow, Idaho — Several studies have shown applying mineral oil is an economically and environmentally sustainable way for seed potato growers to prevent the transmission of potato virus Y (PVY), yet it’s not a widely used practice in Idaho.
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August 04, 2023
Articles
Potatoes USA

Potato Retail Sales See Double-Digit Increases July 2022–June 2023

Denver – U.S. retail dollar sales of potatoes increased 16.8 percent July 2022–June 2023, which closed with a strong quarter (April–June 2023) that saw retail dollar sales growth of 14.5 percent compared to the same period last year.
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August 04, 2023
Articles

McCain Launches “Let’s All Chip In” -- A New Regenerative Agriculture Campaign Targeting Gen Z

McCain Foods has unveiled a new campaign featuring Love Island commentator Iain Stirling, which highlights the positive impact regenerative farming can have on the planet.
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August 03, 2023
Articles

Alsum Farms Begins Wisconsin Yellow Potato Harvest

Wisconsin yellow potato harvest is underway at Alsum Farms in Arena, Wis. with the first potato loads being washed, graded and packed for fresh market delivery to distribution centers and retail grocers the first week of August.
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August 03, 2023
Articles
Xi Zhang, Louisiana State University-Agricultural Center

What Affects How Well Soil Holds Water?

Since the beginning of agriculture, people have recognized that a sufficient water supply is essential for crop production. The capacity of soil to store and supply water for plant growth is a fundamental agroecosystem service. It also is a soil health in
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August 03, 2023
Articles

University Of Idaho Field Day Right Around The Corner

The University of Idaho will be hosting a field day covering potatoes, sugarbeets and onions Thursday, Aug. 17 at the Parma Research and Extension Center in western Idaho.
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August 02, 2023
Articles

USDA, Washington State University Break Ground On New State-Of-The-Art Agricultural Research Facility

Pullman, Wash. — U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack participated in a groundbreaking ceremony this week for a new Plant Sciences Building that will house scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Wash
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August 02, 2023
Articles

U.S. Specialty Crop Growers Welcome Legislation Supporting Domestic Marketing And Farming Efficiencies

Washington, D.C. – The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance (SCFBA), a national coalition of more than 200 specialty crop organizations representing growers of fruits, vegetables, dried fruit, tree nuts, nursery plants and other products, applauded the intro
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August 01, 2023
Articles
Josh Jackson, MiLB.com

Captain Potato Friend And The Table Of Parts

For those who experienced the phenomenon, one weekend in July 2023 will forever be remembered as the time a popular children's toy from the 1950s stormed the culture all over again, sweeping into the lives of fans of all ages in an adaptation of the class
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August 01, 2023
Articles

Potato Harvest Truck Safety Measures

Potato harvest season is a busy time of year with trucks, harvesting equipment and transfer loading equipment all working together. This video shows you how to work safely and efficiently in the field and at the transfer loading station.
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