Last month at a Purdue University-hosted Greenhouse and Indoor Hydroponics workshop, attendees learned optimal hydroponic techniques for growing lettuce, including nutrient, temperature, lighting, pest control, disease management considerations and varied production systems.
OTA launches voluntary checkoff after USDA nixes mandatory plan
In a response to the USDA’s surprising move to suddenly abandon plans to launch a mandatory multiyear organic certification checkoff program this year, the Organic Trade Assoc. (OTA) announced it will establish a voluntary program designed to promote certified organic products.
EPA appealing ban on national use of chlorpyrifos in farming
The U.S. EPA has asked an appeals court to re-hear a case in which it was decided the EPA must ban the insecticide chlorpyrifos within 60 days, setting in motion a delay that could last for months.
Miller, orchard and creamery will benefit from MDARD grants
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) announced a new round of grants last month aimed at furthering the expansion of the food and agriculture industries in Michigan.
Indiana businesses go to Canada to court commerce and education
An agreement between Indiana and the Canadian province of Manitoba should serve to bolster trade and other relations between the two entities, according to Indiana Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch.
Tennessee farmer uses communications background to market products
Jennie Schutte and her husband, Walt Patrick, grew up on dairy farms, and in many ways, their 120-acre Pilaroc Farms in Fayetteville, Tenn., has the same tools that those family farms had for generations.
Wheat genome is mapped, but relying research will take years
Drought- and flood-resistant wheat is one step closer – after more than a decade of work by scientists around the globe, the wheat genome has finally been mapped.
Organic field day features data, advice & equipment
Organic farming takes patience and a willingness to experiment, but those who try it often end up with better soil health and save money, according to presenters at the Shuter Sunset Farms Field Day in Frankton.
Lawsuits continue to mount against the Monsanto Co., now part of Bayer AG, since a California jury ordered a $289.2 million landmark award to a former groundskeeper dying of cancer, that it determined was caused by the ingredients in Monsanto’s flagship weed killer, Roundup.
