October 2008
Luther Burbank: Botanist and Horticulturist
A botanist and horticulturist, Mr. Burbank devoted his life to plant breeding and developed more than 800 strains and varieties, including 113 varieties of plums, of which the Santa Rosa and “plumcot,” a cross between a plum and an apricot, are the most recognized types. Worcester Telegram & Gazette (10/6)
Potato Country: A Local Harvest, Unearthed
It was 4:30 a.m., and they were already talking potatoes at a small television station on the outskirts of town. Boston Globe (10/6)
Warming Andes Stymies Peruvian Potato Farmers
For the first half of his life, potato farmer Gregorio Huanuco used the same formula that had dictated the survival of his ancestors for generations. San Francisco Gate (10/5)
Huffman Elementary Students Dig and Donate Potato Harvest
Tubers were the talk of the town at one Anchorage elementary school on Friday. KTUU News (10/3)
September 2008
Potato Acreage Down, but Crop Good
The potato crop in the Red River Valley is said to be the best in a long time, both in production and in quality of the spuds. KXNet.com Minot (9/19)
Farm Stats Tell Strong Story
Numbers always tell a story. For agriculture, the story line contains some harsh statistics. The Abilene Reflector-Chronicle (9/18)
McDonald's Moms Tour Potato Farm
McDonald's Moms' Quality Correspondents has concluded its second year of unprecedented access to the McDonald's system of owner/operators, executives and supply chains with Lamb Weston, one of McDonald's potato suppliers for McDonald's hash browns and French fries. QSR Web (9/18)
P.E.I. Potato Board Defends French Fry Processors from Claim of Price Cutting
he P.E.I. Potato Board came to the defence of big french fry companies Monday after an Island farmer and agriculture activist accused them last week of undercutting potato prices and the board itself of being in conflict of interest. Truro Daily News (9/16)
Potato Industry Leaders Recognized
Two members of the New Brunswick potato industry joined a select group on Friday night. New Brunswick Bugle-Observer (9/9)
Farm Bill Passage Will Get More Difficult in Congress
South Dakota’s congressional delegation likes the Farm Bill that passed earlier this year, but they warned a crowd at the South Dakota State Fair over Labor Day weekend that farmers and ranchers must remain actively engaged to keep it on track and to improve the chances for future Farm Bills. Black Hills Pioneer (9/8)
Report: U.S. Food Safety in Fresh Produce
Without a nationwide traceability system in the U.S. for fruits and vegetables, identifying food contamination sources has been slow, inaccurate and difficult. Rabobank (9/8)
Fewer Potatoes Nationwide Good News for Inland Grower
A truck loaded with 50,000 pounds of Chieftain potatoes coated in dirt from an Anza field arrives at the San Jacinto packing shed. Riverside Press-Enterprise (9/7)
Potato Chips in Short Supply
What, no chips? Potato-chip aficionados are discovering their cherished snack may be in short supply. Monterey Herald (9/4)
Rural economy flexes its muscles under new zoning
A little less than two years ago, Loudoun's Board of Supervisors rewrote the zoning map for the western two-thirds of the county, with one goal in mind: Keep the county open for agriculture and for rural business. LoudounTimes.com (9/3)
Traffic Conflicts Increase as Harvest Season Gets Under Way
Believe it or not, Pat Ross is thinking of you when he perches high in his driver’s seat, slips the vehicle into gear and motors out onto the Kansas River bridge from North Lawrence. Lawrence Journal World (9/1)
August 2008
UMaine Grad Students Work on Potato Promotion
For University of Maine students concluding the required residency week to receive their master’s degree in business administration, Friday was all about promoting the potato. Bangor Daily News (8/30)
North Dakota-Cuban Potato Deal May Be Nearer
North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson says the state's potato farmers are scrambling to gather seed potatoes for an anticipated shipment to Cuba. BusinessWeek (8/29)
This Spud's Not for You
What, no chips? Potato-chip aficionados are discovering their cherished snack may be in short supply. Denver Post (8/26)
Grocers Stocking More Locally-Produced Items
Lawrence grocers are offering more local products — and with good reason. They tend to sell like hotcakes. Lawrence Journal-World (8/20)
Presque Isle: Potato Harvest Future Brightens with Less Rain
Maine potato experts are hopeful that a recent spate of warmer dry weather will continue long enough to quell any fears that late blight will ruin this year’s crop. Bangor Daily News (8/20)
Peterson: Implementing Farm Bill is Next Step
Now that a new five-year federal farm bill costing nearly $300 billion is law, U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson wants to ensure it’s implemented correctly. Bemidji Pioneer (8/19)
Feds: Common Pesticides Jeopardize Salmon Survival
Three pesticides commonly used on farms and orchards throughout the West are jeopardizing the survival of Pacific salmon, the federal agency in charge of saving the fish from extinction has found. Yahoo! News (8/14)
Blight Resistant Potatoes Coming Soon
Dutch, British and American scientists have developed a method to more quickly identify and isolate genes that can be used to make potatoes resistant to Phytophthora infestans, the dreaded potato blight. ScienceDaily (8/8)
ConAgra Joins with Ochoa to Run Potato Plant
ConAgra Foods Inc. has signed a deal with Ochoa Foods to jointly run Ochoa's potato processing plant in Warden, Wash. Nebraska TV (8/7)
Cash for Potato Farmers
The federal and provincial governments announced $23.5 million dollars in compensation for farmers devastated by a soil pest. 660 News Calgary (8/6)
After Lower Valley Potato Plant Burned Down, Company Looks to Move to Tri-Cities
After the Wild River Foods Potato Plant in Grandview burned to the ground, that company is now looking to make a move to the Tri Cities. KEPR TV News (8/6)
New York Potato Acreage Decreases
New York potato growers planted an estimated 18,000 acres of potatoes in 2008, according to Stephen Ropel, U.S. Agriculture Department National Agricultural Statistics Service, New York Field Office director, a 5 percent decrease from 2007. Jamestown Post-Journal (8/5)
Lawsuit Over Potato Chip Ingredient Settled
Frito-Lay and two other potato chip companies have agreed to reduce the levels of a cancer-causing chemical in their products in a settlement of a state lawsuit, Attorney General Jerry Brown said Friday. San Francisco Gate (8/2)
July 2008
Potato Vodka Hitting the Shelves in Pa.
Pennsylvania's first and only vodka distillery sits unassumingly inside one of the former Glenshaw Glass buildings along Route 8 in Shaler. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (7/31)
198 Employment-related Immigration Bills Introduced by State Legislators in First Half of 2008
State legislators have introduced 198 employment-related immigration bills during the first half of the year, according to a July 24, 2008, report released by the National Conference of State Legislatures. CCH (7/30)
Terrell Potato Chip Founder Dies at Age 98
William F. Terrell, 98, the Syracuse native who founded Terrell's Potato Chip Co. in 1961, died last week in Florida of natural causes. Syracuse Post-Standard (7/30)
Potato Growers Will Get Congressional Help to Fix Water
Potato growers in the Odessa, Wash., area and throughout the Columbia Basin are breathing easier because of action by U.S. Sen. Patty Murray and Congressman Doc Hastings to fund projects bringing water to fields and communities. Western Farmer-Stockman (7/29)
P.E.I. Potato Farmers Come Closer to Settling Contract Dispute with Processor
Prince Edward Island potato growers may be one step closer to settling a contract dispute with the Maritimes’ largest processor. Amherst Daily News (7/21)
Sen. Feinstein Rallies State Farm Bureau Presidents on Labor
As American agriculture continues to face a serious and worsening labor crisis, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., urged the presidents of the nation’s state Farm Bureaus to support her efforts to pass the Emergency Agriculture Relief Act. American Farm Bureau (7/16)
Feds Ban Pesticides Used in Local Potato Farming
As potato farmers began harvesting spuds, a new law expected to come into affect next week is on their minds. KEPR-TV Pasco (7/14)
'The Potato Doctor' Is In: Former Wapello Man's Keen Eye for Potatoes has Served Him Well
Larry K. Hiller, a native of Wapello, is often respectfully called “The Potato Doctor.” Muscatine Journal (7/14)
ND Potato Acres Down
This year's potato crop in North Dakota is estimated at 83,000 acres, a drop of 14 percent from last year. KXMD Williston (7/13)
Spuds, an Open and Shut Case
Food science has made many advances in the past few decades, but the progress has been uneven. Washington Post (7/9)
Potato Shortage Hasn't Crunched Chesco Snack Maker
Despite a recent potato shortfall, Herr Foods is still producing its popular chips. Pottstown Mercury (7/8)
Britain's highest court ruled that Pringles chips are not a potato snack, and therefore isn't taxable under British regulations.
Britain's highest court ruled that Pringles chips are not a potato snack, and therefore isn't taxable under British regulations. ABC 7 News San Francisco (7/6)
Wal-Mart Goes Local for Produce
Wal-Mart stores in Arizona now stock Grand Canyon sweet onions while aisles in New York display state-grown eggplant as the world's largest retailer says it has become the nation's largest buyer of locally grown fruits and vegetables. Detroit News (7/3)
New Plant from Ashes? Too Early to Tell
Employees of the Wild River Foods potato processing plant learned about unemployment benefits available to them Wednesday, a day after a spectacular fire destroyed the building. Yakima Herald (7/3)
Growing Scrutiny on Labor Contractors
Vans pulled into a Lodi vineyard on a recent morning, and the farm workers who climbed out of them found seats on the folding chairs arranged in Roland Hatterle's equipment shed. Recordnet.com (7/2)
Freight Haulers Keep on Truckin' in Troubled Times
When the Michigan economy turned sour last year, Harvey Gainey had to cut his trucking fleet by 20 percent. Grand Rapids Press (7/2)
Fuel Costs Worry Valley Potato Farmers
Record high fuel prices and uncertain crop values are making the 2008 potato crop a stressful business venture for New Brunswick farmers. Victoria Star (7/2)
June 2008
Idaho Spud Farmer Returns to Roots to Help Afghans
To help poor Afghani villagers make money on potatoes instead of opium poppies, Idaho farmer Pat Rowe borrowed a root cellar design common across his home state's famous potato country in the 1930s and 1940s. seattlepi.com (6/30)
60 Sweet Years: Richland's Spudnut Shop Cranks Out Potato-Based Delicacies Since the Cold War
Hours before most people are reaching for their alarms, two figures bustle back and forth inside a Richland bakery, working around each other in movements choreographed by 18 years of sharing a kitchen. Tri-City Herald http://www.greatamericanpublish.com/admin.php?inc=news(6/22)
Heat Kills Crop Workers at Rate 20 Times Higher Than Others
Heat kills crop workers at nearly 20 times the rate of other U.S. workers, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study released Thursday. McClatchy (6/20)
Farm Bill is Approved
President Bush vetoed the farm bill again on Wednesday, but Congress quickly reapproved the $290 billion bill. The New York Times (6/20)
Spud Growers Respond to Plea from Food Banks
Despite the province’s small size, P.E.I. has long been the country’s No. 1 potato producer. Nova Scotian Chronicle Herald (6/15)
Potato Producers Packing It In
As a result of high production costs and labour shortages, many potato producers are deciding to call it quits. Central Plains Herald-Leader (6/14)
Rising Land Value May Tear Families Apart
In North Carolina's hotbeds of suburban growth, heirs of large tracts of land often face tough choices - keeping their family inheritance intact or selling to developers. Sometimes, the decisions can tear families apart. WRAL.com (6/12)
Cool Spring Delays Crops in Eastern Washington
The growth of crops across Washington state is being slowed by cool, wet spring weather, which could mean smaller apples, fewer cherries and a late selling season for various food items. Seattle Post-Intelligencer (6/12)
Bush Widens Immigration Checks
The Bush administration, in an aggressive new effort to keep illegal immigrants out of the workforce, on Monday ordered all companies doing business with the federal government to begin ensuring their employees can legally work in the U.S. Los Angeles Times (6/11)
Glitch Sends Farm Bill Back to President
With an error corrected, the latest version of the Farm Bill is headed back to the desk of President George W. Bush. The Reporter (6/10)
Farmers Need Sun and Heat to Plant Crops
The tractors are in neutral for many Island potato growers this spring as barely half the crop has been planted thanks to persistent rainfall. The Guardian (6/9)
Potato Farmers Pinched by Surging Fuel, Fertilizer Costs
The executive director of the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee says surging fuel and fertilizer costs are hurting the potato industry -- even though potato prices are good. KJCT8 Grand Junction (6/8)
Solving the Food Crisis With an Unlikely Alliance
With a food crisis simmering around the globe, a new book, "Tomorrow's Table," argues that the marriage of genetic engineering and organic farming is key to feeding the world's growing population. U.S. News & World Report (6/6)
Farm Bill Fumble Opens Door to Increased Opposition
Opponents of the farm bill are digging in for a fight. A coalition of nearly 30 taxpayer watchdog groups yesterday wrote lawmakers pleading to reopen debate on a section of the bill dealing with trade. The Heritage Foundation (6/6)
Wet Spring Delays P.E.I. Potato Planting Season by up to 12 Days
The general manager of the P.E.I. Potato Board says a wet spring has delayed planting season by as much as 10 to 12 days. Truro Daily News (6/6)
Potato Farmers Are Still Waiting for Help: MPP
The PC Critic for Agriculture and Food has pointed out that after nine months potato farmers are still waiting for government help to deal with losses from the disastrous 2007 drought. Wasaga Sun (6/6)
Farm Workers Hope Bill, Unity Will Harvest Change
Farm labor advocates Wednesday called on state legislators to amend a bill that would make it easier for farm workers to unionize, using a prayer vigil for Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez as a vehicle for change. Recordnet.com (6/5)
UN's Ban Says Food Crisis Requires $20 Billion a Year
Governments need to invest $15 billion to $20 billion a year to tackle the food crisis that's seen prices rise around the world, triggering riots in some countries, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. Bloomberg (6/4)
Biofuels: What do the experts think?
It wasn't so long ago that biofuels were being heralded as the savior of the planet and a thoroughly green solution to our climate woes. But fair winds have been replaced by persistent storms of criticism. CNN (6/4)
On March to Honor Farmworker, Relatives Call for Reforms
They fell for one another in junior high school, in a village deep in Mexico's Sierra Madre range. MercuryNews.com (6/4)
U.S. Farms Fall Short on Workers, Leading to Recruitment in Mexico
In response to a shortage of farm workers, the U.S. agricultural industry has headed to Mexico to recruit temporary – and legal – migrant workers. Online NewsHour (6/4)
Jersey Royal Potato Wash Out After Floods
Shoppers across Britain are suffering from a shortage of Jersey Royal potatoes after devastating floods on the island have left 40 per cent of the crop under water. Telegraph (UK) (6/4)
Potato Chips Beckon as Food Prices Rise
Food, at its most exalted, builds communities and feeds the soul; at its most basic, is just lunch. San Francisco Gate (6/4)
Farm Bill Do-Over Likely This Week
The Senate will likely re-vote on the full 2007 Farm Bill this week, Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin’s office told congressional newspaper The Hill on Friday. Supermarket News (6/3)
Potato Growing Is More Challenging
A Bourne agronomist has said that high levels of potato blight last year are making growing the crop more and more challenging. Spalding (UK) Today (6/3)
Bush Administration Steps Up Immigration Raids
The Bush administration is vowing to carry out its unprecedented crackdown on undocumented immigrants for the remainder of the year — without regard to any political fallout during the presidential campaign. chron.com (6/2)
May 2008
Grim U.S. Report Predicts Effects of Warming on Natural Resources
Soaring food prices are very likely to become even more unstable because of global warming's effect on farming, federal officials said yesterday. SignOnSanDiego.com (5/29)
Lofty Prices for Fertilzer Put Farmers in a Squeeze
At a time when food prices are soaring world-wide, so is the price of fertilizer, producing huge profits for leading fertilizer makers and stirring anger among farmers in the U.S. and India. Wall Street Journal (5/27)
Costs Lead to High-Tech Farming
When Martin Barbre got his first look three years ago at a system that would drive his tractor for him, he didn’t buy the device — or the premise that it would cut costs on his farm. Lawrence Journal-World (5/27)
J.R. Simplot, 99; Potato Magnate Invested Billions in Computer Chips
J.R. "Jack" Simplot, 99, who launched an agribusiness empire that supplied french fries to the McDonald's fast-food chain and then used his billion-dollar fortune to invest in computer chips, died May 25 at his home in Boise, Idaho. Washington Post (5/27)
Simplot: Farmboy Who Never Went to High School Turns Potatoes into Biggest Fortune in Idaho
The richest man in Idaho used to celebrate Halloween by handing silver dollars to the trick or treaters who trudged to his hilltop home. Kansas City Star (5/27)
With Migrant Workers in Short Supply, a Farmer Looks to Machines
Scores of Jim Bittner’s cherry trees are now just heaps of roots and sticks, piled in his fields here along Route 18. New York Times (5/27)
Simplot Family to Keep Idaho Firm Unchanged After Founder's Death
After the death of its founder, the J.R. Simplot Co. will continue as a family owned agricultural company with no anticipated changes, said Scott Simplot. Salt Lake Tribune (5/27)
Farm Bill: Rural and Urban Areas Will Benefit
President Bush was wrong to veto the new farm bill, and I am pleased Congress voted to override that veto. This bill —- a product three years in the making that also passed by unprecedented margins —- is extremely important to both rural and urban areas of Georgia. Atlanta Journal Constitution(5/23)
County Seed Potato Farmers Hit by Rising Nooksack River Water
Already struggling with a cold spring and the high cost of fuel and fertilizer, Whatcom County seed potato farmers were dealt another blow this week by creeks overflowing onto their fields, said Dick Bedlington, a seed potato farmer in Lynden. Bellingham Herald (5/22)
Lawmakers Scramble to Fix Farm Bill Mix-up
Lawmakers scrambled Thursday to fix a clerical error that derailed an effort to override President Bush's veto of a $300 billion farm bill. CNN (5/22)
U.S. Adds Cropland, Slowly
A decades-old subsidy program that pays farmers not to plant is losing its appeal amid record-high crop prices. Barron's (5/21)
Change in Demand and Technology Stabalize Idaho Potato Market
Potato farmers across Eastern Idaho are set to see one of the best seasons, in years. They are reorganizing fields and seeing more profit. Idaho Falls News 8 (5/21)
Lobbyist Says Potato Farms Could Benefit from Bill
The agricultural industry will have a new farm bill by mid-June, John Keeling, executive vice president and CEO of the National Potato Council, said Monday. The Virginian-Pilot (5/20)
Farm Labor Package in War Spending Bill
The war spending package approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee last week includes a measure to help alleviate some of the labor-shortage problems evolving on American farms. Brownfield (5/20)
Politically Popular Farm Bill Gets Election-Year Boost
Rising food costs and the upcoming election have fueled bipartisan support for a politically popular $290 billion farm bill full of extra money for food stamps and farm subsidies, despite strong opposition from President Bush. The Mercury News(5/15)
Defying President Bush, Senate Passes Farm Bill
The Senate voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to approve a five-year, $307 billion farm bill, sending it to President Bush for what is expected to be his futile veto. New York Times(5/15)
State Potato Growers Re-Elect Three Board Members
State potato growers re-elected three farmers to the Wisconsin Potato Industry Board this spring. Wisconsin Ag Connection(5/12)
New Survey Underscores Urgent Need for Farm Bill as Demands Are Up, Food Down
Food banks across America are reporting a significant increase in the number of people seeking emergency food assistance, at the same time they are experiencing dwindling food inventories, forcing many food banks, soup kitchens and food pantries to cut back food distribution and adjust operations to meet demands. Mississippi Sun Herald (5/12)
Potatoes May Help Fill Hungry Bellies
Potatoes: They're not just for side dishes anymore. Austin Statesman (5/11)
University Given Go-Ahead for Open Field Trial of GM Potato Crop
LEEDS University has been given the go-ahead to grow genetically modified potatoes in an open field. Yorkshire Post (UK) (5/10)
Bush Set to Veto $300 Billion Farm Bill
Administration officials have dashed hopes among farm-state lawmakers from both parties that President Bush will sign a nearly $300 billion farm bill that they finished Thursday. SFGate (5/9)
A Look at the Details of the Farm Bill
The five-year farm bill completed Thursday is a multibillion-dollar grab bag. Tradingmarkets.com (5/9)
High Food Prices May Put Farmers on a Subsidy Diet
With high food prices prompting grocery-store apologies to customers and raising fears of starvation in impoverished countries, Congress suddenly faces renewed pressure to cut subsidies to the wealthiest farmers and incentives for ethanol production. Los Angeles Times (5/2)
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