- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The number of farmers with Internet access on a variety of digital gadgets has dramatically increased, changing the way farms do business, reports Gosia Wozniacka of the Associated Press. Despite the enormous benefits to using the new technology, barriers remain for many farmers, said Richard Molinar, a small farm advisor at the University of California Cooperative Extension in Fresno. Older farmers and immigrant farmers tend not to use the Internet or digital devices. And while the cost of computers, phones and Internet connections has.../span>
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
CDFA officials have trapped a single male melon fly in a Fresno vineyard, sending shivers down the spines of local farmers who produce its target crops, including cucumber, eggplant, squash and tomatoes, according to a report on the CBS Channel 47 news.
The melon fly is native to Asia, but has spread to other parts of the world, including Africa and the Pacific Islands. Melon flies were first found in California in 1956 and have been captured sporadically over the years, but all infestations have been successfully eradicated. Just last year, eight melon flies were found in Kern County. Trapping last month...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
A heightened awareness of food safety has processors, retailers and consumers demanding that farmers use practices that can be verified as safe, the Fresno Bee reported yesterday. The story focused on the challenges these demands pose for small-scale farmers.
Bee reporter Robert Rodriguez spoke to the owner of an eight-acre Fresno County farm.
"We have been farming for 40 years and have never had a problem, but now we have to document, document, document. I almost burned out my copy machine," the farmer was quoted.
To help growers develop written food safety plans, UC Cooperative Extension small farm advisor
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack appointed UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Richard Molinar to a two-year term on the Minority Farmer Advisory Committee, said a
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
California small-scale farmers have an ally in their corner when it comes to specialty crop production - UC Cooperative Extension small farm advisors, noted a recent article in Capital Press.
In Fresno, UCCE small farm advisor Richard Molinar is working with Southeast Asian farmers on such crops as Chinese long beans, gailon, eggplant and jujubes, the story said.
He's also helping growers produce Uzbek-Russian melon, which is said to be more flavorful than cantaloupe or honeydew. And for the past seven years, he's been experimenting with miniature watermelons, another specialty crop well suited for small-scale...