Autumn Harvest
Autumn HarvestÕs operation covers 210 acres near Hubbard, Ore. During harvest, they have as many as 35 employees harvesting and processing their four pumpkin varieties, five squash varieties, mixed gourds and Indian corn.
HUBBARD, Ore. -- Dylan Wells, 21, and his brother Darren, 19, may grow and sell miniature pumpkins, but there is nothing small about the way they do business.
The brothers raise small ornamental pumpkins, gourds, winter squash and Indian corn that are sold across the U.S. and in Japan and Mex ...
Thursday, September 02, 2010 9:54 AM
Organic crops, unlike their conventional counterparts, can't depend on synthetic chemicals for protection.
For that reason, some organic growers suspect that seeds produced by conventional breeders may be ill-equipped for the challenge of thriving on their farms.
"When they breed, they con ...
Thursday, September 02, 2010 10:48 AM
Washington farmers and ranchers fear the giant Palouse earthworm could become the next spotted owl if it is eventually protected as an endangered species, but a spokesman for the agency studying the elusive annelid advised them not to overreact.
Doug Zimmer, spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wi ...
Thursday, September 02, 2010 9:47 AM
Stripe rust hurt the performance of many wheat varieties during this year's Northwest university wheat trials.
In the spring wheat trials in which May and June rains ended suddenly, some trials dried out, researchers found.
"In many of those locations, there was a lot of stripe rust," Wash ...
Thursday, September 02, 2010 10:59 AM
Every nursery can expect to suffer from some level of "shrink," in which damage or disease renders plants unmarketable.
However, companies often throw away opportunities to reduce shrink, simply due to negligence or complacency, said Paul Hammer, retired horticulture professor from Purdue Uni ...
Thursday, September 02, 2010 10:51 AM
PORTLAND -- To stand out in a crowded market, nursery operators need to consider more than just plants.
Often, it's the container that catches the consumer's eye and makes the sale, according to experts at the recent Farwest Show in Portland.
"I could talk about pots all day long. I'm a pl ...
Thursday, September 02, 2010 9:52 AM
A decade after requesting market access to China, U.S. farmers are still trying to make headway toward shipping fresh potatoes to that country.
USDA officials are expected to negotiate with Chinese representatives this November over a long-delayed pest risk assessment of the crop.
Such an asse ...
Thursday, September 02, 2010 9:53 AM
Growers are being advised this fall to plant wheat varieties that are not susceptible to stripe and stem rust.
Stem rust was more significant in the Palouse region this year compared to last, particularly in Washington's Whitman County, said USDA Agricultural Research Service plant geneticist ...
Thursday, September 02, 2010 9:49 AM
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -- Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel is launching an inquiry into the marketing practices of Monsanto Co. and its Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybean trait.
McDaniel on Thursday sent a civil investigative demand asking the company to substantiate its claims that the ...
Thursday, September 02, 2010 5:29 PM
CHICAGO (AP) -- Burger King's new ruler could help its empire expand.
Burger King Holdings Inc. sealed a deal Thursday to sell itself for $3.26 billion to 3G Capital, an investment firm with strong ties to Latin America. The fast-food chain's chairman and CEO, John Chidsey, said the deal wil ...
Thursday, September 02, 2010 2:48 PM
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Manufacturing is growing in the United States and abroad, easing fears that the economy might be on the verge of a second recession.
The U.S. sector expanded for a 13th straight month in August, coinciding with gains in Chinese manufacturing and auto sales.
The new ...
Wednesday, September 01, 2010 2:09 PM
MAPUTO, Mozambique (AP) -- Young men angry over the rising cost of food, fuel and water rampaged through Mozambique's capital Wednesday, throwing stones, looting shops and drawing police fire that killed at least seven people.
Rising prices around the world have raised concerns about a re ...
Wednesday, September 01, 2010 9:49 AM
Bids as of 9:30 a.m.; subject to change.
Bids for grains delivered to Portland, Ore., during September by unit trains or barges only, in dollars per bushel, except oats, corn and barley, in dollars per cwt. Bids for soft white wheat are for delivery periods as specified. All other wheat and b ...
Wednesday, September 01, 2010 9:49 AM
CHICAGO (AP) -- Grains futures mostly rose Wednesday on the Chicago Board of Trade.
Wheat for December delivery jumped 19.25 cents to $7.05 a bushel; December corn added 5.75 cents to $4.45 a bushel; December oats were flat at $2.7675 a bushel; and soybeans for November delivery gained 5.5 c ...
Wednesday, September 01, 2010 9:29 AM
ROME (AP) -- International food prices have risen to their highest level in two years, fueled in part by a drought in Russia that lifted the cost of wheat, a U.N. agency said Wednesday.
The Rome-based U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said its food price index shot up 5 percent between ...
Wednesday, September 01, 2010 7:49 AM
NEW YORK (AP) -- Monsanto Co., the world's largest seed company, said Tuesday it expects full year earnings at the low end of its previous expected range and is cutting up to 700 more jobs.
Monsanto's weak forecast reflects continued struggles with its once profitable herbicide divisi ...
Thursday, September 02, 2010 7:29 AM
TORONTO (AP) -- Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc. said suitor BHP Billiton is calling its customers "to sow seeds of doubt and confusion about the future" of the Canadian company.
Australia's BHP Billiton Ltd., the world's biggest mining company, launched a hostile $130-a-share ...
Thursday, September 02, 2010 2:08 PM
Washington State University Extension's swine artificial insemination school will take place 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 20 at the Grant County Fairgrounds, 3953 Airway Drive NE in Moses Lake, Wash.
The school offers the basics of artificial insemination, according to a press release.
National exp ...
Thursday, September 02, 2010 10:09 AM
Bids as of 9:30 a.m.; subject to change.
Bids for grains delivered to Portland, Ore., during September by unit trains or barges only, in dollars per bushel, except oats, corn and barley, in dollars per cwt. Bids for soft white wheat are for delivery periods as specified. All other wheat and b ...
Thursday, September 02, 2010 9:29 AM
CHICAGO (AP) -- Grains futures mostly fell Tuesday on the Chicago Board of Trade, although wheat prices rose.
Wheat for December delivery added 5.5 cents to $7.10 a bushel; December corn dipped 0.25 cent to $4.4125 a bushel; December oats shed 0.75 cent to $2.775 a bushel; and soybeans fo ...
Thursday, September 02, 2010 9:29 AM
NEW YORK (AP) -- Americans'confidence in the economy improved slightly in August, but the mood is still gloomy amid job worries, according to a monthly survey.
The Conference Board said Tuesday that its Consumer Confidence Index improved slightly to 53.5, up from a revised 51.0 in July. E ...
Thursday, September 02, 2010 8:09 AM
MOLINE, Ill. (AP) -- Deere & Co. will sell its wind energy business to a subsidiary of Exelon Corp. for $900 million, the company said Tuesday, potentially signaling an active merger and acquisition period ahead for the power industry.
With energy prices persistently low due to a grindin ...
Thursday, September 02, 2010 7:49 AM
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Food and Drug Administration investigators have found rodents, seeping manure and even maggots at the Iowa egg farms believed to be responsible for as many as 1,500 cases of salmonella poisoning.
FDA officials released their initial observations of the investigations at ...
Wednesday, September 01, 2010 2:09 PM
Corn prices climbed Monday to a level not seen since January as traders questioned whether the crop will in fact set records, as some expect.
Corn for December delivery settled up 5.5 cents at $4.4150 a bushel after hitting $4.45 earlier in the day. The record high on the December contrac ...
Wednesday, September 01, 2010 1:49 PM
Bids as of 9:30 a.m.; subject to change.
Bids for grains delivered to Portland, Ore., during August by unit trains or barges only, in dollars per bushel, except oats, corn and barley, in dollars per cwt. Bids for soft white wheat are for delivery periods as specified. All other wheat and barl ...
Wednesday, September 01, 2010 9:29 AM
CHICAGO (AP) -- Grains futures mostly rose Monday on the Chicago Board of Trade.
Wheat for December delivery jumped 28 cents to $7.23 a bushel; December corn gained 8.75 cents to $4.4475 a bushel; December oats were flat at $2.785 a bushel; and soybeans for November delivery added 3 cents ...
Wednesday, September 01, 2010 8:49 AM
