Winter cover cropping is a promising agricultural management practice that boosts soil health. This article discusses a benefit-cost analysis of winter cover crop adoption and introduces a web-based interactive calculator for farmers to assess changes to baseline farm profits. Winter cover cropping is an agricultural management practice that can enhance soil health while protecting fields from soil erosion and compaction. Cover crops are typically …

Weeds can be a significant problem in berries, tree fruits, tree nuts, and vine crops (e.g. grapes, hops, etc.) especially after transplanting and during flowering and fruit and nut set. Herbicides are a primary tool for managing weeds, even though the evolution of herbicide resistance has limited the utility of many products and off-target movement can sometimes result in damage …

In California, fungal canker diseases have long been known to affect almond trees. However, they have become an increasing concern to growers in recent years as they are affecting a greater extent of young trees, eventually resulting in significant tree losses. Canker diseases can also become prevalent in mature orchards, impacting yield, the lifespan of trees, production costs and overall profitability of …

Why is milk being dumped and produce left to rot in fields while grocery store shelves go empty during the COVID-19 pandemic? Why are grocery stores running out of meat, and eggs becoming so expensive? The head of California’s Department of Food and Agriculture, researchers from the University of California, Davis, and food purveyors will tackle these and other questions …

Recycling trees onsite can sequester carbon, save water and increase crop yields, making it a climate-smart practice for California’s irrigated almond orchards, finds a study from the University of California, Davis. Whole orchard recycling is when old orchard trees are ground, chipped and turned back into the soil before new almond trees are planted. The study, published in the journal PLOS …

Come to the 63rd annual Weed Day event and learn about the latest weed science research at the University of California. MORNING SESSION The event begins with a morning field tour of the UC Davis weed science research plots. Buses will depart promptly at 8:15 AM from the UC Davis Buehler Alumni Center (530 Alumni Lane, Davis, CA.) Lunch and afternoon presentations …

California produces 99 percent of the walnuts grown in the United States. New research could provide a major boost to the state’s growing $1.6 billion walnut industry by making it easier to breed walnut trees better equipped to combat the soil-borne pathogens that now plague many of California’s 4,800 growers. In a new study, a team of scientists at the University …

Biosolarization Shows Promise for Conventional & Organic Farmers By Diane Nelson Farmers spend a lot of time and money controlling weeds and other pests, and often have to turn to chemical fumigants to keep the most destructive pests at bay. Farmers also wrestle with what to do with low-value byproducts of crop production, such as skin, seeds and hulls from …