Syngenta Announces Major Expansion
Syngenta announced a major expansion at its Woodland, Calif., research and development and seed production facility. Construction is set to begin this fall, once local permits are received, and is expected to be complete in 2014. Read More

OEFFA and Countryside Conservancy
Partner to Help Farmers
Countryside Conservancy and the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association are partnering again to offer a variety of educational programming to specialty crop growers across the state of Ohio. The project focuses on utilizing conventional distribution outlets to create new market opportunities for specialty crop growers. Read More

Maine Experimental Farm Leading Fight
Against Fruit Fly
Situated in the western part of Monmouth, Maine, Highmoor Farm has been a center for research into apple growing, other fruits and vegetables, and crop pests for more than a century. Now the University of Maine Agricultural Experiment Station is leading the fight against a newly discovered strain of fruit fly that poses a serious threat to Maine's berry crops. Read More

The Health Benefits of a Grape-Rich Diet
The benefits of eating fresh fruit are often touted, and with good reason. Fruits are low in calories, high in nutrients and are a good source of fiber. Grapes are no exception, and while they share the same beneficial characteristics of most other fruit, they also contain special compounds that can provide additional benefits. Read More

DuPont and CSHL Extend Collaboration
DuPont and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory announced the renewal for another five years of a research collaboration that began in 2007. This multimillion-dollar collaboration supports cutting-edge plant biology research focused on meeting growing food demands worldwide. Read More

Chuck's Produce Sets Record with Washington Potatoes
The Washington State Potato Commission announced a new record-setting display of potatoes that went on exhibit beginning November 11, 2012, at Chuck's Produce & Street Market in Vancouver, Wash. The display consists of 133,000 pounds of Washington state-grown potatoes. Read More

Rock Garden Wins PMA Impact Award
Rock Garden's new modified-atmosphere Go Micro! MicroGreens flexible package has been named one of six winners of this year's PMA Impact Award for Excellence in Packaging. The areas of excellence that were met for this award included marketing, sustainability and functionality. Read More

NMB Announces Mango Retailer of the Year
The National Mango Board honored four retailers for being the "best of the best" in mango retailing and providing outstanding support and promotion for mangos. The winners were announced at the NMB's Mango Industry Reception on October 27 during PMA Fresh Summit. Read More

Record Washington Apple Haul
The Washington apple crop has come in at 122 million packed boxes—13 million boxes more than had initially been forecast and 12 million more than ever before. The previous record yield of 110 million boxes was in 2010. Washington was fortunate to receive ideal growing conditions when other parts of the U.S. have had severe weather problems. Read More

Blueberry Pest Causes Damage in Michigan
Rufus Isaacs, a small fruit entomologist at Michigan State University, said the spotted wing drosophila is expected to cause $27 million in damage to the state's $102 million blueberry crop this year. In addition to blueberries, it has been found in Michigan's cherries and grapes. Read More

Wisconsin Company Marketing California Avocados
A marketing company that originated in Wausau, Wis., has become one of the biggest promoters of the California Avocado Commission. Tom and Kathy Marks are the founders of a company now known as TMA+Peritus, or TMAP, with offices in Wausau and Madison. Read More

Miatech Receives Patent for Bio Turbo Technology
The U.S. Patent Office has issued a patent for Miatech's Bio Turbo line of products to confirm the unique nature of Bio Turbo technology and protect it from unauthorized copying. The Bio Turbo line of equipment is designed to apply more affordable science to remove ethylene and airborne pathogens from cold rooms. Read More