USDA Declares Drought Disaster in 14 Counties

Apr 29, 2017 | News

The USDA has designated 14 counties in Pennsylvania, including several in western Pennsylvania, as natural disaster areas with assistance to farmers in Ohio and West Virginia.  Hollis Baker, Farm Service Agency’s acting state executive director in Pennsylvania,...

Organic Farms Keep Growing

Apr 29, 2017 | News

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced new data indicating the organic industry continues to grow domestically and globally, with 24,650 certified organic operations in the United States, and 37,032 around the world. The 2016 count of U.S. certified...

Research Field Days Set for July 12 and July 25

Apr 29, 2017 | News

A summer Vegetable and Fruit Field Day at Penn State’s Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center is being planned for July 12, 2017. Growers will have an opportunity to see equipment demonstrations and learn about the latest developments in vegetable, berry, and...

Consumer Food Prices Remain Pretty Steady

Apr 25, 2017 | Marketing, News

After adjusting for inflation, the price of Easter eggs is at the lowest level in more than 20 years, down four percent from 1995. The real inflation-adjusted value of an 11-item subset of the Spring Picnic Marketbasket is $13.04, the lowest level since 2010. The...

PSU Researches Great Pumpkin Project

Apr 22, 2017 | News, Vegetables

A researcher in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences is reaching out to Master Gardeners, teachers, students and other interested parties to participate in a citizen-science project that ultimately could benefit growers, crops, pollinators and the...

No Organic Checkoff Coalition Submits Petitions

Apr 22, 2017 | News

The No Organic Checkoff Coalition has submitted to the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service a list of 1,888 signatories to a petition urging the agency to reject a proposal to create a new “research and promotion” program, also called a checkoff program.  The coalition...