To be eligible for the grant program, applicants must own, or be a co-applicant with the owner, of at least 5 acres where agriculture is permitted by local and state regulations. The state has launched a program that pays farmers to grow the grapes needed to produce more made-in-Maryland bottles of cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, merlot and other wines. A vineyard could produce 3 to 10 tons of grapes per acre, said Fiore, who also is the viticulture representative on the Maryland...

In case you'd like to stop the worm's depredations, consider some of the more promising, new controls available to home orchardists: The wormholes I'm talking about were typically a twosome -- one opening in the shoulder, the other at the calyx, or blossom end, of the fruit. Commercial orchardists use sprays and other controls to ensure that supermarket apples don't have "eat around" holes. If you were a kid who swiped apples from neighbors' unsprayed trees, you probably ate around a lot...

The ministers said, "Canada is disappointed with the USDA's decision to proceed we stand by our position that this rule should be withdrawn, as Canadian agricultural exports continue to be low risk. In an interim rule published August 25, 2006, APHIS announced that it would remove the inspection exemption for Canadian-grown fruits and vegetables and the user fee exemption for commercial vessels, trucks, railroad cars and aircraft, as well as international passengers entering the United...

Grape and wine industry stakeholders are determined to put their best effort in achieving that growth, underscored by the announcement of a research partnership between wineries and growers. Production of non-VQA wines will see 50 cents per litre donated to the foundation, while growers will chip in $5 for every tonne of grapes sold. While a few Ontario wineries have been churning out local wines for decades, the vast majority of them have opened in the last 17 years. There is much to...

PNZ chief executive Peter Beaven said trials on two Hawkes Bay orchards last year successfully produced fruit with very low chemical residues from fertilisers and pesticides. A new ultra-low residue programme is the latest move by Pipfruit New Zealand (PNZ) to recapture the country's premier growing status and revive vital market share. The almost chemical-free fruit would satisfy international market demand and have domestic environmental benefits, he said. New Zealand was already ahead...

The company offers more than 1,300 fruit varieties to farmers and gardeners some developed by Floyd Zaiger of Modesto, a legend in fruit-breeding circles. And it gave me a chance to spend a Friday morning with a gang of sticky-fingered, knife-wielding people as they sliced and ate their way through 35 samples. I gave overall ratings of "below average" to "excellent" to the nine other blueberry varieties proof that fruit does indeed have differing traits, and you don't have to be an expert...

The aim is to roughly double the acreage of olives grown in "super-high-density" plantings of 680 trees per acre and trained to trellises, a system that allows growers to produce very heavy crops and harvest by machine to avoid the high cost of traditional hand harvesting. Personal Finance / Stocks. But now a series of newspaper ads, touting better profits for olive oil, is asking Lodi-area growers to consider replacing their vineyards. The aim is to roughly double the acreage of olives...

Department of Agriculture, said it's possible the new restrictions could require so-called phytosanitary certificates for products that previously did not require such documentation. Canadian officials yesterday announced plans to put stiffer restrictions on the importing of Hawai'i fruits, vegetables and flowers in an effort to prevent the introduction of the light brown apple moth. The department does not know how many shippers might be affected however, many of the produce types...

Local wineries and growers invest in future VINELAND, ON, June 12 /CNW/ - Ontario's grape and wine industry announced today the formation of a broad-based foundation that will focus on research and innovation to ensure the growth and sustainability of the province's wineries and its growers. Research Foundation announced for grape and wine industry. Research Foundation announced for grape and wine industry. Local wineries and growers invest in future VINELAND, ON, June 12 /CNW/ - Ontario's...