And, since the system includes a Global Positioning System receiver and notes the position of each tree, it can help growers manage specific areas for better productivity. By knowing the expected yield, growers can tell how much time, labor and equipment will be needed for harvest, said Lee. University of Florida experts said their technology -- called machine vision -- might be commercially available by the end of the decade. One is uneven lighting, which makes it hard for the camera to...

For the upcoming strawberry season, Finnish strawberry growers will be accepting mainly foreign berry pickers on their farms. The city of Suonenjoki keeps close contact with Russian authorities, in order that the strawberry growers will have a sufficient number of berry pickers when the time arrives. The berries must get picked, regardless of the weather, and this season the strawberries at Rossi s farm will be picked by Ukrainians, with payment according to the amount picked. According to...

But local and state apple growers are taking no chances when it comes to the possibility of Chinese apples being allowed into U. Apple growers are pressing for an unprecedented amount of federal funding to develop technologies to make harvesting less costly, and for aid to develop overseas markets. Most apple growers believe it's only a matter of time before fresh Chinese apples will flood their domestic and foreign markets. Third-generation Pennsylvania grower Dave Benner, 61, like most...

Kluth and her family sample a number of recipes as they search for ones to use in the brochure they give to customers at their Glendale Farms strawberry patch near Clintonville. It means a great deal of work on the farm, but it's also the time of year when he gets strawberry shortcake for breakfast. Strawberry picking season starts in mid-June, and growers expect a stellar crop. Picking the berries is often as much a social event as it is a way to put fresh fruit on the table. There were a...

Hobby farm is crop of future FFA members hear about new 'lifestyle' Thursday, June 7th 2007 By Melinda Green . Special to the Journal The future of agriculture is in small acreages raising specialty produce or animals, and offering value-added products, Dennis Hillyer of Southwest Ag of Bayfield told students at the annual state FFA convention Wednesday. Hobby farm is crop of future FFA members hear about new 'lifestyle' Thursday, June 7th 2007 By Melinda Green . Special to the Journal The...

Homeowner's citrus tree is infested with leafminers and orange dog caterpillars. You can crush the caterpillars if there are too many, spray with Thuricide (a disease that kills only caterpillars), or better yet, leave them alone and enjoy the butterflies. There is no effective treatment you can use on fruit trees to control this pest. Let natural enemies control citrus pests. Neither of these pests will kill the tree but young citrus plants should be protected by removing the...

SAN FRANCISCO - Full grown, the light brown apple moth is roughly the size of a nickel: a little dirt-colored insect with an adult life span shorter than the average summer vacation. As a caterpillar, the moth feeds on flowers, fruits and firs, a diet that can include corn and tomatoes for dinner and cherries, peaches and plums for dessert. A native of Australia, the moth had never been seen in the continental United States before February, when a retired entomologist discovered one in a...

Sunday, July 01, 2007 BY RYAN LUCAS Associated Press LOMIANKI, Poland -- Under a row of pine trees in his yard, Karol Majewski brushes needles off green-tinted seven-gallon glass jugs filled with sweet cherries, apricots and fir shoots steeping in alcohol. Sunday, July 01, 2007 BY RYAN LUCAS Associated Press LOMIANKI, Poland -- Under a row of pine trees in his yard, Karol Majewski brushes needles off green-tinted seven-gallon glass jugs filled with sweet cherries, apricots and fir shoots...

Searching for some scrumptious strawberries. The market also offers people an opportunity to learn more about their food. Farmers Market kicks off next week with fruits and veggies. BRAD HORN/Nevada Appeal Rebecca DeLeon and Moises DeLeon, 2, of Carson City, buy strawberries at the farmers market at the Pony Express Pavilion at Mills Park on Wednesday. With the first Carson City Farmers Market of the season kicking off Wednesday, most of the patrons left with the sweet red fruit in their...