Don Curlee is an agricultural writer based in Clovis. Email him at agwriter1@aol.com.
Ag at Large
- Brussels sprouts' humble image deserves a boost
- The personalities in a recent Saturday afternoon cooking show were roasting Brussels sprouts when one of them mentioned that this unromantic vegetable needed some public relations. Here goes! To begin with, this bite-sized crucifer is undergoing a s... Full story
- Grass crop: Friend or invading foe?
- They're talking about switchgrass again as a vigorous cellulose crop to be grown in California's friendly climate and soils, but some might consider it an invader. The vigorous-growing grass harvested for its contribution of fiber for biofuel manufa... Full story
- Tracing food bacteria challenges the system
- Food poisoning is no fun, and tracing the source of bacteria that causes it in fresh produce commodities has become so involved and complicated that it's no fun, either. Pinning down the source of food-borne bacteria in these commodities became a to... Full story
- Victim mentality hinders water use
- Folks living north of Sacramento, some of them farmers, occasionally accuse farmers and others living further south of stealing their water. Hogwash! It is not unusual for those in the San Francisco Bay Area and neighboring communities to join the c... Full story
- Jobs aplenty found on the farm
- Unlike nearly every other aspect of the economy, jobs are plentiful in California agriculture. But the only people applying are from south of the border, and their numbers are dwindling. The shortage of farm workers is expected to reach critical if ... Full story
- A tighter border squeezes farmers
- If you believe the headlines, Congress and the president finally seem ready to tackle immigration reform, an issue of great importance to farmers. So far, the farm community, especially in California, is applauding statements by politicians saying t... Full story
- Smart sprayers are on-off affair
- Some orchard sprayers used by fruit growers are gaining intelligence; and the smarter they get, the more money they save — if the farmers can just afford them. This cerebral economic conundrum was embraced in the current issue of California Ag... Full story
- Machine harvest is Holy Grail in lettuce
- They're talking more seriously than ever about harvesting California's gigantic lettuce crop by machine. Of course, they've been talking about it and working on it for 40 years or more. Every adjustment or design change made to a prototype machine ... Full story
- Bulldozed fruit orchards pose an enigma
- Those living in California's tree fruit country are beginning to notice that orchards are being pushed out and often not replaced. In an earlier era, the replacement often was houses. The area surrounding San Jose is a good example. Houses are every... Full story
- Ethanol creates schism within agriculture
- The drive to fill the gas tanks of America's cars with corn-based ethanol is creating a division within the ranks of the country's agricultural producers. The most recent acceleration of the trend has been the approval to nudge the percentage of eth... Full story
