By Ben Faber, UC Cooperative Extension — Laurel Wilt Disease of Avocado and the relatives of avocado in the Laurel Family has devastated the the forests along the east coast from North Carolina down to Florida and along the Caribbean into Texas.  It has caused significant losses to wildlands and to the Florida avocado industry. The extent of the native tree loss is shocking and …

There are many amazing things in nature, and a USDA scientist in California is exploring evidence that Bing cherries contain some wondrous health possibilities. “We’re testing whether the consumption of sweet cherry juice can improve human health across several cognitive and physiological systems in the body,” said Kevin Laugero, a systems physiologist and research nutritionist with the Agricultural Research Service …

Prima® Wawona (prima.com), the largest stone fruit producer in the U.S., has partnered with a leading fresh produce strategic insight and research company to provide retailers with key stone fruit category data. These insights help retailers identify areas of growth and opportunity within the category and allow Prima® Wawona to develop programs specifically tailored to their retail partners. Leveraging Nielsen …

California Avocado Commission: The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued an alert concerning high wind gusts and well-above normal heat for the Los Angeles and Oxnard regions. NWS notes that moderate to strong Northwest to North winds (15 – 30 mph with gusts of 30 – 50 mph) may occur through Friday, with the strongest winds (gusts as high as …

In celebrating the tradition and innovation of the State’s number one industry, agriculture, the California State Fair Board of Directors, upon the recommendation of the Agricultural Advisory Council, selects Bill and Carol Chandler as the Agriculturalists of the Year. The Agriculturalist of the Year award is presented to an individual or individuals who have contributed extensively, in a professional capacity, …

Roughly 150 olive oil industry members were present at third annual California Olive Oil Day held in early March.  The day started at 9 a.m. with a session focused on maximizing grower profits through grove management. Leandro Ravetti, Technical Director at Modern Olives spoke about irrigation management in olive orchards for oil production. His presentation included important information on the …

A diet including daily avocado consumption improves the ability to focus attention in adults whose measurements of height and weight are categorized as overweight or obese, a new randomized control trial found. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign conducted the 12-week study, published in the International Journal of Psychophysiology. “Previous work has shown that individuals with overweight and …

The completion of apple harvest brings the opportunity to begin planning new orchards with exciting new cultivars and rootstocks. Penn State Extension now offers two online courses on best practices for planning and establishing orchards. The self-paced courses provide the latest recommendations on site planning and preparation, cultivars, rootstocks and training systems. Although designed for new producers, orchard managers and …