Pollinators are vital to the agriculture world, but almond researchers have developed a self-fertilizing variety they are calling “Early Bird.”
“The early bird variety is actually double early. It blooms at the same time as sonora, so it’s an early bloomer, but the real value to the grower is that it harvests a week to 10 days before non-perel. In that harvest window, there are no other commercial varieties at this time. In our test plot, we’ve seen that for the last and 3rd and 4th leaf harvests, and in the mother tree that those are were propagated from, we’ve seen that for eight different harvests,” said Chuck Fleck with Fowler Nurseries.
Fleck says another big selling point is the kernel size, which is around 20 percent larger than other varieties.
China is using more wheat for livestock feed, putting it in greater competition with corn.
October 14, 2026 08:00 AM
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Higher corn and soybean prices helped improve farm loan repayment conditions during the third quarter.
October 14, 2026 06:00 AM
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Growers dealt with heat and pest issues as U.S. production continues to climb.
October 13, 2026 05:30 PM
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Boise Potato Days reclaimed the Guinness World Record for the largest serving of french fries.
October 13, 2026 05:00 PM
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Vines store nutrients that can carry into the following growing season.
October 13, 2026 04:00 PM
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Matt Frostic is bringing a farm-level perspective to E15, trade, the Farm Bill, and new corn markets as the new leader of the National Corn Growers Association.
October 13, 2026 03:01 PM
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