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.
UT Extension’s Charles Denney visits a Weakley County farm to see how growers and University of Tennessee Extension specialists are working to expand canola production in the Volunteer State.
A new National Corn Growers study says U.S. grain producers pay significantly more than farmers in Brazil for seed and crop protection, as farmers also face fuel uncertainty and tight cattle supplies.
USDA’s July WASDE report projects the smallest U.S. wheat crop since 1970, tighter corn stocks, stronger soybean exports, larger cotton supplies, and higher cattle prices.
Attention now shifts toward the annual 25 million metric ton benchmark, equal to about 919 million bushels, for 2026 through 2028.
Wilson County Master Gardeners are planting patriotic displays to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary ahead of the Tennessee State Fair.
Extreme heat, hurricanes and shifting seasons have shaped the farm’s growing strategy.