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.
Frontier Futures broker Adam Knosalla says USDA’s higher corn estimates reflected more harvest information replacing earlier trend-based assumptions.
October 14, 2026 05:00 PM
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Mexico is a crucial market for Washington apples, and a recent anti-dumping case adds another trade hurdle as USMCA talks continue.
October 14, 2026 03:00 PM
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Syngenta herbicide expert Jeremy Sharp urges farmers to weigh weed control and yield potential before choosing lower-cost products.
October 14, 2026 02:30 PM
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Tight global sulfur supplies and high production costs are pressuring phosphate markets.
October 14, 2026 12:55 PM
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The National Corn Growers Association is urging action on E15 and the Farm Bill as larger corn supplies weigh on prices and harvest trails the five-year average.
October 14, 2026 12:30 PM
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USDA is awarding $86.6 million to 609 specialty crop projects across 56 states and territories to support research, marketing, food safety, and pest management.
October 14, 2026 12:00 PM
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