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.
Industry experts say land values have remained resilient, but fertilizer costs and geopolitical uncertainty continue to challenge producers.
American Soybean Association’s Jamie Beyer joins us to discuss USMCA, soybean trade stability, export market challenges, and the outlook for U.S. agriculture ahead of the upcoming review.
The White House is asking Congress for more than $11 billion in additional farm assistance, including new economic support for 2026 row and specialty crop producers and disaster aid tied to losses from the Southeast freeze.
Purdue University’s new digital calculator helps growers navigate input costs and risk management with region-specific cost estimates and expert support.
USDA says corn shipments slowed from the previous week, while wheat and soybean inspections topped year-ago levels.
Higher transportation costs through the Gulf are adding another cost consideration for grain exporters and producers.
