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.
Interest has grown over the last five years as more dairies incorporate the beans into feed.
August 28, 2026 12:34 PM
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More consistent yields and fewer variables have made corn a safer option for some producers this season.
August 28, 2026 12:24 PM
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USDA research points to residual treatments for hard-to-reach areas where pests can survive.
August 27, 2026 01:30 PM
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Growers report a promising crop as they work through drought and workforce concerns.
August 27, 2026 12:30 PM
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The Louisiana facility would produce over a million metric tons of phosphate fertilizer each year. CHS says it would be the first new U.S. phosphate fertilizer plant built since 1984.
August 27, 2026 10:23 AM
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For soybean producers, continued biofuel expansion increasingly depends on whether refiners can physically produce and blend enough fuel to meet federal targets.
August 27, 2026 09:00 AM
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