2012 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

The 2012 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is the standard by which gardeners and growers can determine which plants are most likely to thrive at a location. The map is based on the average annual minimum winter temperature, divided into 10-degree F zones.

For the first time, the map is available as an interactive GIS-based map, for which a broadband Internet connection is recommended, and as static images for those with slower Internet access. Users may also simply type in a ZIP Code and find the hardiness zone for that area.

No posters of the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map have been printed. But state, regional, and national images of the map can be downloaded and printed in a variety of sizes and resolutions.

Source: http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/

NASS reinstates, retains 10 reports - News

The National Agricultural Statistics Service will reinstate or retain 10 reports previously lost to cost-cutting measures.

They include its annual reports on Farm Numbers, Farm Income and Land in Farms; and its Fruit and Vegetable in-season forecast and estimates.

The other eight reports deal with rice stocks; hops production; floriculture; catfish and trout; sheep and goats; cattle; bees and honey; plus mink, according to a news release.

NASS will soon publish Federal Register notices reflecting the program changes, according to a news release from the Agricultural Statistics Board of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

NASS will make available any data that falls outside the scope of the agricultural estimates programs in the five-year Census of Agriculture. The next census will be conducted beginning January 2013 to reflect activities in 2012.

Efficiencies gained in 2011, including a new operations center in St. Louis that centralizes data collection, made reinstatement of the reports possible, according to the release.

In July, NASS reinstated agricultural labor surveys and reports. The agency had said in May it would not publish the April farm labor report due May 19. The July and October surveys and reports were also cancelled because of budget constraints.

Cutting them would have saved $310,000 — or .001% of the $23.9 billion USDA allocation President Barack Obama proposed in his 2012 budget.

Those quarterly reports, which compile data from about 6,000 farms nationwide, include the number of agricultural workers, hours worked and wage rates. Data are used to project agricultural productivity. Wage rate data are used to set wages for the H-2A agricultural worker program.

Source Article: NASS reinstates, retains 10 reports - News

University of Minnesota Grapes Help Wine Industry Grow

In the past 30 years, the University of Minnesota has developed climate-enduring wine grapes that are now made into the four most widely produced wines in Minnesota.

A full crop of "cold hardy grapes" can withstand temperatures of up to 33 below zero.

Now, a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will allow researchers from the University and scientists from 11 other institutions to research more climate-resistant wine grapes, the acidity and taste within wine grapes and how best to market the wine to consumers.

Professor James Luby of the Department of Horticultural Sciences said the wine industry has been progressively growing in Minnesota for the last 15 years.

Read full article:  The Washington Examiner

Using Biochar to Boost Soil Moisture

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are leading the way in learning more about "biochar," the charred biomass created from wood, other plant material, and manure.

The studies by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists at laboratories across the country support the USDA priorities of promoting international food security and responding to global climate change. ARS is USDA's chief intramural scientific research agency.

Soil scientist Jeff Novak at the ARS Coastal Plains Soil, Water and Plant Research Center in Florence, S.C., is coordinating the multi-location effort. In one project, he led a laboratory study to see if different biochars could improve the sandy soils found on the Carolina coastal plain, and Pacific Northwest silt loam soils derived from volcanic ash.

Novak's team used peanut hulls, pecan shells, poultry litter, switchgrass and hardwood waste products to produce nine different types of biochars. All the feedstocks were pyrolysed at two different temperatures to produce the biochars. Pyrolysis is a process of chemical decomposition that results from rapid heating of the raw feedstocks in the absence of oxygen. Then the biochars were mixed into one type of sandy soil and two silt loam soils at the rate of about 20 tons per acre.

USDA Expands People's Garden Initiative to Sow Seeds for Community-Based Agriculture across the Country

WASHINGTON, Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan visited a community garden in Baltimore to announce 10 grants to support 155 People's Gardens in neighborhoods from Maryland to Hawaii, continuing the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) efforts to combat malnutrition while supporting local and regional food systems. These sustainable community gardens will give residents direct access to fresh fruits and vegetables in underserved neighborhoods. A lack of access to fresh and nutritious food fuels obesity and domestic food insecurity—a condition where households experience limited or uncertain access to adequate food.

"The simple act of planting a garden can help unite neighborhoods around a common effort and inspire communities to find solutions to challenges facing our country—from hunger to the environment," said Merrigan. "The People's Garden Initiative has demonstrated that one direct and effective way of improving food access is to plant a garden. Since establishing our People's Garden Initiative, we're excited to see more and more people working together to create nurturing communities around these sources of nutritious food."

Mexican pomefruit production to rise, grapes to fall in 2011-12

Mexican apple and pear production is set for a slight rise this season while freezing temperatures are set to impact table grape harvests, according to a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) report.

The USDA Global Agricultural Information Network’s (GAIN) ‘Fresh Deciduous Fruit Annual’ reported that Mexico’s main apple-growing state Chihuahua was expected to boost production through higher use of intensive management practices.

The report forecast 605,000 metric tons (MT) of apples in 2011-12, 25,200MT of pears and 210,000MT of table grapes.

Read full article at FreshFruitPortal.com.

i-Tree Software Suite from USDA Forest Service

i-Tree is a state-of-the-art, peer-reviewed software suite from the USDA Forest Service that provides urban and community forestry analysis and benefits assessment tools. The i-Tree tools help communities of all sizes to strengthen their urban forest management and advocacy efforts by quantifying the environmental services that trees provide and the structure of the urban forest.

i-Tree has been used by communities, non-profit organizations, consultants, volunteers, and students to report on the urban forest at all scales from individual trees, parcels, neighborhoods, cities, to entire states. By understanding the local, tangible ecosystem services that trees provide, i-Tree users can link urban forest management activities with environmental quality and community livability. Whether your interest is a single tree or an entire forest, i-Tree provides baseline data that you can use to demonstrate value and set priorities for more effective decision-making.

Developed by USDA Forest Service and numerous cooperators, i-Tree is in the public domain and available by request through the i-Tree website (www.itreetools.org). The Forest Service, Davey Tree Expert Company, National Arbor Day Foundation, Society of Municipal Arborists, International Society of Arboriculture, and Casey Trees have entered into a cooperative partnership to further develop, disseminate and provide technical support for the suite.

Plant Classification - Kniphofia uvaria

Plant profile sheet: Kniphofia uvaria

Plant Classification:
Kniphofia uvaria (L.) Oken

Click on a scientific name below to expand it in the PLANTS Classification Report.

Kingdom	Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision	Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division	Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class	Liliopsida – Monocotyledons
Subclass	Liliidae
Order	Liliales
Family	Liliaceae – Lily family
Genus	Kniphofia Moench – redhot poker
Species	Kniphofia uvaria (L.) Oken – redhot poker

Plant Guides and Fact Sheet for RIbes (Currant)

Plant guides or Fact Sheet for:
Ribes americanum (American Currant):           Plant Guide
Ribes aureum (Golden Currant):                       Plant Guide
Ribes  sanguineum (Red Flowering Current):   Fact Sheet

Source: http://plants.usda.gov/java/factSheet

Plant Classification for Genus: Ribes

Kingdom  Plantae – Plants

Subkingdom  Tracheobionta – Vascular plants

Superdivision  Spermatophyta – Seed plants

Division  Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants

Class  Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons

Subclass  Rosidae

Order  Rosales

Family  Grossulariaceae – Currant family

Genus  Ribes L. – currant P

Source: USDA Plants Database (includes listing of species and varieties)

SC ag department encouraging specialty crops - State & Regional - Wire - The State

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- South Carolina producers who support certain crops could be eligible for special assistance. Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weathers says his agency is now accepting applications for institutions and groups that support crops like fruits and vegetables, dried fruit, tree nuts, horticulture and nursery crops. The program is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service as established by the 2008 Farm Bill
Read more>
SC ag department encouraging specialty crops - State & Regional - Wire - The State

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Record cherry crop about to pop

Wash. growers expect to top forecasts amid prime conditions
Samantha Graf
Capital Press

A record-breaking sweet cherry crop is predicted for Washington - double the 2008 production year.

The state is expected to produce around 200,000 tons, which is up 11 percent from the earlier June forecast, according to the Washington field office of the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The expected tonnage is 100 percent above the 2008 cherry crop and 27 percent up from the 2007 production year, said NASS in a news release. "If realized, Washington's crop will be 19 percent larger than the previous record of 168,000 tons set in 2006." New plantings of earlier varieties like Chelan have come into production, increasing the potential production levels for Washington state cherries.

The field office cites a "very cold winter and an excellent bloom" period for the success of the 2009 crop so far.

Read more:

Link to USDA Ornamental Market Price Reports

US: Citrus update Clementines:

Chilean clementines continue to dominate the US market on both the east and west coast. While loadings continue to run well ahead of last season through Week 25, arrivals have still been insufficient to fully satisfy demand. As a result, prices remain firm and product is moving out of the coolers almost as fast as it arrives in the market.

Through Week 25, 2.3 kg clementines have been selling at US$ 5.75 – 6.00. While demand for product packed in this configuration has declined from previous years, so has arrival volumes. Accordingly, prices have remained stable until now.

Read more:

Organic production assistance available

TRAVERSE CITY -- A federal program to assist organic growers and farmers wanting to convert to organic production has been extended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Up to $950,000 is available in Michigan through the USDA's Environmental Quality Incentives Program. The application deadline has been extended to June 26. The program will help pay for 20 different conservation practices including conservation crop rotation, cover crop, nutrient and pest management, grazing and forage harvest management. The incentive program covers up to 75 percent of the estimated cost for implementing new conservation measures.

More information and application forms are available from local USDA Service Centers. Information is also available online at www.mi.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/eqip.html.

Weekly Ornamental Termial Prices - Boston

BOSTON Ornamental Terminal Prices as of 16-JUN-2009

Provided by: Fruit and Vegetable Market News,
Federal - State Market News Service, USDA.

Greenhouse Nutrition

Interview with Possum Run Greenhouse Owner and Dr. Peg McMahon. USDA Greenhouse educational project.

Corn supply demand

In it's monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Report, released this week, USDA projects that corn demand in the 2009/2010 marketing year will surpass production by 525 million bushels. For the marketing year that begins Sept. 1, USDA estimates corn usage at 12.3 million bushels. The result will be a significant drop in storage stocks.

While the new crop growing season is barely underway, USDA officials predict a 11.9-billion-bushel corn crop, down 155 million from last month's estimate. The reason is late planting and wet conditions in the Eastern Corn Belt, particularly Illinois and Indiana. It is expected to drop the national average yield to 153.4 bushels or by 2 bushels per acre.

Corn ending stocks for 2009/2010 are now projected to be 1.1 billion bushels. That's 100 million below the 2008/2009 projection. USDA cut feed and residual use for 2009/2010 by 100 million bushels this month based largely on reductions in meat and poultry prodcution.
The average corn price for the new marketing year is pegged at $3.90 to $4.70 per bushel. That compares to $4.10 to 4.30 for 2008/2009.

Read more: Corn supply demand

Government Agency Sites

FEDERAL:

• Western Center for Urban Forestry Research and Education (WCUFRE)
• Institute of Forest Genetics Dendrome Project
• USDA Home Page
• USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
• USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
• USDA Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES)
• USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)

STATE OF CALIFORNIA:

• CDFA (California Department of Food and Agriculture)
• Department of Pesticide Regulation
• Department of Water Resources (DWR)
• CERES (California Environmental Resources Evaluation System)
• Resources Agency Home Page (many links)