SEATTLE – Destructive fruit flies were detected for the first time in eastern Washington. The Asian red-eyed fruit flies were spotted in five major fruit production regions. They damage ripening soft fruit by laying eggs in it.
According to a researcher at Washington State University, some peach growers in Oregon reported losing 50% of their...
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Tags: agriculture, garden pests, Oregon, pest, Washington
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This weekend, around 30,000 people are expected to descend on Sequim, Washington for that small town’s 14th annual lavender festival. Organizers boast it is North America’s biggest celebration of the purple herb. Lavender festivals are blossoming all over the Northwest. There’s another one in Twin Falls, Idaho this Saturday and on San Juan Island,...
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Tags: agriculture, food, Idaho, lavender, Oregon, Washington
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PROSSER, Wash. — The legend of John Henry pits a “steal driving man” against a steam drill. John Henry wins the contest but in the long run, machines have prevailed in the American economy. Now, researchers at Washington State University are developing a modern day contraption that could put cherry pickers out of work....
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Tags: agriculture, cherries, cherry thumper, food, Industrial agriculture, Washington
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RICHLAND, Wash. – This week, about 300 bloggers and winemakers are set to descend on Walla Walla in Eastern Washington, for a sold-out conference. Organizers say it’s the first wine conference for bloggers held outside of California. Correspondent Anna King reports.
Meet J.J. Williams. His family owns a winery on a dusty Eastern Washington hill...
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Tags: agriculture, blogging, food, Walla Walla, Washington, wine, wine blogging, winemakers, wineries
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The gulf oil spill has shut down the oldest oyster shucking operation in the country. You might think that would translate into more business for Northwest oyster growers. But it’s not that simple. Correspondent Austin Jenkins explains.
The P&J Oyster Company has been in operation in New Orleans for 134 years. Not any longer. The...
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Tags: aquaculture, environmental pollution, food, Gulf Oil Spill, Oregon, oysters, Washington
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture is starting an in-depth survey of honey bees in 13 states including Washington. Federal researchers are teaming up with universities to see what’s ailing the bees. The insects are integral to bringing fresh fruits and veggies to your dinner table. But lately mites, diseases and a phenomenon called Colony...
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Tags: agriculture, bees, colony collapse disorder, food, honey, honey bees, Washington
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Underground markets and restaurants have popped up all over the country. They open their doors only briefly, for an afternoon or an evening, in ever changing, often secret locations. Like 21st Century speakeasies for the foodie set, they sidestep the high overhead and complex regulations that traditional food establishments face.
In this installment...
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Tags: food, foodways, Idaho, local food movement, locavore, pop up dinners, underground, underground dinners, underground markets, underground restaurants, Washington
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Researchers are downgrading their predictions of a severe grasshopper invasion this summer. They credit the recent cool, wet weather. That may be frustrating for Northwest residents who are anxious for summer. But it’s good news for farmers. Inland Northwest Correspondent Doug Nadvornick reports.
In mid-May, Washington State University entomologist Richard Zack warned that the conditions...
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Tags: agriculture, cold weather, food, grasshoppers, Washington
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RICHLAND, WA – In Washington and parts of Oregon heavy rains are making a soggy mess of valuable hay fields. And some farmers in Idaho say their crop is a month behind schedule because of the cool weather. Each rain costs farmers thousands of dollars. Correspondent Anna King reports.
Much of the Northwest’s first alfalfa...
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Tags: agriculture, hay, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, wheat
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(GH: Northwest News Network correspondent Anna King reports for Northwest Public Radio.)
ELTOPIA, WA – Across the Northwest farmers markets are starting up for the season. But produce pickings have been spartan. Farmers say a cool spring has delayed growth and even killed some crops. Correspondent Anna King reports from a farm in Eltopia...
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Tags: agriculture, farmer's market, food, Washington
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