Here’s what tariffs on China are doing to America’s farmers

For farmers, it’s been a tough couple of years in an already-tough industry. But none of that compares to the challenges that lay before us: in retaliation for tariffs from the U.S., China will no longer buy our ag exports. To put it in context, China was the fourth-largest buyer of our agricultural goods.

Q&A with Dr. Fogarty: Take the #RainbowChallenge this summer and maximize your wellness

So, let’s talk about oxygen. Oxygen is an unstable gas and our body takes advantage of that instability to produce energy. Part of the process of energy production involves disrupting electrons and spinning them through the little batteries in our cells called the mitochondria. Most of these reactions are very well controlled but sometimes some of the electrons escape. This is when the trouble begins.

Hemp: What we’ve learned about getting the most from your seed

Whatever we grow at Spinaca, my MO is to use the whole plant for multiple applications per our Root-to-Shoot philosophy. Hemp is slightly different, though. With hemp, seeds are bred for their end result, meaning some seeds support fiber production while another might support oil production. Yes, some seeds are hybrids, but they produce mediocre yields of both fiber and oil, so we’ll separate plantings to maximize yields independently. That being said, we’ll still be able to utilize every part of what each plant grows.

How hemp could change the vegetable industry

At the end of 2018, Congress passed a Farm Bill that differs from its predecessors in one remarkable way: it removes hemp from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and includes it as a viable crop “for agronomic rotational purposes and for use as a habitat for honey bees and other pollinators.” Furthermore, it opens the door for funding research studying the uses of industrial hemp as well as “emerging commercial products derived from hemp.”

What you don’t know about November’s romaine lettuce scare

To anyone outside the fresh produce supply chain, the recent romaine lettuce E. coli scare may have felt like a routine outbreak. But anyone on the inside knows: this one was different.*

Best wishes from our fields to you

God said, ‘I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, milk cows, work all day in the fields, milk cows again, eat supper and then go to town and stay past midnight at a meeting of the school board.’ So God made a farmer.

-Paul Harvey, 1978

The surprising truth about the agricultural labor shortage, as told by a California farmer

It’s no secret that agriculture is experiencing a critical labor shortage, but what many people don’t realize is how far its impact ripples out. According to a 2017 report from the California Farm Bureau Federation, 55 percent of responding farmers had experienced employee shortages despite ramped-up recruiting, increased pay and other incentives.

Press Release: Spinaca Farms announces Root-to-Shoot program

Gilroy, CA, April 16, 2018—Spinaca Farms, known for growing, packing and procuring conventional and certified organic produce for the fresh market, announced the launch of their Root-to-Shoot program that maximizes crop utility for American farmers while supplying high-quality domestic vegetable products to the rapidly expanding functional foods market.

Here’s the sad truth about an organic broccoli field after harvest

Have you ever seen a typical organic broccoli field after harvest? I have, many times, and it’s not a pretty sight.

On the Farm, Root-to-Shoot OrganicsZack AndradeAugust 2, 2017Broccoli, Food Waste, Organic Farming

Spinaca Farms, Inc.