Author: Brian

Crookham Company is now USDA accredited for its seed lab and seed sampling programs and Canadian certified for seed testing and seed grading.

USDA certification indicates that the lab and sampling program follow rigorous procedures and protocols to assure accurate and reliable results. Of the more than 200 labs in the U.S. that test agricultural seeds, 9% are accredited by the USDA’s Seed Laboratory Program.

The Canadian certification makes Crookham one of 14 seed testing labs in the U.S. certified by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and one of 26 in the U.S. to earn the grading certification.

By Daniel A. Sumner, Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California, Davis

The quantity of carrots available to U.S. consumers has not changed much since the beginning of the 21^st century 25 years ago. In 2000, domestic availability of fresh carrots (production plus imports minus exports) was about 2.6 million pounds. And in 2023, availability was about 2.85 million pounds before falling to 2.5 million pounds in 2024.

The substantial change in fresh carrot availability is shown in Fig. 1, where we see that imports have grown from a little less than 6% of U.S. supply to more than 27%. Meanwhile, exports of fresh carrots fell from about 10% to about 7% of U.S. supply. U.S. production was more than 25% higher 25 years ago when imports were only a quarter of what they have been recently. Exports have fallen gradually by about one third.

The United States has long been a significant exporter of carrots. Almost all are fresh carrots, and about 90% are shipped to Canada. U.S. exports of fresh carrots are now about the same quantity as were U.S. imports 25 years ago, and most are shipped in the winter and spring when Canadian fresh carrots are less available. Recent data on U.S. carrot exports by destination are shown in Fig. 2.

U.S. imports of carrots have become far larger than exports, and the import pattern is more complex. While most imports are of fresh carrots, processed carrots (mostly dried, frozen and preserved) comprise about 13% by volume and twice that share by value of imports. The idea that the U.S. imports primarily processed carrots is simply wrong. The U.S. market share of U.S. produced carrots has declined in both fresh and processed carrots.

Fig. 3 shows that the value of U.S. imports in 2024 totaled about $250 million. These imports were divided three ways: about 36.5% each from Mexico and Canada and about 27% from the rest of the world. Almost all the fresh carrots are from Canada and Mexico, and more than one third of the processed carrot imports are from other sources including China for about half the dried carrots, which comprises only about 5% of total carrot imports.

Carrot imports are relatively rare among horticultural crop imports with substantial shipments from both Mexico and Canada. With most of the U.S. carrot production in California, one might expect Mexico might be a seasonal exporter of carrots to the United States during periods when California carrots are not in the market. This picture of the market does not fit the facts. California production is not overly seasonal, carrots are storable, and Canada is also a major shipper of fresh and processed carrots.

These trade issues have come into focus in 2025 as the U.S. government has highlighted products for which the U.S. is a net importer. Some have pointed to production of goods for which the United States is well suited. A question for carrot trade is why has U.S. carrot production not kept pace with domestic demand. For example, what advantage does the Canadian carrot industry have over the northern tier states including Wisconsin and Michigan for both processed and fresh carrot supply? For California, one question is why has carrot production stagnated, allowing a large expansion of imports. Carrot acreage in California did not displace field crops in the way that almond and pistachio acreage did. Is that because carrots are already covering the most suitable land or are there other economic rather than mostly agronomic factors in play?

As trade policy pressure continues in one form or another, it is important that the U.S. carrot industry observers and participants consider options for expansion to displace imports if barriers or import tariffs make relying on our neighbors for supply less feasible. This pressure emphasizes the vital importance of research and development for productivity growth and for creating carrot products that suit the demands of modern consumers.

Frozen and canned carrots are on the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) AMS Master Solicitation for use in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and other Federal Food and Nutrition Assistance Programs.

Acceptances will be announced by midnight, June 30, 2025.

Deliveries are to be made between October 1, 2025, through September 2026.

The specialist for this solicitation is Luma Kale, Luma.Kale@usda.gov. The contracting officer for this solicitation is Glenn Reid, Glenn.Reid@usda.gov.

Please contact the specialist first, with questions regarding the requirements of this solicitation. Do not discuss your bid prices with the specialist or contracting officer before award.

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Check out Dr. Dave Kohl’s latest advice for entrepreneurs and ag business owners from AgWest Farm Credit.

In this update, Dr. Dave Kohl offers valuable insights on navigating the impacts of tariffs and strengthening resilience within your agricultural operations. Key takeaways include:

• Tariffs cause significant market uncertainty, disrupting both short-term pricing and long-term trade relationships for agricultural producers.
• Understanding the broader implications of global trade policies is essential for producers. 
• Agriculture exports account for one in every five dollars of net farm income, making the industry especially vulnerable to shifts in trade policies.

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U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins today announced a second round of payments coming this week for specialty crop producers through the Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) program, providing up to $1.3 billion in additional program assistance. U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) already delivered just under $900 million in first round payments to eligible producers.

About MASC

First announced in December 2024, MASC authorized $2 billion in Commodity Credit Corporation funds to assist specialty crop growers with rising input costs and aid in the expansion of domestic markets. In January 2025, in response to stakeholder feedback and program demand, funding for MASC was increased to $2.65 billion. The MASC application period closed on Jan. 10, 2025.

MASC is designed to help specialty crop producers meet higher marketing costs related to:

• perishability of specialty crops like fruits, vegetables, floriculture, nursery crops and herbs;
• specialized handling and transport equipment with temperature and humidity control;
• packaging to prevent damage;
• moving perishables to market quickly; and
• higher labor costs.

MASC covers the following commercially marketed specialty crops:

• fruits (fresh, dried);
• vegetables (including dry edible beans and peas, mushrooms, and vegetable seed);
• tree nuts;
• and other specialty crops

Vive Crop Protection is pleased to announce two key leadership appointments, reinforcing its commitment to innovation and strategic growth. Dave Rummel has been named Chief Commercial Officer and Jeff Lacrooy has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Finance.

Dave Rummel, with over 20 years of experience in the crop protection industry including sales, business development, strategic sourcing, portfolio management, and marketing, will be responsible for overseeing Vive’s entire commercial organization as Chief Commercial Officer.

“Dave has been a pivotal member of the Vive leadership team and I am confident that his expertise and strategic vision will drive even greater contributions in his new role as CCO,” said Darren Anderson, CEO of Vive Crop Protection.

Jeff Lacrooy, who has brought over 20 years of experience in finance, operations, and accounting to the Vive team, has been promoted to Senior VP of Finance. Jeff has leveraged his in-depth knowledge to play a key role in strengthening Vive’s financial and operational processes.

“We are excited about these changes to our leadership team,” added Anderson. “These strategic promotions will accelerate our ability to deliver cutting-edge solutions, foster stronger partnerships within the industry, and ensure Vive’s continued success for growers.”

For more information about Vive Crop Protection, visit www.vivecrop.com. 

Farmer sentiment drifted lower in December as the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer dropped 9 points to a reading of 136. The decline was driven by producers’ weaker perspective on current conditions in U.S. agriculture and their farms, with the Index of Current Conditions falling 13 points to 100. Although the Current Conditions Index declined this month, it remains 24 points above its low in September and 5 points higher than in October. The Index of Future Expectations also fell 8 points to 153, remaining 59 points above its September low and 29 points higher than the October reading. This month’s survey was conducted from Dec. 2-6, 2024.

While sentiment dipped this month, it’s clear that much of the post-election optimism about future conditions is still holding strong. Producers’ optimism about the future seems to stem largely from their expectations for a more favorable policy environment over the next five years. Farmers’ views on the current and long-term outlooks for agriculture showed some noticeable differences in December. While sentiment regarding the current situation and the one-year outlook was more cautious than in November, expectations for the agricultural sector over the next five years were notably more positive. The percentage of producers anticipating widespread good times in U.S. agriculture over the next five years increased to 57%, from 52% in November and 34% in October. This optimism extended across both the crop and livestock sectors, with 4-point and 5-point increases, respectively, in the percentage of respondents expecting good times. In contrast, views on the near-term outlook were less favorable. When asked about financial conditions on their farms compared to a year ago, 57% of producers reported worse conditions in December, up from 51% in November. Similarly, 51% of farmers expressed concern about the U.S. agricultural economy over the next 12 months, an increase from 40% in November.

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SOURCE: NATIONAL ONION ASSOCIATION

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is taking another step to reduce potential impacts to farmers from implementing endangered species protections while continuing to protect endangered species by publishing a process it will use to develop maps for protecting species designated as threatened or endangered (listed) by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and their designated critical habitats. These maps allow EPA to protect listed species from the use of pesticides through geographically specific mitigations. The process identifies areas where listed species are likely to be located and areas where they are not, which ensures that additional measures to protect listed species are only required in these areas.
As EPA assesses pesticide impacts on listed species, the agency may find that some mitigations are only needed to protect listed species. In those cases, EPA will only apply those mitigations where appropriate and necessary in geographically specific areas (referred to as Pesticide Use Limitation Areas or PULAs). PULAs are areas where pesticide exposures are likely to impact the continued existence of a listed species, which may include a reduction in survival or recovery of the species. They are intended to focus mitigations on areas where they are needed to protect populations of specific listed species from the use of pesticides. 

When developing a PULA for a specific species, EPA starts by developing a “core map.” A core map identifies areas that are important to a species, which could be a refined range map. In cases where range maps are broad and include areas where a species is no longer thought to live, then core maps would only include areas within the species range where the species likely currently lives. The process is intended to identify such areas and exclude areas from EPA’s core map where the species is not likely to live. After developing a core map for a species, EPA develops a PULA that accounts for pesticide movement from a use site (e.g., spray drift and run-off) by adding adjacent areas to the core map. Developing a core map or PULA does not alter FWS’ range map.

EPA’s goal is to develop core maps for all FWS listed species that may require protections with respect to pesticide exposures. The agency is focusing first on creating core maps for listed species identified in its Vulnerable Species Action Plan(VSAP), released in September 2024. This provides a framework for EPA to adopt early, meaningful protections to address potential impacts for listed species that the Agency identifies as particularly “vulnerable” to pesticides. EPA has developed core maps for several VSAP species, which can be found on the agency’s website, and will be developing core maps for the remaining VSAP and other listed species and making them publicly available as they are completed. EPA has also prioritized a subset of listed species for core map development.

Additional information can be found in the core map development process document. Visit EPA’s website to learn more about how EPA’s pesticide program is protecting endangered species.

View the Core Maps Webpage

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The 2024 Idaho Association of Plant Protection (IAPP) annual meeting will be held November 6-7, 2024 at the Herrett Center at the College of Southern Idaho. The IAPP meeting is open to anyone interested in learning more about plant protection. The agenda can be found here.

The cost to attend is $30 for normal registration and $20 for students and this covers both days of the program. On Wednesday, 2 ISDA and 4 CCA IPM credits are available. On Thursday, 2 ISDA and 3.5 CCA IPM credits are available.