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The article discusses the concerns of fruit growers in the United States. The main threats to profits identified by growers include rising input costs, unpredictable weather, and labor issues. However, there are also other concerns mentioned, such as government regulations, supermarket buyer power, damaged export markets, and wildlife damage to crops. Growers also mention challenges related to overproduction, insurance, marketing, and the need to add entertainment to their businesses. The article provides a range of perspectives from different growers across the country. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the use of remote sensing technology, known as T-REX, in the California almond industry to improve water efficiency. This technology, previously successful in vineyards, helps identify water and orchard management opportunities to maximize water-use efficiency and carbon sequestration in almond and other tree crops. T-REX combines satellite, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and proximal sensing technologies to retrieve key variables for modeling surface fluxes and biophysical properties. The study shows promising results, indicating that implementing ET-based irrigation scheduling could significantly reduce water use in almond orchards and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions reduction. [Extracted from the article]

The article examines the impact of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's proposal to apply the Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA) to tree fruit crops. It notes that expanding the scope of the FSMA to tree fruits seems unnecessary considering that food safety is not a big issue of tree fruit growers. The article cites other burdensome provisions of the FSMA that growers need to address such as impractical standards for water quality.

The article presents tips on how farmers can maintain the nitrogen levels in tree crops. Reseeding annual legume cover crops is a good way to keep the nitrogen levels up. The accumulated biomass can deliver consistent amount of nitrogen all year round. The reseeding of cover crops is suitable only for no-till or non-cultivated orchards.