Food & Farm News

» October 13, 2010 «

More pistachios head to market

You'll likely be seeing more advertisements and promotions for pistachios in the future, as farmers and marketers gear up to sell larger crops. Pistachio trees planted the last few years are reaching crop-bearing age, and most will come into full production within the next seven years. Pistachio marketers say they'll be promoting the nuts to American consumers, and add that they also expect to increase exports to nations such as China and India.

Demand rises for raisins

Rising worldwide demand has benefited raisin farmers and marketers. The U.S. Agriculture Department says worldwide raisin supplies have tightened, in part because of a sharp drop in production in Turkey. That leads to added demand from the nations that are the top foreign buyers of California raisins. A growers' organization announced last week that farmers will earn the highest raisin prices in 20 years.

Farmers plant more sweet corn

Shoppers may find more California-grown sweet corn on the market this fall. The state's farmers increased their plantings of sweet corn by 13 percent, compared to the same time a year ago. Crop forecasters say the corn appears to be in good condition thanks to favorable weather during the growing season. California farmers also increased plantings of tomatoes and cantaloupes for fall harvest.

Pears will remain plentiful

There may be fewer pears on the market this season than there were last year, but forecasters say supplies will still be plentiful. Most pears come from three states—Washington, California and Oregon—and the cool, wet spring in the West could knock overall pear production down 11 percent from last year. But last year was a big crop, and a report says analysts expect plenty of pears to be available for both domestic and export markets.