Latest news with #crops
Arab News
3 hours ago
- Health
- Arab News
Healthy demand — pumpkin production on the rise in Qassim
BURAIDAH: It may be classed as a fruit, but pumpkin has become a key ingredient in cuisines around the world, thanks to its versatility and nutritional value. And in Qassim, thanks to a favorable climate and agricultural conditions coupled with rising local demand, pumpkin production is enjoying significant growth. Recorded health benefits of eating pumpkin include enhanced vision and better immunity. It also supports heart health, helps weight loss and promotes healthy skin and hair, as well as providing important nutrients and being low in calories. Farmer Saleh bin Hamad Al-Saab spoke to the media about his experience of growing the fruit. Possible, beneficial and promising 'Pumpkin cultivation in Qassim is not only possible, but also beneficial and promising,' he said. 'There are different kinds, including field pumpkin, butternut squash, kabocha squash, and even spaghetti squash, which is gaining increasing popularity.' Each variety has its own uses and benefits. Field pumpkin is used in soups and baked goods, while butternut squash is a rich source of beta-carotene and spaghetti squash is a healthier alternative to pasta. As for white pumpkin, it is especially popular for festive decorations and seasonal occasions. Al-Saab said that as pumpkin did not need huge amounts of water or pesticides to grow successfully, and it could be stored for long periods without deteriorating, it was considered a promising economic crop. Drip irrigation systems and the cultivation of diverse varieties have also significantly enhanced crop quality and boosted productivity. The farmer highlighted the public's growing awareness of pumpkin as a healthy food choice and said there were a number of opportunities to develop other industries around the crop, such as juices, dehydrated foods and cosmetics. This promising crop supports local food safety and achieves notable economic revenues, reflecting the agricultural sector's role in meeting the Kingdom's sustainable development targets.
RNZ News
8 hours ago
- General
- RNZ News
'We can grow anything here' A family's growing experiment
rural farming about 1 hour ago The McClutchie whanau explores growing different crops, with aspirations to grow Maori medicinal plants, on their family whenua in North Taranaki.
CBS News
12 hours ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Heavy rains threaten crops across Pittsburgh-area farms
Farmers in western Pennsylvania are concerned that repeated rainfall and the flooding it leads to could have a significant impact on the amount of crops they can grow this year. At Yarnick's Farm in Armstrong Township, Indiana County, a field of sweet corn was unrecognizable on Wednesday, with the field completely underwater. "I was shocked," said farm owner Dan Yarnick. "These fields were like a lake; everything was underwater." He's had trouble coming to terms with the 40 acres of his 250-acre farm that have flooded. "It's very depressing because you put your heart and soul into this business, plus every damn dime you can get," Yarnick said. Produce from the farm ends up at Pittsburgh-area grocery stores and restaurants like Eat'n Park. The farm has been around since the early 1980s and has been profitable until the past two years. Since then, they have lost $200,000 due to what Varnick said is inflation. By Thursday evening, much of the water had dried up, but not all. A pool of water still sat above part of a cornfield, which meant it was a loss. Yarnick says they should still be able to salvage a lot. "Maybe some will recover. The corn might stand up," Yarnick said. "The peppers, this little pepper field, I had no room. I stuck them in early. They don't like wet feet. They'll get disease, and they won't produce." He said this has been the worst year for flooding in many years, with hit after hit, impacting him and many other fams. He explained there's a potential ripple effect. "Could there be shortages, you know? It could be price hikes," Yarnick said. "But it's definitely gonna hurt." Other farms rely on the Yarnicks to grow corn early in the season so they can sell it in their respective markets. Yarnick is not sure if that will be possible, saying he has to prioritize his market. KDKA-TV also spoke with the owners of a smaller farm outside Slippery Rock in Butler County. Crighton Family Farm has fought flooding and extremely muddy fields. The owners said the combination has stopped them from planting. In their time farming, it's the first time that's ever happened this late in the year, and for the first time, they have even been worried they may not be able to plant at all. "It's going to be rough. It's so consistent," Yarnick said, referring to the rain. "It needs to quit. We need some sunshine. We all need it, and the crops need it." Yarnick needs it, too. "I've been very depressed, to be honest with you, kind of grouchy," Yarnick said. "You know, it's just, it's hard." He openly wonders what the future holds for his farm. He wants to be able to hand the reins to his son, but is not sure if it is possible. "We can only take so many hits," Yarnick said.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Local farmers struggle to plant due to rainy weather
Litchfield Township, Pa. (WETM)— This season of heavy rainfall has caused local farmers to have to put a pause on planting. 'The rain has prevented us from getting crops in as early as we like the wet, cold winter and then the rain, rain, spring, so it just delayed everything, and you can't get in the field when it's too wet,' said Matthew Romberger, owner of Romberger's Farm. Free household hazardous waste event to be held in Troy Farmers from all across the area are waiting for the soil to dry so they can continue planting. 'I just spoke with a person this morning, and the gentleman usually has 100 acres of corn in and he was only able to plant 4,0, so he's behind schedule because of the wet weather,' said Romberger. According to Matthew Romberger, the Romberger's farm is about a month behind its regular planting schedule. Upcoming summer blood drives in the Southern Tier The crops that grow on the farm also serve as food for the animals, such as cows and pigs, that live there. 'We raise a few crops, and we raise, like I said, seasonal vegetables and potatoes, sweet corn, and stuff like that, but crops also, crops we feed the cattle and the pigs. We raise pigs,' said Romberger. The only thing that the farmers can do at Romberger's farm is wait for the soil to dry and the rain to clear so they can continue their planting. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Guardian
13-06-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
Get to grips with pollination – your garden (and the bees) will thank you for it
If you're growing any plants for fruit, getting your head around pollination is key to ensuring a bountiful harvest. Thankfully, the plants and the pollinators – whether that's bees, beetles or a summer breeze – have a system for making this happen. Still, any grower should be familiar with the pollination needs of their crops in case intervention is necessary. If GCSE biology is a distant memory, here's a quick refresher. Pollination is the reproductive process whereby a flower's pollen is transferred from the stamen to the stigma before travelling to the ovule, where fertilisation takes place. Seeds start to develop and, for those crops that coax a creature into dispersing their seed, a fruit will form and swell around them. Different plants have different pollination requirements and, as such, each can be broadly categorised as either hermaphrodite (also known as perfect), monoecious or dioecious. Hermaphrodite plants contain both pollen-bearing and fruit-bearing parts within their flowers: tomatoes, apples, aubergines and beans and many more fall into this group. This doesn't necessarily mean all perfect flower-producing plants can self-pollinate, though – and even if they do, they're believed to bear more fruit when grown with friends. Monoecious plants produce separate flowers that bear either pollen or fruit, so tend to need a creature to ensure pollination occurs. Edible examples include winter squash, courgettes and cucumbers. You can tell which flower is which by looking at the stem behind the bloom – the fruit bearer will boast a small, immature fruit while the pollen bearer will not. The rarest type of plant is the dioecious kind, in which pollen is produced by an entirely separate plant to that which produces the fruit. Not many edible plants reproduce this way. The most notable is the kiwi (although there are monoecious varieties too). Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion The majority of plants need a pollinator to do the job. Bumblebees, hoverflies, beetles, butterflies, moths and even birds can act as the intermediary between one plant's reproductive organ and another as they forage for food. Wind is another pollinator and an important one for those who want to grow corn (or limit the spread of dandelions). Planting your corn in a block – as opposed to a row – improves your chance of having juicy cobs to harvest. Even water acts as a pollinator for certain aquatic plants. If your immature fruit is withering, not swelling, it's likely unsuccessful pollination is your problem. The best solution is to include pollen-rich flowers in your planting plan to attract a range of pollinators. Alternatively, you can act as the pollinator yourself and manually move the pollen from stamen to stigma with a small paintbrush or the tip of your finger.
