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Agriculture

Do berries open after being picked?

By Leah Fronk Horticulture Educator Penn State Extension, Juniata County Local strawberries are here, in-season, right now. But the answer to the title question is...no, strawberries will not ripen after you pick them. All berries: strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries are best when picked fully ripe. In Pennsylvania and much of the east coast, we prefer our strawberries to be red the whole way through. To ensure the best flavor, we pick strawberries only when red all the way to the tip. You are probably familiar with store-bought strawberries from the west coast ...

Paraquat training available at Extension Office

MIFFLINTOWN — The Penn State Extension office in Mifflintown offers in-person training that does not require a computer for certified pesticide applicators who are in need of training for use of paraquat dichloride. A binder containing the learning material is available for users to read. A 15-question multiple-choice test must be completed. You must score a 100% and you can retake the test as many times as you need. It takes about 45-60 minutes to complete the training. Those who are comfortable using the computer may simply Google “paraquat training” to access the EPA ...

Northeastern region farm labor report

April hired workers up 3%; wage rate increased 5% HARRISBURG — The United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service recently released its latest Northeastern Region Farm Labor Report. There were 651,000 workers hired directly by farm operators on the Nation’s farms and ranches during the week of April 9-15, 2023, up 3% from the April 2022 reference week. Workers hired directly by farm operators numbered 511,000 during the week of January 8-14, 2023, up 1% from the January 2022 reference week. Farm operators paid their hired workers an average ...

Big Valley FFA celebrates its members’ activity at banquet

LEWISTOWN — If you think all banquets are just sit-down dinners with monotone speakers, then you’ve never attended a Big Valley FFA Banquet. They served a delicious dinner and did have a guest speaker at the May 5 event – Colleen Filson, who achieved the gold standard American FFA ...

USDA national agricultural statistics service monthly report

By King Whetstone Northeast dairy products summary Total U.S. cheese production for 2022, excluding cottage cheeses, was 14.1 billion pounds, 2.2% above 2021 production. Wisconsin was the leading State with 25.0% of the production. Butter production in the United States during 2022 totaled 2.06 billion pounds, 0.2% below 2021. California was the leading state in Butter production with 33.3% of the production. Pennsylvania Total cheese production in Pennsylvania, excluding cottage cheese, was 451 million pounds, up 5% from 2021. Italian varieties, with 276 million pounds, were up ...

Mifflin-Juniata Human Services announces state food purchase

Beginning July 1, 2023, Mifflin County expects to be receiving an allocation of State Food Purchase Program Funds from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture for the 2023-24 Fiscal Year. The Mifflin County Commissioners wish to advise food distribution systems that proposals for funding are now available through the Human Services Department at 20 N. Wayne Street or on the website at www.co.mifflin.pa.us link to human services. Each year, the Pennsylvania legislature provides funding to support the State Food Purchase Program (SFPP). In FY 2022-23, the Pennsylvania Department of ...