The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council has been awarded $1.5 million from the second round of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP). Earlier this year, USHBC received $1.3 million in RAPP funding.

RAPP funds are designed to diversify and expand market opportunities for U.S. food and agricultural products in emerging global markets. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced in October 2023 that USDA would use $1.2 billion from the Commodity Credit Corporation to establish RAPP.

For the eighth consecutive year, WP Rawl participated in national Wreaths Across America Day, which was held Dec. 14.

The move from Salinas to the winter desert growing areas has been a good transition. The lettuce crops have experienced some cooler early morning temperatures. All lettuce is of good quality with smaller heads and lighter in weight.

Over the past summer, Fleuroselect's 'Year of the Sunflower and Lettuce' campaign celebrated the wide assortment and versatile use of these crops, engaging retailers and gardeners across Europe. The Plant of the Year initiative covers two crops each year, one flower and one vegetable and is aimed to boost sales of Fleuroselect members' existing varieties by showing a wide diversity of plant shades and shapes to retail and gardeners. 

According to the American Floral Endowment, growers often face the challenge of promoting early flowering in long-day plants during seasons with short natural daylight hours. A recent study by Dr. Qingwu Meng and Thomas J.