Commercial beekeepers, hired by farmers to pollinate their crops, already are charging higher fees as their bees disappear, fees that could mean higher food prices for the consumer. At stake is billions of dollars in food -- from fruits and vegetables to crops that feed livestock -- dependent on bees for pollination. The phenomenon that has been ravaging bee yards, or apiaries, across the nation is very much on the minds of the more than 1,200 registered beekeepers in Illinois. The...

A withering, record-breaking freeze early Sunday devastated the state's peach and apple orchards just as tiny buds of fruit started to appear and may have damaged the blueberry crop, growers said Monday. Jim Nesbitt, Staff Writer Easter weekend's killing cold may make it harder and pricier for North Carolinians to pursue a rite of late spring and early summer - buying fresh, home-grown fruit from a farmers market or roadside stand. Supermarket prices will stay relatively stable, insulated...

The cold weather destroyed the blossom's ability to pollinate or to produce fruit, Barnwell said. When the crop insurance premium is paid, plus the cost of keeping the trees and orchards healthy for next year, two-thirds of any crop insurance payments received is spent. When blossoms are on the trees, crop insurance adjusters count the blossom as an apple and growers are required to maintain the tree as if an apple was on the tree. There are no small apples growing on the branches, just...

Blossom end rot is due to a lack of calcium as the fruit develops, which in turn is usually due to fluctuating soil moisture as the fruit develops. Even though we have had plenty of rain lately, monitor the soil conditions closely as we advance into summer and fruit is developing on the tomato plants. On apples, one common discouraging problem is to find bumpy apples with streaks of brown inside. One control option is to continue applying insecticides, which are included in multipurpose...

Under a burning sun, Shaw Vineyards crews poked cabernet sauvignon grape vine starts into soil on a hillside overlooking Mattawa that until a few months ago was an apple orchard. But now, with the number of wineries in the state topping 500 and wine grape production up 9 percent in 2006, Champoux and others are more certain of their future. Wine grape growers are expanding vineyards throughout the region, producing more grapes and improving quality by planting new varieties. Over the years...

The institute has called for coffee processors and exporters to upgrade processing technology and create recognisable brands to better compete on the world market. Coffee experts credited the export spurt on the industry s efforts to improve the quality of coffee, especially Robusta, and by raising competitiveness on the global market. Van Thanh Huy, Vicofa chairman, attributed the export growth to the producers interest in meeting world demand. Such stockpiling in past years ultimately...