Still, its been a long time since bananas boomed in the Islands, for reasons that are no mystery to those who witnessed the demise of sugar, pineapple and other crops. You may not even know, much less care, what variety youre eating, or where they were grown, unless youre a local banana farmer, whose numbers are steadily dwindling. Now Hawaiis modern agricultural history is repeating itself in the banana patch, where farmers are fending off a two-pronged assault waged by cheap Latin...

MORE than 100 staff at one of Widnes' biggest chemical manufacturers have been told they will lose their jobs within a year. Steve Tynegate, site manager, said the diversification meant giving over a large proportion of the plant to the manufacturer of a fungicide. But production of the chemical is winding down in line with worldwide demand. Mr Tynegate said his priority is to help redundant staff find alternative work. The lay-offs will begin between next spring and summer. The staff here...

The growth forecast has companies rushing to introduce green lawn and garden fertilizers, soils and amendments, disease and insect controls, accessories and services. In fact, just 5 percent of the 90 million households nationwide with a yard or garden strictly uses or buys organic fertilizers, weed and insect controls, according to Butterfield. Sales of organic fertilizers and growing media like potting soils are expected to rise from $360 million this year to $670 million by 2011,...

We view Cow Power as an opportunity to diversify our farm business, which is critical to our long-term success and keeping our land in productive agriculture. The solids can be used as cow bedding or composted for home and garden use, while the liquid, which is virtually odorless, will be spread as fertilizer on the farm as it has been for hundreds of years. This will improve our manure management, reduce greenhouse gases, and provide a renewable energy choice to CVPS customers. These...

These spring grubs, if left alone, will eventually turn into adult Japanese beetles that most likely will fly off to some other area in the neighborhood. Pesticides work better when the insects are small, so don t fret over finding a few large grubs in the spring. They spent the winter in underground cells and have gradually moved up nearer the surface this spring. The birds will have a nice meal, and you will have revenge for any damage they did to the lawn or landscape last year. It is...