The extensive publicity and the back-to-back timing of the contaminations could paint a misleading picture, said Jim Rushing, a Clemson University horticulture professor who works to maintain the safety of food from South Carolina's fruit-and-vegetable industry. But Shuler estimates she spent 20 minutes on the organic and health food aisle on a shopping trip this week at Bi-Lo "to see what the organic craze was all about. In the past eight months, consumers have been inundated with...

But did you know you can also buy subscriptions for baskets of produce and, thanks to a growing number of delivery services, get local produce delivered directly to your door? Community supported agriculture is a way for customers to reserve seasonal produce from local farms, usually before the crops are planted. Well, you can, and if your New Year's resolution was to eat more fruits and vegetables, this might be a chance to reinvigorate your plan or just get back on the wagon. Soon you'll...

Mr Newton said the national report commissioned by the growers' association highlighted a need for improved approaches to developing wine grape growing and production. The overriding theme of the report was the emergence of a more competitive international market, likely to lead to moderate wine grape prices. The organisation says a national report shows a need for major reshaping of the wine grape industry because of economic and structural challenges. Growers must improve economies of...

Instead, the metaphor that has become a cliche for creativity describes how Anderson and her husband, Michael, who own and operate Swan Chocolates, are pursuing innovative ways to package and market the handmade, all-natural, Belgian chocolate truffles that have been the company s specialty since it opened in 2003. Instead, the metaphor that has become a cliche for creativity describes how Anderson and her husband, Michael, who own and operate Swan Chocolates, are pursuing innovative ways...

Agriculture is the industry whose fate is most closely linked to climate, and California is by far the biggest agricultural producer in the country. But California's climate is already close to ideal for many of the fruits and vegetables it is famous for, and even the most optimistic predictions show California on the losing end of the warming stick. In a warming world, California's agricultural riches are among the most vulnerable in the country, so farmers and economists are starting to...