Apricot Shelf Life Expands and Corn Growers Question MAHA Report
From the Ag Information Network, this is your Agribusiness Update.
**The apricot’s fragile nature and short shelf life have long been its Achilles’ heel.
That’s why most of the state’s crop has traditionally been used for canning, drying and freezing.
But California growers have made major inroads in elevating apricots with roughly 50% now going to the fresh market, versus 8-16% in the 1980s.
Factors leading to the change include cannery closures, improved fresh varieties and efforts to adapt to consumer preferences.
**The May Rural Mainstreet Index fell below the growth-neutral reading of 50.0 for the 19th time in the past 20 months.
The Index came in at 44 in May, up from 40 in April.
The index ranges between 0 and 100, with 50 representing growth neutral.
Creighton University’s Ernie Gross says according to bank CEOs in our survey, the economic outlook for 2025 farm income remains weak.
**The National Corn Growers Association responded to the Making America Healthy Again Committee, or MAHA report which raised unfounded questions about the safety of pesticides.
The NCGA released a report speaking to the economic impact of widely-used technologies like atrazine and glyphosate.
NCGA Chief Economist Krista Swanson says one of the central tenets to producing crops is controlling pests and the safety and efficacy of pesticides have been repeatedly tested and documented for decades.
