The Van Trump Report

admin

USDA Approves “Intelligent” Corn Plants That Can Change Color

In any given growing season, the list of potential yield-damaging threats to a corn crop is a long one. It can also sometimes be difficult and expensive to diagnose what’s ailing a crop and many a grower that’s likely wished their plants could just tell them what was wrong. That is exactly the idea behind …

USDA Approves “Intelligent” Corn Plants That Can Change Color Read More »

How a California Farm Family Made Poinsettia’s a Holiday Tradition

The brilliant red flowers of the Euphorbia pulcherrima plant, more commonly known as “poinsettias,” are synonymous with Christmas in the US. Considered the unofficial “Christmas flower,” it may surprise you to learn that the tradition of decorating our homes with poinsettias during the holidays is a relatively recent one. In fact, it was the vision …

How a California Farm Family Made Poinsettia’s a Holiday Tradition Read More »

It Was a Farmer that Started “Santa School”

Charles W. Howard was a farmer that couldn’t contain his displeasure with seeing Santas in frayed suits, cheap beards, and who also had inadequate knowledge of reindeer. So in 1937, he determined to improve the problems by starting a “Santa School”. History reports the first class consisted of just three men. Eventually, however, Howard would …

It Was a Farmer that Started “Santa School” Read More »

What’s Driving Christmas Tree Inflation…and Fun Facts About Our Favorite Evergreen!

Real Christmas trees have been easier to find this year but prices are nonetheless about +10% to +15% higher in most parts of the country. The American Christmas Tree Association predicted earlier this year that consumers could expect to pay an average of $80-$100 for a real Christmas tree this year. Of course, depending on …

What’s Driving Christmas Tree Inflation…and Fun Facts About Our Favorite Evergreen! Read More »

Is Potato a Vegetable or Grain? New Dietary Guidelines for 2025 to Decide

The humble potato is a tuber that grows on the roots of its plant, similar to a host of other vegetables like carrots, onions, and turnips. The versatile spud also happens to be America’s favorite vegetable, with an average of 120 pounds of potatoes per person consumed every year. That’s double the amount of the …

Is Potato a Vegetable or Grain? New Dietary Guidelines for 2025 to Decide Read More »

From Slavery to One of the Most Successful Ranchers in West Texas…Daniel Webster “80 John” Wallace

Daniel Webster “80 John” Wallace was born into slavery in 1860, one year before the US Civil War broke out. Twenty-five years later, Wallace was buying land to start his own ranch in West Texas, ultimately building an estate that was estimated at more than $1 million by the time of his death in 1939. …

From Slavery to One of the Most Successful Ranchers in West Texas…Daniel Webster “80 John” Wallace Read More »

Australian Startup “Rainstick” Uses Electricity to Supercharge Plant Growth

There is a curious observation among gardeners and farmers that plants seem to grow best after a thunderstorm. The moisture of course is beneficial but scientists also believe lightning sets off a chemical process in the air and the plants themselves that helps them flourish. Australian agtech startup “Rainstick” uses electricity to mimic this effect …

Australian Startup “Rainstick” Uses Electricity to Supercharge Plant Growth Read More »