Vicky Boyd on Muck Rack

Vicky Boyd

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Covers:  agriculture, environment, forestry, water, wildlife
Doesn't Cover: weddings, funerals, garden parties
Veteran ag writer, ag editor, ag communicator, ag podcaster and ag photographer. Have camera and computer, will travel.

Vicky Boyd’s Journalist Portfolio

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How Does Flue-Cured Tobacco Respond to the Herbicide Glufosinate?

How Does Flue-Cured Tobacco Respond to the Herbicide Glufosinate?

Wiley Online Library — North Carolina State University research looks at off-target drift of glufosinate herbicide onto one of the state's most valuable crops, tobacco.

Giving back

Giving back

Rice Farming — Texas rice grower Jacko Garrett continues to 'share the harvest' through his charitable efforts. For more than three decades, Danbury, Texas, rice producer Jacko Garrett has been growing rice specifically to donate to the Houston Food Bank. Along the way, he has enlisted the help of other growers and obtained donations from agricultural chemical dealers, seed producers, aerial applicators and millers.

SJ County behind on ag COVID vaccinations workers

SJ County behind on ag COVID vaccinations workers

sjfb.org — Although San Joaquin County held its first vaccination clinic for essential agricultural workers recently at the Lodi Grape Festival Grounds, industry leaders say they remain frustrated at the slow pace and advocated for more events. With cherry harvest beginning in late April, they say time is of the essence.

Be Aggressive with Red Imported Fire Ants - West Coast Nut

Be Aggressive with Red Imported Fire Ants - West Coast Nut

West Coast Nut Magazine — California's arid conditions have slowed the spread of red imported fire ants since they were first introduced into the state in the late 1990s. But if you have them in your almond orchard - especially if you have microsprinklers that raise humidity - Extension entomologists recommend an aggressive baiting program....

Monitoring - Past, Present and Future

Monitoring - Past, Present and Future

California Farmland Trust — A group of volunteer monitors who collectively have more than a century of experience in Central Valley ag visits conservation easements annual to ensure owners are keeping the ground in agriculture.

New Tool for Predicting Nitrogen Needs in Walnuts - West Coast Nut

New Tool for Predicting Nitrogen Needs in Walnuts - West Coast Nut

West Coast Nut Magazine — With the recent rollout of an early-season walnut leaf sampling program and nitrogen prediction model, walnut growers now have a tool to help make in-season nitrogen adjustments that will affect the current season's crop. (This article recently received the 2021 Fresno County Farm Bureau Journalism Award for Farm Trade Press.)

"Topsy turvy" 2019 was better for ag than 2018

"Topsy turvy" 2019 was better for ag than 2018

sjfb.org — Despite a $49 million dip in fruit and nut crop values, San Joaquin County's overall 2019 farmgate worth was $2,617,815,000, a 0.91% increase over the nearly $2.6 billion produced in 2018. County Agriculture Commissioner Tim Pelican attributed the county's diversified crop portfolio for the resilient farmgate values.

COVIC-19 prompts 1-year pause to Rice Leadership Program

COVIC-19 prompts 1-year pause to Rice Leadership Program

Rice Farming — Normally in mid-July, Steve Linscombe would be mailing out brochures that promote the upcoming Rice Leadership Development Program and that seek rice industry applicants. But like so many events and programs this year, the leadership program has been disrupted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, says Linscombe, who heads the Rice Foundation, which oversees the leadership program.

Growers dodge bullet with recent rains in May

Growers dodge bullet with recent rains in May

sjfb.org — For much of the week before the May 17-19 rain forecast, Linden cherry producer Ken Vogel anxiously watched weather reports and weather radar because he planned to start harvesting his Bings the week of May 18. If it had to rain, he said, the best scenario would be light showers followed by cool weather and breezes to dry the fruit quickly.

Public Enemy No. 1

Public Enemy No. 1

Cotton Farming — Follow Dynamic Stink Bug Thresholds To Time Sprays, Maximize Cotton Yields In The Southeast In the Southeast cotton belt, stink bugs are public enemy No. 1 year in and year out, feeding on developing seeds within the bolls, reducing yield potential and fiber quality, and promoting hardlock.

Safety first

Safety first

Rice Farming — Prevention is key to avoiding grain bin rescues. Knowing what to do in a bin entrapment emergency also is crucial. Before Wayne Dulaney's crew entered a grain bin near Clarksdale, Mississippi, in January, he reminded them of safety measures: wear harnesses attached to safety lines connected to the bin and have one person stay out as a spotter.

Success is in the air

Success is in the air

Rice Farming — Rice industry counters aromatic imports with U.S.-bred and grown jasmine-type rice varieties. Fred Zaunbrecher of Duson, Louisiana, has grown jasmine-type aromatic long-grain varieties for years, having harvested the newest, Clearfield CLJ01, the past two seasons. Although the U.S. rice industry will likely never be able to fully sway Asian-born consumers who favor Thai jasmine, Zaunbrecher says he is encouraged by U.S.

Cultural Change

Cultural Change

Cotton Farming — Growers Tap Cover Crops And No-Till To Aid Soil Health, Cut Input Costs Pigweed was getting the better of Adam Chappell in 2010 when he decided he had to rein in weed control costs if he and his brother were to stay in farming. He turned to cover crops combined with no-till farming.

Cherry disaster: Late May rains bring bad news for cherry growers

Cherry disaster: Late May rains bring bad news for cherry growers

San Joaquin Farm Bureau News — Heading into the 2019 California cherry harvest, producers and packers were cautiously optimistic about the possibly record crop of high-quality cherries maturing on the trees. But a series of storms May 15-19 dumped over 3 inches of rain on some locations, dampening their enthusiasm by causing widespread fruit cracking.

Dual duty

Dual duty

Rice Farming — Combination seed treatments may kill two weevils with one blow. A weevil that prefers drier ground and typically frequents rice levees has begun damaging furrow-irrigated rice, thanks in part to a lack of permanent flood in the upper portions of the fields.

Let the sunshine in

Let the sunshine in

Rice Farming — Solar systems help growers cut electric bills while raising their environmental stature. Chris Isbell, a partner in a family-owned farming operation near Humnoke, Arkansas, looks at his 300-kilowatt solar-generation system as just another crop. "Essentially, we're farming the sun anyway," he says. "Any crop you raise is just a power plant for the sun.

King Crown closes; asparagus struggles due to labor costs

King Crown closes; asparagus struggles due to labor costs

San Joaquin Farm Bureau News — Kings Crown, a fixture in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta west of Stockton for 30 years, packed its last crate of asparagus earlier this year (2018).