The quality of the antioxidants in the processed dried fruit is the same as in the corresponding fresh fruit. Fresh fruit is the better choice. Basically, the drying process removes most of the moisture from the fruit, thus preserving it. Even though many supermarkets put dried fruit in the candy section, it can be an excellent source of fiber, nutrients, antioxidants and complex carbohydrates. In fact, ounce-for-ounce, all types of dried fruit are much higher in calories than their fresh...

This projection is part of a five-year plan by the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands to export some 1,400 tonnes of the commodity annually. He also noted that the cleaning of cocoa plots was another major area of concern for the organization and the Board was currently working with a number of farmers to address this problem. Additionally, he said that the organization was looking at increasing the density of cocoa plots to some 400 plants per acre. Work, he said, was also being done to...

If the change in the ingredients listing passes, the FDA will allow chocolate companies to begin substituting artificial fats and vegetable oils for the naturally existing natural cocoa butter found in chocolate, and they will still be able to label and call the final product "chocolate. If the change in the ingredients listing passes, the FDA will allow chocolate companies to begin substituting artificial fats and vegetable oils for the naturally existing natural cocoa butter found in...

While the census does not specifically attribute the rise in grapes to the drop in apples, local farmers have been witnessing this conversion all over the valley. The data for the agricultural industry released by Statistics Canada from last year s census show that apple production dropped 14. Some are longtime Okanagan farmers, whose grandfathers began growing apples generations ago, while others like the Andersons are simply here to cash in on the grapes and the lifestyle that comes with...

Provided By: The Associated Press Last Modified: 5/9/2007 5:40:45 PM ATLANTA (AP) -- At Hillcrest Orchards in the north Georgia mountains, the annual Apple Pickin' Jubilee will go on as planned this fall - although the state's most withering drought in decades threatens to destroy the country festival's namesake. Provided By: The Associated Press Last Modified: 5/9/2007 5:40:45 PM ATLANTA (AP) -- At Hillcrest Orchards in the north Georgia mountains, the annual Apple Pickin' Jubilee will go...

More than 2 million farms, most of them family operations, contribute to the business of agriculture, projected to be a $300 billion industry in 2007. As consumers of agricultural products and as taxpayers who fund programs that help farmers produce the highest quality crops and livestock while safeguarding the environment, we all have a stake in the next farm bill. Farming is particularly significant in Florida, the ninth leading agricultural state. Farmers and ranchers produce the food...