Farmers in Yuanli Township in Miaoli County have created a rice field “painting” dedicated to mothers ahead of Mother’s Day, and it will last to early July, the Yuanli Township Farmers’ Association says. The rice isn’t actually painted, the association pointed out, but rather is created by using five different varieties of rice producing different colors. A viewing platform was constructed, and opened in mid-April, and the peak viewing season will be from May to early July. The association has
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Council of Agriculture successfully develops non-toxic weapon against fall army worm
Researchers at the Council of Agriculture’s Taiwan Agricultural Chemicals and Toxic Substances Research Institute (TACTRI) have developed trap for fall army worm which they hope to have on the market by June next year. Considered a serious global pest by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, the fall army worm was detected in Taiwan for the first time in June last year, and quickly spread around the island. The traps developed by TACTRI use a formula based on the
Read moreTaiwan fighting losing battle against fall army worm: South Korea may be next
Less than two weeks after the first case of fall army worm was detected in Taiwan, the Council of Agriculture (COA) has confirmed a further 150 cases spread widely over the country, and yesterday, June 21, South Korea reported the first confirmed case on Jeju Island. Statistics released by the Quarantine and Inspection Bureau show that there have been more than 5,000 reports since the first case was confirmed June 10, and a total of 151 confirmed cases as of
Read moreSerious crop pest “fall armyworm” detected for the first time in Taiwan
Agriculture officials confirmed today that caterpillars found on a farm in Miaoli County two days ago have been positively identified as fall armyworms (Spodoptera frugiperda), an invasive species that has devastated crops across north America, Africa, the middle east, and continental Asia in recent years. The suspect larvae were found on a corn crop at the Flying Cow Ranch in Tongxiao Township, June 8, and were sent to the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine for analysis.
Read moreFarmers Busted Growing Pot in Pingtung
Two farmers, both former national athletes, were arrested after a raid by police and coast guard found the men were growing cannabis among trees in an orchard in Pingtung County, July 14. After a 6 month long investigation, officers from a combined investigation team involving officers from coast guard and police units in Pingtung County and Kaohsiung City set up an ambush at 5:00am Saturday morning, and arrested the men when they arrived and began to spray pesticides on the
Read moreFarmers Plowing Their Crops in: Prices Too Low
[Picture: UDN] Farmers in Yunlin County are plowing their crops of leafy vegetables back into the ground and using them as ‘green manure’ due to a collapse in prices for cabbage, rape, bok-choi, and other leafy vegetables. Low prices have plagued farmers since the Chinese Lunar New Year when the price of cabbage fell so low that farmers invited consumers to come and pick their own cabbages for NT$10 (US$0.33) per kilogram. Recently the farm-gate price for cabbages fell to
Read moreUAVs in Agriculture: Kaohsiung City Supports Initiatives
Photo: UDN College students in Kaohsiung County will be given the opportunity of part-time employment, and farmers will be freed from exposure to potentially dangerous pesticides in an innovative program launched in Kaohsiung City. College students will control Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to spot spray pesticides on crops.
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