July 2013 - California Agriculture News Today

QUARANTINE AFFECTS 21,520 ACRES in CITRUS

BREAKING NEWS!

July 31, 2013

ACP Quarantine Officially in Place

in Tulare County

SACRAMENTO, July 31, 2013 – A portion of Tulare County has been placed under quarantine for the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) following the detection of psyllids at three locations in the Porterville area, representing 21,520 acres of citrus. 

The quarantine zone measures 178 square miles, bordered on the north by an area near Blue Ridge Drive and Campbell Creek Drive; on the west by an area near State Highway 190 and Coyote Drive; on the south by Avenue 68 near State Highway 65; and on the west by an area near Avenue 104 and Road 192. A link to a map may be found at: http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/acp/maps/quarantine/3435ACP_Tulare_20130730.pdf

The quarantine prohibits the movement of host nursery stock out of the quarantine area and requires that all citrus fruit be cleaned of leaves and stems prior to moving out of the area. An exception may be made for nursery stock and budwood grown in USDA-approved structures designed to keep ACP out. Residents with backyard citrus trees in the quarantine area are asked to not remove fruit from the area.

In addition to Tulare County, ACP quarantines are now in place in Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Imperial, Orange, Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties. A total of more than 45-thousand square miles are under quarantine.

The ACP is of grave concern because it can carry the disease huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening. All citrus and closely related species are susceptible hosts for both the insect and the disease. There is no cure once a tree becomes infected with HLB. The diseased tree will decline in health until it dies. HLB has been detected just once in California – last year on a single residential property in Hacienda Heights, Los Angeles County.

Residents in the area who think they may have seen the Asian citrus psyllid are urged to call CDFA’s Pest Hotline at 1-800-491-1899. For more information on the Asian citrus psyllid and huanglongbing disease please visit: http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/acp/index.html

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:47:07-07:00July 31st, 2013|

CROWD GATHERS IN TULARE TO GET ACP UPDATE

BREAKING NEWS

Quarantine Imminent For ACP Finds

By Patrick Cavanaugh

Edited By Laurie Greene

Concerned Growers Listen intently for further Instructions.

Nearly 300 growers, PCAs and others with an interest in the California citrus industry gathered at the Heritage Complex Auditorium in Tulare today as nearly 178 square miles, representing 21,520 acres of citrus, sits waiting for the establishment of a quarantine following the trapping of six Asian Citrus Psyllids (ACPs) in mid June in Porterville.

There was apprehension and somber anticipation in the audience as the industry prepares for the largest quarantined area to be established in the San Joaquin Valley citrus orchards, where 10,800 jobs are directly related to citrus.

Citrus is a $2 billion industry in California, with about 80 percent of the entire California Citrus industry in the San Joaquin Valley. In Tulare County alone, the citrus industry is valued at $768 million on 119,000 acres.

This meeting was one of the most important meetings ever held in Tulare County regarding the ACP, which spreads Huanglongbing (HLB).

Marilyn Kinoshita

Marilyn Kinoshita, Tulare County Agricultural Commissioner, assured those in attendance that the quarantine is still pending as of July 30, but it will be imposed and remain in place until two complete, pest-free years elapse. In other words, if another psyllid is trapped in August, the two years will start again.

Victoria Hornbaker

Victoria Hornbaker, program manager, CDFA/Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Committee presented a history of on ACP and HLB stating that it was first detected in Florida in 1998 and California in 2008. She explained that the invasive pest can spread HLB which is deadly to citrus trees and incurable.

“Our citrus pest and disease prevention program consists of detection, trapping, visual survey, delimitation trapping, treatment and quarantines,” Hornbaker said.

Hornbaker noted that the pending state and federal quarantine will affect growers, packing houses, haulers and others within five miles around the recent ACP finds in the Porterville area. He said the quarantine will be established to prevent the spread of ACPs within the quarantine area and from known infested (quarantined) areas to outside the Quarantine area, i.e., the rest of the state and beyond.

Nawal Sharma, CDFA Environmental Program Manager, presented more details about the upcoming quarantine.

“If you are outside the five mile area, you do not need to do anything different, as the regulations do not apply to you,” Sharma said.

Nawal Sharm

“We have identified about 11 packing houses within the five-mile area. This does not mean, ‘Stop your business.’ If you are a grower within the quarantine area and are shipping to one of the packinghouses within the quarantine area, there is absolutely no impact on you. The reason is that the regulations allow moving the fruit along with leaves and stems within the quarantine area.”

“Now if a grower inside the quarantine area intends to ship to packinghouse outside the quarantine area he must make certain that all fruit is free of stems and leaves,” said Sharma. “The fruit then must be cleaned with a particular machine with rollers before it can leave a quarantine area.”

Transporters of fruit from a quarantine area to packinghouses outside the quarantine area must be in compliance, as are the growers.

Beth Grafton-Cardwell

Beth Grafton-Cardwell, IPM Specialist and Research Entomologist, Department of Entomology, UC Riverside, spoke about the psyllid treatment options in the quarantine area.

She instructed that it is important to stay proactive with effective insecticide treatments within the quarantine area. “Apply two ACP-effective materials with different modes of action as soon as possible after ACP detection, starting with one from the broad spectrum group,” Grafton-Cardwell explained. “The best treatment combination is a foliar pyrethroid (Baythroid, Danitol, Tombstone, or Mustang), plus a systemic neonicotinoid (Admire Pro or generic imidacloprid, or Platinum).

“Apply the foliar first for rapid knockdown and the systemic close to the same time since it takes time for uptake into the tree,” said Grafton-Cardwell.

“Use a systemic only if it will be effective with a proper irrigation system, soil type and appropriate timing for good uptake (June-October),” she said.

She noted that growers should be vigilant in scouting trees for ACP. She said the current protocol is to sample 10 trees each on the north, east, south and west borders of the orchard, plus in the center for a total of 50 trees. “The psyllid prefers borders and so the focus is on the outside edges of orchards,” she said.

Grafton-Cardwell described the Tap Sampling, Visual Sampling and Flush Sampling methods.

She shared a new website http://www.ucanr.edu/sites/acp that will explain all control protocols including details on management strategies, sampling, chemical control and sample costs for the growers’ budget.

Ken Keck

Finally, Ken Keck, president of the California Citrus Research Board (CRB), made a sobering point to growers. Keck is the former executive director of the Florida Department of Citrus and a current citrus grower in Florida. “My grove is heavily infected with HLB. I feel like the ex-con in front of a room with 17-year olds. So don’t make the mistakes that we made in Florida. You know the Florida and Texas experience, so the stage that the Central Valley is in right now is to Prevent, Prevent, Prevent.”

“It would be a tremendous mistake if the experiences of Texas and Florida did not help increase California’s motivation to deal with this pest and hopefully never [have to deal with] the disease,” Keck said.

“We all need to take this very seriously and stay on the prevention programs. We need all boots on the ground to get after this problem,” stated Keck. “There is hope that we can keep HLB from infecting commercial orchards in California because of the grower’s quick and united action,” Keck said.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:47:07-07:00July 31st, 2013|

STATEWIDE CONFERENCE ON FARMLAND PRESERVATION

Farmland Conservation: Reality?

To address the ongoing challenge of preserving farmlands in California, this cutting-edge community forum will showcase farmland preservation successes, identify threats to land conservation, and create opportunities for government and community action.

To coincide with both the 45^th Anniversary of Napa’s Agricultural Preserve (the nation’s first Ag Preserve!) and the 100^th Anniversary of Napa County Farm Bureau, the conference will be held:

Friday, August 2, 2013 from 9 am to 4 pm

Napa Valley Embassy Suites, 1075 California Blvd, Napa, CA 94559

Sponsors include: American Farmland Trust; California Department of Conservation; California Department of Food & Agriculture; Jack L. Davies Napa Valley Agricultural Land Preservation Fund; Napa Land Trust

Target Audience: Farmers, state & local elected and appointed officials, planners, conservation and community activists, land trusts, policy makers, Ag Commissioners, LAFCOs

Program Outline: 1) A call to action/status of current farmland losses in California 2) What are we doing right? Showcase successful programs 3) What are we doing wrong? Identify obstacles 4) Envision a dramatic suite of new opportunities, policies & programs to protect farmland.

Registration for the conference is open.

Go to: napafarmbureau.org/farmpreservationforum.htmlto purchase tickets. Space is limited to 200 participants, so don’t wait to register! We expect the event to sell out quickly.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:47:07-07:00July 31st, 2013|

FOUR MORE YEARS OF PREVENTION

CDFA Extends Citrus Threat Prevention

Today, the California Department of Food and Agriculture extended the California Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Program for an additional four years. The extension came after several public hearings and a comment period that confirmed overwhelming support for continuing the program among stakeholders.

The program was created by legislation in 2009, establishing a process for the self-assessment of citrus producers to support ongoing protection efforts against threats such as the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP). ACP is a pest that spreads the bacteria causing huanglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening, a fatal disease of citrus trees for which there is no cure. Producer assessments this year are expected to generate $15 million for the program.

“We are grateful to the citrus industry for its partnership in this program,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “We believe that working together gives us the best chance to protect commercial and residential citrus trees throughout California.”

The legislation authorizing the citrus program, AB 281 (De Leon), required the re-evaluation of the program this year. The legislation also requires the program to be reviewed in 2017, once again, with stakeholder input through a public process to determine its continuation.

ACP has been detected in nine California counties. Quarantines (existing and proposed) to help control its spread cover more than 45-thousand square miles. HLB was detected just once in California – last year on a single residential property in Hacienda Heights, Los Angeles County.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:47:07-07:00July 30th, 2013|

GROUP URGES IMMIGRATION REFORM

Additional Appeal for Congressional Immigration Reform

This week, a group of about 430 organizations sent a letter to House Speaker Boehner and Minority Leader Pelosi urging Congressto enact legislation for immigration reform.

Undersigned organizations include: Paramount Farms, Adobe,California Chamber of Commerce, California Cotton Ginners Association, California Farm Bureau Federation, Sweet Potato Council of California, California Grape and Tree Fruit League, Oracle, California Strawberry Commission, Intel Corporation, Grower-Shipper Association of Central California, and Sun-Maid Growers of California

The letter reads, “Reform of an outdated, broken immigration system is essential if we are to achieve a fully revitalized economy that provides and accelerates rewarding and lasting jobs and opportunities for all Americans.” . . . “We deal with an immigration system that is now in its third decade and completely incapable of being responsive to an ever-changing national economy and hypercompetitive global marketplace.”

Leaders urge reform at a critical time when U.S. economic growth has struggled to recover. “Done right, reform will also serve to protect and complement our U.S. workforce, generating greater productivity and economic activity that will lead to new innovations, products, businesses, and jobs in communities across the U.S.”

“Problems with our immigration system have grown and multiplied to become an emerging threat to the current and future productivity, ingenuity, and competitiveness of key sectors of our economy, including

agriculture,” among others.

The letter urges Congress NOT to watch a generation-old immigration system work against the overall national interest. Rather it calls for Congress to recognize the clear benefits of immigration reform to the economy’s success and to collaborate to achieve pro-growth reform.

As stated in the letter, “Failure to act is not an option.”

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:47:07-07:00July 30th, 2013|

FRACKING AND AGRICULTURE

Fracking Oil Industry Sharpening Bits

Among Many Concerns

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Editor, and Laurie Greene, Associate Editor

The oil industry is snapping up speculative mineral leases across what’s known as the Monterey Shale, an area that includes vast agricultural, yet water-scarce regions in the San Joaquin Valley, offshore the central coast, the coastal range and areas in Los Angeles County.

According to Don Clarke, an LA-based geologist, “Drillers have to move a lot of fluid for fracking. With conservation and economics in mind, regulations will require that used water and chemicals will be saved [for reuse] by building large tanks or by scheduling fracking so when one job stops, another begins.”

“Oil companies are trying to determine how to get the Monterey Shale oil economically,” noted Clarke. “Unknown geologic and other complex issues could necessitate a $25 million investment for the first bore, with no guarantees of success. But in any case, oil companies will most likely not have the technology needed to drill for the oil until 2015.”

Yet, California is reeling from droughts and environmental pressures that resulted in the biological opinion-derived diversion of 1 million acre-feet of water from the Delta to protect fish species. The resulting water deficit has severely impacted Central Valley farmers, stressing their ground water supplies already hurting from this year’s 80 percent water-delivery deficit, and requiring supplemental pumping that over-drafts wells. Furthermore, Bureau of Reclamation officials warn that Westlands Water District farmers may face a zero allocation next year.

After irrigation, environmental projects, and the state’s municipalities take their necessary water, there is very little water left, except what’s in storage. “The amount of water needed could be a deal-killer and the cost of water being pulled from agriculture would not be sustainable for oil companies,” Clarke said. “Possibly the only way to do this without impacting farmers is to use ocean water that is deeply trapped in the ground for fracking.”

Farmers are listening but are not overly concerned. Joe Del Bosque, who farms in Firebaugh and Huron, is a Governor Brown-appointed member of the California Water Commission. Del Bosque said, “I am certain that oil companies will not take water away from farms and cities or harm the water supply of the state. I have not heard any farmers voice concerns. In fact, it’s my understanding that the drilling is down so deep, it will not effect anyone.”

Don Drysdale, from the Public Affairs Office with California Department of Conservation (CA DOC), stated that in most cases, “hydraulic fracturing is going after resources hundreds, if not thousands, of feet below the water table, and there are natural geologic barriers as well as construction standards protecting the groundwater.”

In terms of benefits, a University of California (UC) report projects oil drilling in the Monterey Shale area will produce one half-million new jobs by 2015 and 2.8 million by 2020, and as much as $24.6 billion in state and local taxes.

Manuel Cunha, President of the Nisei Farmer’s League in Fresno, said, “The opponents of fracking say that it will destroy air and water quality and will hurt people—which is all wrong. Since the start of 2011, 974 California wells have been fracked, many in the southern San Joaquin Valley with no contamination to drinking water.”

Nevertheless, the Sierra Club and other opposition groups maintain that fracking would risk disaster for California’s wild lands, water and air quality, and wildlife. These groups have filed formal protests and suits against the U.S. Bureau of Land (BLM). On May 7, 2013, the BLM postponed all oil and gas lease sales on California public lands for the rest of the fiscal year; however, private land leases are still up for grabs.

In response, the CA DOC is conducting public meetings for input as it creates hydraulic fracturing regulations. The first regulation draft is due this summer and will include disclosure requirements and rigorous testing and evaluation before, during, and after hydraulic fracturing operations to ensure that wells and geologic formations remain competent and that drinking water is uncontaminated. Some of the proposed requirements will surpass those of any other state.

In addition to regulation, legislation for hydraulic fracturing is developing that would define the terms of hydraulic fracturing and hydraulic fracturing fluid and require the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency to mandate an independent scientific study on hydraulic fracturing treatments to be completed on or before Jan. 1 2015. Violators would incur a civil penalty of $10,000 to $25,000 per day, per violation; however the bill has gained little support thus far.

Dave Quast, Director ofCalifornia Energy in Depth (EID), said, “We have never experienced the negative environmental impact that extreme activists are prophesizing. Hydraulic fracturing is a regulated activity and is becoming more regulated. It’s a proven technology that has been used in California for more than six decades and, hopefully, the public will become more reassured as the process moves along.”

As we embark on the proposition of fracking in California, we can be certain of a healthy debate, and we will hope for a science-based decision.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:47:07-07:00July 30th, 2013|

FDA Levels Playing Field

BREAKING NEWS

FDA to Ensure Safe Imported Food

By Laurie Greene, Associate Editor

In order to implement the bipartisan Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) signed by President Obama, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Food and Drug Administration today issued two proposed rules aimed at helping to ensure that imported food meets the same safety standards as food produced in the United States.

These proposals are part of the FSMA approach to modernizing the food safety system for the 21st century, which is right in line with FSMA’s mission of preventing food safety problems, rather than reacting to them after the fact.

Imported food comes into the United States from about 150 different countries and accounts for roughly 15 percent of the U.S. food supply, including approximately 50 percent of the fresh fruits and 20 percent of the fresh vegetables consumed by Americans.

Under the proposed rules, The FDA proposes to adopt regulations on foreign supplier verification programs (FSVPs) for U.S. food importers to follow. For the first time, importers would be accountable for verifying their foreign suppliers are implementing modern, preventive food safety practices, and achieving the same level of food safety as domestic growers and processors.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is also amending its regulations to provide for accreditation of third-party auditors or certification bodies to conduct food safety audits of foreign food entities, including registered foreign food facilities, and to issue food and facility certifications, under the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The FDA expects that these regulations will strengthen the quality, objectivity, and transparency of foreign food safety audits on which many food companies and importers currently rely, and increase efficiency by reducing the number of redundant food safety audits.

Additional benefits include the increased flow of credible information to FDA regarding the foreign company compliance with food safety regulations that are ultimately offered for import into the United States, This information would, in turn, inform FDA’s inspection plans of foreign food facilities and possibly reveal problems with a particular firm or its products, and possibly raise questions about the rigor of the food safety regulatory system of the country of origin.

“We must work toward global solutions to food safety so that whether you serve your family food grown locally or imported you can be confident that it is safe,” said FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D.

The FDA encourages Americans to review and comment on these important proposed rules. The proposed FSVP rule and the third-party accreditation rule are available for public comment by submitting either electronic or written comments until November 26, 2013. Together, the two proposed rules would help the FDA create an integrated, efficient import oversight food safety system.

These new proposals work in concert with the proposed rules released in January 2013, for produce safety and preventive controls in facilities that produce human food.

Those proposed rules are currently open for comment until September 16, 2013, but the FDA intends to grant a 60-day final extension of the comment period to allow the public more time to consider the interrelationships between the January proposals and the two proposals being announced today.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:47:08-07:00July 29th, 2013|

QUARANTINE COMING FOR TULARE COUNTY

BREAKING NEWS IN TULARE COUNTY

USDA Signs off On ACP Quarantine

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Editor

A five-mile boundary quarantine is scheduled to be announced this week that encircles the two traps near Porterville that caught six Asian Citrus Psyllid adults in mid June. The quarantine is not following a measured radius; instead, roads and avenues will establish the outer boundaries of the quarantine.

“This represents 178 square miles where citrus cannot be removed unless certain protocols are followed,” said Gavin Iacono, Tulare County Deputy Ag Commissioner overseeing Standards and Quarantines.

“The quarantine has not been officially designated by CDFA, but it should happen soon,” Iacono said. “And the treatment has not been approved—as of today.”

Iacono noted the current protocol for a quarantined zone such as in Southern California is citrus cannot leave the area unless the fruit is sent over the top of a series of rollers and brushes—otherwise known as a moveable field fruit cleaning machine—such as those seen in packing houses. Also, the citrus must be free of stems and leaves. From there, the citrus can go into bins, loaded on trucks and shipped out of the area. “Right now, this is the only approved method, and it may be the method recommended by CDFA,” Iacono said.

One problem is that there are few field cleaning machines in the area. “Most of those portable machines on tractor-trailers are in Southern California where pre-cleaning is done in most citrus areas,” noted Iacono. “Some of these machines may need to be moved into Tulare County.”

Watch this blog for updated information on the pending quarantine.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:47:08-07:00July 29th, 2013|

APG Organization Grows

American Pistachio Growers Meet

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Editor

More than 300 growers and others allied to the pistachio industry gathered in Visalia today for the American Pistachio Growers (APG) Annual Summer Luncheon.

Here are the highlights of the many topics discussed during the meeting.

Jim Zion, APG Board Chairman;

The marketing budget presented is the accumulation of many meetings and countless hours by committee members and APG staff to determine the best use of annual assessment dollars received each year, always keeping the mission statement clearly in mind. Simply put, the process is done in a transparent manner in which every member has the opportunity for input.

Richard Matoian, APG Executive Director, made these comments:

· With the increase in plantings over the last 10 years, the pistachio industry projects that around 2018 or 2020, the industry will reach 1 billion pounds.

· Consumer/Food Service demand must be ahead of this increased production, so marketing activities are planned ahead of time to meet the new level.

· Based upon current projections, by the end of this fiscal year, the industry will ship 300 million pounds to various export destinations. Just six years ago, the industry was shipping just above 100 million pounds.

· China and Hong Kong together have become the #1 export destination for U.S. pistachios.

· For current year shipments from September 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013, with the last two months extrapolated, total U.S. exports are up an average of 5.7 percent. This includes Eastern Europe, which is up by 75 percent; Asia, up 4.4 percent; China, up 3 percent; and Western Europe, up by 10.4 percent.

· During the same time period, domestic shipments are down about 3.9 percent, with roughly 144 million pounds currently, versus 149 million pounds shipped by the same time, last year. But in looking at a two-year average, domestic shipments are up by about 25 percent.

· The APG marketing program targets markets both domestic and abroad, with the bulk of the effort is aimed at export markets. About 81 percent of the APG budget is devoted to marketing in order to keep consumer demand ahead of production.

· Over the last five years, APG members have increased from 351 members to 548 members, a 56 percent increase.

Judy Hirigoyen, APG Director, Global Marketing made these comments:

· Pistachios are now known as one of the top ten trends in food service. Pistachios are now the new “it” ingredients.

· Demand must stay ahead of supply. And there are many areas of the world that cannot get pistachios, and we are looking forward to supplying that need.

· This year, $9.2 million dollars were invested in marketing, and $1.3 million in nutrition, which, together, represents 83 percent of the budget.

· In the countries that APG actively markets, the shipments have increased by 70 percent—a huge growth. All the time, there has been no change to grower assessments. The budget increases have been the result of the growth in membership. That’s why it’s important to recruit more growers to the organization.

· Because food development by major food companies takes anywhere from six months to two years to launch a product, Hirigoyen emphasized that the time is now to place pistachios as an ingredient in their product development, and get those products in the pipeline. By the time they are finished, we will have all the pistachios they need.

· Among the APG Ambassadors is Miss California, Crystal Lee, who happens to be Chinese and is fluent in Mandarin. APG is looking forward to taking her to China to help market APG pistachios.

· Between December 2012 and May 2013, APG marketing reached more than 3.2 billion PR impressions, with the value, if it had been paid for, is worth $64 million dollars. This means that every dollar spent on marketing has returned $52 dollars back to the grower in promotion around the world.

Also during the event, Bob Beede was recognized for his 35 years of service to the pistachio industry as a UCCE Farm Advisor. Beede retired in June 2013.

Complete coverage of the annual event will appear in the September issue of Pacific Nut Producer magazine.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:47:08-07:00July 27th, 2013|

Lettuce Growers See Big Rally

Salinas Lettuce Prices Soar Upward

Lettuce Harvest was brisk throughout the Salinas Valley over the last week as Lettuce Prices were up due do shortages.

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Editor

Due to excess hot temperatures on the East Coast hurting quality and supply in the area, produce buyers have rung up the sellers in Salinas for some good quality green leaf, and iceberg varieties.

“It’s crazy, and definitely unusual,” said Ben Wilson a salesman for Salinas-based Coastline Produce.

“On Wednesday most 24-count green leaf cartons were shipping for $13 to $15 up from $10 to $11.50 a year ago,” Wilson said. “On June 22, prices were as high as $20.00 per carton.

Demand has been so robust that it has caused a shortage of green leaf and iceberg in the Salinas Valley. “It’s very tight,” said Wilson.

“Just over a month ago, we had more lettuce than we knew what to do with, and prices were in the cellar,” said Wilson. “But then East Coast came up short on product and that created big demand.”

Currently in Salinas, there are many fields of lettuce, but they are still weeks away from harvest.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:47:08-07:00July 26th, 2013|

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