Preventing Shaker Damage in Almonds

Almond Harvest Needs Mindful Decisions

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Editor

Because there is a lot of variability in any almond orchard based on the performance of the rootstock and scion, as well as wet and dry areas on the orchard floor, the shaker harvest will not be the same for each tree. “There will be differences,” said David Doll, UC Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor in Merced County. “This variability within the orchard makes it difficult to farm; different varieties are being harvested at different times.”

David Doll, UC Cooperative Extension

Farm Advisor, Merced County.

“There are differences in vigor, hullsplit and ripening, so shaker operators should be mindful of possible shaker damage to trees under certain conditions. Wet areas will shake differently than dry areas, and wet areas may not even be ready to shake,” Doll said.

Shaker damage to the bark of trees allows the fungus Ceratocystisto travel in the wounds. Ceratocystisis more likely to infect the trunk tissue when a wound occurs in the warmer months.

The fungal spores are carried by small insects that are attracted to the odors that the tree gives off. Once inside the trunk tissue, the fungus grows horizontally and vertically, creating a canker that increases in size each year.

“If a tree becomes infected, it essentially shortens the orchard’s life,” said Doll. “And we are seeing more Ceratocystis in the valley. If a grower is looking for longevity of the orchard, it’s important to harvest at the proper timing for the tree–not the whole orchard block. It is a tree-by-tree decision. But this is very difficult to manage, because it takes a lot of time.”

“Again, be more observant of the wetter areas of an orchard. It could mean coming back a few days later to minimize the tree damage. And this information needs to get to the shaker operator, which is yet another variable in the orchard,” said Doll.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:47:08-07:00July 25th, 2013|

California Dates Moving Closer to Harvest

California Dates Being Bagged for Protection

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Editor

Tucked into the southeastern corner of Imperial County alongside the Arizona border and Mexico border is the Bard Valley where high quality dates are grown.

Ranch Managers Ron Hill, left
and Steve McCollum

This week, workers are on 60-foot high reach lifts, putting protected bags around the date-fruiting branches.

“The dates are ripening up, turning from green to yellow, and that’s when the birds start coming in. So we protect our dates with the bags,” said Ron Hill, farm manager of Royal Medjool Date Garden in Winter Haven, Calif. “It also protects the fruit from harsh wind storms, which could knock the dates off their fruiting branches,” said Hill, who has been managing the 400 acre operation since Jan. 1997.

Workers will come back in 7-10 days before harvest and close the bottom of the bags to catch any ripe fruit that may detach from the branches.

“The bags stay completely closed as we get to harvest,” said Hill. “It takes 3 to 4 trips through the date gardens to harvest all the ripe fruit.”

Hill noted that currently labor supply is decent. “We have about 60 employees getting the job done, but we will ramp up to about 175 around August 20, which is harvest time,” he said.

He explained that a thinning operation in May is the peak season for labor. “We need about 260 farm employees, and we were okay this year,” he said.

Hill said the fresh date market is good. About 95 percent of the dates go to the fresh market. That last five percent are for those delicious date rolls enjoyed by many!

Pictured are bagged date palms on trees significantly younger than the tall trees found in the Bard Valley.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:47:08-07:00July 25th, 2013|

Meeting Schedule for ACP Update and Control

MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT FOR TULARE COUNTY GROWERS/PCAS/PCOS

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

9:00 a.m. to Noon

Doors open at 8:00 a.m.

International Agri-Center, Heritage Complex Auditorium 4450 S. Laspina St.
Tulare, California 93274

On July 11 , CDFA announced recent findings of six Asian citrus psyllids on three glassy-wingedsharpshooter (GWSS) traps in the Porterville area. While we were all happy to hear the restrictions which were a result of the November 2012 ACP finds were lifted as of June 17th in Tulare County, these new finds mean new regulations in nearby areas.

Orchards near the trap finds will need to be treated and quarantine areas are being defined that will restrict movement of bulk citrus and nursery plants. This meeting is your opportunity to learn how these new finds and the regulations associated with them will affect you and your neighbors; how your CPDPP assessment dollars are being spent; and the best strategies for treating for Asian citrus psyllid in your groves.

TOPICS & SPEAKERS

Marilyn Kinoshita – Ag Commissioner, Tulare County UPDATE ON CPDPP ACTIVITIES

WELCOME & INTRODUCTIONS

Victoria Hornbaker – Program Manager, CDFA/Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program

Nawal Sharma – Environmental Program Manager, CDFA Marilyn Kinoshita – Tulare County Ag CommissionerTHE NEWEST REGULATIONS FOR TULARE COUNTY

Ken Keck – President, Citrus Research Board CDFA URBAN/RESIDENTIAL SURVEY AND TREATMENTS, FLORIDA PERSPECTIVE ON AREAWIDE TREATMENTS

Debby Tanouye – Branch Chief, Pest Detection Emergency Program, CDFA AREA–WIDE TREATMENT NOTIFICATION & PROCEDURES

Bob Wagner –Regional Grower Liaison, Tulare County

Dr. Beth Crafton-Cardwell – IPM Specialist & Research Entomologist, Dept. of Entomology, UCR

ACP SAMPLING & TREATMENT STRATEGIES

There is no charge for this program, however; an RSVP would be greatly appreciated. Please contact Emma at 559-738-0246 or email: info@citrusresearch.org

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:47:08-07:00July 25th, 2013|

Early Harvest Season for Almonds

2013 Almond Harvest To Start

Almond harvest should start in earnest in Kern County, most likely next week, given the 100-degree temperatures everywhere. This is very early for this year’s crop size.

“The Nonpareils are going like crazy,” said Vern Crawford, a long-time PCA for Wilbur-Ellis Co., Shafter Branch. “With the crop estimate down, prices are up, and that’s good since growers had to spend so much on mite sprays this year.”

“This is the worst mite year that we’ve ever had–across the whole county,” Crawford noted. “The reason for the high pressure is not exactly clear,” he said.

“But the biggest problem all growers are having is the lack of water,” Crawford said. “We need more dams and we need the cities along the coast to put up desalinization plants to cut their demand on the water we need for agriculture.”

“Many Kern County farmers are now extracting water at the bottom of their wells and will need to spend $250,000 each to go deeper. Those big deep wells on the West Side with 200 HP pumps are sucking the water from the East Side,” he said.

Crawford warned that the groundwater will not last long. “We are going to barely make it through this season with 30 percent allocations. And next season, if we do not get enough water for the vast orchards on the west side of Kern County, on beautiful ground and with every irrigation economy available, particularly drip, growers will go into survival mode,” said Crawford.

Growers will shake their trees at bloom to eliminate the crop and then give the tree a few sips of water so that that it doesn’t die. Hopefully that will get them to another good winter of rain. But still, it will take the trees two full years to recover.

“And it’s amazing that nearly all of these water problems are due to the Delta Smelt,” Crawford said.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-12-07T15:53:34-08:00July 24th, 2013|

CA DPR to Regulate Rodenticide

CA DPR To Designate Rodenticide Products as Restricted Materials

By Laurie Greene, Associate Editor

The Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) proposes to amend and adopt sections of Title 3, California Code of Regulations. The proposed action would designate the active ingredients brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difenacoum, and difethialone as California-restricted materials, making all second-generation anticoagulant rodenticide (SGAR) products restricted materials.

Also, this proposed action would add additional use restrictions for SGARs and revise the definition of private applicator to refer to the federal definition of agricultural commodityfound in the Code of Federal Regulations section 171.2(5).

Any interested person may present comments in writing about the proposed action to the agency by emailing <dpr13002@cdpr.ca.gov> or faxing 916-324-1452no later than 5:00 p.m. on September 3, 2013.

A public hearing is not scheduled. However, one will be scheduled if any interested person submits a written request to DPR no later than 15 days prior to the close of the written comment period.

DPR has determined that the proposed regulatory action does affect small businesses.

As background, pesticides must be registered (licensed for sale and use) with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) before they can be registered in California. DPR’s preregistration evaluation is in addition to, and complements, U.S. EPA’s evaluation. Before a pesticide can be sold or used, both agencies require data on a product’s toxicology and chemistry, how it behaves in the environment, its effectiveness against targeted pests, the hazards it poses to non-target organisms, its effect on fish and wildlife, and its degree of worker exposure.

DPR’s current definition of private applicator refers to an individual who uses or supervises the use of a pesticide for the purpose of producing an agricultural commodity.

The term agricultural commoditymeans any plant, or part thereof, or animal, or animal product produced by a person (including farmers, ranchers, vineyardists, plant propagators, among others) primarily for sale, consumption, propagation, or other use by man or animals.

In addition, U.S. EPA specified as a term/condition of sale/distribution in the reregistration notices of all SGAR products that the registrant can only sell or distribute these products in a manner that results in sales in stores oriented towards agricultural consumers (i.e., farm, agricultural, tractor stores) and pest control operators.

DPR anticipates delaying the effective date of this regulation by as much as six months to ensure there is adequate time for entities impacted by these regulations to comply with the new certification requirements.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:47:09-07:00July 24th, 2013|

Practical Knowledge Leads to Good Jobs

Growing Demand for Ag Students

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Editor

Clint Cowden, an instructor at West Hills Community College in Coalinga, knows about the demand for specific jobs in agriculture.

A special program for training future Pest Control Advisors (PCAs) and Certified Crop Advisors (CCAs) is available at West Hills.

“Many of the large growers in our area came in and asked if we had students available who could help them on their operations. They were looking for on-the-farm PCAs and CCAs on the private side,” said Cowden. “They are also looking for welders, irrigation managers, and equipment operators.”

“In fact, PG&E has stated that they will need up to 5,000 welders over the next five years,” Cowden stated. “We have students coming in and training for this demand.”

Students get the text-book training along with practical hands-on experience in many areas in agriculture. “Students complete the programs with certificates stating that they meet all the rigorous demands that businesses will need,” Cowden said. “Our students typically get an average of 20 separate certificates that are backed by national professional associations and many industries.”

“Instead of the college professors teaching kids what they think they should learn, the industry got together and stated the true skills that students need to succeed in those industries,” Cowden said. “We want our students to clearly have the skills they need to succeed, and the certificates will state what skills they have,” he said.

Students earn an Associates Degree in Ag Science and Technology, and the credits are transferable to other colleges and universities such as Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, UC Davis, California State University Fresno, or others.

Cowden noted that the PCA/CCA program is taught with on-line lectures and face-to-face nine-hour labs across three weekends. “This enables students to stay employed where they are and work around their job to earn the new skills,” he said.

An update on the Bachelors Degree requirement for a PCA license: “It’s known as Option 3 and approved by the Department of Pesticide Regulation. The requirement is 42 Science Units over 24 months, and the students can take the required PCA exam for a license. For the CCA license, five years of experience is required.

The next PCA/CCA class starts on August 19.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:47:09-07:00July 24th, 2013|

Protecting Citrus Genes in case of HLB Wipeout

Scientists Put Citrus in “Deep Freeze”

for Preservation

BY LAURIE GREENE, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists are creating a backup storage site or “genebank” for citrus germplasm in the form of small buds, called shoot tips, which have been cryopreserved, according to Jan Suszkiw, USDA Public Affairs Specialist.

Plant physiologist Gayle Volk of the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is applying the procedure to create a long-term genebank for important citrus varieties, breeding lines and wild citrus species. These efforts coincide with concern over the spread of citrus greening, an insect-borne disease first detected in the U.S. in August 2005, has been found in California, and which now threatens the nation’s citrus crop, valued at $3.4 billion in 2011-12.

In cryopreservation—that is, the process of being plunged into liquid nitrogen—Volk saw a way to safeguard valuable germplasm without fear of losing it to insects or disease, as well as natural disasters such as freezes, droughts and hurricanes. Instead of safeguarding whole plants or trees, her approach involves cutting tiny shoot tips from new growth, called “flush,” and cryopreserving the material for long-term cold storage inside state-of the-art vaults.

To date, Volk, together with ARS colleagues Richard Lee, Robert Krueger and others, have cryopreserved the shoot tips of 30 cultivars acquired from citrus germplasm collections managed at Riverside, Calif., by ARS in collaboration with the University of California-Riverside.

In preliminary experiments, an average of 53 percent of shoot tips survived being cryopreserved and thawed for use in rootstock grafting procedures, which enable generation of whole citrus plants.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:47:09-07:00July 24th, 2013|

Tulare County Ag Value Just Behind Fresno!

Tulare County 2012 Crop Report Production Value Up 10 Percent

Tulare County’s total gross production value for 2012 is $6.22 billion. The report, released today, showed an increase of $581 million, or 10 percent above the 2011 value of $5.6 billion.

Dairy products continue to be the leading agricultural commodity in the County, with a total gross value of $1.8 billion, a decrease of 12 percent.

“Milk represents 29 percent of the total crop and livestock value for 2012,” said Marilyn Kinoshita, Tulare County Agricultural Commissioner. “Total milk production in Tulare County remained relatively stable,” she said.

Possibly, if milk prices were a little higher during the year, Tulare County would have beat Fresno County for the first time!

“Livestock and Poultry’s gross value of $661 million represents an increase of 5.8 percent above 2011, mostly due to an increase in value for turkeys, cattle and calves,” noted Kinoshita.

Fruit and nut commodities were valued at $2.8 billion representing an increase of 29 percent. “The majority of this gain was the result of an excellent year for our grape category,” Kinoshita noted.

The total value of all field crops was $776 million, an increase of 24 percent from 2011. “Local demand for dairy feed continues to keep high values for our field crops. Nursery products were valued at $67 million, representing an increase of 2.5 percent over last year. “This minor increase is a reflection of the continued uncertainties in both the housing and agricultural markets,” Kinoshita explained.

Vegetable crops were valued at $20 million in 2012, representing a less than one percent increase.

“The 2012 report covers more than 120 different commodities, 43 of which have a gross value in excess of $1 million. Although individual commodities may experience difficulties from year to year, Tulare County continues to produce high-quality crops that provide food and fiber to more than 84 countries throughout the world,” said Kinoshita.

Kinoshita expressed appreciation to her staff, particularly Lea Pereira, Jacqui Balderas, and Dennis Haines for their contributions to the report.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-08-31T13:28:59-07:00July 23rd, 2013|

Ag Education Pays

Students Awarded More Than $225,000

in Farm Bureau Scholarships

More than 70 students wishing to pursue careers as farmers, ranchers or in occupations related to agriculture earned $226,200 in scholarships from the California Farm Bureau Scholarship Foundation. The Foundation has distributed more than $2 million in scholarships since its inception in 1955.

The scholarships are awarded based on students’ academic achievements, leadership skills, career goals, extracurricular activities and other factors.

Following interviews with the applicants, the foundation awarded $2,500 in special scholarships to six students:

• Ryan Lundberg of Chico won the Howard P. Wackman II Perpetual Memorial Award, a scholarship named for the late California Farm Bureau Federation vice president. Lundberg will be a junior this fall at California State University, Chico, where he majors in agricultural business. He plans to become a pest control advisor and help on his family’s rice farm.

• Gavin Abraham of Livingston earned the Frederick J. Heringer Honorary Award, a scholarship named for the late CFBF president. Abraham will be a sophomore at California State University, Fresno, and after graduation hopes to return home to help run the family farm.

• Bronté Phillips of Ceres was granted the Carolyn Richardson Memorial Award. A senior at California State University, Stanislaus, Phillips plans to attend law school after graduation to pursue a career in agricultural law or lobbying. The scholarship is named for the late CFBF environmental advocate.

• Jacob Carlson of Elk Grove earned the John H. Wiechman Memorial Award, a scholarship given in memory of the late CFBF Leadership Development Manager. Carlson will be a sophomore at Fresno State, majoring in animal science, with plans to pursue a career as a large-animal veterinarian.

• Bethany Couchman of Modesto and Joshua Donnelly of Sacramento were awarded scholarships sponsored by the Agricultural Lenders Society of California. Couchman is a sophomore at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, studying agribusiness. She plans to pursue a career as a production manager and eventually earn a master’s in business administration. Donnelly will be a junior at the University of California, Davis, and majors in managerial economics. He plans to become a beef cattle producer and commodity market analyst.

A sixth special scholarship category, the Rustici Livestock and Rangeland Scholarship Award, benefits rangeland-management students who plan careers in beef or sheep ranching or in range management. Thirty-six students earned Rustici scholarships for $2,500 or $5,000: Lindsey Affonso, Palo Cedro; Frank Arburua III, Stockton; Jessica Arndt, Inverness; Erica Bianchi, Gilroy; Bailey Bidwell, Hat Creek; Kendra Brennan, Sonora; Clayton Brown, San Luis Obispo; Emily Cehrs, Sanger; Hope Connolly, Tracy; Brandon Denier, Galt; Jaxon Fitzgerald, Palo Cedro; Sydney Fultz, Modesto; Kathleen Furtado, Bakersfield; Kristine Gomez, Philomath, Ore.; Bailey Hagata, Susanville; Tom Hardesty, Elk Grove; Jackie Hardesty, Elk Grove; Justine Henderson, Cottonwood; Natalie Holmberg-Douglas, Penn Valley; Alison King, Atwater; Leland McDonald, Galt; Cody McDougald, Friant; Stephen Miller, Tracy; Katie Olagaray, Lodi; Joshua Polich, Visalia; Weston Roberti, Loyalton; Jacob Rogers, Glennville; Jordan Sparrowk, Clements; Katie Stroud, Adin; Kaitlin Swickard, Susanville; John Thompson, Hollister; Grace Tobias, Tres Pinos; Kiah Twisselman, Santa Margarita; Dustin Wallis, Arcata; Austin Whittle, Susanville; and Lee Yantis, Bakersfield.

California Farm Bureau Scholarship awards of $1,000 to college seniors and $1,250 to enrolled college students were granted to 36 students: Collin Abraham, Livingston; Kristin Alamo, Modesto; Suzanne Amaral, Sonoma; Kerilyn Ambrosini, Ferndale; Hannah Beeler, Escalon; Adrienne Bradley, Grass Valley; Jana Colombini, Linden; Jason Colombini, Linden; Joshua Dowell, Coarsegold; Maddie Dunlap, Maxwell; Adelaide Dyer, Alpine; Maddison Easley, Nevada City; Brandon Emery, Winters; Casey Erickson, Porterville; Katerina Flores, Marina; Hannah Fortin, Janesville; Francesca Gambonini, Petaluma; Mackenzie Gomes, Willows; Ben Granholm, Grass Valley; Brea Haller, Imperial; Kimberly Macintosh, Sutter Creek; Corinne Madison, Acampo; Kellie Mancino, Hollister; Alex Marsh, Arbuckle; Natalie Massa, Willows; Amy McBirney, Morgan Hill; Jake Odello, Carmel; Taylor Pires, Los Banos; Katherine Roberti, Loyalton; Courtney Taylor, Yuba City; Gianna Toso, Hornitos; RaeAnne vanTol, Ramona; Jessica Vazquez, Cottonwood; Samantha Viano, Martinez; Danielle Wood, Susanville; and Taylor Zumstein, Fallbrook.

The California Farm Bureau Federation works to protect family farms and ranches on behalf of more than 74,000 members statewide and as part of a nationwide network of more than 6.2 million Farm Bureau members.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:47:09-07:00July 23rd, 2013|

Water Board Proposes Drought

Possible Drought?

State Water Board Thinks So

Yes, the reservoirs are slowly emptying and many crops are not getting enough water because of severely reduced allocations. But the reason is not due to a drought. The fact is that this year’s rain (pink line) is not that far off an average year (black dotted line).

The average of eight precipitation stations serves as a wetness index

for the Sacramento River hydrologic region, where most of the state’s rain occurs.

The eight-station index provides a representative sample of the region’s major watersheds, which are: the upper Sacramento, Feather, Yuba, and American Rivers, which produce inflow to some of California’s largest reservoirs

– the source of much of our water supply. The eight stations are:

Blue Canyon, Brush Creek Ranger Station, Mineral, Mount Shasta City, Pacific House, Quincy Ranger Station, Shasta Dam, and Sierraville Ranger Station.

Seasonal runoff forecasts are based on many more measurements than

this index, including snowpack and prior streamflow. And yes, the seasonal forecasts are a more accurate measure of water supply, but great consideration must be made to the nearly one million acre-feet released to the ocean last winter for “flood control” instead of to storage. This is due to the biological opinion that restricts turning on the pumps that move the water to storage.

Again, there are many ways to characterize a drought. But the most accurate definition describing the situation in California this year can only be titled, “A Congressional Drought!”

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:47:09-07:00July 23rd, 2013|