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Orange County Farm Bureau Endowment

$1 Million Endowment For Orange County Farm Bureau

By Melissa Moe, Associate Editor

The University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Orange County Farm Bureau have partnered up to ensure agricultural education activities in Orange County are funded for years to come through a million-dollar endowment.

Glenda Humiston, Vice President of UC Ag and Natural Resources had this to say about the recent partnership: “What Orange County Farm Bureau did today by creating an endowed chair, putting half a million dollars into the endowment – which was matched by [UC President Janet Napolitano] with another half million – is going to create an endowment that’s going to fund agricultural education activities in Orange County and the surrounding region for decades to come.”

The UC is hoping that it just doesn’t stop in Orange County. Partnerships like the one made in Orange County could benefit counties all over the state.

“This is a way for us to make sure the resources we need are there and that they’re targeted for the needs identified by individuals at their local area,” Humiston said.

Humiston said the UC worked very closely with Orange County to determine how that endowment would work.

“A million-dollar endowment typically will create between $40,000 and $45,000 a year. In this particular case, what Orange County Farm Bureau designated was for the funding to go to the director of the South Coast Research Extension Center. That director will use it for agricultural educational programming at the site,” she said.

Patrick Cavanaugh2017-01-12T14:54:00-08:00January 12th, 2017|

Combatting The Water Board’s Plan

Water Diversion Could Cause Businesses to Leave, Group Says

By Brian German, Associate Broadcaster

The State Water Resources Control Board recently held a public hearing to receive input on its Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan. The proposal would force the Modesto and Turlock irrigation districts to dedicate 40 percent of unimpaired flows along the Tuolumne River to benefit fish and wildlife. David White is the CEO of Opportunity Stanislaus, a company that is all about improving the economic vitality of Stanislaus County. He noted how the proposal will negatively impact the local economy.

“We’re going to lose at least 14,000 jobs, good paying jobs. … They didn’t take into consideration all the processors we have here,” White said.

The Bay-Delta Plan is required to be updated every three years by the State Water Board. The purpose is to identify the best use of water supplies and set quality objectives for the Bay-Delta. The Plan also establishes a system of implementation for achieving those water quality objectives. The effects of the proposal would be detrimental to some of the major operations in the area.

“You talk about E. & J. Gallo. You think about Del Monte, Seneca, Stanislaus Food Products. We have multi-billion dollar companies here that depend on water as their life blood. If they don’t have their water … they might have to leave. They’re going to have to go where they can find that natural resource,” White said.

Historically, Modesto and Turlock irrigation districts have managed surface water and groundwater in a natural, interdependent manner to keep groundwater quantity and quality sustainable. Because of their policies, both districts’ groundwater sub-basins are the only ones in the San Joaquin Valley that not listed in conditions of critical overdraft. The current proposal from the State Water Board would make it nearly impossible for the region to establish groundwater sustainability. It will also cause some operations to consider relocating.

“You can’t process food without water, and you can’t build an economy, you can’t sustain an economy like we have here, without water. It’s a vital resource,” White said.

Opportunity Stanislaus is an economic development organization that provides services to businesses that will help them expand and succeed. “Our job is to help local businesses grow, help attract new businesses and help really drive a workforce, helping to improve the workforce here locally,” White explained.

Fighting back against proposals like the one from the State Water Board is exactly what the organization stands for. “We’re totally behind defeating this. … Our board, our investors, we’re all about trying to sustain our local economy,” White said.

For more information go to https://worthyourfight.org

Patrick Cavanaugh2017-01-10T21:18:33-08:00January 10th, 2017|

Citrus Trucks Will be Tarped

Tarped Citrus Trucks Will Fight ACP

By Melissa Moe, Associate Editor

In the ongoing battle against Asian Citrus Psyllids, an insect that is known to vector the fatal Huanglongbing disease in citrus, the California Department of Food & Agriculture has issued a new regulation to require trucks to be tarped when moving citrus. This regulation will be phased in and permit holders will be notified by CDFA.

Joel Nelsen, president of the California Citrus Mutual, explained that the regulation will prevent the spread of this vector-transmitted pathogen. “What we discovered is that psyllids were flying towards fruit sitting in trucks and bins as they were being transited from Southern California to the San Joaquin Valley, because of the aromas that the fruit gives off,” he said.

Fruit is not considered to be a vector of Huanglongbing since ACP can only vector the disease through leaves and twigs. However, these pests are catching rides on trucks all over the state on the fruit that was considered to be relatively safe.

“What happens is the Asian Citrus Psyllid is attracted to the aroma coming off of the orange, and it flies towards it thinking it’s going to find a food source,” Nelsen said. “Well, it rides around on the orange for a couple of hours, until it figures out that there’s no green waste or twigs attached to that fruit, and then it flies off.”

Fruit that is being transported from Bakersfield to Fresno could be taking these hitchhiking pests anywhere along Highway 99. While on this joyride, they could go up and down 5, across 126, or across 10 from Southern California into the San Joaquin Valley. News of new ACP finds have been right along these traveling corridors.

“We discovered that we may be part of the problem in helping Asian Citrus Psyllids spread, or have a hitchhiker role,” Nelsen said. “We made that determination as a result of some research done by the University of California. We ended up talking to growers at seven different grower meetings; several hundred in total were participating in the discussions. We all came to the conclusion that it’s going to cost us some money now, but it’s better than costing us the industry later.”

Patrick Cavanaugh2021-05-12T11:00:46-07:00January 9th, 2017|

Boron Affects Rootstocks

Excess Boron Threatens Orchards

By Brian German, Associate Broadcaster

There has been some exciting research taking place examining the effects of high levels of boron on various types of rootstock. Katherine Pope is an Area Orchard Systems Advisor, covering a large area that includes Sacramento, Solano and Yolo Counties. High concentrations of boron have been a big problem for some growers in the area.

“This is a bigger topic for Yolo County, and there’s a few areas on the west side of Fresno county and also areas in San Joaquin County … that have excessively high boron. There’s veins of boron that come out of the Coastal Range,” Pope said.

Katherine Pope, UC Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor, Yolo County warn growers of excess boron

Pope’s work as a UC Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor has her involved in covering production research, education and assistance with almonds, prunes and walnuts. Boron can cause a myriad of problems in orchards, making preparation before planting even more important. “You would want to test your water and your soil before you plant. Because if you plant the wrong rootstock on high boron ground, boy, you’re going to feel it for the next 20 years,” Pope said.

Some of the early findings of the project have shown there is not a steadfast rule regarding what rootstock variety fits what limitation. “We have nine different rootstocks that we tried, of a lot of different origins. Peach-almond hybrids, some that have plum in them, or some that are just peach,” Pope said. Other preliminary findings suggest that complex hybrids are more tolerant to high boron, sodium and chloride.

Some of the rootstocks that appear to be performing well under heavy boron conditions are both peach-almond hybrids. “Both Titan FxA and Nickels performed really well last year. … That’s probably a mix of generally being vigorous trees, and so they’re higher-yielding no matter what, and the wider spacing we have them at,” Pope said.

The project has also shown that the rootstocks Lovell and Krymsk 86 continue to perform poorly under high boron conditions. “Lovell – which is usually a fairly sizable, decently-yielding tree – and Krymsk have both had pretty low yields, about one-third of the yields of the highest yielding trees,” Pope said. Researchers can tell that those rootstocks are letting a lot of boron up into the tree by looking at the boron numbers in the hull. “Those two rootstocks do well in a lot of conditions but high boron is not one of them, according to the results we have.”

The trial is still fairly new, as the rootstocks were planted in 2011. Last year was the first significant harvest. Pope mentioned that if boron levels reach 0.5 parts per million, that’s when it starts to become a concern.

Patrick Cavanaugh2017-01-05T10:57:23-08:00January 5th, 2017|

Almond Board’s Sustainability Program Gets Even Better

Almond Board Program Streamlined

By Jessica Theisman, Associate Editor

The Almond Board has set a new standard for the Ag industry, according to Joe Browde, a senior research associate for Sure Harvest, which is working with the Almond Board towards sustainability.

It isn’t news that best management practices is the goal of the almond sustainability program, which has been in place since 2010. According to Sure Harvest, “sustainable almond farming utilizes production practices that are economically viable and are based upon scientific research, common sense, a respect for the environment, neighbors and employees.” The result is a plentiful, nutritious and safe food.

Browde gave California Ag Today some insight on this well-known program. “What we’ve done is try to make it more user-friendly, streamline the whole process to ensure the value.” He explained that they wanted to “improve the value of the program so growers can see it more clearly, and handlers, too, as they increasingly assess their practices.”

Sure Harvest made the process more adaptable for all to use. “We’ve made it adaptable to various platforms. Obviously the traditional computer itself, the laptop, but now also well adapted even to smart phones and, of course, other mechanisms as well,” Browde said.

Sure Harvest has created a brand new program to simplify the process. “So if you answer a practice once, it’s auto-populated elsewhere where a similar practice is asked, so it’s all about making life easier for the assessor so they can enjoy the experience more” he said. “They will feel the value at the end of the day.”

Joe Browde also explained the Almond Board of California’s new bee and pollination module. “Brand new one. The bee health and pollination module is specifically desired by ABC … to go with their best management practices guide for bees, and they want to make a big deal on what they’re doing in that realm.”

The main goal of the Almond Board of California and their bee and pollination module is to help consumers understand the value in bees and their importance to the world supply chain of food. “We have developed a new module for that to help them answer those questions and folks can assess. They can use it perhaps even in a verification scheme one day with suppliers” Browde said.

Sure Harvest and the Almond Board are both researching the module. “We’re talking about various ways to help folks throughout the supply chain see the value and to be able to address their various customers” Browde said. Although these studies may still be in their infancies, “we’re trying to figure out the best strategic direction forward with ABC leadership.”

Patrick Cavanaugh2017-01-03T14:10:43-08:00January 3rd, 2017|

CalAgJobs: Big industry Needs

CalAgJobs Connects Job Seekers

By Brian German, Associate Broadcaster

The men and women in the California agriculture industry help provide food to consumers all around the world. That makes it even more important to prepare the next generation of farmers and ranchers to fill that role.

Shannon Douglass is the Director of Outreach at CalAgJobs – a company that connects those looking for ag careers with employers who are looking to find long-term team members. Some people think about agriculture in terms of being a shrinking industry, but Douglass explained that California agriculture is as vibrant as ever. “Farms themselves are getting larger, and we need people who are those professionals, who can help the farmers and help those farms continue,” she said.

Throughout the state, agricultural companies face unique needs that require specialized knowledge. CalAgJobs was established with a goal to link passionate and qualified people with great ag careers. “We think it’s really important to be encouraging people in college, especially, to be looking at internships in agriculture so eventually they’ll look at those jobs,” Douglass said.

The team at CalAgJobs believe that agriculture is more than just a job – it’s a way of life. Douglass indicated that a tremendous number of opportunities available for those who are interested in studying agriculture. “We end up with about 4.5 job opportunities for every crop science grad in California; especially in crop science, the jobs are huge,” Douglass said.

To search for employment using CalAgJobs, go to their website here.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-12-31T12:14:17-08:00December 31st, 2016|

Almond Irrigation Tips

Leverage Winter Rain To Almond Irrigation

By Brian German, Associate Broadcaster

Earlier this month in Sacramento, the California Almond Board hosted their 44th annual Almond Conference. As the largest event in the world for almond industry professionals, the conference offers the chance to connect with the people, the science and the products at the forefront of the global almond industry.

Terry Prichard is a retired Cooperative Extension Irrigation Water Management Specialist from UC Davis. He was one of the speakers involved in the “Good Irrigation Water Management Practices” discussion. Prichard noted the significance of choosing when to start irrigating in almond orchards. “Irrigating too early when the soil profile is full can lead to all sorts of problems with saturated soils, disease problems and, in general, potential to lower production.” Prichard said.

The conference offered an opportunity to witness a live demo of a free tool available to all California almond growers that generates irrigation run-time schedules based on local evapotranspiration and information about your individual orchard and irrigation system.

Prichard mentioned that they have simplified the process into a single sheet of information for growers. “What we’ve done is prepare a one-sheet method for utilizing your soil’s capabilities and then crossing that with the effective rainfall during the winter and how well it fills that profile, as well as how much effective rainfall falls in the spring,” Prichard said.

The one-sheet method essentially allows growers to delay irrigation by utilizing soil moisture that is stored, along with any effective rainfall in the spring, so growers can adjust their irrigation volume. “There are other ways to determine when to irrigate, but this was a method that is easy to use, requires no new technology and purchase, such as with a pressure chamber, which, that can be done. We intend to put another one pager together on using the pressure bomb,” Prichard said.

The one-sheet method Prichard and his team are continuing to develop should be applicable to growers throughout the state. However, geography will play a significant role in how the method will be utilized. “In areas of the state which receive a substantial amount of rainfall, it’s going to fill the profile. However, as you move farther south, that’s not the situation, and often times we do not fill the profile. This is where we’re applying water during the off-season to charge the profile for the next season to start with the profile full of water, ” Prichard said.

The one-sheet method can also be used to accomplish leaching if there is excess salts contained in the water. “You can leverage the winter’s rainfall and drip by irrigating when the trees are dormant so as to fill the wetted zone of the root zone so that any rainfall that occurs then the salts tend to move away from that root ball area that’s wetted and out away from the roots farther. That’s a very effective strategy when using drip irrigation,” Prichard said.

Prichard has an extensive background in soil salinity issues, crop response to limited water supplies and irrigation water management. “No one wants to be behind on irrigation, but the goal of this particular one-pager is to keep that in check a bit until the soil has enough room in it to support the irrigation water that you’re applying without saturation,” Prichard said.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-12-30T13:00:22-08:00December 30th, 2016|

Better Navel Orangeworm Spray Coverage

Navel Orangeworm Sprays Tough to Target

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Farm News Director

Naval orangeworm is the number one pest in almonds and pistachios, and there’s a lot of research going on to find ways to manage this pest. One important strategy is timely sprays, but Joel Siegel, a research entomologist with USDA Ag Research Service in Parlier, CA, said that it’s tough to get that spray on target.

Joel Siegel

“Spraying for naval orangeworm is learning to live with loss. Many years ago, my professor told me to assume that 90 percent of what you put out never goes where you want it to go. I didn’t know that he was being an optimist when he told me that,” he said.

To confirm this, Siegel set up a controlled experiment sponsored by DuPont. “Using the best setup of spray rigs at two miles per hour, we’re basically getting 10 percent of what we calculated in the tank was actually getting on the nut,” he said. “Then if you add the difficulty of saying, you want to get it in the suture on an early split almond, you’re probably getting about two percent of what’s in your tank actually on that suture zone, so you’re dealing with a 98 percent loss.”

Siegel said the spray is getting in the tree, but not on the nut or the suture of the nut. “I’m talking about just getting on target. It’s getting on the leaves, it’s getting on the bark, it might be getting on the ground.”

Siegel noted that it’s actually better to spray at night, when the naval orange worm adults are flying. “That way, some of the drift can actually contact the adults. The other advantage of night spraying is that the humidity is higher, so you’re not getting that loss of having the droplets evaporate.”

Patrick Cavanaugh2021-05-12T11:02:00-07:00December 29th, 2016|

Ag Industry Hopes USDA Leadership Will Come From California

Trump is Considering Abel Maldonado, Reports Say

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Farm News Director

The California agricultural industry is hoping that President-elect Donald Trump will pick a Department of Agriculture secretary from California. If not, perhaps he’ll consider a deputy secretary from the number one agricultural state.

Joel Nelsen

And of course Trump’s selection could be decided any day now, so California Ag Today is monitoring closely, awaiting news of the announcement.

McClatchy Newspapers reported that Trump is considering nominating former California Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado. The two were scheduled to meet Wednesday. Maldonado is the son of Mexican-American farmworkers.

Joel Nelsen president of the California Citrus Mutual in Exeter, CA, hopes that the Trump administration will think hard about selecting USDA Leadership from California.

“We obviously believe that there could be some positive activity here. We’re a little disappointed that not much noise has been made relative to the USDA secretary or the deputy secretary. We champion the cause of individuals in the western side of the United States’ fresh fruit and vegetable industry to be part of that leadership team at USDA,” Nelsen said.

“Historically the secretary has come from a southern cotton or mid-western grain state,” Nelsen said. “We’re suggesting that there should be a good fresh fruit and vegetable individual at the lead, or at a minimum there should be a fresh fruit and vegetable person at the number two spot.”

There is so much going on in the fresh fruits and vegetable industry, particularly with California growers.

“When you think about what’s going on in the trade arena, when you think about the invasive pests and diseases, when you think about nutrition and food security, it’s fresh fruits and vegetables that are sitting at the forefront of all that,” Nelsen said.

Somebody on the leadership team has to come from our perspective … from our fresh fruit and vegetable industry,” he said.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-12-28T18:02:39-08:00December 28th, 2016|

FFA Inspired Animal Sciences Major

Fresno State Student Jessie Theisman Wants to Teach Next Generation

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Farm News Director

Jessie Theisman grew up in San Diego and is now a senior at Fresno State studying Animal Science. She did not come from a farm family and virtually none of her friends had any knowledge of agriculture.

But then she discovered FFA. “I began my interest in ag my freshman year through FFA, where I started getting involved with lambs. Eventually it turned into goats. Then it turned into cattle,” Theisman said. “After that, I decided I wanted to be an Animal Science major, and I transferred up to Reedley College, where I studied Animal Science and even became involved with the Young Cattlemen’s Committee.”

“I then transferred to Fresno State where I continue my studies in Animal Science and my interest within the YCC. I should be graduating next fall. I’ll take another year to get my credentials, and I’ll be an Animal Science teacher,” she noted.

Another individual who fueled Theisman’s passion in agriculture was her great-grandmother, who had a farm in Anderson, which is in Shasta County, just south of Redding. “Basically, she was the last person we had that was involved in ag.”

Theisman noted that when she got involved with FFA, all the doors opened up for her in high school.

“That’s what lead me to wanting to become an ag teacher so that I could open up those doors for the younger generations themselves,” she said. “I want to make it easier for the younger generation who did not come from an ag background to become involved in ag because that’s a very difficult thing to do if you’re not born into an ag family.

And Theisman is still working with livestock while at Fresno State. “I do breed goats, and I want to give kids the chance to show their animals, get involved in ag, and hopefully, it opens more doors for them, as well as builds confidence.”

“I really hold 4-H and FFA very close to my heart. Those were probably the best years of my life,” she said.

“And I’m still involved with the FFA. I go back to my high school. I volunteer all the time. I do go to the state conference [in Fresno] and I work that through Fresno State.”

Theisman was also involved with the speech contest, the livestock judging contest and the livestock show team.

“All of that was honestly the best years of my life. There is not anything I would ever change … I would never give that up,” she said.

Patrick Cavanaugh2017-02-22T18:37:34-08:00December 27th, 2016|

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