About Patrick Cavanaugh

This author has not yet filled in any details.
So far Patrick Cavanaugh has created 1490 blog entries.

Huanglongbing Discoveries in California

Recap of Huanglongbing Cases in California

News Release

Huanglongbing has now been confirmed in numerous communities in Los Angeles and Orange counties. These detections are disheartening, but the Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program, California Department of Food and Agriculture and county agricultural commissioners are taking aggressive steps to remove all diseased trees and educate homeowners about this critical threat to California citrus.

Here is a recap of the Huanglongbing activity in California to date:

Hacienda Heights:

HLB+ Trees = 2

HLB+ ACP = 1 (on the initial HLB detection site)

San Gabriel:

HLB+ Trees = 56

HLB+ ACP = 4 (on HLB+ tree sites)

Cerritos:

HLB+ Trees = 2

HLB+ ACP = 2 (1 on HLB+ tree site, 1 on a separate site)

Rosemead:

HLB+ Trees = 0

HLB+ ACP = 1

La Puente:

HLB+ Trees = 0

HLB+ ACP = 1

La Habra:

HLB+ Trees = 1

HLB+ ACP = 0

Anaheim:

HLB+ Trees = 11

HLB+ ACP = 8 (6 on HLB+ tree sites, 2 on separate sites)

Fullerton:

HLB+ Trees = HLB+ ACP = 1 (1 on HLB+ tree site)

In response to each and every HLB positive tree detection, CDFA conducts mandatory 800-meter response, which includes surveys and sampling of all host trees, treatments and removal of the confirmed HLB infected tree.

Nursery stock in quarantine areas is placed under USDA-approved screen facilities, where it is held and tested for two years, or it is destroyed. Outreach is done to homeowners and elected officials to educate them on the severity of the issue encourage them to help stop the spread of this devastating disease.

2021-05-12T11:00:45-07:00June 26th, 2017|

Heat Wave Puts Renewed Focus on Worker Safety

Worker Safety and Heat Illness Prevention is Important

By Melissa Moe, Associate Editor

There has been a definite heatwave in the Central Valley, and that means an extra effort should be in place to protect farm workers from heat illness. Darren Stevens is an associate safety engineer with Cal/OSHA Consultation. He explained to California Ag Today the areas where growers need to comply to ensure that all workers make it home safely.

“The big things to remember is that the employers need to have written policies and procedures that address the specific requirements provided for water, shade, written procedures, emergency procedures and training. Those are the real keys,” Stevens said.

With temperatures in the triple digits, heat illness can be a very real threat. It is important to know the signs and have a plan in place to prevent overexposure to heat. There are regulations in place to protect worker wellness, with guidelines that producers must follow to guarantee their safety.

“The minimum temperature for shade is 80 degrees, but shade also needs to be available below 80 degrees if it’s requested by the employees. Water has to be available at all times. Really, we want to make sure that the shade and the water is available at all times, primarily just because of the heatwave. Or if they’re coming from another area, they’re not used to this type of weather. We need to have those precautions in place,” Stevens said.

For more information about heat safety, visit https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/heatillnessinfo.html.

2017-06-26T15:45:17-07:00June 26th, 2017|

New Chair Sought for Fresno State’s VERC

Viticulture Enology Research Center Seeks New Chair

By Jessica Theisman, Associate Editor

California Ag Today met with Dave Zoldoske, director of the Center of Irrigation and Technology and California Water Institute at Fresno State, about finding a chair for the VERC, the Viticulture Enology Research Center. This single position has many titles within it.

“You’re the department chair, faculty member, research director and a researcher. You think you’re busy – try to do those four jobs,” Zoldoske said.

With all of these responsibilities, one person would get stretched too thin in some places and excel in others. Eventually, the job was split in half to lighten the load. The position is now a research director’s position in enology and viticulture and does not require a PhD.

“A master’s with obviously some extensive research experience in the industry would be necessary to lead that,” Zoldoske said.

This is an opportunity for someone that is interested particularly in San Joaquin Valley viticulture because of the different variety of grapes. Many of the trellises are different, and the level of mechanization is much higher. Everything that plays a part for the San Joaquin Valley wine growers would be a focus point for this position.

“Certainly just because of our geographic location, that would be a big part of what that research portfolio might involve,” Zoldoske said.

This prestigious position is geared for somebody who wants to work in the wine industry as a research leader. This position offers growth within its own program.

“You are sort of untethered in the sense that [you can] make it everything you can make it, and just with this regional identity, right?” Zoldoske said.

Many major wineries located in the San Joaquin Valley are supportive of the Viticulture Enology Program at Fresno State and also serve on the advisory board.

“I think there’s just a lot of ups to this job and we’re real excited that it’s been split in half, so that we’ve got a pure researcher and then we’ve got someone on the other side that’ll be more academic with the department chair position and help with the teaching and other things,” Zoldoske said.

2017-06-22T14:19:55-07:00June 22nd, 2017|

Risk & Safety Manager Talks Heat Illness

Preventing Farm Worker Heat Illness

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Farm News Director
Part of a Series

Larry Williams, Executive Risk and Safety Manager for the Hall Companies.

With temperatures heating up throughout the San Joaquin Valley, it’s extremely important that farm workers know how to prevent heat illness. Larry Williams is CEO of the Hall Companies, among the largest Ag labor contractors in this state. Williams is also the Executive Risk and Safety Manager for the company. They take workers’ safety in the field very seriously.

“The heat illness is a big thing for us, because we employ over 25,000 employees throughout the state of California. We’re in the ag industry, so heat is a big thing, especially coming up in the summer time for us,” Williams said.

Williams told California Ag Today how they protect workers across the state.

“We provide shade trailers for 100 percent of our people. In addition to the shade trailers, if needed, we have canopies, [and] umbrellas where needed for our individual irrigators or others. We try to make sure we’re ahead of the game,” Williams said.

Regulations state that shade must be available to all workers when temperatures reach 80 degrees.

“Yes, we have to have shade available, and every site that we pull up to, we automatically bring shade, whether it’s 60 degrees, or 100 degrees,” Williams explained.

“And of course, plenty of water must be available for all workers,” he said.

2017-06-21T15:44:21-07:00June 21st, 2017|

Family Tree Farm Sees Good Season Despite Labor Laws

Family Tree Farm Rising to Meet Challenges

By Melissa Moe, Associate Editor

New state labor regulations continue to make daily operations more difficult for California farmers. With these increasing costs, it is difficult to stay competitive in a global market. Family Tree Farms is a family owned operation out of Reedley. Daniel Jackson of Family Tree Farms said that they’re doing well even, with the new labor laws that are making business more difficult for California farmers.

“The regulations grip us around the throat a little bit, and they’re getting tighter and tighter every year. We’re just trying to keep air in our lungs. To get creative, we have to find ways to be better farmers. To produce more yield and to do it more affordably with less labor. We have to be creative on our cultural practices and how we do that so that we can survive in the marketplace. We’re trying to make it work, but at the end of the day, it seems like every time you solve an obstacle three more pop up,” Jackson said.

Even with these new regulations, Family Tree Farms has been doing well. They have risen up to meet these new challenges, and the year ahead looks promising.

“The labor has been better this year, and I can’t really give the reason why. It wasn’t a great pollenization year, so crops are a little bit lighter as far as the fruits that are on the tree or actually having workers available. That could change as more crops start to come on as the blueberry harvest continues. Cherry seems like they’ll be wrapping up around here as grapes kick into gear later on in another few weeks, so we may run into those challenges as the season goes on, but right now, so far so good,” Jackson said.

2017-06-19T12:50:39-07:00June 19th, 2017|

Sorghum May Be Alternative to Corn

Researcher Looks to Sorghum to Replace Corn Silage in Dry Years

By Jessica Theisman, Associate Editor

Water has been a big issue in California for the last couple of years, and many dairy producers are looking for an alternative to corn silage for when water is scarce. Sorghum silage may be a viable alternative to corn. California Ag Today met with Jennifer Heguy, a farm advisor with the UC Cooperative Extension in Merced County who is working on a project, funded by the University of California, to research sorghum.

Heguy’s project consists of looking at sorghum silage to see if it is a good replacement for dairies when California does not have enough water to grow corn. Heguy said this is, “not a good time to talk about sorghum right now because we’ve had a really wet winter and we had this devastating sugar cane aphid last year, which just decimated sorghum crops, but we are continuing to work on sorghum silage.”

With the recent emergence of the sugar cane aphid last year, the sorghum crop in California took a big hit, but the project continues. Some of these projects can take two to three years to determine if it is a good fit into the California feeding systems.

“So this year, we are going to be taking a deeper look at the sorghum quality in terms of nutrition, fermentation characteristics, how people are putting this silage up, and how they are actually feeding it out,” Heguy said.

Photo Courtesy of University of California

2021-05-12T11:05:16-07:00June 15th, 2017|

Keeping Workers Safe from Heat Illness

How Farmers Prevent Heat Illness

Part of a Series

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Farm News Director

With the rising temperatures, farmers must ensure the safety of their workers to prevent heat illness and ensure that everyone gets home safely. California Ag Today spoke with Daniel Jackson, of Family Tree Farms, about the rising temperatures and worker safety.

“It’s amazing how you see canopies up all over,” Jackson said. “As you drive by, you’ll see the canopies that are up, providing shade. The water sources are close. As far as sanitary goes, most farmers now are — especially the larger ones — under global good agricultural practices (GAP) certifications. We’re not only required to have excellent bathrooms and wash station in place. it, but it’s also the right thing. … It helps to protect our workers, keep them safe and also provide a safe, sanitary food source for the public.”

Family Tree Farms has a proactive approach on keeping their workers safe. “We’re taking care of the workers by giving them their breaks and doing everything that we need to ensure that they’re healthy and that they’re able to make it through the day,” Jackson said.

“That takes great supervision. We have a great team. We have about eight people that work for us, that are going around checking people, making sure that they’re safe,” he said.

“We also visit the workers in the field. I think the farmer needs to be there in the flesh from time to time, making sure everybody’s healthy. So far, it’s been fine this year, but as the heat goes up, we’re going to have to take more precautions,” Jackson said.

2017-06-23T17:37:08-07:00June 14th, 2017|

Imperial Farmers Spared from Alfalfa Aphid

Fungi Stops the Spread of Alfalfa Aphid

By Melissa Moe, Associate Editor

Blue alfalfa aphids can pose a huge threat to farmers. The toxins that they inject into the alfalfa causes slow growth and low yields. Alfalfa farmers in Imperial County saw high numbers of alfalfa aphids. However, the recent rain may have spared farmers from further damage that the aphids might have caused. We spoke with Eric Natwick, a UC cooperative extension entomology advisor in Imperial County, about the blue aphids that farmers saw in the area.

“As far as the weather goes, the wet weather seemed to really take care of the blue alfalfa aphids. Sometimes with the aphids down here, we get what we call an epizootic fungus that infects those aphids, and quickly moves through the population and wipes them out. This entomopathogenic fungus seems to be very specific to the blue alfalfa aphid,” Natwick said.

The sudden disappearance of these aphids is good news for producers. Epizootic fungi are usually very specific to insects and can wipe out entire populations very quickly. These fungi do not pose a threat to other animals or plants.

“The blue alfalfa aphid left the pea aphids in the field. We did have some aphids, and of course we had some weevils, but the blue alfalfa aphid disappeared. This is also true over in Arizona. I’ve been working with Iman Mustafa. He’s located over there at Mac in Arizona. He’s getting the same results. I guess the good news is, well, we got the Sivanto [insecticide] for use in Arizona and California,” Natwick said.

Photo by Jack Kelly Clark for UC Statewide IPM Project

2017-06-23T17:46:17-07:00June 12th, 2017|

New Estimates on Broccoli and Lettuce Production Costs

Broccoli and Lettuce Production Cost Studies Released by UC ANR

News Release

New studies with sample costs to produce and harvest iceberg lettuce and broccoli for fresh market in the Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties have been released by UC ANR Agricultural Issues Center and UC Cooperative Extension. Vegetable growers may find these useful for estimating their own production costs and potential returns on investment.

“These studies have an expanded section on labor, which includes information on California’s new minimum wage and overtime laws,” said Laura Tourte, UC Cooperative Extension farm management advisor in Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties, who co-authored the study.

The analysis is based on a hypothetical well-managed farming operation using practices common to the Central Coast Region. The costs, materials and practices shown in this study will not apply to all farms. Growers, UC ANR Cooperative Extension farm advisors and other agricultural associates provided input and reviewed the methods and findings of the study.

Both studies assume a farm operation of 1,500 non-contiguous acres of rented land. The hypothetical iceberg-lettuce farm has 250 acres planted to iceberg lettuce. The lettuce is hand-harvested into 42-pound cartons containing 24 film-wrapped heads. The hypothetical broccoli farm has 500 acres planted to broccoli. The broccoli is hand-harvested into 21-pound bunch cartons.  On each farm, the remaining acreage is assumed to be planted to other cool season vegetable crops. 

The authors describe the assumptions used to identify current costs for production material inputs, cash and non-cash overhead. Ranging analysis tables show net profits over a range of prices and yields. Other tables show the monthly cash costs, the costs and returns per acre, hourly equipment costs, and the whole farm annual equipment, investment and business overhead costs.

Free copies of “Sample Costs to Produce and Harvest Iceberg Lettuce in the Central Coast – 2017” and “Sample Costs to Produce and Harvest Broccoli in the Central Coast – 2017” and other sample cost of production studies for many commodities are available. To download the cost studies, visit the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics website at https://coststudies.ucdavis.edu.

The cost and returns studies program is funded by the UC Agricultural Issues Center and UC Cooperative Extension, both of which are part of the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.

For additional information or an explanation of the calculations used in the studies, contact Jeremy Murdock of the Agricultural Issues Center University at (530) 752-4651, Richard Smith, UC Cooperative Extension advisor in Monterey County, at (831) 759-7357 or Tourte at (831) 763-8005.

2017-06-08T14:59:43-07:00June 8th, 2017|

Rising Labor Costs Will Make CA Non-Competitive

Increased Labor Costs Take Toll

By Jessica Theisman, Associate Editor

The new labor laws are going to become a big problem for California’s agriculture in the near future. California Ag Today recently met with Alex Ott, who is the Executive Director of the California Apple Commission and the California Blueberry Commission. He also manages the California Olive Committee. Ott spoke with us about the growing concern that farmers in these industries have about rising labor costs in California.

Alex Ott

“Well, there is the overtime provision, which cuts our field work back from 10 hours to eight hours. That’s difficult,” Ott said. In order for employers to not pay overtime, their employees will have to work two separate shifts to get a day’s work finished instead of getting a day’s duties done in one shift. This ultimately cuts hours for workers, far from their benefit.

The minimum wage increase will have a huge negative impact on California growers and all of those that they employ. With an increase in minimum wage, employers will have to pay more for the same work.

“The problem there is obviously increased cost, but now, not only are we competing against the world, but competing against other states that produce the exact same type of crop,” Ott said.

“Employers will have to pay employees higher wages and deal with retailers not giving higher prices. Employers have to compete with states that have lower wages and have their overtime provisions as well.”

2017-06-07T13:07:06-07:00June 7th, 2017|
Go to Top