Q&A Drought Management For Almonds

Source: David Doll

These questions and answers offer insightful advice for almond farmers coping with the drought.

Q. How should I plan to irrigate my trees?

A. As discussed before, this is dependent upon the amount of water that is available. If you have greater than 80-85% of the water that is typically applied to the orchard, deficits can be targeted (50% reduction in applied water) for the period after kernel fill but before hull split. If less than 80%, the water should be spread out at the relative percentage of water use. For example, if 30% of the seasons water is available, every irrigation would be 30% of normal. Keep in mind that in drought years it is often hotter than in “normal” years.

Q. When should I start irrigating?

A. Typically, irrigations should start when the trees are starting to “work” for water. Using a pressure bomb, this value is around 2 bars more negative than baseline. If baseline is -8, irrigation should begin at -10. If facing a moderate curtailment, it may be best to let the trees stress a little more, perhaps -4 bars more than baseline. If facing a severe curtailment, a scenario in which we know less about, it might be best to hold off longer before applying the water (~6-8 bars more negative than baseline, perhaps?). Basically, the idea is to stress the trees, which then triggers a physiological response which makes the tree more drought resistant (less vegetative growth, fewer stomatal openings/leaf, etc).

Q. What’s an easy way to calculate baseline?

A. To get in the ballpark, baseline can be estimated by taking one tenth of the temperature. If it is 85 degrees, baseline will be -8.5. Since it is measured as pressure applied, it is always read as a negative value. For more specific calculations, which take into account humidity and temperature, please see this UC Davis Baseline website.

Q. How much should I reduce my nitrogen if I am reducing my water?

A. Good question. Nitrogen rates should be reduced. Based upon some speculation from various trial results, our best guess is to reduce nitrogen rates by about 1/2 of the water curtailment. So, if taking a 50% water reduction, nitrogen should be reduced by a minimum of 25%. In-season estimate of crop may also determine that less N is needed. If in a second year of deficit irrigation (i.e. 2nd year of drought), the reduction of nitrogen should match the reduction in water (50% water reduction, 50% nitrogen reduction). Keep in mind that applying too much N will flush growth, increasing vegetation, which will require more water.

Q. I hear and saw stories about people pulling trees…should I?

A. If blocks were planned to be cycled out and removed within the next few years, water from these blocks should be considered to be diverted to other, younger blocks. This will help negate the effects on the developing block. Depending upon where the orchard is located, there may be some crop that is salvageable from the “dry-land” farmed block, but it will be of lower quality.

Q. Are there any other resources to help?

A. Yes – Please see UC Davis’s Drought Management Website for more drought management in multiple crops. To gain a little more help in scheduling irrigation, check out Fresno State’s Water Right Website. Farm Advisor Blake Sanden also has some good information at his Kern County Web Page. Also, feel free to contact your local farm advisor.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:07-07:00March 21st, 2014|

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Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:07-07:00March 21st, 2014|

New Drought Fact Sheet Available

The California Farm Water Coalition has a brand new fact sheet available on California’s 2014 drought.

The one-page information piece is intended for consumers and breaks down the drought into easy-to-understand sections.

Information includes an updated number of acres expected to be idled this year (800,000 acres), how lost farm production will impact the economy, what consumers can expect to see in stores in the way of food-related price increases and also what farmers have been doing over the years to improve water use efficiency.

The California Farm Water Coalition was formed in 1989 in the midst of a six-year drought. CFWC was formed to increase public awareness of agriculture’s efficient use of water and promote the industry’s environmental sensitivity regarding water.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:07-07:00March 21st, 2014|

California Coming off Warmest Winter on Record

United States weather scientists have revealed California is coming off of its warmest winter on record, aggravating an enduring drought in the most populous US state.

The state had an average temperature of nine degrees Celsius for December, January and February, an increase from 5.8°C in 1980-81, the last hottest winter.

Reuters Newsagency reports that figure was more than four degrees Fahrenheit hotter than the 20th-century average in California, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said in a statement.

Warmer winters could make the already parched state even drier by making it less likely for snow to accumulate in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, NOAA spokesman Dr. Brady Phillips said.

“Winter is when states like California amass their main water budget, when snowpack is building,” said Dr Phillips, a marine biologist. “If you’re starting from a deficit and going into the dry season, it’s setting you up for a drier summer.”

Reuters reports California is in the grip of a three-year dry spell that threatens to have devastating effects on the state and beyond.

Farmers are considering idling 200,000 hectares of cropland, a loss of production that could cause billions of dollars in economic damage, and several small communities are at risk of running out of drinking water.

The state also recorded its driest winter to date by March, despite recent storms, with an average of 114mm of rainfall, compared to 297mm over the previous winter, NOAA said.

The agency is planning to release its spring outlook climate forecast tomorrow.

NOAA is an agency that enriches life through science. Their reach goes from the surface of the sun to the depths of the ocean floor as they work to keep citizens informed of the changing environment around them.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:07-07:00March 21st, 2014|

CDFA Honors UC Cooperative Extension Centennial

CDFA honors UC Cooperative Extension Centennial

The annual Ag Day at the Capitol event yesterday (March 19) in Sacramento honored the University of California Cooperative Extension for its centennial. California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross presented a proclamation to Barbara Allen-Diaz, UC vice president for Agriculture and Natural Resources, who oversees UC Cooperative Extension.

“I want to commend my good friend Barbara Allen-Diaz and Cooperative Extension,” said Ross. “You help us take all that great knowledge from the UC System and extend it directly to farmers and ranchers. It is a circle of innovation that sets us apart. It is absolutely crucial to our future and I’m really happy to be here to celebrate 100 years with you.”

UC Cooperative Extension, which has offices in counties throughout California, will be holding local celebrations throughout 2014. For more information about the UCCE centennial, visithttp://ucanr.edu/100.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:08-07:00March 21st, 2014|

Record California Table Grape Shipments

117.4M Boxes of Grapes Shipped Surpasses the $100M Mark for Second Time in History

It was announced TODAY that California shipped a record volume of 117.4 million boxes (116.2 19-pound box equivalents) of fresh California grapes during the 2013 season, a total crop value of $1.7 billion.

The 2013 season started with shipments in early May and continued into February 2014. California produces 99 percent of the commercial fresh grapes grown in the United States.

“Over the past 10 years the volume has significantly increased,” said Kathleen Nave, president of the California Table Grape Commission. “In 2003 the crop was under 80 million boxes. In 2012 the 100 million box mark was crossed for the first time in history, and in 2013 another record was set with the crop totaling 117.4 million boxes.”

Exports also hit a new record in volume, with 48.6 million boxes shipped to export markets including Canada – a 17 percent increase over the previous year. The top export markets in volume included Canada at 11.9 million, followed by China/Hong Kong at 7.9 and Mexico at 6.6. The 48.6 million boxes exported represented 41 percent of the total crop volume.

With the 2014 season a little over a month away, the commission is gearing up its global campaign for Grapes from California which includes retail, consumer and foodservice programs.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:08-07:00March 20th, 2014|

U.N. World Water Day, 2014

Excerpted from: Grants Pass; OR (PRWEB)

To water advocate and researcher Sharon Kleyne, United Nations World Water Day is one of the most important days of the year.

The annual March 22 observance, says Kleyne, offers an opportunity to reflect on advances and setbacks in the ongoing global fresh water supply crisis, and to further educate the public about this critical issue.

Kleyne believes that fresh water supply should be the number one priority of nearly every government on Earth.

Sharon Kleyne is Founder of Bio-Logic Aqua Research, a fresh water, atmospheric and health research and product development center.

According to Kleyne, one of the most comprehensive and readable books about the global fresh water supply is Steven Solomon‘s classic, Water: the Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power and Civilization (Harper Collins 2009).

Kleyne first interviewed Solomon, in Rome at the time, on World Water Day 2010. On subsequent appearances, Solomon has offered updates.

In his book, Solomon describes water as “Earth’s most indispensable resource.” Fresh water, according to Solomon, is critical to human survival and economic development, and is more important than oil.

Fresh water wars remains an important factor in US politics, says Solomon. Imported water is critical to desert cities such as Phoenix, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

In recent years, Kleyne adds, Colorado has been having its own internal water shortages while California is in the mist of the worst drought in a century. In California, water allocation to farmers from the Central Valley Project and State Water Project have been greatly curtailed, forcing farmers in the nation’s number one agricultural state, to pump ground water for irrigation.

Kleyne noted that 1.6 billion people worldwide lack access to abundant and sanitary water (http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/scarcity.shtml).

Ironically, she says, most Americans do not drink the recommended eight to ten glasses of water per day even where available and inexpensive.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:08-07:00March 20th, 2014|

Undersecretary, CA Natural Resouces Agency Janelle Beland Responds at Hearing

Packed House for Committee on Natural Resources, Janelle Beland, Undersecretary: Hearing Illuminates What is Going on with the State

TODAY, About 500 people including farmers, farm employees and others tied closely to the agricultural industry packed the Fresno City Council Room at City Hall to hear from several members of Congress seeking legislation to help California, crippled by a drought and environmental restrictions.

And if you happened to be there for only a few minutes, you would have heard what defines a problem with Governor Brown’s office in regard to offering solutions to the water crises.

Are you ready for this?

Question from Congressman Tom McClintock to Janelle Beland, Undersecretary California Natural Resources Agency:

Representative McClintock: “Our subcommittee has asked [many months ago, with no response] why nearly 800,000 acre-feet of water went from the Delta to the ocean last fall knowing full well that we were heading into a potential catastrophic drought? It drained Folsum Lake almost entirely and certainly was not pumped into San Luis Reservoir.

Janelle Beland: “We were not anticipating that the drought would continue.”

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:08-07:00March 20th, 2014|

California to Ease Water Restrictions

Excerpted from Sharon Bernstein; Reuters

Drought-plagued California will ease some protection for fish in the fragile San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta, officials said Tuesday, a move expected to make more water available for farming and ease political tensions in an election year.

“California’s agriculture is critical to the world’s food supply,” said assemblywoman Kristin Olsen, who represents part of the San Joaquin Valley, who had lobbied hard against the restrictions. “An inability to produce that food would clearly be devastating to health and human safety not only in California but around the globe.”

Citing recent rains, regulators said Tuesday, there was enough water in the state’s reservoirs now to partially ease restrictions.

“We were quite concerned at that time about the issue of public health and safety,” Tom Howard, executive director of the State Water Resources Control Board, said in a conference call with reporters on Wednesday. “This really had the markings of a historic drought.”

Recent storms dropped nearly a foot of rain in some areas, boosting reservoir levels and the snowpack that the state relies on for drinking water in the spring, but still leaving supplies way below normal for this time of year.

Earlier this month, concern that the state was about to restrict water supplies to farmers even further swept through the agricultural community, spurring intensive pushback and a series of tense meetings with water regulators in the administration of Democratic Governor Jerry Brown.

“We are very concerned that if the current proposal as reported to us is enacted, it will have significant near- and long-term effects on the California economy and, more importantly, will not achieve the desired water supply security intended,” U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein and Congressmen Jim Costa and John Garamendi, all Democrats, wrote in a letter to the water board.

Under the new rules announced Tuesday, which Howard said may be modified again next month, the two massive public water projects responsible for pumping in the Delta will be able to deliver it to farmers and others, once the state determines that there is enough flowing to meet the health and sanitation needs of residents.

Scott Shapiro, an attorney specializing in water issues for the Sacramento firm Downey Brand, said expanding the allowable uses of tight water supplies was not just important for farmers.

“It’s not just for agriculture, because there are other needs that may be contracted for that go beyond health and safety,” Shapiro said. “It could include other municipal, industrial and agricultural needs.

In addition to allowing more of the water pumped from the Delta to be used for purposes other than meeting health and safety needs, the state planned to reduce by about a third the amount of water that the projects were required to leave in the Delta as a way of protecting fish, Howard said during the press briefing.

Mark Cowin, Director of California Department of Water Resources, commented that fish and wildlife experts consulted by his department said that endangered species in the Delta would not be harmed by the looser rules.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:08-07:00March 20th, 2014|

Webinar to Examine Environmental Impact of Produce Safety Proposed Rule

Today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it will hold a webinar on April 4 to discuss the scope of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the agency’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) proposed rule to establish standards for growing, harvesting, packing and holding of produce for human consumption.

The FDA is holding this meeting to seek public input on the issues and alternatives that it should consider when preparing the EIS and to inform the public of the provisions of the proposed rule that may significantly affect the quality of the human environment and anticipated alternatives FDA plans to consider.

In an update received earlier today, FDA noted that it is “identifying a number of issues and a range of potential alternatives to be considered in the EIS.”

Alternatives have been identified in areas where potential environmental impacts are likely, including the following:

Microbial standard for agricultural water used during growing activities for covered produce using a direct water application method
Minimum application intervals for biological soil amendments of animal origin
Measures related to animal grazing and animal intrusion
Scope of proposed rule and implications to land use and land management.

The meeting will be from 1:00-5:00 p.m. at the Harvey W. Wiley Federal Building in College Park, Maryland. The meeting will also be Webcast at 2 p.m. For more details on how to participate in person or online, visit the FDA website.

PMA members and industry are also encouraged to visit the FSMA Resource Center for additional information on the FSMA and its numerous proposed rules.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:08-07:00March 19th, 2014|