Pistachios Now Included in CFAP Direct Grower Payments

Pistachios Eligible for Direct Payments Under Coronavirus Food Assistance

American Pistachio Growers (APG) today announced to its members that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has now included pistachios in the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP).

The official notice, which is expected to be published in the Federal Register on or about August 14, 2020, states that pistachios are among 20 additional agricultural crops in the U.S. that will receive direct payments under CFAP Category 1 due to commodities experiencing a 5 percent or greater price decline between January 15, 2020 and April 15, 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to making pistachios eligible for direct payments under Category 1, USDA has also increased the payment rate under CFAP Category 2, which is for sales losses for pistachios due to product that spoiled in the marketing channel, or due to the loss of the marketing channel. Increased payments under Category 2 apply to product that was actually shipped from the point of origin.

“As a grower, we know and feel the effects directly when prices decline. This program provides the support needed by farmers during this difficult time we are all currently experiencing,” said Brian Watte, Chair of APG’s Board of Directors. “

Pistachios were not initially included in the CFAP direct grower payment program, but through the concerted efforts of APG’s Washington, D.C. lobbying firm and numerous conference calls placed by APG representatives to officials within USDA to provide them with accurate sales data, pistachios are now included in the Category 1 list.

“We’re pleased that USDA took the effort to review all sales data on pistachios, particularly exports which have seen declines as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic experienced on a global basis,” said APG President Richard Matoian.

Pistachio growers can access the necessary forms at www.farmers.gov/CFAP. Matoian explained that growers will be working through their local Farm Service Agency office to submit the forms for direct payment.

Growers are advised to call (877) 508-8364 to begin the application process. For growers who applied for and were paid for CFAP prior to Category 1 eligibility being granted should not submit a new application, but rather should contact their FSA office to amend the application. Importantly, USDA has announced that the application deadline has been extended to September 11, 2020.

California Ag Today2020-08-27T10:36:58-07:00August 27th, 2020|

Go With Grapes Commercials Launch

Go with Grapes From California Every Day

A set of three new commercials extending the Go with Grapes from California Every Day global marketing campaign has launched in the U.S. and key export markets.

Airing now in the U.S. on cable television, each commercial focuses on one of three key grape-oriented messages: California origin, snacking, or health. In the U.S., the commercials also run on social media and on a variety of online content providers.

Kathleen Nave, President of the California Table Grape Commission

In key export markets, consumers will see the commercials in a variety of venues. In South Korea, the commercials will be shown on digital screens in subway stations, malls, and surrounding outdoor areas. Consumers in Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines will see the commercials on social media. In Japan and Taiwan, consumers will see the commercials in-store near the grape display and on retailer-operated digital screens and billboards.

“The commercials are vibrant and lighthearted and in a simple way communicate grapes’ centrality in snacking and heart health while reinforcing that the best grapes are grown in California,” said Kathleen Nave, president of the California Table Grape Commission which fields the grower-funded campaign.

And to find out how great grapes are for you see this article.

View the commercials below:

California Ag Today2020-08-26T08:51:52-07:00August 26th, 2020|

USDA Coronavirus Funds Expand for Farmers

More California Farmers Eligible for USDA Coronavirus Food Assistance Program Funds

By Pam Kan-Rice, UCANR Assistant Director, News and Information Outreach

California farmers stand to benefit from the addition of more commodities now covered by the USDA Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, say UC Agriculture and Natural Resources expert. This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture expanded eligibility and extended the deadline to apply to Sept 11.

Farmers of aquaculture, nursery crops and flowers, sheep and specialty crops such as dates, dragon fruit, nectarines, pomegranates, pumpkins and many other specialty crops grown in California are now eligible for financial assistance to help keep their operations afloat during the business disruption caused by the pandemic.

Below are UC Cooperative Extension advisors and specialists who are available for comment:

Daniel K. Macon, UC Cooperative Extension livestock and natural resources advisor serving Placer, Nevada, Sutter and Yuba counties, dmacon@ucanr.edu

“Including all sheep will be HUGE for California producers. Most California lambs are born in the fall and marketed in the late spring. The rest of the West has lambs born in the spring and marketed in the fall/winter/early spring. The original CFAP payments provided a maximum payout to lambs that would have been marketed earlier than most California lambs. And provided no payment for what we call running-age ewes (breeding animals).”

Jackson Gross, UC Cooperative Extension aquaculture specialist at UC Davis, jagross@ucdavis.edu

“This is a big distinction for our California freshwater fish producers. While it doesn’t cover all of the diversity in California aquaculture, it does cover the majority of our industry as far as freshwater fish producers. A specialty crop distinction is important for our fish farmers, making them eligible for specialty crop funding and numerous other federal and state programs that were previously inaccessible.”

Cheryl Wilen, director of UC Cooperative Extension in San Diego County, cawilen@ucanr.edu

“It is my impression that ornamental nurseries will really have a good opportunity to recover money for unsold crops.”

Ruth Dahlquist-Willard, UC Cooperative Extension small farms and specialty crops farm advisor for Fresno and Tulare counties, rdwillard@ucanr.edu

“For the small-scale specialty vegetable and herb growers, it’s definitely helpful to have some of their crops on the list, like bok choy, daikon, etc. But the process of signing up can be prohibitive, especially with some USDA offices only offering remote service, and the payment amounts are very low compared to the amount of paperwork required.”

Ramiro Lobo, UC Cooperative Extension small farms and agricultural economics advisor in in San Diego County, relobo@ucanr.edu

“The specific mention of minor crops can be significant for small-scale growers in the state, and Southern California in particular.”

Aparna Gazula, UC Cooperative Extension small farms and specialty crops farm advisor for Santa Clara, San Benito, and Santa Cruz counties, agazula@ucanr.edu

“It’s great that the USDA Coronavirus Food Assistance Program has been expanded to include more minor crops. I hope the USDA offices have bilingual staff who can work with socially disadvantaged farmers with language barriers that often grow these crops.”

Aliasghar Montazar, UC Cooperative Extension irrigation and water management advisor in Imperial and Riverside counties, amontazar@ucanr.edu

“Maintaining date palms over the season is very labor oriented. During February to May, a lot of activities need to be conducted at a certain time. As you know, we had high pressure from the pandemic in the Coachella Valley during these months. It made labor less available, which created some challenges for growers.”

California Ag Today2020-08-17T09:54:32-07:00August 17th, 2020|

Livestock and Soil Health

Regenerative Agriculture Without Animals- Is It Possible?

By Tim Hammerich, with the Ag Information Network

While some consumers are looking for alternatives to animal products, others are becoming increasingly more interested in soil health. This begs the question: can you have regenerative agriculture, which focuses on regenerating the soil, without animal agriculture?

Paige Stanley doesn’t think so. She is a Researcher and Ph.D. candidate studying regenerative practices at the University of California Berkeley.

Stanley states, “If you want to create closed nutrient loops, I don’t see a way to do that without animals. Now, the degree to which you apply animals to any one system, you know, we can argue about all day.”

“I study animal-only systems, but there’s plenty of opportunities to adopt integrated crop-livestock systems in order to make both of those systems more efficient,” Stanley added. “So I’m thinking, yeah, small ruminants, like sheep, goats for brush management, or even bringing chickens in before you plant a cover crop or behind another animal in a cropping system.”

“There’s plenty of ways to introduce fertility without bringing in off-farm inputs and to create a more diversified setup – to stack your enterprises. I think among agroecologists that’s a pretty widely accepted concept, but you know, there’s a whole slew of anti-animal ag people who would not like that answer,” explained Stanley.

Regenerative practices using crops and livestock are being explored to build healthier soils and potentially sequester carbon.

California Ag Today2021-05-12T11:17:06-07:00August 14th, 2020|

BASF Versys for Leafy Greens Now Registered in California

BASF’s VersysInscalis Insecticide Provides Effective Control of Aphids in Leafy Vegetables and Brassica

BASF’s Versys^® insecticide has received registration for use in California on a variety of crop groups, including brassicas/cole crops, leaf and stem vegetables, pome fruit and stone fruit. Versys insecticide delivers effective control against aphids while being gentle on beneficial insects and pollinators.

“Aphids can cause serious damage to specialty crops, impacting crop quality, yield and growers’ bottom line,” says Chad Asmus, Product Manager, Specialty Crop Insecticides. “Versys insecticide targets these challenging insects with a unique set of benefits now available to California growers.”

Versys insecticide is powered by the Inscalis^® insecticide active ingredient, a unique mode of action sub-class (IRAC 9D) which disrupts the sensory responses of target insects to quickly stop their feeding. As the only IRAC 9D currently registered for use, Versys insecticide gives California growers a new tool to manage insect resistance.

The newly available benefits of Versys insecticide to California growers include:

Fast onset of action: Versys insecticide quickly stops feeding damage
Unique mode of action class: Versys insecticide has been classified by the Insecticide Resistance Action Committee (IRAC) as the only member in the new mode of action subgroup 9D
Complements parasitic and predatory control: Versys insecticide preserves beneficial insects for Integrated Pest Management
No pollinator restrictions: Versys insecticide offers application freedom with a pollinator compatible mindset

Versys insecticide joins its sister product Sefina® Inscalis insecticide, which also controls key piercing and sucking insects in a variety of row and specialty crops, including cucurbits, fruiting vegetables, cotton and citrus. Sefina insecticide received registration for use in California in June 2020.

To learn more, contact your local BASF representative or visit https://agriculture.basf.us/crop-protection/products/versys.html.

California Ag Today2020-08-13T12:17:52-07:00August 13th, 2020|

Help for for Growers and Climate Change Risk

Helping Growers Manage Risk

By Tim Hammerich, with the Ag Information Network

Scientists project climate change will significantly alter the way our food is produced, but what can farmers do about this today? Especially when making decisions such as planting perennial crops that will be in place for decades?

Tapan Pathak is a UCANR Cooperative Extension Specialist based at UC Merced. He is working to develop a tool to translate weather and climate data into management insights for growers.

“It’s a huge effort because we want to be really crop-specific in terms of what type of decisions for we can provide to growers. And so, we’re just getting started on developing this crop-specifically, region-specific tools and the website is going to be Cal Agro Climate,” Pathak noted.

Pathak says they are currently finalizing a prototype in order to share with growers for feedback.

“Since we want to make it a very grower friendly, our next planning is to involve some of the growers and advisory committee to provide some feedback and kind of incorporate their changes. So we are hoping to get those tools up and running by next year or so,” said Pathak.

Once completed, the Cal Agro Climate tool will be able to help farmers reduce weather and climate related risk on their farms.

California Ag Today2020-08-13T10:46:35-07:00August 13th, 2020|

Vine Mealybug

Grape Pest Transmits Grapevine Leaf-roll Virus

By Tim Hammerich with the AgInformation Network

Vine Mealybug is a pest that transmits the grapevine leaf-roll associated viruses. The University of California Ag and Natural Resources are trying to find better management techniques for vine mealybug. Statewide IPM Program Director Dr. Jim Farrar explains why.

“Vine mealybug is an invasive from the Mediterranean area and it’s more efficient at transmitting the virus,” said Farrar. “And I think that we sort of didn’t recognize the great potential for damage when this new mealybug came in and was a more prolific vector of the virus. And so now we’re recognizing how important the virus is in impacting grape quality and yield.

“Associated with that, a heightened importance of this new new mealybug in transmitting the virus. And so now we’re starting to play catch up in developing much more robust management plans for vine mealybug and the leafroll virus,” Farrar said.

Grapevine leafroll virus can reduce yields, delay fruit ripening, and reduce soluble solids in the grapes.

For more information on the control of Vine Mealbug, go to the UC IPM website.

California Ag Today2020-08-05T12:39:51-07:00August 5th, 2020|

Legislation Provides Tax Credit for Farms With Uncollected Sales

Tax Credit Could be part of of federal stimulus addresses biggest pain point for distributors that provide food to restaurants, professional kitchens

This week, Representatives Darin LaHood (IL) and Jimmy Panetta (CA) introduced the Providing Liquidity for Uncollectible Sales (PLUS) Act. This legislation provides a tax credit to offset uncollectable debt incurred as a direct result of COVID shutdowns. It is supported by the United Fresh Produce Association, the International Food Distributors Association, and National Fisheries Institute.

The foodservice distribution industry collectively experienced more than $12 billion in uncollected debts as restaurants and other facilities shutdown in response to the global pandemic and were not able to pay their distributors. Seafood distributors reported approximately $2.2 billion of debt owed to them, fruit and vegetable distributors hold an additional $5 billion in such debt, and broadline foodservice distributors reported more than $5 billion of debt.

“Produce foodservice distributors absorbed a devastating blow with the spring shutdown of the restaurant and hotel industry. The impact of lost inventory and unpaid bills is not recoverable,” said Tom Stenzel, President & CEO of United Fresh Produce Association. “I commend Representatives LaHood (IL) and Panetta (CA) for introducing the Providing Liquidity for Uncollectible Sales (PLUS) Act, a helpful solution to an insurmountable challenge for produce foodservice distributors and the companies on both ends of their business agreements.”

Foodservice distribution is a crucial part of the food supply chain, delivering fish, fruits, vegetables, meat, and other products to restaurants, schools, hospitals and long-term care facilities. Distributors provide not only food supplies but the essential financing their customers need to purchase these products. Restaurants buy their supplies on payment terms that allow them to generate revenue before the bill comes due, normally 30-60 days after delivery. In the aftermath of the sudden and near complete closure of the food-away-from-home channel, sales plummeted, customers were unable to pay their bills and distributors were left with more than $12 billion in debt.

“Family-owned seafood businesses support restaurants by providing fish on credit, but now are stuck with billions in debt owed them by these customers,” said John Connelly, President, National Fisheries Institute. “This legislation will significantly help revive a complex system that brings seafood from water to table. If we don’t have functioning distributors bringing seafood to market, fish will simply rot on the dock, effecting everyone from boat owners to restaurateurs.”

While many of the provisions of the CARES Act provided critical assistance for foodservice distribution companies, it did not account for the biggest issue they face: large, unpaid debts owed to distributors for food that restaurants could not use due to COVID-related shutdown orders. Tax credits for this $12.2 billion in outstanding debts will provide the liquidity distributors need to continue to extend credit to their restaurant customers and help them get back on their feet as the economy restarts.

“The PLUS Act would provide tax credits for uncollectible accounts receivable, ensuring that distributors can continue to provide assistance to their restaurant customers,” said Mark S. Allen, President & CEO of the International Foodservice Distributors Association (IFDA). “I applaud Representatives LaHood and Panetta for their commitment to the foodservice distribution industry, a vital part of our economy.”

Foodservice distributors themselves suffered more than a 50 percent decline in sales due to the global pandemic, making it difficult to provide the financing their customers depend on to run their businesses; jeopardizing restaurants’ ability to purchase food and ingredients. Without restaurants and other places where people eat out, the economy will be missing a significant part of the $1 trillion food-away-from-home economic driver. The PLUS Act provides a solution to this complicated and critical challenge for the food supply chain.

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California Ag Today2020-08-05T10:38:19-07:00August 5th, 2020|

Calif. Table Grape Season in Full Swing

Revised Crop Estimate Slightly Lower Than Original

With the California table grape season in full swing and expectations for a positive season as the backdrop, the California Table Grape Commission revised its estimate for the 2020 table grape crop to 104.9 million 19-pound boxes, down from its April estimate of 106.5 million. The final harvest in 2019 was 104.99 million 19-pound boxes.

“Estimating the crop is a detailed process that is formally undertaken three times a year and involves volume projections based on growing districts,” said Kathleen Nave, president of the California Table Grape Commission. “The significant amount of vineyard removal in 2019 appears to have been offset by new vineyards coming into production in 2020,” Nave said.

Noting that demand has been strong and steady, Nave said the expectation is that the season as a whole will be a positive one. “Quality is excellent and demand is strong in the U.S. and in export markets, and grapes are a perfect fit for consumers in these complicated times: simple, flavorful, versatile, and full of health-enhancing phytonutrients that boost immune health.”

Science reveals what we’ve perceived intuitively for centuries: Grapes are very good for us. Research shows that grapes of all colors—red, green and black—are a natural source of beneficial components called polyphenols. Polyphenols help promote antioxidant activity and influence cell communications that affect important biological processes.

With 65 percent of the California table grape crop typically shipped between September 1 and the end of January, Nave said that while grapes are a summer fruit, they are very definitely a fall and early winter fruit. With over 80 table varieties grown in California, consumers have lots of different grapes to try. For ideas that go beyond snacking, Nave suggests checking out the extensive collection of traditional and on-trend usage ideas at www.grapesfromcalifornia.com.

California Ag Today2020-08-04T11:30:49-07:00August 4th, 2020|

Is it Salt Damage or Almond Leaf Scorch

Salt Damage and Almond Leaf Scorch Look Similar

By Patrick Cavanaugh

Franz Niederholzer is a UCANR Cooperative Extension Orchard System Advisor based in Colusa County. In his area some growers are seeing symptoms on their almond leaves and they don’t know if it’s leaf scorch or chloride damage.

“Could it be salt damaged, take a sample for chloride and sodium. Just to check that box,” Niederholzer said.

He said to send those leaf samples to an agricultural lab. “If that comes back negative, there are labs that do test for the bacteria Xylella fastidios that causes almond leaf scorch. Answer that question,” he said. “The symptoms are similar, but not exactly the same. The chloride test is easier to do, but if it comes back that the chloride levels are low, then that leaves you with the option of testing for the almond leaf scorch bacteria, to be absolutely certain that that’s what’s going on,” Niederholzer explained.

And Niederholzer said, depending on where you’re growing your almonds in the Northern Sacramento Valley harvest could be starting about two weeks from now.

“I bet that’d be some people going in the next 10 days at the very earliest site. Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself, but on the farthest West side where there are some gravelly soil, things happen early. So those are the earliest sites in the Sacramento Valley,” Niederholzer said. “I know the weather between now and then could alter things, but I wouldn’t be surprised that somebody was shaking first week of August.”

California Ag Today2020-08-03T08:55:45-07:00August 3rd, 2020|