Cover Crops Have Big Benefits

Data Being Gathered to Measure Benefits of Cover Crops

By Tim Hammerich with the Ag Information Network of the West

Cover crops are touted in many areas for the benefits they bring to soil health, but they are not widely used in annual production in California. There are likely many reasons for this, but a big one is water retention. Allocations for irrigation are so tight that watering a crop to cover soil is perceived as not a great use of the precious resource.

But research from Extension Vegetable Crops Specialist Jeff Mitchell and others indicate there are some tradeoffs to consider.

“The aspect of adding organic matter, living roots and biology into the soil in the form of earthworms and other organisms that are burrowing and creating channels and pores; that can offset some of the water use elements there because you’re actually enabling the soil to more readily intake or infiltrate water,” said Mitchell.

“Our research has also shown with some colleagues at UC Merced that over time if you’re increasing the organic matter through the practice of cover crop in the soil, you can actually affect the water-holding or storage capacity of the soil there. So it’s a subtle thing. I’m not at all saying that there’s no water use involved with cover crops because there certainly is. But the tradeoffs tend to be, on balance, less than most people think and relatively modest,” noted Mitchell.

Dr. Mitchell is collecting data on farms throughout the state to analyze the impact of practices like cover crops.

AgInfo.net is the largest Radio Network in the West with 140 Affiliate Radio Stations.

California Ag Today2020-05-29T13:49:39-07:00May 28th, 2020|

Avocados Being Tested For Central Valley Production

Growing Avocados in the Central Valley?

By Tim Hammerich with the Ag Information Network of the West

Will we see commercial avocado production move into the central valley? That’s what Joseph Mark Buhl is wondering. Along with a few collaborators, he is running a test of different avocado and rootstock combinations in the Visalia area. He wants to know, can they grow well under nets.

“We’re kind of replicating almost like a Colombian rain forest in there for them. Then the hope is to keep it under 95 degrees, and the hope is to keep it above 32 degrees.”

Buhl is the cofounder of Data Harvest. He says avocados could offer central valley growers good prices, lower pesticide needs, and a water-efficient crop.

“I brought this project back with Dr. Mary Lu Arpaia, UCANR Cooperative Extension, Subtropical Horticulturist about a year and a half ago when some friends of mine had shared with me what they were able to attain to these in these net houses for environments,” said Buhl. And so we thought, what a wonderful opportunity to try this out. And, so my place is in hoping that this is an industry starter for other farmers and for the central Valley. And around the world. I think there’s many opportunities and environments that haven’t been considered that this could open the doors for growing all over.”

The project is made possible in part by a USDA grant to study the concept in California and Texas.

AgInfo.net is the largest Radio Network in the West with 140 Affiliate Radio Stations.

California Ag Today2020-05-27T22:09:20-07:00May 26th, 2020|

COVID Virus Shut Down Food Service Supply Chain

Some Crops for Supply Chain Could Not Find Home

By Tim Hammerich with the Ag Information Network of the West

Farmers of many crops have been left with nowhere to go with harvests, even as grocery stores struggle to keep shelves stocked. This is mostly due to the fact that many agricultural supply chains are built for food service. However, there are other factors at play here as well, says Dr. Ellen Bruno, Assistant Cooperative Extension Specialist in the Department of Ag and Resource Economics at UC Berkeley.

“People have also changed their buying patterns and what they’re buying as well. For example, you might want to go to the grocery store less frequently because of everything going on and therefore you might try to buy more shelf-stable foods so you don’t have to go as frequently,” said Bruno

Buying more shelf-stable foods often means more foods that have been processed. These processors were running efficiently before so they didn’t have extra capacity to adapt to the shock in demand. Also, everywhere in the supply chain is dealing with the impact of the virus on employees.

“And then finally on the supply side, there’s the impact of the virus itself affecting farmworkers and food processing and transport workers. And trying to manage the virus and how their potential impacts of the virus or realize the impacts of the virus on farm labor and what that, the implications of that,” explained Bruno.

Dr. Bruno, along with colleagues Daniel Sumner and Richard Sexton, released an article last month detailing the ways in which coronavirus is impacting food supply chains. She also plans to do more research into the long term impacts of what we are currently experiencing.

California Ag Today2020-05-25T15:07:59-07:00May 25th, 2020|

Preventing Future Outbreaks in Leafy Greens

FDA Report Provides Clues to Prevent Future Outbreaks

Yesterday the FDA issued a report on its investigation of outbreaks involving romaine lettuce occurring in the Fall of 2019. The LGMA responded by issuing a press release and the following blog post:

California leafy greens growers are pledging to incorporate findings from a report issued recently by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) into its ongoing process to strengthen required food safety practices on farms.

Leafy greens farmers work hard every day to follow the best-known food safety practices. Clearly, we need to look even beyond our own farms to help us prevent future outbreaks. Information from this new FDA report will be extremely valuable as we further strengthen our practices both in and around our farms.

The FDA report issued today relates to what was actually three distinct outbreaks all occurring inf the Fall of 2019. In the report, identifies adjacent or nearby land used for cattle grazing as the most likely contributing factor associated with these three outbreaks.

The leafy greens industry hopes to learn more about how leafy greens are being exposed to pathogens like e. coli in the environment and on land surrounding farms through a series of research projects. A project to gather samples and collect data is now underway in Arizona in cooperation with producers, the University of Arizona and the FDA.

A similar study is being developed to perform research in California’s central coast growing areas with an eye toward considering preventative controls that may be necessary on land surrounding our farms as well as additional controls on the leafy greens farms themselves. The study would be done in cooperation with FDA, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, academia and the leafy greens industry. We’re hopeful this kind of work can be done to provide us with answers to help prevent future outbreaks.”

Even before these last outbreaks occurred, the leafy greens industry had launched a comprehensive process to review and update required food safety practices included under the California LGMA.

A series of subcommittees has been appointed to review practices in all areas. Water continues to be a focus of this effort and the industry is in the process of considering some 30 changes to further update practices for water used in farming leafy greens. Other subcommittees on soil amendments and sanitation have been meeting for weeks and a subcommittee on proximity to animals and adjacent land use is being appointed this week. All subcommittees are suggesting updates to strengthen existing requirements.

More information about the collaborative process for updating required food safety practices for leafy greens can be found here.

The goal is to create unified standards for how leafy greens are farmed using the best science and expertise available. We will be relying on information supplied by FDA, scientists and others to help us improve these practices so we can further protect consumers.

The real benefit of the LGMA system is that farmers clearly understand what practices are required. When new information is learned, the standards can quickly be updated and adopted throughout the industry

California Ag Today2020-05-22T14:31:39-07:00May 22nd, 2020|

Pollination Issues on 2020 Pistachio Crop?

Possible Pollination Issues That May Affect the 2020 Pistachio Crop

By Patrick Cavanaugh as Reported on the AgInformation Network of the West

Richard Matoian is Executive Director of the American Pistachio Growers Association based in Fresno.

“I’ve heard from some growers that there appears to be some uneven growth in the pollenization aspect from the male trees. The females came out when they did, it was the males that some trees came out normally within the orchard and yet other trees were held back a little bit,” explained Matoian.

“And the question is, was that a lack of chill hours or was that just some seasonal or springtime abnormality as those trees were pushing out? And so that remains to be the question,” Matoian said. “And so as a result, what I’ve heard is that some orchards, particularly on the West Side of the San Joaquin Valley, do not appear to have as large a crop as they had expected them to have. The thinking is there was just maybe some cool weather, right when the trees were starting to bloom,” he said

He said there was a string of rainy and cold weather. “And maybe that through the trees back into a little bit of a shock of sorts and it’s just hard to tell what exactly it was,” Matoian said. “Everyone believes that going into the year there was enough chill hours.”

Will that affect a billion pound prediction of this year? Time will tell.

California Ag Today2020-05-18T16:40:28-07:00May 20th, 2020|

CA Table Grapes Offer Massive Health Benefits

California Grapes Support Immune Function and Overall Health

Supporting immune function through a healthy diet has become a focus for government officials, registered dietitians and the medical community during the COVID-19 pandemic. One key dietary recommendation is to eat more fruits and vegetables each day to improve immune function and prevent heart disease and diabetes. “How Your Diet Can Help Flatten the Curve” by two professors from the Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and a former Secretary of Agriculture provides important facts on how a healthy diet contributes to improved health overall.¹ Excerpts include:

Higher intakes of specific nutrients appear to boost the immune system, while low intakes lead to less effective immune responses and higher susceptibility to
Beyond the measures taken to fight the virus in the short term, long-term impacts must be reduced. Preventing and lessening the severity of existing cardiovascular disease and diabetes should be a key tactic. Among different risks and preventive approaches for these diseases, nutrition tops the
A recent multi-investigator study estimated that about 45 percent of all cardiovascular disease and diabetes deaths are directly attributable to poor diet. Another recent study estimated that poor diet kills about 530,000 Americans annually; equating to nearly 1,500 deaths every

Studies have found grapes to be both heart healthy and linked to benefits in multiple areas of health, including support for immune function. Some specifics:

Fresh, whole grapes contain over 1,600 natural plant compounds including antioxidants and other polyphenols, both of which have been shown to protect the health and function of cells which help protect against
Grapes are a natural source of the polyphenol stilbenoid called resveratrol. Studies have shown resveratrol positively influences immune
Grapes are heart healthy. Nutritional studies have shown that adding grapes to your diet every day supports a healthy heart and may reduce certain risk factors for heart ²
Grapes are hydrating, containing about 82 percent water. Hydration is critical to optimizing immune response.
Grapes are a low glycemic index fruit and can fit into balanced diabetic diets. A recent study found that eating grapes was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, unrelated to their low glycemic ³
Grapes may help support a healthy brain. In a preliminary study conducted at UCLA, researchers found that consuming a little over 2 cups of grapes every day preserved healthy metabolic activity in regions of the brain associated with early-stage Alzheimer’s ⁴
Grapes may help protect against certain cancers, such as colon cancer. Researchers found that consuming about 2½ cups of grapes every day for two weeks showed a significant reduction in the expression of certain target genes responsible for promoting tumor growth in the ⁵

California Ag Today2020-05-18T10:50:54-07:00May 19th, 2020|

PioneerLine For Hemp Irrigation

Hemp Industry Gets Specific Dripline

By Tim Hammerich, with the Ag Information Network of the West

The hemp industry is still in its early days, and many growers are trying to find the systems that work best for efficiency and sustainability. Netafim, who invented drip irrigation over 50 years ago, recently unveiled PioneerLine™, the industry’s first dripline specifically designed for use in hemp applications.

Director of Marketing Ze’ev Barylka says the system is built specifically to meet hemp growers needs.

“We have basically two types. One that is called non-pressure compensating, which is for flat ground. And one that is called pressure compensating, which is for hilly ground,” said Barylka.“Basically ensuring that when you are growing hemp you have uniformity of water application, which means all of your plants are going to look alike. So they’re going to be the same height, the same size, and you’re not going to have a situation where you have a bunch of beautiful plants at the beginning of your field and very tiny plants at the end of the field.”

In addition to maximizing yield, hemp growers are very concerned with sustainability. Netafim has chosen to source recycled plastics for this product line.

“There’s a lot of stewardship in the hemp industry. PioneerLine is the first product for the hemp industry that ever contained recycled plastics, which is a big concern for growers,” noted Barylka.

For more information, visit www.netafimusa.com/pioneerline.

California Ag Today2020-05-17T22:08:54-07:00May 18th, 2020|

Survey To Help Determine COVID-19 Farm Stress in Imperial County

Survey To Assess COVID-19 Stress on Farms and Ranchers In Imperial County

Given the unprecedented circumstances we are faced with COVID-19, your perspectives are extremely valuable in order to develop farm-community programs and outreach that directly support your health and safety needs in Imperial County.

Annie Keeney, Ph.D., MSW and Paola J. Hernandez MSW Candidate/Graduate Research Assistant San Diego State University – Imperial Valley, designed the 10 minute survey

We would feel very fortunate to understand your farm-related stress and its impact in Imperial County. In addition, we have some COVID resources available if you are interested.

We will be offering $20 gift cards for participants’ time spent on this.

Survey can be found at the link below:

http://colostate.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3O7ztvK2gfjC5I9

California Ag Today2020-05-15T14:16:42-07:00May 15th, 2020|

SGMA is Risky Business

Farming Life Will Be Difficult With SGMA

From Families Protecting the Valley

The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) is going to make life increasingly difficult for farmers and water districts. Each water district will have to prove it is sustainable within a certain time. Translation: The amount of groundwater overdraft must be reduced to zero over a definite time period.

In order to accomplish this, there are basically two solutions. One, idle (fallow) enough land to reduce the amount to groundwater pumping until the basin is in balance. Or, two, access new surface water supplies to increase the amount available to the basin until it is in compliance. Most basins will probably use a combination of the two methods.

Water districts have the additional task as public agencies to balance their budgets. Water districts that sometimes have extra surface water use that extra supply to sell water to balance the budget. The article referred to below addresses that situation. Merced Irrigation District (MID) is seeking State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) approval to sell water outside its basin.

The California Sportfishing Protection Alliance has protested the transfer before the SWRCB. The reasoning as we understand it is that if MID has water to sell outside the basin, then MID can afford to release more water for the environment.

Is there a solution to this dilemma? We suggest that districts that sometimes have excess supplies try to work within their basin, or with neighboring basins to mitigate the impact of SGMA on the local area. Of course, this will require the potential beneficiaries of this water to pay a fair and equitable price to MID. The MID directors have a responsibility to their constituents who have paid taxes for decades and brought in millions of acre-feet of surface water during MID’s existence.

We hope the Valley and its people can work together to maximize the utilization of our available water. Sadly, as we have seen over the past 30 years or so, that once Valley water is appropriated for environmental purposes (whether legitimate or not), it is lost to the Valley forever.

California Ag Today2020-05-14T16:13:39-07:00May 15th, 2020|

California Agriculture Reeling From Pandemic

Pandemic Continues to Affect California Agriculture

By Tim Hammerich with The AgInformation Network of the West

Through this challenging time for all of us, we have been bringing you weekly roundups of how the pandemic is affecting agriculture around the state. We have a few more of these stories here for you again today.

Most farmers responding to a California Farm Bureau survey reported they had lost sales or customers during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the voluntary survey, 57% said they had seen sales drop, mainly due to stay-at-home orders that reduced restaurant demand. Another 42% of respondents to the survey said they or a family member had seen their off-farm income decline.

The economic impacts of the pandemic include a drop in home construction, which has hurt sales of timber. One California sawmill operator says he has had to cut production in half as a result. Though housing starts have dropped, market analysts say lumber sales at home-improvement stores have been rising, as people take on remodeling projects, including conversion of rooms into home offices.

The flow of U.S. farm exports to China has increased since the two nations signed a “Phase 1” trade agreement in January, but an American Farm Bureau Federation analysis says sales to China have so far not kept pace with commitments in the agreement. The COVID-19 pandemic has played a role, AFBF says, in part because it has slowed U.S. meat processing for export.

(Source: California Farm Bureau)

California Ag Today2020-05-14T14:00:57-07:00May 14th, 2020|