iTrade To Help Move Food and Supplies

iTradeNetwork Launches iTradeMarketplace:

A Trading Exchange to Connect Vital Food Supply With Demand During The Time of COVID-19

The free new service establishes trading connections with new partners to match and move food and supplies where they are needed. The Produce Marketing Association signs on as an industry launch partner.

iTradeMarketplace is a new service for buyers, suppliers, packaging companies, and industry associations to gain visibility into where food supplies exist, and demand gaps lie. Designed by iTradeNetwork, it specifically addresses the food supply chain trading gap created by COVID-19 to facilitate new trading partnerships.

COVID-19 immediately impacted the food supply chain, rendering many traditional trading relationships temporarily obsolete.

To respond to the critical need to connect global food supply with demand, iTradeNetwork is offering iTradeMarketplace for free to any company in the food and beverage supply chain, and it only takes a moment to register at the iTradeMarketplace website.

For more than 20 years iTradeNetwork, the leading global provider of supply chain software for the food and beverage industry, has connected over 8,000 companies and facilitated more than $100 billion in annual industry spend. As the platform enabling the industry’s greatest volume of perishables transactions daily, iTradeNetwork recognized it was in a unique position to expand beyond legacy trading relationships and create a marketplace that allows the industry to identify and establish vital new trading partnerships during a particularly extraordinary time.

“Technology can be a powerful ally in times of crisis, and we are putting our platform to use in a new way that helps companies in the food and beverage supply chain navigate these uncertain times. The agility of iTradeMarketplace empowers participants to move at the speed of the crisis and respond to local, as well as global, food supply chain needs,” comments Rhonda Bassett-Spiers, CEO of iTradeNetwork.

The Produce Marketing Association was quick to recognize the importance of this approach and is the first industry body to support iTradeMarketplace and share it with its membership.

“At PMA, we appreciate the opportunity to partner with iTradeMarketplace to give our membership another important resource to help them work through the industry impacts of COVID-19. The connections made through this platform will help alleviate massive supply chain challenges brought on by this crisis, and we commend iTradeNetwork for addressing these needs and collaborating to ensure our industry’s great products are available to consumers,” says PMA CEO, Cathy Burns.

iTradeMarketplace is open to any company or industry association in the food supply chain. To learn more about it, visit itradenetwork.com.

 

2020-04-14T19:10:16-07:00April 17th, 2020|

Urban Ag, Farmers Markets Must Follow CDC Guidelines

Urban Ag and Farmers Markets Supplies Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, Part of a Healthy Diet

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

Even as Californians shelter in place to contain the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, nutritious food remains vital to the health and well-being of our communities.

“Eating fruits and vegetables is known to benefit our overall health and help our immune system,” said Lorrene Ritchie, director of the UC Nutrition Policy Institute. “At a time when we need to be especially vigilant about staying healthy, eating healthy is essential.”

To help minimize exposure and risk of spreading of the virus, urban farms need to follow some key guidelines from the CDC, said Jennifer Sowerwine, UC Cooperative Extension metropolitan agriculture and food systems specialist in the Department of Environment, Science, Policy and Management at UC Berkeley.

UC Cooperative Extension has compiled a list of resources for farmers, community gardeners and other people working in the food system to ensure that they can continue supplying fresh, healthy and affordable food to Californians.

“Social distancing, heightened health and hygiene practices and cleaning and disinfecting procedures reduce the risk,” said Sowerwine.

Although eating a nutritious diet can boost our immunity, the Los Angeles Times reported produce sales plummeted by 90% or more at Southern California produce markets after the statewide shelter-in-place rules went into effect.

“It’s worrisome to see that sales of fruits and vegetables are dropping so sharply, but not surprising,” said Rachel Surls, UC Cooperative Extension sustainable food systems advisor for Los Angeles County. “As people shop during the crisis, they may be prioritizing groceries that can be stored for a longer time in the fridge or pantry. And they may be on a very limited food budget, even more so than usual, so they are likely prioritizing essentials like bread and rice and baby formula.”

To support farmers in California, the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program created a directory at http://www.calagtour.org for consumers to find local farms to purchase produce directly.

For families who have lost jobs and income, the risk of food insecurity increases. Some families could supplement their food from gardens and urban agriculture during this crisis.

Consumers must practice safety, too, when visiting farmers markets and farm stands. UC Cooperative Extension small farm advisor Ruth Dahlquist-Willard explained, “Things like keeping the minimum six-foot distance from customers, not touching any produce that you’re not planning to buy, leaving as soon as you’ve made a purchase and washing the produce when you get home would be some good guidelines.”

The virus is thought to be spread mainly from person to person, however there is evidence that COVID-19 can last for days on hard surfaces, thus the need to ramp up good health and hygiene practices, social distancing and cleaning and sanitizing of surfaces.

University of California research and extension faculty have compiled a list of helpful fact sheets and resources for farmers, community gardeners and other food system workers to ensure fresh, healthy and affordable food for communities across the state:

All of these resources are posted on the UC Urban Agriculture website at https://ucanr.edu/sites/UrbanAg.

“During this challenging time, I am heartened by the quick and thoughtful responses by many extension, grassroots and institutional efforts, including Community Alliance with Family Farm’s COVID-19 Responses and Resources for California Family Farms, Mutual Aid organizations where groups of young, healthy and lower-risk people are bringing food and services to vulnerable people who shouldn’t be in public at all, and Bayareafood.info that seeks to support local restaurants, farmers, and food systems workers as they weather this latest storm,” said Sowerwine.

2020-04-16T15:31:45-07:00April 16th, 2020|

LGMA Food Safety Webinar Scheduled April 17

LGMA to Hold Webinar for Produce Buyers on Food Safety Practices and Audits

 The California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA) will update retail and foodservice buyers about government audits and the process for making changes to strengthen food safety practices for growing leafy greens during a webinar Friday, April 17 from 10 to 11 a.m. PDT.

“First and foremost, we want to assure everyone that LGMA government food safety audits are taking place during the current COVID-19 situation,” said Scott Horsfall, CEO of the California LGMA.  Horsfall emphasized the California Department of Food and Agricultural (CDFA) considers these audits essential and they are continuing as normal. “The LGMA is working with CDFA to offer solutions that allow for enhanced social distancing during audits but, as always, LGMA member companies will be audited an average of five times this year to verify required food safety practices are being followed on farms.”

Scott Horsfall

The webinar will also feature important information on the process for strengthening LGMA required food safety practices in the aftermath of the latest outbreak associated with romaine.

“A lot is happening that we want to share with the produce buying trade,” said Horsfall. “LGMA Subcommittees are meeting regularly to review all facets of our required food safety practices. The subcommittee dealing with water used in growing leafy greens has completed its review of the current LGMA required practices and is recommending over 30 separate changes to strengthen existing practices.”

The LGMA’s proposed changes to water metrics have been submitted as part of a collaborative process designed to gather input from stakeholders throughout the industry.  The process is being facilitated by Western Growers. A new website was launched last week to serve as the hub of this important effort.  Representatives from Western Growers will participate in the LGMA webinar to explain how the system to update metrics and how others can get involved.

“Efforts to improve the safety of leafy greens must go on – even in the midst of a pandemic,” said Horsfall. “We know your schedules are hectic and a lot is already on your minds, but we hope you’ll take 60 minutes to learn how the industry is working together to improve safety. More importantly, we hope you’ll engage as part of our leafy greens community.”

To register for the webinar, please visit the link below:

Collaborating for Safer Leafy Greens Webinar || Apr 17, 2020 10:00 AM PDT:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4865354752159968526
2020-04-13T17:11:47-07:00April 13th, 2020|

Action Needed To Keep Healthy Produce Moving

Members of Congress, Produce Industry Urge Immediate Financial Relief for Produce Supply Chain Damaged by COVID-19 Economic Impact

United Fresh Produce Association and a number of industry partners have presented to the U.S. Department of Agriculture a comprehensive Produce Market Stabilization Program to immediately support critical financial needs in the produce supply chain. In addition, 108 members of Congress have sent a letter to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue urging USDA to support this immediate relief.

“Since the beginning of this crisis, our association has worked to help our industry keep produce moving to consumers,” said Michael Muzyk, President, Baldor Specialty Foods, and Chairman of United Fresh. “And, we’ve worked to help our members actually survive following the devastating financial impact of this crisis. Today is an important day on a path toward some stability for our industry to be able to serve consumers when we’re finally past this terrible time.”

“There is a long road still ahead,” said United Fresh President & CEO Tom Stenzel. “But this is a critical step – our industry has come together to support a consensus proposal to USDA, and Congress has come together to let our national decision-makers know how important this is across the country and every sector of our business.”

“I especially want to thank Representatives Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Fred Upton (R-MI), Jim Costa (D-CA) and Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) for spearheading the Congressional support for this letter, and all of my colleagues in produce associations around the country who’ve worked together. Most organizations represent specific sectors and members who are suffering, but we’ve set aside competitive interests to support a common approach that gets us the best chance of securing real relief for our industry.”

“The first step was encouraging Congress to pass the CARES Act devoting $2 trillion to the economy, and some $9.5 billion specifically carved out for fruits and vegetables, livestock, dairy and local food systems. Now, comes this urgent proposal with a roadmap of how USDA can support our industry immediately. Next will come deep discussions and analysis within USDA in channeling resources to multiple interests. And eventually, we believe there will have to be continuing additional financial relief from Congress if our economy is going to be able to pull out of this crisis and grow again,” he said.

2020-04-08T08:30:52-07:00April 8th, 2020|

Is AgTech Making it to the Farm?

Yes, AgTech Investment is Used by Many Farmers

By Tim Hammerich, AgInfo.net

According to AgFunder, over $6.5 billion was invested in agtech companies in 2019. This brings the total up to somewhere around $30 billion since 2012. But how much of this investment is actually leading to tools farmers are actually using?

Aaron Magenheim of Growers Insight believes the technology is out there that growers need. But, he says, most agtech companies don’t go far enough to help customers fully integrate the technology into their operations.

“I just about guarantee the technology is out there for farmers for the next five years, anywhere in the world. We track through Agtech Insight, our other company, we tracked 3,000 digital technology companies around the world that work in ag,” said Magenheim. “So we know who’s out there globally, what they’re doing, where they’re at. So we really believe that in order to utilize those technologies that are already being paid for and on the farm.

“But to utilize them more, there’s the cultural aspect of these farming organizations. And that’s the challenging piece and nobody’s addressing that. Startups want to sell their technology and train one or two people and, and that’s it. But if you have one or two people in an organization of 300 using a technology, it’s not being utilized anywhere near as much as it could be,” he said.

Magenheim is helping growers understand where technology fits on their operations. Then, he makes sure the technology is fully integrated so growers maximize the return on their investment.

2020-04-01T08:25:53-07:00April 3rd, 2020|

National Ag Week Art Calendar Shines!

National Ag Week Art Calendar Contest Winners Announced!

Each year Tulare County Farm Bureau hosts an art contest for local K-12 students. We congratulate the students that participated in our 2020 Farm Bureau Art Calendar Contest, which we host in partnership with the Tulare County Office of Education.  While the awards ceremony was postponed in light of COVID-19 and schools being closed, we still want to celebrate the awesome talent in this year’s submissions.

Calendars will be printed and distributed later this summer once normal school and business activities resume.

National Agriculture Week is celebrated March 22-28, so this is still the perfect time to celebrate all things AG, and congratulate this year’s top 14 winning entries. 

Cash prizes and calendars will be awarded to the student artists, and copies of the calendar will be printed by the Tulare County Office of Education and distributed later this year. We hope to be able to present the awards before June 15, but that will be subject to schools re-opening.

 

Featured art is the overall Cover Winner by Jasmin Rivas, 9th Grade, Redwood High School.

 

 

Want more info on National Ag Week?  Visit https://www.agday.org/promote

First Name
 Last Name
 Grade School  Award
Jasmin Rivas 9 Redwood High School Overall Cover Winner
Rebecca Acevedo 9 Redwood High School Back Cover Winner
Oralia Velasco 6 Tipton Elementary School Monthly Winner
Mia Gonzalez-Verdin 3 Snowden Elementary School Monthly Winner
Catricia Alvarez 8 Washington Intermediate School Monthly Winner
Mary Froula 6 St. Anne’s School Monthly Winner
Ella Boiano 6 Three Rivers Union School Monthly Winner
David Gonzalez 8 La Joya Middle School Monthly Winner
Ashley Carrion 8 Tipton Elementary School Monthly Winner
Lainey Hooper 3 Hot Springs School Monthly Winner
Emma Nicholson 10 Redwood High School Monthly Winner
Anita Fiorino 2 Three Rivers Union School Monthly Winner
Axel Miller 7 St. Anne’s School Monthly Winner
Mason Sowers 5 Denton Elementary School Monthly Winner

 

2020-03-25T19:51:59-07:00March 26th, 2020|

Westlands Water Service Contract To Pay Applicable Charges

Statement from Thomas Birmingham, General Manager of Westlands Water District, on the Execution of the District’s Repayment Contract
Today,  Westlands Water District and the Bureau of Reclamation signed Irrigation and M&I Contract No. 14-06-200-495A-LTR1-P, which converted Westlands’ water service contract to a repayment contract, which will remain in effect so long as the Westlands pays applicable charges, consistent with section 9(d) of the Reclamation Act of August 4, 1939. 
Westlands was one of more than 75 water agencies that contract with the United States for the delivery of water service from the Central Valley Project that elected to convert their water service contract to repayment contracts pursuant to section 4011 of the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act. 
The effective date of Westlands repayment contract will be June 1, 2020. Prior to that date, Westlands will continue to receive water under an interim renewal contract.
 
When President Barack Obama signed the WIIN Act in 2016, it was with the express intent of improving the nation’s water infrastructure, especially in the western United States. Section 4011 (a)(1) of Subtitle J of the Act provides that the Secretary of the Interior shall convert water service contracts to repayment contracts at the request of any existing water service contractor.
 
Section 4011 was included in the WIIN Act to create a source of money that the Bureau of Reclamation could use to construct water storage projects around the west. It was intended by the Act’s co-author, Senator Dianne Feinstein, to help California “prepare for [that] future while providing us with access to more water now.” When President Obama signed the bill into law, he stated that, “This important partnership has helped us achieve a careful balance based on existing state and federal law.”
 
Converting “temporary” water service contracts to “permanent” repayment contracts is not uncommon. In fact, an underlying principle of federal Reclamation law — that water users who have repaid the construction costs of a project would have a permanent right to the use of water developed by a project — has been reaffirmed by Congress multiple times since it was first laid out in the Reclamation Act of 1902.
In the Central Valley Project, the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act directed the Secretary of the Interior to convert water service contracts in the Friant Division to repayment contracts to generate revenue for the San Joaquin River restoration program, and those water service contracts were in fact converted to repayment contracts.
According to the Bureau of Reclamation, as of October 2019 more than 75 agencies that had “temporary” water service contracts to receive Central Valley Project water, including the State of California Department of Fish and Wildlife, have exercised the option provided by the WIIN Act to convert their contracts to “permanent” repayment contracts. The contract terms proposed in the repayment contracts for Westlands and other Central Valley Project contractors under the WIIN Act are nearly identical to those in the Friant Division repayment contracts.
 
Further, as President Obama also noted, the provisions of Subtitle J of the WIIN Act were intended to help meet California’s long-term water needs, helping to “assure that California is more resilient in the face of growing water demands and drought-based uncertainty.” In the case of Westlands’ contract conversion, like all contract conversions done before or after, it offers a win-win for all parties.
The Westlands contract conversion will accelerate payment of approximately $200 million to the federal government years before payment otherwise would be due. This money, pursuant to the WIIN Act, will be placed in the Reclamation Water Storage Account to be used for the construction of water storage and supply projects that can benefit all Central Valley Project purposes.
2020-02-28T13:01:13-08:00February 28th, 2020|

March is National Nutrition Month

Celebrate National Nutrition Month – Eat More Produce!

March is National Nutrition Month!  And, what is the only food group health experts everywhere agree we should eat more of?  Fruits and vegetables of course. While there are decades of peer reviewed studies that show the benefits of a diet rich in these healthy foods, here are just a few examples as we head into March.

  • A study published in PLOS Medicinedetermined that “prescriptions” for healthy foods could save more than $100 billion in healthcare costs.  The healthy foods include fruits and veggies plus seafood, whole grains and plant oils.
  • A study published in Science Dailyfound that one in seven cardiovascular deaths could be attributed to not eating enough fruit while one in 12 of these deaths could be attributed to not eating enough vegetables. Put another way, low fruit and veggie consumption resulted in an estimated three million deaths from heart disease or stroke.
  • A University College of London studyshowed that people who ate seven or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day reduced their risk of premature death by 42%. Consuming that many servings of produce each day reduced the risk of death from cancer by 25% and heart disease by 31%.

A plant rich diet may also positively influence fertility.  A 2018 study in human reproduction found females under 35 undergoing in vitro fertilization had a 65% to 68% increased chance of success with a stronger adherence to the Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes eating lots of fruits and veggies each day.
Studies have shown that eating enough fruits and veggies has other positive benefits too like improving your mood, better sleep, shinier hair and whiter teeth.  It’s true!  Visit the Alliance for Food and Farming’s “A Dozen Reasons” section to learn more.

2020-02-25T19:33:35-08:00February 28th, 2020|

Different Weed Control Strategies

Glyphosate Alternatives for Weed Control in Winegrape Vineyards

By Tim Hammerich, with the Ag Information Network

For years, glyphosate has been a tool many grape growers have relied on to help manage weeds. What can managers do when glyphosate isn’t an option, such as when a winery doesn’t want to buy grapes where glyphosate was used for weed control. UC Cooperative Extension Advisor for Napa County, John Roncoroni, says growers have options.

“I know a lot of growers, once we found that we weren’t going to use glyphosate. Well their first thought was to just use different herbicides,” he said. “And it’s like, well, you can do that. But one of the other things is we really need to look at different strategies when we may not have, what I’ve called glyphosate the hammer.”

“If the hammer cannot be used anymore, you have to know which weeds you have. You want to get to them early, they’re much easier to control, but you also need to identify weeds at an early stage,” he noted. “And you can use a bunch of different kinds of techniques. Where you get in early with cultivation when the weather conditions are right. Or you use a flamer. Flamers are pretty efficient tools as long as the weeds aren’t big.”

Roncoroni said in addition to these techniques, cover crops can also be helpful.

“One of the old-is-new techniques, again, is looking at under-vine cover crops. Using something that won’t attract gophers, hopefully. But when we’re looking at something like that an annual reseeding crop such as Zorro fescue, which grows to be maybe eight to ten inches, will re-seed itself, and then you can cultivate,” noted Roncoroni.  “It takes two or three years to establish, so you have to be able to stick with it for a couple of years, but it competes with the weeds as it’s growing. It then leaves a dry duff, which does not need water once it goes dormant in the springtime, so it won’t interfere with irrigation.”

Contact your county extension agent for more information about integrated pest management practices.

2020-02-19T19:35:49-08:00February 27th, 2020|

Almond Board of California Announces 2020 Election

 

Almond Board Nomination Petitions Due April 1 2020

The Almond Board of California (ABC) announced April 1, 2020 as the deadline for filing nomination petitions for one independent grower member position and one independent grower alternate position on the ABC Board of Directors.

To be considered for the position, each candidate must be a California almond grower and must submit a petition signed by at least 15 independent almond growers (verified by the ABC). The petition should state the position for which the candidate is nominated and be filed with Almond Board of California at 1150 9th Street, Suite 1500, Modesto, California 95354.

Additionally, two independent handler member positions and two independent handler alternate positions are available. Handlers must declare their candidacy, in writing, to the Almond Board no later than April 1, 2020, to be considered for these positions.

A cooperative grower member and alternate nominee and a cooperative handler member and alternate nominee will be selected through their cooperative association.

The Almond Board of California is the organization that administers the Federal Marketing Order for almonds. The Almond Board assures industry compliance with marketing order regulations and is responsible for administering all aspects of the marketing order. It also serves the almond industry in other major areas, including production research, global market development via advertising and public relations, and accumulation, compilation and dissemination of statistical information.

The ABC encourages eligible women, minorities and people with disabilities to consider running for a position on the Board of Directors as it believes this committee should reflect the diversity of the industry it serves.

For further information, please contact ABC’s Bunnie Ibrahim, senior analyst in Government Affairs, at (209) 343-3228.

 

2020-02-19T12:54:40-08:00February 19th, 2020|

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