Western Growers Tech Center and Concentric Power Co-Host Forum

Discussing Energy Independence with California’s Growers Jan. 27

Industry innovators and government experts will share ways to safeguard energy supply in an era of bankrupt utilities and public safety power shutoffs

The Western Growers Center for Innovation and Technology (WGCIT) and Concentric Power Inc., an energy technology company deploying power solutions for some of the country’s largest grower-shippers, will co-host the first-ever Salinas Valley Energy Forum to help growers and fresh food providers from California’s agricultural regions maintain productivity and improve profitability through energy independence. The Salinas Valley Energy Forum will be held at the Taylor Farms Curious Classroom on January 27, 2020, from 8:30-11:30 a.m.

The Forum will provide insights into how the region’s agricultural industry can overcome the instability in energy availability, reliability and pricing currently threatening California and beyond. The Forum will feature a panel of experts representing energy developers, government agencies and solution providers including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Monterey County Farm Bureau, the City of Gonzales, Schneider Electric and Concentric Power.

“Energy is a huge part of farming. In fact, everything done after harvest requires power,” said Dennis Donohue, director of the WGCIT. “Our members provide over half the nation’s fresh fruits, vegetables and tree nuts, so it’s critically important we help them navigate the energy challenges currently facing the state.”

Following historic fire seasons that have bankrupted California’s largest energy utility and led to widespread Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) last Fall, unreliable and unstable energy is a major disruption to the agriculture industry. The cost of energy for ag companies is also unpredictable, having risen nearly 20 percent since the beginning of 2018 within the PG&E service territory.

“Technological advancements, business models, regulation changes and the low cost of capital have made energy independence a viable option,” said Brian Curtis, Concentric Power’s founder and CEO. “Many organizations simply don’t know that it can pencil out both economically and technically. With power shutoffs now happening year-round and utility rates continuing to rise, ag and other fresh food producers are finding that status quo is no longer an option.”

The Forum will be led by moderator Matthew Willis, vice president of product and business development at Concentric Power, and will feature Concentric Power’s Curtis along with Rick Sturtevant, state energy coordinator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture; Norm Groot, executive director at the Monterey County Farm Bureau; Rene Mendez, city manager for the City of Gonzales; and Gregg Morasca, vice president of strategic customers at Schneider Electric.

Forum attendees will learn:

What is happening across the state from an energy perspective

Local power options and solutions

How to execute energy projects at little to no upfront cost

How to invest in sustainable infrastructure

How Salinas Valley cities are improving and promoting economic development

 

2020-01-10T11:46:46-08:00January 10th, 2020|

Improving Winegrape Quality Will Improve Prices For Growers

Improving Central SJV Winegrape Quality

By Tim Hammerich with the Ag Information Network

Frank Saviez has been growing  quality winegrapes in the Central Valley for more than 40 years. Looking ahead, though, he sees a future in which valley growers can command more of a premium for their grapes.

“The variety of grapes and the tonnages that are grown here are generally geared into the $5 to $10 bottle of wine. And when you analyze that and what the wineries want to pay for those varieties, it limits your ability to produce quality wine grapes,” said Saviez. “To do that you have to reduce the tonnage per acre to get a quality of grapes that you can make wine that would sell rather than $5 to $10, but $10 to $20.”

Saviez has worked with Fresno State and others to plant varieties that show promise for performing well under central valley conditions. He’s explored varieties such as albarino, chono, vermentino, shiraz, malbec, and teraldego. All with the goal of providing higher quality options to central valley growers in the future.

Saviez…”I have planted several varieties with the goal in mind to be in a position to influence the long term goals of grape growers in the central valley.”

Saviez hopes introducing new premium varieties will move prices up to the $400 – $600 per ton range seen in other areas.

2020-01-06T20:41:24-08:00January 8th, 2020|

Irrigation Strategy of J Lohr

 

Jerry Lohr Knows How to Increase Quality in the Vineyard

 

By Tim Hammerich with the the Ag Information Network

J Lohr is a world recognized brand for their high-quality California wines. Proprietor Jerry Lohr says most of the quality wine is made in the vineyard. We recently caught up with him when he shared how they continue to push the boundaries in their viticulture practices to produce award-winning wine.

“So the way to increase quality is just this constant studying, for instance, how much sun do we need on the, on the fruit? What the nourishment is – less is better in this case. Especially nitrogen. You use nitrogen for other crops, but not for grapes. The time of harvest, that pruning level, the crop level, said Lohr

“The time of watering is what we’re talking about. So, we water very little in the summer, so we water on the spring. And I didn’t want to tell people what they should do know, I just wanted to kind of tell about what our winemakers are doing,he said.

“So what we do is we make sure the soil profile is filled in the spring. We water very little in the summer. And then we water for verasion in the fall – from verasion to ripeness. So farming is about 75 to 90% of it (wine quality) Others call it a regulated deficit irrigation, he noted. “So that’s a good way of describing it. Then we just go further than other people do, putting on more in the spring and less in the summer and that have water for the fall.”

Lohr said he looks for more direct-to-consumer opportunities for the brand in the future.

2019-12-31T12:48:14-08:00December 31st, 2019|

Increasing The Shelf Life of Walnuts

Can Walnut Shelf Life Be Increased?

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Editor

Abhi Kulkarni is Assistant Technical Director for the California Walnut board and Commission. Could an edible coating help increase the shelf life of walnuts?

“Traditionally we have faced some challenges in terms of shelf-life vis-a-vis other products. So one of the things we’re looking at is how can we extend shelf life through any edible coating of walnuts or through different technologies that can squeeze more shelf-life for the open market or industrial products,” said Kulkarni

Kulkarni said they’re getting some preliminary results, which look very promising.

“Especially the research we’re doing with Oregon State on the edible coating of walnuts. It does show some initial promise, but we’ll see how it goes,” he noted.

FSMA Inspections

We also ask Kulkarni about the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) with inspectors coming to large farms for inspection. “Starting in 2020 someone on each farm must be trained to meet the Food Safety Modernization Act standards,” he said.

“It’s not that complicated. Basically what you need to do is each farm is required to have one person attend the FSMA training, which is a one day about eight hour training, and it’s the one time, so you don’t have to take it every year,” he said.

“We offered complimentary training for walnut growers for the past three years, and that program has lapse. However, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is offering a low cost training program, which is about $35 and growers can find information on their website to where they can sign up at their nearest training programs, Kulkarni explained.

Search for CDFA Produce Safety Program.

2019-12-26T20:34:53-08:00December 26th, 2019|

Almond Growers Concern About Trade Issues

Farmer Joe Del Bosque Checks In Regarding Almond Season

 

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Editor

Joe Del Bosque is a diversified grower in Western Fresno and  Merced counties.

He noted the almond crop was light this season mostly due to a wet spring that fouled up pollination. “Yes, I think the crop was a little lighter than normal, particularly in some varieties. Some did okay. Some did pretty normal and some were lighter.” Del Bosque said.

And del Bosque said that pest pressure was not particularly heavy.

“The few reports that I’ve seen on worm damage didn’t look too bad. So I think we’re, we’re going to come out okay with pests this past season,” he noted.

And trade issues, particularly with China, continue to be a big concern.

“For almond growers that’s probably our major concerns aside from water. So we hope that they will certainly solve this trade issue so that trade flows more freely,” Del Bosque said.

“It’s not that we haven’t been able to sell our almonds, because we have been able to sell them, but there have probably been some restrictions in the trade and maybe that might have been reflected in the prices,” he said.

“Maybe we should be getting higher prices than we have if we didn’t have these, these trade issues looming over us. And I think the, the worst part about the trade issues is probably the uncertainty of how long we’re going to go with these tariffs,” Del Bosque noted.

2019-12-17T10:48:21-08:00December 23rd, 2019|

UnitedAg Association Helps Members

 

UnitedAg Helps with Healthcare For Its Members

News from the AgInformation Network

Health insurance is an expensive item for all business owners. Many agricultural companies also face challenges in having access to local health care in rural areas. UnitedAg is a trade association focused on bringing innovative solutions to healthcare in agriculture.

President and CEO Kirti Mutatkar said they are finding ways to make healthcare more affordable and accessible for their members.

Mutatkar…”In California, agriculture is an areas where there’s no access to even primary care and clinics and decent care. So yesterday we actually had our ribbon cutting in Selma, and that is actually one of the underserved regions in California. And the next one you opening is Turlock. And there’s one more opening in King City the first part of the next year.”

UnitedAg operates similarly to other health insurance providers but is only open to companies that make at least 50% of their revenues from agriculture. Their eight health and wellness centers are located around agricultural areas of California where they offer care at no cost to members.

Mutatkar says they think of themselves as representing the empathy side of agriculture. Members have access to their full PPO network so can likely keep existing providers. Learn more at UnitedAg.org.

2019-12-26T19:07:44-08:00December 23rd, 2019|

World Ag Expo To Focus on Hemp

Hemp Innovation Challenge to Premier at 2020 World Ag Expo

The Hemp Innovation Challenge is designed to accelerate the future of the hemp industry by supporting entrepreneurs, researchers and students who are launching the most disruptive hemp innovations in the world. Submissions will come from hemp innovators in universities, companies, research institutes, barns, and government agencies. Finalists will be invited to the World Ag Expo® in Tulare, California in February 2020 to participate in the fast pitch competition. 
The winners will receive strategic feedback about their innovation, business model, and go-to-market strategy. Event highlights include networking with C-level executives, investors, and mentorship to support launching their innovations.
The Hemp Innovation Challenge™ will be run in partnership with the esteemed Larta Institute. Larta is a leading non-profit innovation hub with a mission to improve the transition of science and technology breakthroughs from the lab to the marketplace. Larta’s Global Agriculture Innovation Network (GAIN) programming, including the Ag Innovation Showcase, has helped over 700 ag entrepreneurs, who have gone on to collectively raise $1.7B over the past 10 years. “The Hemp Innovation Challenge is a perfect fit for what we do and our broader mission”, said Bandhana Katoch JD, MBA, MS, head of Larta’s Sustainability practice.
Entering its 53rd year, World Ag Expo® is the largest annual outdoor ag trade show in the world. In 2019, the show saw 102,800 attendees from 48 states and 65 countries. With more than 1,400 exhibitors and 2.6 million square feet of exhibit space, World Ag Expo® provides a platform for networking, education and business in one of the most productive ag counties in the United States. 
 
General Admission tickets are for sale online now, and attendees can plan their visit at www.worldagexpo.org/attendees. With a diverse lineup of agriculture companies and seminars covering international trade, irrigation, ag policy, hemp, and more, there is something for every ag professional at the 2020 World Ag Expo®. The 53rd edition will run from Tuesday, February 11 through Thursday, February 13, 2020 at the International Agri-Center® in Tulare, CA. 
 
To enter the Hemp Innovation Challenge, visit https://hempinnovationchallenge.org/hemp-innovation-submission/.
2019-12-01T11:57:02-08:00December 3rd, 2019|

HISTORIC STORM SYSTEM HEADING TOWARD WEST COAST

HISTORIC STORM SYSTEM HEADING TOWARD THE WEST COAST WITH RECORD-SETTING COLD AIR AND SNOW FALL REACHING THE SJV FLOOR for up to 48 hours!!!

 

From Steve Johnson
Atmospherics Group International LLC

 

  • Long Range has flipped to extremely WET beginning on Dec 5 and continuing thru to the end of the Fantasyland period ending on Dec 10th.   Lack of model consistency applies to this!

 

An unprecedented event is unfolding on weather charts for the entire West Coast, with the incoming storm system which now has the potential to be a record-setting event with cold temps and snowfall to extremely low elevations during the month of NOVEMBER!  If current charts verify then snow is possible to some very unusual places within CA over the Holiday weekend!!!

It is becoming increasing possible that a rare snowfall event could occur on the floor of the San Joaquin Valley over the Thanksgiving holiday with SNOW possible in the forecast for about a 48 hour period, ThuPM ending SatPM.

With partially clearing skies on Friday night MIN Temps could drop well below the Freezing mark of 32° …with some AG Stations calibrated to drop as low as 27° as of this forecast issuance timing.   This is also combined with chances of precip occurring at the same time, with high possibilities of snowfall accumulating within the San Joaquin Valley.   Extremely hazardous driving conditions are highly probable from Thanksgiving Day forward thru at least Saturday.

2019-11-24T16:43:18-08:00November 24th, 2019|

New Proposed Westlands Water Contracts to Users

Statement from Tom Birmingham, General Manager of Westlands Water District

A response to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s proposed conversion of the Westlands Water District water service contract to a repayment contract

The American West is an arid region. When President Obama signed the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act in 2016, it was with the express intent of improving the nation’s water infrastructure, especially in the western United States. As part of this improvement, 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 $320 million to the federal government years before payment is 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.
2019-11-20T19:40:39-08:00November 21st, 2019|

Waiting for Any Sign of Rain

The Lack of Rain is on the Minds of Growers throughout California

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Editor

We spoke with Joe Del Bosque, a diversified grower in Western Fresno and Madera Counties. He farms Almonds, Cherries, asparagus and cantaloupes. He is concerned about the lack of rain.

“We started the water year in pretty good shape with the most of our reservoirs above normal and I think they’re probably still in pretty good shape,” said Del Bosque. “But of course right now it’s starting out like a dry year.”

“We typically have some rains up in the north part of the state by this time of year. And the last time I checked the pumps of the Delta were not running for quite some time there and so we were not picking up hardly any water,” he said.

And, any water coming through those pumps ends up in the San Louis Reservoir. “And the San Louis Reservoir water level was dropping, but hopefully we can pick up more water here as we get into the rainy season.

The fear is that it doesn’t look like any storms, even in the short to long-term forecast.

“That’s exactly right. That’s what I’m seeing. There’s nothing in the near future, at least the next couple of weeks. So yeah, it’s starting to concern us. Absolutely,” noted Del Bosque.

 

 

 

 

2019-11-07T18:42:06-08:00November 12th, 2019|
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