Keeping Workers Safe from Heat Illness

How Farmers Prevent Heat Illness

Part of a Series

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Farm News Director

With the rising temperatures, farmers must ensure the safety of their workers to prevent heat illness and ensure that everyone gets home safely. California Ag Today spoke with Daniel Jackson, of Family Tree Farms, about the rising temperatures and worker safety.

“It’s amazing how you see canopies up all over,” Jackson said. “As you drive by, you’ll see the canopies that are up, providing shade. The water sources are close. As far as sanitary goes, most farmers now are — especially the larger ones — under global good agricultural practices (GAP) certifications. We’re not only required to have excellent bathrooms and wash station in place. it, but it’s also the right thing. … It helps to protect our workers, keep them safe and also provide a safe, sanitary food source for the public.”

Family Tree Farms has a proactive approach on keeping their workers safe. “We’re taking care of the workers by giving them their breaks and doing everything that we need to ensure that they’re healthy and that they’re able to make it through the day,” Jackson said.

“That takes great supervision. We have a great team. We have about eight people that work for us, that are going around checking people, making sure that they’re safe,” he said.

“We also visit the workers in the field. I think the farmer needs to be there in the flesh from time to time, making sure everybody’s healthy. So far, it’s been fine this year, but as the heat goes up, we’re going to have to take more precautions,” Jackson said.

Patrick Cavanaugh2017-06-23T17:37:08-07:00June 14th, 2017|

Pyrethroid Review is Important

Be Thoughtful on Pyrethroid Review Comment Page

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Farm News Director

California Ag Today has continued coverage on the pyrethroid class of insecticides, which were under review by the EPA. The critical industry comment deadline has been moved to honor before July 7th this year. California Ag Today spoke with David Haviland, an entomology farm advisor with UC Cooperative Extension Kern County about his philosophy on commenting regarding the pyrethroid class of materials.

“From my perspective, please don’t go on there and just say, ‘We need pyrethroids.’ What they really need to know is what importance do these pyrethroids play to that particular commodity on that particular farm? What’s being done to make sure that the risk from those products are mitigated? One of the concerns of pyrethroids is if they can move off-site into waterways. That’s a legitimate concern. All those things need to be taken into account and then reviewed,” he said.

An easy website to go to comment without that complicated government URL is simply Defendbifenthrin.com.

Patrick Cavanaugh2017-06-01T00:13:05-07:00May 30th, 2017|

Memorial Day, A Day To Honor, To Reflect, To Remember

Farmer Veteran Coalition Offers Veterans New Sense of Purpose

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Farm News Director

Memorial Day is a day of solemn remembrance of those in the U.S. military who have been killed in the line of duty. We at California Ag Today have heavy hearts for the individuals and families who have suffered losses for all of us. We also want to convey appreciation for our nation’s veterans and current service members.

We also take this Memorial Day opportunity to focus on those veterans who have returned home and embraced the farming industry by reporting on the Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC). Evan Eagan, communications specialist for the FVC

and veteran Marine Corps combat correspondent (2003 to 2007), said, “More than 100 California veterans have returned to family farms or started their own operations.”

“Typically, [veterans] reach out to us either through our website or they give us a call and we assess where they are,” in terms of farming experience. “Either they have returned to a family farm or they are looking for training to get into the business,” said Eagan. “They may also be looking for some sort of loan assistance. They are in our database and we follow up with them on whatever they are seeking—whether it be urban gardening, hydroponics, aquaponics or even large-scale crop farming. Returning veterans are engaged in farming throughout California,” he said.

FVC also provides veterans with information on crop loans, as well as other funding sources such as micro-loan agencies. “We are able to endorse loans up to about $10,000,” said Eagan.

Matt McCue; Farmer Veteran, Shooting Star Farms, Fairfield

“Additionally, we have the Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund which opens once a year and rewards up to $5,000 per farmer veteran,” said Eagan. And that’s not a loan; it is a grant they do not have to pay back. Traditionally, we award it to veterans who already come from farm families and who have done something to establish some sort of operation. We try to give them critical items to give them a boost in the early stages of their farming endeavors.”

Egan said the returning veterans are farming a wide range of crops. “I think we are pretty well represented among the various various fruits and veggies across the agricultural industry. We have a guy up in Chico who grows kiwi, a poultry farmer and another veteran working with cattle.”

Some veterans may not have a farm to come back to, so they will need land to get started. Egan noted that new farmers find the land costs too high in California to get started, but other areas of the country, such as the South and the Midwest are more affordable.

FVC staff makes themselves available to any returning veteran seeking work in farming. We have outreach personnel standing by Monday through Friday to take calls and field emails to assist anybody who hears about us. Reaching out to veterans is one of our main focuses right now—to let more and more veterans know that these services are available to them. We’re here, ready to help them get into farming, to discover if it is something for them.”

Many veterans who get into farming report a bonus therapeutic effect. Current research studies that we’re involved with, in coordination with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, are quantifying the therapeutic effects of farming on veterans. R Reportedly, farming has helped alleviate PTSD symptoms for some veterans and gives them a sense of purpose.

“Once you’re in the military and you’ve been serving on a mission, you really get behind what you’re doing. Once you get out, many veterans lose that sense of identity and purpose. The military is such a close-knit community; you have a network of people who are in the same battle with you. Then you get out and you end up in a rural area where there are not many resources or people. Farming may fill that void and give veterans a real sense of purpose while also fulfilling a real need.”

“FVC also manages the Homegrown by Heroes Program, a crop labeling program that gives consumers a tangible way to support veterans. The Homegrown Heroes program is currently endorsed by 15 state department of agriculture and has More than 600 participants in 48 states, plus Puerto Rico. Furthermore, Homegrown by Heroes sales exceed $50 million each year.”

Resources:

Farmer Veteran Coalition

http://www.farmvetco.org

Homegrown by Heroes

http://www.farmvetco.org/homegrown-by-heroes/

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

https://www.va.gov

Patrick Cavanaugh2017-05-29T13:06:46-07:00May 29th, 2017|

Rice Weed Meeting Taking Place on Sept. 15

Second Annual UC Rice Weed Course Scheduled For Sept. 15

News Release

This year will mark the second annual rice-specific weed course at the Hamilton Road Field and the Rice Experiment Station in Biggs, CA, on Friday, Sept. 15. The day will begin with an interactive field tour of the research plots (Hamilton Road Field), where attendees can get up close to the weeds and rice (bring your boots)! The course will include a hands-on weed identification session on emerging and mature weeds. In the afternoon, speakers will address several pertinent topics in California rice, including weedy red rice, regulatory update and how to constructor a weed management program.

The course is a collaborative effort between UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE), UC Davis and the California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation (CCRRF.)

Whitney Brim-Deforest

“Weed management in California rice is becoming increasingly complex. This course provides growers and pest control advisers with the latest research and management strategies for the California rice system” said Whitney Brim-DeForest, UCCE Rice Farm Advisor. The event is a great opportunity for pest control advisers, growers, industry, extension and interested students to gain a deeper understanding of topics that affect rice weed management.

The cost is $70 if received by 8/1/2017, $80 if received by 9/1/2017, and $90 if received after 9/1/2017 (if there is space.) The cost for students with a valid student ID is $40/$45/$50. For more details or to register, visit http://wric.ucdavis.edu and click on RICE WEED COURSE.

If you have questions, contact Whitney Brim-DeForest [wbrimdeforest@ucanr.edu or (530) 822-7515.]

Patrick Cavanaugh2021-05-12T11:01:59-07:00May 7th, 2017|

Labor Issues in Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potato Season Under Way: Labor Issues Are Big Concern

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Farm News Director

With the 2017 sweet potato season getting under way, there are major concerns about the cost of labor – in particular, the new overtime law.

“It is a high-labor crop, which makes it a very expensive crop to farm. It use to be that fumigation challenges were the biggest concern, but now it’s the overtime law,” said Scott Stoddard, a Merced County vegetable crops farm advisor with UC Cooperative Extension.

“Before the new law, workers often put in a 10-hour day during harvest. So I think in order for growers to survive, they will be forced to change the harvest methods. We have to figure out how to make the harvest less expensive,” Stoddard said.

Stoddard has had a conversation with growers about figuring out a way to increase harvest efficiency.

“Again, the expensive part of the operation is the fact that harvesting is a very slow operation,” Stoddard explained. “You’re going to have a tractor and a driver, and you’re going to have five or six people on this piece of equipment. And in a 10-hour day, this harvester might do one acre of ground.”

Right there alone, there are six employees that are making at or more than minimum wage: $12 to $15 an hour. After workman’s comp and social security are factored in, farmers are looking at six people at $12 an hour or combined $72 dollars an hour. Multiply that by 8 hours – that’s $576 dollars – and that’s only for the labor.

“And if you have to go overtime, which is needed at harvest, then labor cost rise very steeply,” Stoddard said.

Then you have to throw in everything else: the equipment costs, diesel and maintenance. And you also have the driver of the harvester. And then you have the forklifts out in the field and the portable bathroom rentals. All of a sudden, costs are up around $1,500 an acre just for harvest.

We have to ask, is it really profitable to grow sweet potatoes?

“They continue to do it, so it must be,” Stoddard said. “However, the changes in both the overtime law as well as the increase in the minimum wage are increasing the labor by 50 percent. So that means growers will need to increase their efficiency an additional 50 percent. And that’s what the industry is working on.”

Patrick Cavanaugh2017-05-02T15:46:45-07:00May 2nd, 2017|

USDA Raises Plant Pest and Disease Awareness

USDA Website Provides Helpful Tips for Everyone

By Melissa Moe, Associate Editor

April is Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month. Pests can vector dangerous diseases. In a state so dense with agriculture, Californians must be aware of the huge dangers that these pests create. We spoke to Edward Verona, the state operations coordinator for the USDA Plant Protection and Quarantine, about Hungrypests.com and how Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month will help spread awareness of the dangers of plant pests to the public.

“There are eight helpful tips on Hungrypests.com. The public can learn what they can do to make sure that they’re not moving all of these hungry pests, not just from one state to another, but even within California, being that it’s such a large state,” Verona said.

California grows half of the fruit, vegetables and nuts that are consumed in the United States. Carrying fresh fruits and vegetables across state lines into California can spread dangerous diseases into previously uncontaminated areas and risks harming this huge supply of crops. Plants bought from nurseries and growers can also be homes for invasive pests.

“Make sure that you do buy plants and seeds from reputable sources, such as established nurseries or online businesses. You definitely don’t want to be doing that with fly-by-night dealers. Whether it’s in your neighborhood or online, definitely buy from certified sources,” Verona said.

Growers, producers, and consumers alike are all encouraged to visit Hungrypests.com to learn about the threat and what they can do to help. The website is available in English and in Spanish.

“What’s important is, only one person moving that orange, that apple, or that little sprig of citrus, can be the one to move the problem, but also, it’s everyone and the public that can help by learning what they can do and learning to recognize symptoms of these pests and diseases on hungrypests.com and report,” Verona said.

Patrick Cavanaugh2021-05-12T11:05:16-07:00April 28th, 2017|

Getting Past Carrot Disease Pressure

Carrot Growers Hindered by Rain Over Winter and Spring

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Farm News Director

Carrot producers from around the world joined together in Bakersfield for the 38th Annual International Carrot Conference. Jeff Harrington is Senior Manager of Ag Operations for Bolthouse Farms, a major fresh carrot producer. He also does seed procurement and agronomy work. He noted that there were presenters from around the world presenting research from the last couple of years.

Jeff Harrington, Bolthouse Farms

“In some cases, they’re going back from the late ’80s, this research that they’ve been doing in regards to disease resistance in carrots, breeding and gnomic markers that they’re finding for these resistances,” Harrington said.

As for pressures impacting California Carrot Growers, Harrington noted, “Of course the recent challenge would be water. Then also disease pressure that’s associated with the excess of water that we’ve had this winter and spring.”

“We have not been able to get into some fields to plant, so we have been hunting around for dry ground all over the state,” Harrington said.

Harrington also discussed some of the problematic pest and diseases that growers often face in the industry. “Definitely it’s nematodes and then cavity spot and alternaria leaf blight,” Harrington said.

Harrington explained how the carrot industry often gets past some of these most troublesome diseases.

“Some varieties have a stronger top that help us with those diseases such as Alternaria. And we are seeing more varieties that are … tolerant to cavity spot some. And then we use soil fumigants that help with against nematode pressure. The fumigants also help with weed pressure,” he said.

Patrick Cavanaugh2021-05-12T11:01:59-07:00April 4th, 2017|

Dirty Dozen List has No Scientific Basis

Ag Industry Pushes Back on EWG Dirty Dozen List

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Farm News Director

The Environmental Working Group, headquartered in Washington D.C., with a local California office in San Francisco, has released its annual Dirty Dozen list. Topping the list again are strawberries, followed by spinach and many other fresh produce items.

The California agricultural industry is puzzled by the list because EWG provides no scientific evidence of residues on any of the itemized produce, according to Theresa Thorne, the newly named executive director of the Watsonville, California-based organization Alliance for Food and Farming.

The AFF exists to deliver credible information to consumers about the safety of fruits and vegetables, and to counteract misinformation like EWG’s Dirty Dozen list.

Thorne explained, “We really try and work to provide science-based information to consumers so that facts — not fears — can guide their shopping choices. You just can’t, year after year, continue to call safe and healthy fruits and vegetables ‘dirty.’ Nevertheless, EWG has been doing this since 1995. So every year, we work aggressively to put our information out there to counter the misinformation that EWG puts out, so people can make the right shopping choices for their families.”

According to Thorne, the EWG manipulates data issued by the well-known government-issued USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Pesticide Data Program implemented through cooperation with state agriculture departments and other federal agencies. According to the USDA AMS website, “The PDP data show, overall, that pesticide residues on foods tested are at levels below the tolerances established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and pose no safety concern.”

“But EWG goes through and manipulates that data,” Thorne said. “Even if there is some minute amount of residues detected, they are below safety threshold levels set by the EPA. According to a toxicologist from the Personal Chemical Exposure Program Department of Entomology at University of California, Riverside, you can eat an excessive amount of strawberries in a day, and still not have any health effects from residues. That’s how low residues are if they’re even present.”

Links:

Alliance for Food & Farming (AFF)

AFF Flyer

SafeFruitsandVeggies.com Pesticide Residue Calculator

Scientists and health experts overwhelmingly agree that the mere presence of pesticide residues on food does not mean they are harmful.
Use facts, not fear, to make healthy food choices
Health experts and scientists say produce, grown either conventionally or organically, is safe to eat for you and your children. Not only are conventionally and organically grown fruits and vegetables safe and nutritious, Americans should be consuming more of these, not less, if they hope to reduce their risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.

Pesticide Data Program (PDP)

Pesticide data Program (PDP) is a national pesticide residue-monitoring program and produces the most comprehensive pesticide residue database in the U.S.

Personal Chemical Exposure Program (PCEP) Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside

Patrick Cavanaugh2021-05-12T11:05:17-07:00March 24th, 2017|

2016 California Winegrape Crop

DiBuduo: 2016 Winegrape Crop Up

By Brian German, Associate Broadcaster

Allied Grape Growers is a California winegrape marketing cooperative that was formed in 1951 and now represents nearly 600 growers throughout the state. Nat DiBuduo is the President and CEO of the cooperative. His family has a long history in agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley and were the first ones to grow varietal winegrapes in the area. He noted that 2016 was a pretty good year for grapes.

Nat DiBuduo

“We had probably about 3.8 to 3.9 million tons crushed in the state overall. … We had good demand and good pricing in many parts of the state. The San Joaquin Valley probably was challenged more than it should have been, pricing-wise,” DiBuduo said.

Allied is based in Fresno and has established relationships with multiple buyers that allow them to market their members’ winegrapes to more than 100 outlets every year. Collectively, members of the cooperative currently farm close to 30,000 acres, made up of more than 40 major varietals. “We were down in many varieties. Thompson seedless for raisins and/or concentrate, production was down. Ruby reds were down, but some of the other varietals were average to slightly under average,” DiBuduo said.

DiBuduo has been with Allied Grape Growers for nearly 17 years. Under his leadership, the cooperative has expanded more than 20 percent. When asked about the most important aspects to consider when evaluating how the grape industry did overall in a given year, DiBuduo said that, “we have to have quality and production and price. It’s a combination of all three – and you’ve got to watch your production costs.”

One of the major concerns for growers this year across all industries was the continually increasing cost of labor. “Everyone’s looking at more mechanization, and it’s not fair because we’re putting farm laborers out of work, and we’re depending on the farm labor force and we need them. We need to treat them right, and we need to take care of them,” DiBuduo said.

The new policies and pay rates were advertised as benefitting the farm workers. In practice, however, the reality is that employees will end up making less money in the long run, DiBuduo said. “They want to put in the extra hours, and the farm workers are not going to be able to. It’s going to hurt the farm workers,” he explained.

Historically, during harvest and other busy times during the year, farm workers would have the opportunity to work up to 60 hours in a week. Legislators introduced a bill that was passed, limiting farm workers to 40 hours a week. “I’ve always said the biggest pest we’ve got this year has been the legislators and regulators out of Sacramento. … We can control the pests in the field, but we haven’t been able to control Sacramento,” DiBuduo said.

Patrick Cavanaugh2017-01-17T15:44:59-08:00January 17th, 2017|

Cherry Industry Hoping for Better Year

Cherry Growers Face Challenges in California

By Jessica Theisman, Associate Editor

The cherry trees in California are sitting dormant now, but they will be waking up soon, for what the industry hopes to be a better season than the last few years.

“Cherry trees will soon push bud and leaf out and produce a crop by late April. We’ve had, I think, a decent amount of what we call chill portions,” said Nick Matteis, a spokesperson for the California Cherry Board.

California Ag Today’s Farm News Director Patrick Cavanaugh, left, speaks to Nick Matteis.

Enough minimum temperatures will help the trees become more vigorous in the spring. “It’s one of the things that makes growing cherries particularly challenging in this state,” Matteis said. “By January, folks will know, and hence, based on that information, that’s when the rest-breaking materials are sprayed if needed.” Rest-breaking sprays are used to compact and advance bloom and harvest in cherries.

Many consumers in California really hope that this upcoming season will be a good season for cherries. “The only thing that makes it worthwhile is that people still just love to have those cherries at the earliest chance possible,” Matteis said.

“Last year, we got rain at the wrong time. Then we had a lot of split cherries that just didn’t make it to the market. The year before that, anybody’s guess is as good as anybody else’s,” Matteis said.

The cherry growers this year need a break. The state of California did not have a very good crop set two years ago, though last year, they had the opposite. “That’s the story with cherries, we’re always trying to squeeze into a really tight window, whether it comes to growing conditions or markets,” Matteis said.

There are always multiple factors that could lead to a decline in production. “There was some speculation amongst the growers that it maybe had something to do with bloom and pollination. Some thought maybe the chill was a factor, too. Of course, when you talk about any kind of factorial statistical analysis, I’m sure there are many combinations that’d be impossible to simplify,” Matteis explained.

Patrick Cavanaugh2017-01-12T19:39:57-08:00January 12th, 2017|