Sorghum May Be Alternative to Corn

Researcher Looks to Sorghum to Replace Corn Silage in Dry Years

By Jessica Theisman, Associate Editor

Water has been a big issue in California for the last couple of years, and many dairy producers are looking for an alternative to corn silage for when water is scarce. Sorghum silage may be a viable alternative to corn. California Ag Today met with Jennifer Heguy, a farm advisor with the UC Cooperative Extension in Merced County who is working on a project, funded by the University of California, to research sorghum.

Heguy’s project consists of looking at sorghum silage to see if it is a good replacement for dairies when California does not have enough water to grow corn. Heguy said this is, “not a good time to talk about sorghum right now because we’ve had a really wet winter and we had this devastating sugar cane aphid last year, which just decimated sorghum crops, but we are continuing to work on sorghum silage.”

With the recent emergence of the sugar cane aphid last year, the sorghum crop in California took a big hit, but the project continues. Some of these projects can take two to three years to determine if it is a good fit into the California feeding systems.

“So this year, we are going to be taking a deeper look at the sorghum quality in terms of nutrition, fermentation characteristics, how people are putting this silage up, and how they are actually feeding it out,” Heguy said.

Photo Courtesy of University of California

Patrick Cavanaugh2021-05-12T11:05:16-07:00June 15th, 2017|

New Estimates on Broccoli and Lettuce Production Costs

Broccoli and Lettuce Production Cost Studies Released by UC ANR

News Release

New studies with sample costs to produce and harvest iceberg lettuce and broccoli for fresh market in the Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties have been released by UC ANR Agricultural Issues Center and UC Cooperative Extension. Vegetable growers may find these useful for estimating their own production costs and potential returns on investment.

“These studies have an expanded section on labor, which includes information on California’s new minimum wage and overtime laws,” said Laura Tourte, UC Cooperative Extension farm management advisor in Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties, who co-authored the study.

The analysis is based on a hypothetical well-managed farming operation using practices common to the Central Coast Region. The costs, materials and practices shown in this study will not apply to all farms. Growers, UC ANR Cooperative Extension farm advisors and other agricultural associates provided input and reviewed the methods and findings of the study.

Both studies assume a farm operation of 1,500 non-contiguous acres of rented land. The hypothetical iceberg-lettuce farm has 250 acres planted to iceberg lettuce. The lettuce is hand-harvested into 42-pound cartons containing 24 film-wrapped heads. The hypothetical broccoli farm has 500 acres planted to broccoli. The broccoli is hand-harvested into 21-pound bunch cartons. On each farm, the remaining acreage is assumed to be planted to other cool season vegetable crops.

The authors describe the assumptions used to identify current costs for production material inputs, cash and non-cash overhead. Ranging analysis tables show net profits over a range of prices and yields. Other tables show the monthly cash costs, the costs and returns per acre, hourly equipment costs, and the whole farm annual equipment, investment and business overhead costs.

Free copies of “Sample Costs to Produce and Harvest Iceberg Lettuce in the Central Coast – 2017” and “Sample Costs to Produce and Harvest Broccoli in the Central Coast – 2017” and other sample cost of production studies for many commodities are available. To download the cost studies, visit the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics website at https://coststudies.ucdavis.edu.

The cost and returns studies program is funded by the UC Agricultural Issues Center and UC Cooperative Extension, both of which are part of the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.

For additional information or an explanation of the calculations used in the studies, contact Jeremy Murdock of the Agricultural Issues Center University at (530) 752-4651, Richard Smith, UC Cooperative Extension advisor in Monterey County, at (831) 759-7357 or Tourte at (831) 763-8005.

Patrick Cavanaugh2017-06-08T14:59:43-07:00June 8th, 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|

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|

California Rice Growers are Model of Environmental Stewardship

Understanding Water Usage For California Rice Growers

By Brian German, Associate Broadcaster

The amount of rain California received in March has put a hold on rice planting. In a normal year, California rice growers would be finishing up their fertilizer regimen, getting ready for their April planting. Luis Espino, a UC Cooperative Extension Farm advisor in Colusa County, explained that the wet weather has caused many farmers to push back their planting schedule. “We had a lot of rainfall, so the ground is pretty soaked. There are some areas that are still flooded; they still have water in the field. It’ll be a while before tractors can get in there, but I’m guessing that as things dry out, things should start moving soon,” Espino said.

Photos Courtesy of Matthew Sligar of Rice Farming TV

After five years of drought conditions, California finally had a considerable amount of rainfall over the winter months. Available water supplies are at a much better level than they were in recent years, but there is another aspect that could hurt rice planting this season. “There’s been a good winter, so they’re going to have enough water to plant acreage as they would on a normal year. What’s not helping is the price of rice. It’s a little too low, and so that might hinder some of the plantings,” Espino said.

The California rice industry is a model of environmental stewardship, working closely with regulatory agencies and conservation groups to ensure that rice production improves wildlife habitats while promoting sound management of water resources. The rice industry has faced quite a bit of scrutiny over the past few years because of misconceptions regarding flooded rice fields. It is important to understand that the water used to flood rice fields has more than one use and eventually goes back into the water cycle. “There is a constant flow of water coming into the field and then leaving so that water is going back to the canal, going back eventually to the river and so it does get recycled,” Espino said.

Rice production in the state has changed remarkably over the past 50 years, with improved varieties, increased yields and improved marketability. With water on the minds of many Californians, Espino explained some of the reasons why rice fields are flooded for planting. “It can produce biomass and grain when the field is flooded. Maybe more important than that is the fact that water functions as a herbicide. By having water on the field, you have a way to suppress weeds from growing,” Espino said.

Aside from a small percentage of water being lost to evaporation, most of the standing water in rice fields stays in the overall water cycle. “The water used in rice fields – before it gets back to the river – is used four times, so in four different fields,” Espino said.

Patrick Cavanaugh2017-04-13T16:39:24-07:00April 13th, 2017|

Paraquat Resistance in Weeds?

Weeds Now Showing Paraquat Resistance

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Farm News Director

There’s been weed resistance to glyphosate herbicide, but now some weeds show resistance to paraquat herbicide.

“When we see paraquat resistance at often a very high level of resistance, it doesn’t cause any visual injury, which is different than a lot of cases,” said Brad Hanson, a UC Cooperative Extension Weed Specialist at UC Davis.

“We’re dealing with a lot of glyphosate resistant weeds right now, and when you spay glyphosate on the resistant weeds, they are slightly injured and then they recover,” said Hanson. “With paraquat resistance, it’s very stark. You often don’t see any symptoms at all. I describe it almost as immunity. It’s such a high level of resistance.”

“We have glyphosate resistance to annual ryegrass and hairy fleabane, and we have some populations of those same weeds that are resistant to paraquat,” Hanson said. “We see a very temporary reduction in the photosynthetic ability, but within a few hours it bounces back to normal.”

The plant is taking that active herbicide molecule, and it is being sequestered. It’s taking that molecule and putting it somewhere in the cell where it cannot get to the photosynthetic apparatus that’s its target site. It’s a very unique and interesting kind of resistance challenge.

“I think we’re talking about multiple resistance to paraquat and glyphosate. The grower likely switched to use paraquat in order to kill the glyphosate resistant weeds, and then the weeds selected paraquat resistance on top of that.”

Patrick Cavanaugh2021-05-12T11:05:42-07:00March 6th, 2017|

Pyrethroid Review by EPA is Important

EPA Pyrethroid Review Vital for Many Reasons

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Farm News Director

David Haviland is a UC Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor based in Kern County, and he’s focused on etymology. He spoke to California Ag Today about the current review by the EPA on the pyrethroid class of crop protection materials. He noted that the EPA is concerned about the material making its way to waterways.

David Haviland

“It’s a legitimate concern in that pyrethroids can bind to sediment, and if that sediment was just hypothetically say, worst case scenario, what if you sprayed a product into a orchard or a field right next to a river on the day before it rained?” Haviland asked.

“We don’t do that, but hypothetically if you did that and that sediment washed from that orchard out into a stream, yes, those pyrethroids can affect aquatic invertebrates and of course little tiny organisms. These little invertebrates are the basis for food chains in the stream systems,” Haviland said.

“Just like if you’ve got a household cleaner, it says, ‘Store out of reach of children.’ So yeah, there’s a risk of that product, and you mitigate or solve that risk by only using it where it’s appropriate, storing it where somebody can’t get it,” Haviland said. “The same is true with pyrethroids. If you read the label, there’s very specific use instructions on where you can and can’t use the product as well as other details about waterways and buffer zones and things like that,” he said.

All that is taken into account to make sure that any risk that may occur doesn’t turn into an actual real problem. “That’s part of the review, for the EPA to look over that label,” Haviland said.

The EPA review is to make sure that any mitigations on the label and use patterns adequately take into account any risks that may be real. “I expect it will be done scientifically and prudently and based on that, I hope pyrethroids are in the tool box for a long time,” Haviland said.

Patrick Cavanaugh2017-02-20T16:11:16-08:00February 16th, 2017|

Post Methyl Bromide Era Creates Questions

Without Methyl Bromide, Then What?

By Brian German, Associate Broadcaster

Methyl bromide was first identified as an ozone-depleting compound in 1991 and was scheduled to be phased out by 2005. California strawberry growers found it irreplaceable and fought for exemptions that allowed the fumigant to be used through 2016. Mark Bolda is a UC Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor who specializes in strawberries and caneberries and also serves as the County Director for Santa Cruz County. He discussed the work being done to find an effective alternative to methyl bromide.

Mark Bolda is working to help berry growers with the loss of Methyl Bromide

“It’s not just one thing does it all; it’s going to be one thing and then you add other things on top of that. … We don’t have the silver bullet anymore; it’s gone. We need to figure it out using the systems approach,” Bolda said.

The inability to use methyl bromide is causing some concerns for strawberry growers, who are looking at what new type of management approach to take. “Everybody’s familiar with the concept of integrated pest management for insects, and really, we need to approach this post methyl bromide era using integrated pest management,” Bolda said.

Growers are worried about how vulnerable their crops are going to be to various soil diseases without methyl bromide, as researchers have yet to find an alternative that is equally effective. One of the ways to combat disease is to focus on the details of planting.

“In strawberries, you have different chill times. You know, if you add cold conditioning, you give the plant more vigor. The colors of the plastic that you’re using to manage the temperatures of the soil, the amount of fertilizer that your using, all of these things now, we need to start to integrate into the way we are growing the strawberries,” Bolda said.

Methyl bromide controls a variety of pests in agriculture. It was also commonly used to treat commodities like grapes, asparagus and other imported goods to prevent introducing pests to the U.S. Bolda expressed disappointment in the lack of preparation in finding an adequate replacement for methyl bromide. “Here we are, zero hour, and we don’t have this worked out. I think, to some extent, there’s been a lack of leadership in the industry,” Bolda said.

The quest for replacing the fumigant might have gotten a late start, but industry experts have been working double-time to find solutions. “We have got all of the researchers in this industry together, working as a unit, and there’s a lot of smart people working on this problem right now. …. What do we need to research? What do we know? What do we not know? Let’s go,” Bolda said.

Nearly 90 percent of methyl bromide use in California was for pre-plant soil fumigation in strawberries, nursery crops, grapes, and tree fruits and nuts. Growers are preparing for a 5 to 10 percent drop in yield as a result of methyl bromide’s absence and are looking for ways to make up that deficit.

“Maybe using more precise fertility practices, adding cold conditioning to the plant, taking it away, using different varieties. All of this is going to start to go into this system,” Bolda said

The phasing out of methyl bromide is most impacting to the strawberry industry, which is California’s third most valuable crop behind almonds and grapes, with annual farmgate sales of $2.5 billion dollars. The biggest disease threats to strawberry fields are macrophomina phaseolina and fusarium, which can both have devastating results in crops. “It’s plant collapse. You’ll see it kick in once the plant loads up in fruit and gets a little warm. It’s just too much stress for the plant,” Bolda explained.

Methyl bromide will be missed by growers, but its absence is allowing them to demonstrate their creativity in finding new solutions to a problem. “We’re starting to see some methods that are pretty interesting,” Bolda said. One such method is steam, which involves pushing steam into the soil to kill certain pathogens.

Breeding in resistance to disease can also be beneficial; however, it can have some negative consequences as well. “When you have strong tolerance, you’re taking a hit on something else. There’s no such thing as a free lunch. You might have a plant that’s super resistant but then the yields are low, it doesn’t fruit until late. There’s always the trade off,” Bolda said.

Getting a good chill before planting can also be effective in making the plant more vigorous and better able to withstand disease pressure. “It’s a little complicated because the longer you chill, the later you’re planting times get, and if you’re planting in the middle of December, [there’s] not a light of sunlight in the middle of December, so you know, there’s a trade off there too,” Bolda said.

Crop rotation can also assist with some soil diseases, but more research is needed to determine just how effective it is.

Methyl iodide was showing some success as a possible replacement for methyl bromide, but its use became a problematic issue. “It became a political problem. I don’t think the industry stood it’s ground on it, and the industry, basically they struck their flags and left the field. Of course, the entire problem was defined by the opposition,” Bolda said.

Growers might have some difficulty working out a new pest management program without the use of methyl bromide, but Bolda explained that understanding the problem at hand is an excellent step in the right direction. “Don’t just turn scientists loose and just say, ‘study and do experiments.’ No. Define the problem. I think what we’ve done with the fumigants over this last two years. Getting everybody together and working as a unit, we have defined the problem and now that mental energy and that mental potential is moving. You need to define it in order to bring the people in to solve it,” Bolda said.

It’s going to take some time to work out a program that best replaces methyl bromide, but Bolda is optimistic about the future. “Sometimes the solutions aren’t so obvious, but they’re starting to show up and you know, the thing is that some of these will be radically different,” Bolda said.

Patrick Cavanaugh2017-02-20T16:10:40-08:00February 13th, 2017|

Boron Affects Rootstocks

Excess Boron Threatens Orchards

By Brian German, Associate Broadcaster

There has been some exciting research taking place examining the effects of high levels of boron on various types of rootstock. Katherine Pope is an Area Orchard Systems Advisor, covering a large area that includes Sacramento, Solano and Yolo Counties. High concentrations of boron have been a big problem for some growers in the area.

“This is a bigger topic for Yolo County, and there’s a few areas on the west side of Fresno county and also areas in San Joaquin County … that have excessively high boron. There’s veins of boron that come out of the Coastal Range,” Pope said.

Katherine Pope, UC Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor, Yolo County warn growers of excess boron

Pope’s work as a UC Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor has her involved in covering production research, education and assistance with almonds, prunes and walnuts. Boron can cause a myriad of problems in orchards, making preparation before planting even more important. “You would want to test your water and your soil before you plant. Because if you plant the wrong rootstock on high boron ground, boy, you’re going to feel it for the next 20 years,” Pope said.

Some of the early findings of the project have shown there is not a steadfast rule regarding what rootstock variety fits what limitation. “We have nine different rootstocks that we tried, of a lot of different origins. Peach-almond hybrids, some that have plum in them, or some that are just peach,” Pope said. Other preliminary findings suggest that complex hybrids are more tolerant to high boron, sodium and chloride.

Some of the rootstocks that appear to be performing well under heavy boron conditions are both peach-almond hybrids. “Both Titan FxA and Nickels performed really well last year. … That’s probably a mix of generally being vigorous trees, and so they’re higher-yielding no matter what, and the wider spacing we have them at,” Pope said.

The project has also shown that the rootstocks Lovell and Krymsk 86 continue to perform poorly under high boron conditions. “Lovell – which is usually a fairly sizable, decently-yielding tree – and Krymsk have both had pretty low yields, about one-third of the yields of the highest yielding trees,” Pope said. Researchers can tell that those rootstocks are letting a lot of boron up into the tree by looking at the boron numbers in the hull. “Those two rootstocks do well in a lot of conditions but high boron is not one of them, according to the results we have.”

The trial is still fairly new, as the rootstocks were planted in 2011. Last year was the first significant harvest. Pope mentioned that if boron levels reach 0.5 parts per million, that’s when it starts to become a concern.

Patrick Cavanaugh2017-01-05T10:57:23-08:00January 5th, 2017|

Farm Advisor Culumber is in Awe

Catherine Culumber is Impressed by Big Production

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Farm News Director

Catherine Culumber is a UC Cooperative Extension Orchard Crops Farm Advisor in Fresno County. She has been on the job since June 30, and we wanted to catch up with her since she’s gotten her feet on the ground.

Catherine Culumber, UC Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor, Fresno County.

She came to the position with a Masters in Plant Science and a PhD in Soil Science.

“I’m so happy to be here, and it’s been great to get to know the network of people working in the University of California Cooperative Extension. There is endless amounts of resources and wealth of knowledge that I feel really fortunate to have.”

She is working with almond, walnut and pistachio growers, with the majority of her calls from almond producers.

Culumber was surprised with the vastness of Fresno County and all the production here. “My PhD research was in orchard systems at Utah State University, and it didn’t nearly prepare me for the infinite acreage that I saw upon arriving here,” she said.

She said that she has met some very innovative growers, and they all seem to be doing the best they can for the family farm.

“I think that farmers are very adaptable, and I can see that in recent years with the decrease in water availability, most people have adapted and gone to different micro-irrigation systems to increase their water use efficiency,” Culumber said. “The farmers are working hard to not only be sustainable, but they’re smart business people as well.”

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-12-27T12:38:59-08:00December 27th, 2016|