LAND VALUES COINCIDE WITH COMMODITY PRICES

Ag Land Values in West Have Strength


TODAY Rabobank published a new report on U.S. land values. Vernon Crowder, senior analyst based in Fresno, co-authored the report and notes that in the Western U.S., land values are expected to move in the same direction as the Midwest with one caveat.


“The changes seen in land values in the West, especially those in California, should be less dramatic than that of the rest of the country,” said Crowder. “This is due in large part to the diversity of crops grown in the region.”


According to the report, in the medium term adjustments in values will generally only coincide with commodity prices and weaken with the increase of interest rates and the value of the US Dollar.

2016-05-31T19:45:15-07:00September 20th, 2013|

GIFT TO UC DAVIS TO SOLVE CA WATER PROBLEMS

–>A Boost for Watershed Science, Agriculture

The University of California, Davis, will build on its success as a center for problem-solving research on California’s critical water issues thanks to a $10 million gift to the Center for Watershed Sciences from the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation.

The Center for Watershed Sciences—the state’s leading academic institute on water management—will be able expand its scientific research and public engagement capabilities on the state’s increasingly difficult water problems, including drinking water safety and reliability, agricultural production, flood protection, hydroelectric power, recreational use and the survival of salmon and other native fish species.

State officials have long relied on models developed at the center to assess the potential effects of proposed water management actions. The center’s scientific research has informed policymakers on several critical water issues, including the ecological health and water supply of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, which provides drinking water for 22 million Californians and supports the state’s $27 billion agriculture industry.

California faces unprecedented challenges managing its limited water supply and maintaining the health of its rivers, lakes and estuaries as the state’s population and economy grows, according to the center’s scientists. Competing water demands have increased water scarcity, worsened water quality and severely diminished populations of wild salmon and other native aquatic species.

“California’s problems will become more challenging as the climate changes and water demands increase,” said Jay Lund, director of the Center for Watershed Sciences. “This gift significantly strengthens our ability to stay ahead of potential water crises with forward-thinking insights and innovative solutions.”

“The S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation and its founder, Stephen D. Bechtel, believe that California can meet the water needs of its cities, farms, and ecosystems, but only if water management is informed by research, grounded in best practice, and enabled by sound policy,” said Lauren Dachs, president of the Foundation. “The Foundation is pleased to partner with UC Davis to develop solutions to California’s multifaceted water challenges.”

2016-05-31T19:45:15-07:00September 20th, 2013|

California Grape Shipments Soar

 California Table Grapes

Shipped at Record Pace!

California table grapes have been shipped at a record pace in recent weeks. According to USDA data through September 13, 2013, five of the past six weeks have seen week-ending shipment totals of over four million boxes.

Last year, only one week in the entire season surpassed four million.

“Grapes from California are in strong demand worldwide,” said Kathleen Nave, president of the Fresno-based California Table Grape Commission. “With nearly 45 million boxes shipped, the industry is on pace for another record crop year.”

August 2013 saw 18.4 million boxes shipped, according to USDA data, a record-high for the month of August. This is six percent more than August 2012. The previous record of 18.1 million boxes was set in August 2007.

The total volume surpassed the 100 million 19-pound box equivalent mark for the first time in history last year and set a new record. The 2013 season estimate is 105.7 million 19-pound box equivalents.

Grapes from California will be available around the world through January 2014.

2016-05-31T19:45:15-07:00September 20th, 2013|

CONSERVATION TILLAGE COMBINES INNOVATION WITH SOLUTIONS

Conservation Tillage Research

Shows Benefits

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Editor

 Twilight Conservation Tillage Attendees listen to speakers 
Jeff Mitchell, a UC Davis cropping systems specialist and the coordinator of the recent Twilight Conservation Tillage (CT) field day noted the ‘unifying themes’ that the UC and industry are working on.  The event included three bus tour stops at three center pivot locations and several stops at the UC West Side Research and Education Center in Five Points.

 “Our basic goal in this event was to provide new and emerging information on precision irrigation systems and in particular overhead irrigation which may be far more widely used in the Valley in the future,” said Mitchell. 

“Second, we also intended to provide information and solutions, both technological and also in terms of soil management, to problems that may arise with the use of this new irrigation approach,” Mitchell said, adding,  “These technologies include careful matching of water application devices (nozzle packages) and innovative ‘boom back’ drop hoses that keep wheel tracks dry.” 

The soil management practices include reduced disturbance, residue preservation, and soil carbon building through the use of cover crops.  Together, these strategies can improve soil quality and function and allow the sustainable use of cheaper, precision irrigation systems such as overhead. 

Mitchell spoke about CT Research
Our third theme was to provide new information on various applications of ‘conservation agriculture’ that we’ve been working on.  These include no-till cotton and tomato production, strip-tillage sugar beet production in high residue, flat-planted conditions, and the use of cover crops in SJV annual cropping systems. 

“A big part of what we talked about was conservation agriculture,” said Mitchell. “This cultural practice is used in different areas around the world as an alternative to conventional agriculture,” he said.

He outlined what a diverse group of UC researchers, farmers and others who are part of the Conservation Agriculture Systems Innovation (CASI). A lot of it points to what we have been doing with conservation agricultural principles and practices here.

“In the context of how to improve the soil resource, well it’s a hard case to make,” Mitchell said. “Why should anyone be concern with soil quality? Since data has been collected since 1920 with processing tomatoes, the yields have gone up 747 percent. This phenomenal success in increased production is indisputable. With this in mind, many could rightly ask how in the world could anyone say that I have a problem with soil quality,” noted Mitchell.


Mitchell outlined concerns stemming from a late April meeting with growers along with UC Farm Advisors, Natural Resources Conservation District (NRDC) and private companies. The goal of the meeting was to come up with a list of practices that people would recognize as improving the soil.

“The ideas on list were really nothing new,” said Mitchell. “But I would doubt that there are very many people doing some of the harder ones such as reducing soil disturbance, which means reducing physical, biological and chemical disturbance. Most fields are very heavily tilled.”

The list also stated that rotating crops would be good, and there are many growers who do that. But Mitchell said there are growers who are deliberately trying to increase soil carbon.

“Soil Improvement ideas are not new.”
Soil carbon relates to the organic matter in the soil. It improves the physical properties of soil. It increases the cation exchange capacity (CEC) and water-holding capacity of sandy soil, and it contributes to the structural stability of clay soils by helping to bind particles into aggregates, which improves soils.

Mitchell said there are farmers around the country such as in Ohio and New Mexico, who are using no till, (reduced disturbance). “They are adding cover crops to their systems and increasing soil carbon and at the same time, they are reducing cost. So there are people who are doing this,” he said.

Mitchell then discussed the long-term CT work at the UC Westside Research and Education Center.

“In field trials here we had a standard till no cover crop during the winter, so it was pretty bare ground. Then we had a standard till where we worked the soils, reworked the beds with a cover crop during the winter,” Mitchell said.

Then he pointed out a CT area, which is no-till, with a residue of processing tomato vines. “We are going to plant cotton into the beds next spring—that’s zero tillage, and reduced disturbance.

Next to that field we have a CT area where we are going to plant a cover crop this fall to get more organic matter into the soil.

NRCS offices have some cost-share funding available for growers wanting to attempt conservation practices. They are finding that growers who use less tillage also have more carbon in the soil. And while growers are also saving money with less tillage passes, NRCS does not show us doing very well in the west.

Also there are some growers in the Midwest that are betting that high quality no-tilled soils around the country and the world are going to have increased value for production in the coming years. So some growers with venture capitalist behind them are buying up soils and encouraging growers to practice no-till farming to have a better resource. These investors are actually trying to make money on these soil improvement practices.

“Since 1998, we have tried to look at these kinds of CT systems, that reduce disturbance, and accumulates residue on the soil surface, noted Mitchell. “Are there benefits to this? Are there benefits in saving water, cycling nutrients due to the cover crop? Is there anything that can be tweaked to give us benefits such as lowering soil temps? Maybe microorganisms are able to thrive better during certain times of the year when the soil is not baking.” Mitchell noted

Mitchell: Soil Organic Matter Holds more Water
“Conservation Ag is globally becoming recognized, as an alternative to the status quo,” he said. “It’s about incorporating and integrating ecological management with high tech and high productivity kinds of systems. It’s not to go backwards but instead to merge the best of many kinds of systems.”

“As you reduce tillage, there is more plant residue accumulating on the beds. A percentage of these residues will be there when you plant the next crop.  A big part of the trials is controlled traffic. The no-tilled beds that have been growing cotton and tomato have not been moved in 12 years. There has not been any breaking up of beds. In some systems we add a cover crop to try and improve the soil if we have water this winter,” Mitchell noted.

But he pointed out something very interesting. He said that in the cover crop field over the last 14 years, he has added only eight inches of supplemental water to grow the cover crop. “After 12 years we have added essentially he small research field has had an additional 19 tons of organic material or seven tons of carbon than it wouldn’t have had in a bare condition, with just eight inches of water and normal rainfall.

“If you just do CT, our study has shown there is a carbon increase just by not disturbing the soil. And if you combine cover crops and CT you get the biggest carbon benefit,” noted Mitchell

One take home message is that if the soil is improved through CT methods or cover crops, then the infiltration rate can be increased if and when rain comes. It would be good to bank the water we get we may get instead of it ponding on the surface and evaporating.

The CT yield story is not so encouraging regarding tomato production.  “In the early years the tomatoes on the CT system, for whatever reason did well,” said Mitchell.  “But during he last several years, including this past year, yields have gone down. Some of the problems were due to diseases, but think we either have some rotation issues or we need to address our management there,” he added. 

“However, for the last or six years we have had cotton yields in the no-till plots that matched the standard till plots.”

2016-05-31T19:45:15-07:00September 20th, 2013|

NUTS HAVE FEWER CALORIES THAN EXPECTED

Scientists Improve Calorie Estimation Method


U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists have improved the method for estimating calories in tree nuts, showing that there are fewer calories in pistachios and almonds than previously thought. The modified method should also work well for other foods, according to the scientists with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), USDA’s in-house research arm.

Chewing begins the digestive process of liberating nutrients from food. This process is necessary before nutrients are considered “bioaccessible.” In theory, the fat within some hard foods is not completely absorbed because it’s difficult to digest the food’s cell walls, which contain the fat.

Physiologists David Baer and Janet Novotny at the ARS Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center in Beltsville, Md., fed 16 healthy adults pistachios at three different levels: none, 1.5 ounces per day, and three ounces per day, along with a background or “base” nut-free diet. The volunteers ate each pistachio level for 18 days. Researchers collected and analyzed urine and stool samples from all feeding periods. This analysis consisted of measuring calories in the foods that were fed to volunteers (energy in) and measuring the same foods’ excreted remains (energy out).

Novotny, also a mathematician, wrote a series of algebraic equations to evaluate data from the biological samples and to isolate and measure the calories specifically supplied by the pistachios separately from the base diet consumed. “The base diet always consisted of the same foods and composition, thus allowing us to tease out the caloric value of the single target food,” says Novotny.

The study suggests that the caloric value of pistachios has likely been overestimated by about 5 percent, because the fat from the nuts wasn’t completely absorbed by the intestinal tract. The study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition in 2011, was supported by USDA and Paramount Farms, Inc., Los Angeles, with an improved method and reported in the September 2013 issue of Agricultural Researchmagazine.

Baer and Novotny conducted a similar human clinical trial in which they fed the volunteers three different levels of whole almonds as part of a carefully controlled diet for an 18-day period. According to food labels, almonds provide 168 calories per 1-ounce serving, but the researchers found that the same serving actually provided 129 calories when computed by the modified method. This difference was due in large part to loss of undigested fat, protein, and carbohydrate in the stools, according to the authors.

The study showed that it is possible that the total number of available calories from certain whole nuts, and perhaps other similar foods, may be lower than originally estimated. The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2012, was supported by USDA and Almond Board of California.
2016-05-31T19:45:15-07:00September 20th, 2013|

Sweet Potato Festival, A Sure Sign Fall is Near

Sweet Potato Festival 2013 

Starting TODAY, The City of Livingston and The Sweet Potato Council of California brings to you an event for families to celebrate the Sweet Potato Harvest.  This year’s event will be held on September 20, 21, 22, 2013 at the Max Foster Sports Complex, 2600 Walnut Avenue Livingston.  

There will be a carnival, live bands, entertainment Kid zone, baking contests, Dress your tater, Grower Exhibits, educational booths and numerous activities geared towards sweet potatoes. Every food vendor will have a sweet potato specialty item.

2016-05-31T19:45:15-07:00September 20th, 2013|

HANFORD MEAT CO. RECALLS BEEF

BREAKING NEWS

High Risk Class I Recall

TODAY, Central Valley Meat Company, a Hanford, Calif., establishment, is recalling 58,240 pounds of ground beef that may contain small pieces of plastic, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced. USDA has coded this as a Class I Recall, defined as a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.



The recall product is 40-lb. cases containing 10-lb. chubs of “Fine Ground Beef.”



The products bear the establishment number “Est. 6063A” inside the USDA Mark of Inspection. The products were produced on April 1, 2013, and can be further identified by case code “6063A3091A” or “6063A3091B.”  The products were shipped to distribution centers in Arkansas, California, Montana and Texas and were intended for use by the National School Lunch Program.

FSIS discovered the problem during an investigation due to customer complaints. FSIS and the company have received no reports of illness or injury due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an illness or injury should contact a health care professional.

FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers.


 Central Valley Meat Co., was closed down briefly in the summer of 2012 after animal rights activists trespassed and shot video of sick cows being mistreated. It was later reopened.

Consumers with food safety questions can “Ask Karen,” the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.govor via smartphone at m.askkaren.gov. “Ask Karen” live chat services are available Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET.

The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline, 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854), is available in English and Spanish and can be reached weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day.

2016-05-31T19:45:15-07:00September 20th, 2013|

FIG SEASON IN CENTRAL VALLEY

Fig Season Ending Soon

Fans of fresh figs will have to move fast. Farmers report the fig season is coming to an early end. One Merced County farmer says the season was the earliest she has experienced in 23 years, because of warm spring weather that caused figs to mature faster.

Almost all U.S.-grown figs come from California, and nearly all of those come from Madera, Merced and Fresno counties.

2016-05-31T19:45:15-07:00September 20th, 2013|

FSMA PUBLIC MEETING IN OCTOBER

FDA to Hold Additional CA Public Meeting on Major FSMA Proposed Rules

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing an additional public meeting in California on the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Proposed Rules on Foreign Supplier Verification Programs and the Accreditation of Third-Party Auditors/Certification Bodies. The meeting is the third in a series of meetings announced on August 16, 2013.

Meeting details are:

October 22, 2013, 8:30 am -5:00 pm

October 23, 2013, 8:30 am – 12:30 pm

Hilton Long Beach & Executive Meeting Center
701 West Ocean Boulevard Long Beach, CA 90831 

The purpose of the public meeting is to discuss the two proposed rules aimed at strengthening assurances that imported food meets the same safety standards as food produced domestically. The Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) proposal would establish requirements for importers to verify that their foreign suppliers are implementing the modern, prevention-oriented food safety practices called for by FSMA. The second proposed rule on the Accreditation of Third-Party Auditors/Certification Bodies would strengthen the quality, objectivity and transparency of foreign food safety audits on which many U.S. food companies and importers currently rely to help manage the safety of their global food supply chains. The meeting is also designed to solicit oral stakeholder and other public comments on the proposed rules, inform the public about the rulemaking process (including how to submit comments, data and other information to the rulemaking dockets), and respond to questions about the proposed rules. 


Public Meeting attendees are encouraged to register on-line or contact: Lauren Montgomery, Teya Technologies, LLC, 101 East 9th Avenue, Suite 9B, Anchorage, Alaska 99501; telephone: 443-833-4297; FAX: 907-562-5497; e-mail: lauren.montgomery@teyatech.com.


For general questions about the meetings, to request an opportunity to make an oral presentation or to request special accommodations due to a disability, contact: Juanita Yates, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, 5100 Paint Branch Pkwy, College Park, MD 20740; telephone: 240-402-1731; e-mail: Juanita.Yates@fda.hhs.gov.

·       Register Online

·       NOTE: A small block of rooms has been reserved at the Hilton Long Beach & Executive Meeting Center. Additional information is provided on the meeting registration site.

Please note the following important dates:

·       Meeting in Long Beach, CA

o   October 1, 2013: Closing date for request to make oral comment

o   October 1, 2013: Closing date to request special accommodation due to a disability

o   October 8, 2013: Closing date for advance registration

·       November 26, 2013: Closing date to submit either electronic or written comments to FDA’s Division of Dockets Management; for the proposed rule on Foreign Supplier Verification Programs, see Docket No. FDA-2011-N -0143. For the proposed rule on Accreditation of Third-Party Auditors/Certification Bodies, see Docket No. FDA-2011-N-0146.

2016-05-31T19:45:15-07:00September 19th, 2013|

CALIFORNIA AG TRADE DELEGATION IN ASIA

California Mission To Establish Stronger 
Market In China

By Laurie Greene, Associate Editor
CDFA Secretary Karen Ross (third from left, at table, facing camera) at a 
briefing at the California-China Office of Trade in Shanghai.To her right
is Keith Schneller, director of the US Agricultural Trade Office there.

CDFA Secretary Karen Ross released an update today on the California Trade Delegation’s meetings in China this week. Here are her remarks:

I am pleased to have the opportunity to return to Asia this week on a trade mission along with ten California companies looking to establish stronger relationships in the region. 

One of our first stops was the California-China Office of Trade and Investment in Shanghai, which was opened in April of this year by Governor Brown. It is a valuable resource for California businesses as a venue for meetings, temporary office space, and an opportunity to connect with staff members who are eager to assist California companies interested in doing business in China, which is California’s third largest export market for agricultural products, with over $1.7 billion in shipments in 2012.

During our briefing this week with the Foreign Agricultural Service Agricultural Trade Office (ATO) of the United States Department of Agriculture, we learned that China is still a fast-growing market for food, beverage and agricultural commodities. We heard from two importer/distribution companies with over twenty years of experience importing products to China. Both firms, Goodwell China and the Nanpu Group, have impressive infrastructures to reach beyond first-tier cities in China’s coastal areas (Hong Kong, Shanghai) to service second-tier cities throughout the country’s vast interior.

When I last visited China in the spring, our delegation learned how significant on-line shopping has become for the food and beverage industry, and that was underscored during our briefing with the ATO. A major company in this realm is Yihaodian, the number one on-line provider in the food and beverage category. The company started in 2008 and has seen remarkable growth fueled by its creativity and the demographics of its middle-income users. As the ATO staff briefing us explained, the company’s users represent “bigger buying power looking for better life.” The company is focused on apps for mobile users, which is important for connecting with hundreds of millions of consumers throughout China.

On this visit I also had the opportunity to meet with Director Sun Lei with the Shanghai Municipal Agriculture Commission. The region has 1.5 million farmers with an average farm size of about one hectare. Mr. Sun expressed concern about the pressure on farmland to be more productive, to minimize the environmental footprint of farming, and to improve food safety practices. The commission is also focused on the challenge of attracting new and younger people to farming. We enjoyed a lively discussion about the importance of cooperation and collaboration on these kinds of issues, which are key to the future of all people, regardless of where they reside on our planet.

Economics – the search for new markets – is the primary objective of this and all agricultural trade missions that CDFA sponsors with our partner, the California Center for International Trade Development in Fresno. However, the connections we make with the Chinese people and the government leaders remind me of our shared aspirations for a better world and the vital role agriculture plays to improve the quality of life of our citizens.

2016-05-31T19:45:16-07:00September 19th, 2013|

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