SEED PRODUCTION FOR THE WORLD

Terra Nova Ranch

Lettuce Seed Operation


By Patrick Cavanaugh
 
In driving around on the West Side of Fresno County, you may see a field of a crop growing upward with a mass of seeds in a big flourish at the top. This is an important lettuce seed operation for North Pacific Seeds.

North Pacific is based in San Joaquin and specializes in contract multiplication of high quality vegetable and herb seeds. The company serves seed companies and wholesale distributors around the globe. North Pacific is a daughter company of South Pacific Seeds based in Australia.

At Terra Nova Ranch, different varieties of lettuce are grown in mini-blocks. This time of year, the seeds are carefully harvested by hand crews. It’s all part of the multi-faceted activities happening in the San Joaquin Valley during the summer months.

2016-05-31T19:45:25-07:00August 13th, 2013|

PROP REFORMS TO AFFECT WINEMAKERS

Winegrowers Lobby for Industry Priorities

The State Senate reconvenes today, Monday, August 12, 2013 to pass Prop 65 legislation before the September 13 deadline. Proposition 65 is a much-disputed law, established in 1986 that requires businesses to warn individuals before knowingly exposing them to a list of chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects and other reproductive harm.

According to the Civil Justice Association of California (CJAC), this list of chemicals has grown to about 800 different substances and has done more to enrich plaintiffs’ lawyers to the tune of over 60% in settlements since 2000, than to protect the public from toxic chemicals. 

AB 227 will help reduce Prop. 65 litigation by helping businesses avoid lawsuits for such substance exposure violations as alcohol or food-related chemicals by requiring a monetary penalty and by posting a warning before notifying the business.
Family Winemakers of California (FWC), an Association of California Table Wine Producers, are lobbying wine industry priorities. FWC is reserving judgment until Proposition 65 language is in print, perhaps within the next few days. 
FWC also supports AB 1116, the private event extension bill, which is also approaching passage with its next Senate hearing. Finally, the foreign labor contractor bill, SB516, could impact J-1 visas used by the wine industry; however, FWC is working to fix the problem.

2016-05-31T19:45:25-07:00August 12th, 2013|

HARVESTS COMMENCE ON THE WEST SIDE

A Diversified Farmer Delivers For All



By Patrick Cavanaugh

George Ayerza is with A & A Farms, and the last three weeks have been rushed with harvest work that not only helps feed consumers, but clothe them as well.

George Ayerza, following a long day in the fields.

He just finished up harvesting 220 acres of cannery tomatoes on the West Side of Fresno County near San Joaquin.  “We had good production of around 50 tons per acre,” he noted. “The quality of the crop was excellent too.”

Ayerza noted that they had only one of three fields that was lightly impacted from Curly Top Virus. Curly Top was very bad for many growers across the county this year.

Ayerza’s Cannery Tomatoes being harvested.

Over the last few days, he started shaking his 160 acres of almonds beginning with his Nonpareil variety.  “So far, production looks good, although the almonds look a little smaller than last year, probably due to the excessive heat we had in July,” Ayerza assessed. “Harvest will continue over the next few weeks.”

“This week, we will also be starting to harvest our seed alfalfa,” Ayerza said.

Ayerza will also be harvesting his dehy onions. The crop will be dug and loaded into trucks for delivery to a dehy processor.

His cotton is flowering beautifully. “We hope to set a great crop,” said Ayerza. “We plan to harvest the cotton in late October; everything is about two weeks early this year.”

2016-05-31T19:45:25-07:00August 12th, 2013|

Visit Wineries As Part of Supporting California Agriculture

Blending Art with Wine

Charter Oak Winery is a destination in Napa Valley where artisan meets artist. It represents a blending of wine and art under the auspices of family and tradition carried forth by four generations of the Ragghianti-Fanucci family.

Today, husband-and-wife duo, Robert and Layla Fanucci, helm the stunning Charter Oak Winery in St. Helena, Calif., where they create and produce their award-winning wines and world-class art at this one-of-a-kind, historic property.

The unique Tasting Room at Charter Oak Winery with surrounding art.
A true family business, Charter Oak Winery was inspired by Robert Fanucciʼs grandfather, Guido Ragghianti, an immigrant from Lucca, Italy, who began making wine in his basement cellar in San Francisco in the 1920s using grapes sourced from the Napa Valley. Guido and his brother, Raffaello, purchased the Charter Oak property in 1950, where Robert and Layla, together with their three children, now operate the familyʼs winery.

Robert was influenced at an early age by his grandfatherʼs craft and has been making wine all his life. Yet it wasn’t until 1986 when he learned the entire winemaking process from start to finish. That year, Guido handed down his skills to his grandson, from picking the ripe fruit, crushing, fermenting, pressing and placing the wine in the barrels to topping, racking and blending wines. After the harvest that year, Guido passed away.
Robert carried on his grandfather’s winemaking tradition, starting his own label in 1986 and then spending nearly a decade perfecting his handcrafted, artisanal process before sharing it with the world. In 1998, Robert released Charter Oak Wineryʼs first vintage and began selling small batches of the wines regionally.

Today Robert, together with son David, tend the grapes and winemaking year round, producing approximately 800 cases annually and distributing across the country, including to some of the most well-regarded restaurants in the U.S. Specializing in Zinfandels, Charter Oak wines have earned numerous awards and national recognition.

Charter Oak is also home to Layla Fanucciʼs art studio. Layla spends most days focused on her multi-scale work and splits her time painting in a spacious, screened-in porch or outside in a picturesque setting between two apple trees on property. Layla started her career as a beloved music teacher but now works full-time as an artist as her paintings began attracting worldwide attention. Her growing renown has led to a multitude of exhibitions and commissions. 

2016-05-31T19:45:25-07:00August 12th, 2013|

AGRICULTURE EMBRACES NEW FACILITY

Plastic Recycling Facility To Open in Salinas
A facility that will create 500 green jobs and recycle more than 100 million pounds of agricultural plastic, annually, will soon open in Salinas.


Command Packaging, a US manufacturer of reusable shopping and restaurant bags, will open Encore Recycling, a 130,000 square foot, agricultural plastic recycling facility, is scheduled to begin operations in October 2013. The facility will turn the plastic into reusable bags called smarterbags™ for the California grocery market. Command Packaging is the first US company to adopt and implement this successful European recycling model.

In 2014, the company will employ over 100 full-time workers, with plans to grow to a staff of nearly 500 full-time employees. The facility will have the ability to recycle more than 100 million pounds of plastic per year.


The agricultural community in the Salinas Valley has embraced Encore Recycling’s vision of ‘recycling with a purpose’. Some of the largest multi-national and recognizable names such as, Dole, Driscoll, Pacific Gold Farms, Ramco, Red Blossom Strawberries, as well as many independent growers, are working with Encore Recycling to ensure that their plastic is collected, washed and recycled.


“We at Dole Berry Company are exited about participating in Encore Recycling’s agricultural plastic recycling program. It offers us the unique opportunity to avoid sending approximately 135 tons of agricultural plastic to the landfill,” said Thomas Flewell of Dole Berry Company. “Instead, Encore Recycling will process the material for a new use. We anticipate that participating in the program will result in significant cost savings.”


“Until now, we’ve struggled to find a recycler large enough to handle the discarded farm plastic we use every year in the Salinas Valley,” Casey Bassetti with Red Blossom strawberries said. “Encore’s new state-of-the-art plant is just what we need to help us find a sustainable solution and improve our environment.”


“Encore Recycling is leading the way to help California create the standard for a sustainable and closed-loop recycling system throughout the US,” Pete Grande, CEO of Command Packaging and Encore Recycling said. “Implementing a sustainable recycling model that works for the consumer, the grocery store, and the environment, is a win-win for all. People love plastic. It’s part of our everyday lives. Instead of trying to eliminate it, we need to create a “Smarter” plastic, and Encore is doing that.”


To partner with Encore Recycling, please contact: General Manager, Aviv Halimi, at aviv@encore-recycling.com.

2016-05-31T19:45:25-07:00August 10th, 2013|

SAN LUIS & DELTA-MENDOTA SAY RELEASE IS ILLEGAL

Trinity Water Release Lawsuit Filed
The San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority filed a lawsuit in federal court yesterday to stop the Bureau of Reclamation from illegally releasing Central Valley Project (CVP) water from Trinity Reservoir to the Klamath River.

“We regret being forced into this avoidable defensive action but Reclamation is acting illegally. It has failed to properly exercise its legal authorities. It has failed to adequately assess and mitigate for the harms this action will cause. And, most importantly, it has failed to equitably balance the greater public good,” said Dan Nelson, executive director of the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority.

Reclamation announced that it will release up to 100,000 acre-feet of CVP water from Trinity Reservoir to diminish the effect of a naturally occurring disease endemic to the Klamath River system to which the Trinity River is connected in an attempt to help a near historic number of returning non-listed Chinook salmon. The action, which is outside of Reclamation’s authorized place of use, is intended to help avoid an event, which is documented to have occurred once in 2002.

“The sad fact is this was a completely avoidable situation,” lamented Nelson. “Since 2000, a significant supply of water has been set aside each year from the Trinity Reservoir for fishery protection purposes. Reclamation knew it could use that water to meet this year’s request for supplemental flows on the Lower Klamath River. They consciously chose not to. Instead, they chose to take more water illegally from CVP customers already suffering from chronic water supply shortages. This conflict we have before us results directly from Reclamation’s poor water management decisions.”

“In its ‘Finding of No Significant Environmental Impact’ (FONSI), Reclamation concludes that there is no downside to this action, that nothing and no one will be harmed,” Nelson added. “This is simply false. The potential for significant impacts to endangered species, water and power customers, including wildlife refuges, disadvantaged communities and recreational users are irrefutable. Simply trying to dismiss these impacts as insignificant without adequate support is unconscionable.”

The water planned for release is enough to irrigate more than 30,000 acres of farmland or serve the domestic needs of three-quarters of a million people for an entire year.

The San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority serves 29 member agencies reliant upon water conveyed through the California Bay-Delta by the United States Bureau of Reclamation’s Central Valley Project. These public water agencies deliver water to approximately1.2 million acres of prime farmland, 2 million California residents, and millions of waterfowl dependent upon the more than 100,000 acres of managed wetlands within the Pacific Flyway.

2016-05-31T19:45:25-07:00August 9th, 2013|

DECREASED PRUNE ACREAGE IS SHORTING SUPPLY

Prune Growers See Reduced Crop

According to the California Prune Board, reduced supply sets price expectations from growers California prune growers (or dried plums as they’re sometimes known in the United States) are anticipating a reduced crop in 2013, driven by reduced yields in their orchards following two consecutive years with strong crops.

History has proven a reduction is common following years of strong fruit production: Declines in 2013 are estimated in three of the four top producing countries: U.S. (-24 percent), Chile (-41 percent) and France (-20 percent). Based on the 2013 global supply estimate, demand in both domestic and international markets is expected to be greater than production.

Further impacting the global supply, bearing acreage in California is estimated at 51,000 acres, down from a peak of 89,000 acres in 2000. The reduction equates to a 43 percent drop in total acreage. California prune acreage was reduced by seven percent following the 2012 harvest. Other major producing countries are seeing similar trends, with acreage being removed in favor of higher value crops.

The 2013 California prune crop estimate by the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service is 105,000 tons (95,000 metric tons), down from 138,000 tons (125,000 metric tons) in 2012. The carry-over inventory from the prior crop will offset the supply reduction marginally with the total supply available to market being down by 20 percent versus the prior year.  

Many California prune growers have converted over to higher valued tree crops such as walnuts and almonds.  The combination of competing higher value crops along with reduced acreage and supply is creating very strong upward pricing momentum for California prunes.

During a June 2013 meeting of the International Prune Association in Italy, it was communicated that major producing countries must deal with the current economic sustainability issue relating to prune pricing in the field. Representatives from each of the major prune producing countries report increasing grower dissatisfaction with market prices and the continuing trend of growers worldwide to pull prune acreage and reallocate valuable land resources to more profitable nut crops.

“This (pricing increase) is an adjustment that was imminent. We just happened to get some assistance from a smaller crop in California and globally. I’m optimistic that we’ll be back on a sustainable track and our growers will regain enthusiasm about keeping their prune orchards,” said Donn Zea, Executive Director of the California Dried Plum Board in Sacramento.

Overall pricing from California is expected to advance by at least 10 percent to 20 percent above the prior year’s pricing. Packers are watching the final days of the growing cycle with great interest, but so far challenging conditions do not seem to have adversely impacted the crop. The fruit size and sugar levels indicate good quality, and there is optimism that the harvest will reach forecasted volumes.

The supply pressure is putting a strain on marketing efforts to increase demand. Strong California campaigns in both domestic and international markets that aimed at generating new consumers are at risk. Key to this new demand is the growing consumer emphasis on digestive health, supported by the recent approved health claim for prunes issued by the European Food Safety Authority. Also, promising research on the benefits of consuming California prunes demonstrates a potentially significant positive impact on bone density, creating a buzz among consumers.

With these positive messages in place to grow demand, the supply is critical for the industry. However, plans may be threatened unless grower returns can be elevated to compete with higher valued fruits and nuts around the globe.

Zea continued, “This is a product that is enormously undersold. Once consumers of all ages are aware of the many health benefits, diverse uses and delicious taste, they’ll realise that prunes really are the whole package. It is critical that consumers are able to continue to receive these messages.”

California Dried Plum Board (CDPB): The CDPB represents 900 dried plum growers and 20 dried plum packers under the authority of the California Secretary of Food and Agriculture.

Revered as part of California’s rich history, the dried plum remains a vital player in California’s economic wealth. California produces 99 percent of the United States’ and 48 percent of the world’s supply of dried plums, a convenient, healthy snack for today’s busy lifestyle.

2016-05-31T19:45:26-07:00August 8th, 2013|

WATER AND ENERGY MEETING

The Energy and Water Nexus Summit 2

Thursday, September 12

9:00 am – 4:00pm

The Bay Theater, Aquarium of the Bay

Pier 39, San Francisco

An all-day workshop delving into the issues around water and energy policy, supply, pricing, development and innovation in the Bay Area and how they impact the economy and movement of goods.

The Summit will feature expert panels on topics such as: 

Desalinization

The California Water Bond

Energy and Water Needs and California Agriculture

Energy and Water Development and Innovation

If more California coastal cities could design cost-effective desalinization, more water would be available for Central Valley agriculture and communities.

Confirmed participants include:

Felicia Marcus, Chair, California State Water Resources Control Board

Mark Cowin, Director, California Department of Water Resources

Harlan Kelly, General Manager, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission

Tim Quinn, Executive Director, Association of California Water Agencies

Mario Santoyo, Executive Director, California Latino Water Coalition
Ron Davis,, Executive Director, CalDesal

Dr. Val Frenkel, Director of Membrane Technologies, ARCADIS

Dr. Ned Spang, Program Manager, UC Davis Center for Water-Energy Efficiency

Dan Walters, Columnist, The Sacramento Bee

Dr. Peter Gleick, President, The Pacific Institute

Ben Horenstein, Director of Wastewater, EBMUD

Stan Williams, Vice President of Project Development, Poseidon Water

Katherine E. Wagner, Partner, Downey Brand
Grant Davis, General Manager, Sonoma County Water Agency
For registration and more information, call:  (510) 768-8310

2016-05-31T19:45:26-07:00August 8th, 2013|

AG LEGISLATION PENDING

California State Legislative Bill Watch
“The following bills are moving through the state legislature and need to be monitored and defeated for the benefit of agriculture and farm workers,” noted Barry Bedwell, President of the California Grape and Tree Fruit League in Fresno.
“Our primary focus throughout the month of August is talking to California Congressional Representatives about immigration reform,” said Bedwell. “That is our main push right now.”
Bedwell noted that the League is also focused particularly on two bills in Sacramento.
“The biggest one locally is SB 25, which Dan Gerawan, of Gerawan Farming is very much involved with,” said Bedwell. “It is a change in the Agriculture Labor Relations Act that would allow for perpetual mandatory mediation. This takes away the rights of the farm worker to the point that if there were an election for unionization, the farmworker would have no say in ratifying the terms of an agreement—no input whatsoever. As a result, the union would not have to bargain in good faith. The end result would be that three percent of each farm worker’s paycheck would go to the union.”
Bedwell noted SB 435 is another important bill and is authored by State Senator Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima). This bill has to do with piece-rate work, which would require mandatory payments for breaks as well as any preventive recovery period having to do with heat illness prevention. “The current law states that ag employers must provide workers two breaks, and it is up to the workers to take them. The employer must also provide any number of recovery periods for any worker who is trying to prevent overheating.”
“Because employers cannot pay less than minimum wages, we have always contended that those breaks are paid for already,” said Bedwell. “What the bill calls for is that all the breaks, whether the worker takes them or not, would be paid separately, apart from the piece-work income. And in some cases, it would mean that workers would be paid double.”
The same bill was tried twice before in 2004 and 2005, and both times were vetoed by former Governor Schwarzenegger under the theory that the workers were already getting paid well above minimum wage. Furthermore, it was rejected with the understanding that it was not necessary for heat illness prevention because there was a big increase in compliance in agriculture.
“The California Labor Relations Board is trying to set up a law where compliance is next to impossible,” said Bedwell. “If you have hundreds of employees, each one could be on different breaks and for a different amount of breaks. If a grower is required to account for each worker separately, and pays them separately, then you are setting up a system in which farmers would be out of compliance and therefore subject to fines.”
“At the same time, there will be no improvement regarding heat illness prevention because we are already making great strides on this. This could have major costs for agriculture,” Bedwell said.

2016-05-31T19:45:26-07:00August 8th, 2013|

AG COLLABORATES TO SOLVE HUNGER

California Ag Community
Fights Hunger

Yesterday at California State University, Fresno, the California State Board of Food and Agriculture (of the CDFA) held an open meeting with representatives from several state food banks, non-profit Calif. organizations that are invested in food provisions, growers, and the media, plus a filmmaker via Skype and members of the community. Craig McNamara, Board President, chaired the meeting, and CDFA Secretary Karen Ross was present.


CDFA Secretary Karen Ross

“The San Joaquin Valley is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the nation and yet we have a number of individuals in these communities who do not know where their next meal is coming from,” said Secretary Karen Ross stated in a recent statement. “Bringing together the agricultural community with local food banks, faith-based organizations and other stakeholders, is an important step in addressing food insecurity in the Valley.”


Here are some surprising statistics:

·      23% of the Central Valley (CV) population is food-insecure (1 in 4).

·      1 in 3 children in the CV are food insecure.

·      50% of children in Chico receive 2 meals a day.

·      In some Fresno public schools, 98% of students have free or subsidized lunch.
   
These are some of the meeting highpoints: 

All those present watched a trailer for the sobering film, A Place at the Table, directed by Lori Silverbush and Kristi Jacobson. Silverbush, who joined the meeting via videoconference, said, “Hunger is fixable.” She said that poverty is not about personal failure, laziness or poor choices; rather, the hungry people she has met are typically hard-working adults with insufficient income who struggle to feed their families.

 

She claims that hunger exists in our 1st world country “because we are not holding our representatives accountable. I don’t blame the government for this situation; I look at fellow citizens and say, ‘We are the government.’”

Sarah Reyes


Sarah Reyes, of the California Endowment, a private, statewide health foundation, began by describing herself as having come from a food-insecure family.

Reyes, like Silverbush, has observed that food-insecure families typically have two working adults; they just have a hard time making ends meet.


Ironically, she explained, many hungry families suffer from obesity because they only have access to cheap, nutrient-deficient food.


This is where the California agricultural community comes in.


The Food System Alliance, a county-based collaboration of community leaders, ag leaders, and CEOs, addresses, among many issues, the need for growers to be able to have a market right here in the Central Valley. “For instance,” said Reyes, “Fresno Unified School District just signed with local strawberry farmers to provide berries for school lunches.


Reyes also talked about seeking agricultural partnerships to teach people to work in community vegetable gardens, for example. “This isn’t about me; it is about us,“ she stated.


Addressing the CDFA, Reyes urged Board Members to invite residents to their meetings; look at how SNAP and Food Fresh programs work and sign up participants; examine state-created barriers that prevent outreach; and review service program accessibility.

Miles Reiter


Miles Reiter, Driscoll Strawberry Associates Inc. and CDFA board member said that unfortunately, “We have a cheap food policy. We must make grocery stores accessible because it is so easy for a working parent to go through a drive through.”


Lindsay Coate

Lindsay Coate, Ag Against Hunger, said we need to provide a necessary link between agriculture and community needs. Her organization, initiated by the agricultural community, provides a clearinghouse for surplus crops in a 3-county area. With their own fleet of trucks and a cooling facility, the organization provides the local ag community with a distribution system that gave out 210 million pounds of vegetables, particularly leafy greens, last year. In wintertime, they send their trucks to Yuma for fresh crops.


Barriers to distribution, reported by many panelists, include poor farm yields, short shelf life, availability of cool storage, increasing poverty and food insecurity, competition for non-retail quality food with feed needed by ranchers, high cost or shortage of farm workers, processors and transportation, cost of liability insurance, and high cost of crops (e.g., nuts, cabbage).


Also cited were a lack or high cost of transportation, poor harvest timing when gleaning volunteers are unavailable, limited storage, difficulty in maintaining stable food availability year-round, and the high cost of canning and dehydrating food for preservation. Finally, presenters noted the lack of volunteers, packaging, and agricultural providers for particular crops.

Strategies to encourage the agricultural community’s participation are: solve some of the above problems/barriers for farmers, use peer pressure among growers and the rest of the agricultural industry’s services, enjoin packers to provide packaging, and engage transportation companies to provide trucking.


Presenters also emphasized getting grower-buy-in by including them more in meetings and decision-making, providing incentives for more participation, encouraging farmers to allow access to their crops they wouldn’t have picked anyway, giving tax credit by the IRS, continued fundraising.


Potential solutions for food insecurity are establishing local grocery stores, providing education on how to eat (i.e. peel a kiwi) and cook food, teaching how to exercise voting rights to pressure government representatives, starting community fruit and vegetable gardens, and finding volunteers. Other possibilities include the subleasing of cold storage, use of fairgrounds as distribution centers, and the provision of working wages and emergency-gleaning committees.

Bryce Lundberg


When Bryce Lundberg, a rice grower in Yolo County and CDFA board member, asked about the anticipated effect of severe water deficits on food banks, panelists either did not know or would not comment. Aside, he commented about the necessity and lack of water storage in California, both above and below the Delta, and surface and ground water.

2016-05-31T19:47:04-07:00August 7th, 2013|

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