Cattle Grazing Reduces Wildfires

Cattle Grazing Reduces Wildfire Fuel

By Tim Hammerich, with the Ag Information Network

Our state has experienced three serious wildfire years recently, and managing the amount of fine fuels can certainly help reduce these risks in the future. This leads some ranchers and scientists to ask the question: just how much of these fine fuels are cattle eliminating when grazed properly? The study still needs to pass peer review, but here’s Devii Rao, a UCCE Livestock and Natural Resources Advisor with what they found.

“Across the state of California cattle – at least in 2017, which is the year that we used for our analysis – they grazed across 19.4 million acres of rangeland, and consumed 11.6 billion pounds of fine fuels,” said Rao.

Rao says they collected data across multiple regions to also look at the variance of cattle consumption of these fine fuels.

“On average across the entire state, we found that livestock consumed about 596 pounds per acre. And then when you break it up by region, it really varied from, you know, 174 pounds per acre in some parts. Which, you know, that would be the more drier desert regions where there’s just not that much forage or fine fuels being produced. And then on the higher end, cattle were consuming a little bit over a thousand pounds per acre,” noted Rao.

With cattle found in almost every county of the state, it’s just a matter of finding creative ways to graze more of these fire fuel reducers.

California Ag Today2020-12-03T19:04:01-08:00December 3rd, 2020|

Navel Orangeworm Control Strategies

Climate Change and Navel Orangeworm

By Tim Hammerich, with the AgInformation Network

Navel Orangeworm is a major pest of crops like almonds, walnuts, and pistachios. Dr. Tapan Pathak with the UC Cooperative Extension recently completed a study on how climate change might impact the pest.

“Navel orangeworm, when they finished their first generation, their population number is low. But for every additional generation they can complete during the growing cycle, their population increases significantly,” said Pathak.

This is a concern because the study reveals that earlier springs and warmer falls are likely to increase these Navel Orangeworm populations.

“In the past, we used to see two to four generations of navel orangeworm, depending on the location. If it is in the southern part of the central valley, that would be more generation compared to the north. But on an average, two to four generations are typical for navel orangeworm,” said Pathak. “

But what we are seeing with this climate change study is that under future climate, the fifth generation of navel orangeworm is more likely in many, many counties. And especially by the end of the century, it’s present or expected to be present in the entire central valley,” Pathak

Pathak says orchard sanitation and integrated pest management will continue to be critical to remain resilient under these conditions.

California Ag Today2020-12-02T08:17:26-08:00December 2nd, 2020|

Virtual Almond Conf. Dec. 8-10

Virtual Almond Conf. 2020 Coming

By Patrick Cavanaugh

The big virtual almond conference, 2020 is coming up in less than a week. And you can still register to attend

Ashley Knoblauch is a communication specialist with the almond board of California. The virtual almond conferences is December 8th, through the 10^th.

“You have the opportunity to have a variety of speakers from across the world. People who perhaps didn’t have the time to fly in before,” Knoblauch said. “You have the option as an attendee to watch a session in the morning, maybe go take care of some business later, come back and watch another one,” she noted.

“There’s a lot of agility with a virtual conference. And so while there are some downsides, there’s a lot of upside to it too. And we’re really excited to get participation from the industry.

“There’s so much opportunity for us to get a lot of different participants from around the world to learn more about the industry and what we’re doing and to hear the news, but it is still very much a California almond industry industry-focused conference,” Knoblauch said.

“We’re very excited about it. We’ll have a lot of the same things as we’ve had in the past. Of course, we’ll have sessions. There’s going to be a trade show that we heavily encourage industry members to check out. The booth setup is going to be very cool. “We will have the chance to share research, with the research sessions and different updates, and so there will be lots of different opportunities for people to get plugged in,” she said.

For free conference registration, go to AlmondConference.com

California Ag Today2020-12-01T19:46:05-08:00December 1st, 2020|

World Ag Expo Will be Virtual

2021 World Ag Expo Will Be Online

For the first time in show history, the 2021 World Ag Expo® will be an online event February 9-11. Officials at the International Agri-Center® announced the cancellation of the live event on September 14, and spent the next month carefully weighing the implications of a digital show.

“A digital show is not a replacement for a live event like World Ag Expo,“ said Jerry Sinift, International Agri-Center® CEO. “But the ag industry has never stopped working, and neither will we. Ag is essential and so is our job as a trade show to bring buyers and sellers together. We’re just going to do it a little bit differently in 2021.”

World Ag Expo® will work with Map Your Show, an industry leader in event and conference management software. The Map Your Show team has executed more than 120 digital trade shows since March.

While most digital trade shows have limited their online show to their traditional dates, the World Ag Expo® team is taking a year-long approach.

“Instead of just a one-week show, we will be supporting our exhibitors and the online site throughout 2021,” said Jennifer Fawkes, International Agri-Center® Marketing Manager. “Each exhibitor has a micro-site within the show to share information and hold live chats, along with many other options. These can be changed during the year. As organizers, we will have online seminars, the Top-10 New Products Contest, and more new content being released throughout the year.”

World Ag Expo® Online will kick off February 9-11, 2021 – the original show dates. Live events and seminars will be scheduled 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. PST each day, but content will be available on-demand at no charge to attendees around the clock.

Seminars will be presented online by exhibitors, California State University – Fresno, Irrigation Association, Center for International Trade Development, and many more. The schedule will be finalized in January and will be available for attendees to begin planning their viewing schedule.

One feature World Ag Expo® will carry over from the live show is the Exhibitor Guide.

“Many of our attendees like to have a catalogue of the show to keep after World Ag Expo is over,” said Wally Roeben, International Agri-Center® Show Manager. “It’s a great resource and we’re excited to make it available nationwide.”

New Holland dealers across the United States will have copies of the 2021 World Ag Expo® Online Exhibitor Guide available for pick-up beginning January 25, 2021. Additional copies will be mailed to past show attendees. To make sure you are on the mailing list, please complete the form at https://bit.ly/WAE21Mail.

Exhibitors are adding content to their microsites now through February 5, 2021. Attendees can preview the platform at https://bit.ly/WAE21Online. To have free access to all content, users can register for their My Show Planner to save their must-visit exhibitor list, set reminders for events, download content, email exhibitors, and more. To stay up-to-date on World Ag Expo® information year-round, join the email list at https://bit.ly/WAEupdates.

California Ag Today2020-11-30T07:49:44-08:00November 30th, 2020|

FFA Holtville Member David Lopez is National Leader

California FFA Member Elected to National Leadership

By Tim Hammerich with the AgInformati0n Network

For the first time in 93 years, the National FFA Organization held their convention, virtually. Formerly known as the Future Farmers of America, the organization elected a new national officer team as part of the virtual activities. That national officer team includes Holtville, California native David Lopez, who says he hopes to encourage others to get involved in agriculture and the FFA, no matter their background.

“I think for me going through this program as a high school student, sometimes it was hard to identify individuals who looked like myself, just because when we saw individuals in leadership positions, it was a lot of your traditional agriculture production kids, which is awesome,” Lopez said.

“However, now that we see how diverse our organizations are becoming, I think it’s important to recognize that not everyone comes from the same background or has the same story. So when you’re able to identify, you know, what makes you, you, and be proud of that? I think it goes a long way,” noted Lopez.

Lopez was elected the National FFA Western Region Vice President. He hopes to connect individually with as many of the organization’s 760,000 members as possible.

“You know, just making it very clear that people are here rooting for you, regardless of who you are, your story, or where you come from. And just finding ways to elevate individuals all across the country, to be the best version of themselves and see others for the best version of themselves as well,” he said.

David along with his five teammates will dedicate a full year to serve in this capacity for the youth agricultural leadership organization.

California Ag Today2020-11-18T11:08:21-08:00November 18th, 2020|

Full Court Press to Market Big Pistachio Crop

American Pistachio Growers Expands Marketing Efforts Ahead of Expected Record 2020 Crop

Trade organization pulls out stops with virtual harvest event and chef cook-alongs

American Pistachio Growers (APG) is mounting a full-court press to market the expected one-billion-pound harvest that is now filling bins in processing facilities. APG’s strategy includes a virtual harvest tour in California’s San Joaquin Valley and a schedule of live, interactive cooking demonstrations with celebrity chefs catering to food writers and industry influencers in the U.S. as well as in six other countries.

This unique agricultural virtual tour will take participants from the pistachio orchards of California’s San Joaquin Valley into the kitchens of some of the most celebrated chefs in the country. The harvest segment features grower Rich Kreps, of LARK Farms in Madera, California, as he witnesses his first-ever harvest.

“Watching those delicious nuts falling out of our trees and into the catch frames was a literal dream finally realized. We were truly elated when it all came together in our first harvest,” said Kreps. “After five years of labor and investment in these pistachio orchards, we are finally seeing our first paycheck.”

APG has assembled an All-Star line-up of celebrity chefs who will make U.S.-grown pistachios the star of their dishes. Wolfgang Puck, Nancy Silverton, Gerald Hirigoyen and Martin Yan will guide journalists in the U.S., China, France, Germany, India, Italy and Spain through live, interactive cook-alongs via Zoom. The Zoom events are limited to journalists only. The schedule of chef events runs from Nov. 12 through Nov. 25.

“Our growers have done their part, producing the world’s largest supply of quality pistachios in history. It’s our job at American Pistachio Growers to generate consumer demand around the world,” said Judy Hirigoyen, APG Vice President, Global Marketing. “Given the large number of confirmed journalists we have for these events, we will likely make this an ongoing series.”

Exports of U.S. pistachios are essential to the economic health of the industry as, on average, about 70 percent of the U.S. crop is sold in overseas markets. While growers in three states of California, Arizona and New Mexico are expected to harvest a record crop in 2020, growers in Iran are expected to harvest about 484 million pounds, less than half of the projected U.S. production, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service.

“There’s no bigger time of year than now as American pistachio growers bring in their 2020 harvest, so we created this virtual event to give agricultural reporters, food writers, and other food industry professionals the red carpet treatment to follow pistachios from the orchard to the kitchen,” Hirigoyen said.

Hirigoyen said pistachios have become a highly popular food due to their nutrient-dense, high protein content. Home cooks and professional chefs, alike, have embraced pistachios because of their growing reputation as a healthy, nutritious food for active lifestyles. Earlier this year, pistachios earned status as a “complete protein,” joining other plant proteins such as quinoa, chickpeas and soybeans. In July, a university study underscored the importance of pistachios as part of weight loss programs.

“Our marketing team is keenly aware that more and more families are preparing meals at home during the COVID-19 pandemic and attention is now focused on holiday meal planning in the coming weeks,” said Hirigoyen. “We’re excited to add these unique marketing elements to raise consumer awareness to the large U.S. crop and to the fact that in addition to their popularity as a snack food, pistachios are playing a bigger role in home-prepared recipes, on restaurant menus, and in a growing list of consumer food items.”

California Ag Today2020-11-17T14:24:49-08:00November 16th, 2020|

Food Facility Registration Renewal Time

Time for Food Facility Biennial Registration Renewal for Processors

Food facilities required to register with FDA must renew their food facility registrations this year during the period beginning on October 1, 2020 and ending on December 31, 2020. The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), enacted on January 4, 2011, amended the food facility registration requirements of section 415 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act). The registration requirements apply to domestic and foreign food facilities that manufacture, process, pack, or hold food for human or animal consumption in the United States. FSMA amended section 415 of the FD&C Act to provide that food facilities required to register with FDA must renew their registrations with FDA every other year, during the period beginning on October 1 and ending on December 31 of each even-numbered year. At this time, the updated renewal form has not been published and renewal is only available online through FDA’s website.

You are not required to register as a food facility with the FDA if you are a farm or huller who falls with the FDA’s definition of a farm. If you are a processor and fall within the definition of a farm, you do not have to register with FDA.

If you have any questions about whether your huller or processor is considered a farm by FDA’s definition and therefore do not need to register, please first reach out to our Director of Regulatory Affairs and Food Safety Priscilla Rodriguez at (559) 455-9272.

California Ag Today2020-11-13T14:13:57-08:00November 13th, 2020|

Kernza Is Recommended for Grain and Forage

UC ANR helps accelerate cultivation, marketing of the perennial grain Kernza

As part of its mission of sustainability in agriculture, the University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (UC SAREP) is interested in crops that hold environmental and economic promise — such as moringa, the drought-tolerant “superfood” grown by Central Valley farmers, or elderberry, offering carbon sequestration and pollinator benefits when planted in hedgerows.

In this vein, UC SAREP is part of a recently awarded $10 million grant from USDA focusing on the adoption of a perennial grain, Kernza®, as a means to shift U.S. agriculture towards reduced tillage and increased carbon sequestration.

The Kernza-CAP project is led by Jacob Jungers of the University of Minnesota. The project team includes researchers, farmers, educators, industry leaders, policy experts and climate scientists at 10 universities and 24 non-profit and farm and food organizations nationwide.

Kernza is the trademark name for the grain bred from intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium), a non-native perennial forage grass from Eurasia introduced to the U.S. in the early 20th century.

While intermediate wheatgrass has been grown for decades in the U.S. as a forage crop, its use as a commercial grain crop for human consumption is new. Breeding efforts with Kernza have focused on traits to make intermediate wheatgrass a profitable grain crop, including increased seed yield and seed size. (Kernza is traditionally bred and is not a genetically modified crop.)

Kernza has strong potential to benefit the environment and increase farm income by producing both a premium grain and a high volume of quality straw.

As a perennial, Kernza can be harvested for several years in a row, avoiding the cycle of annual tillage resulting in carbon loss, erosion and soil degradation. The deep roots of the crop — up to 10 feet in depth — is naturally occurring, promoting carbon sequestration and increased water infiltration and mimicking native prairie grasses.

Research and early production trials have shown that Kernza can reduce seed, fertilizer and machinery costs for farmers. And, because its grain is high in protein, fat and fiber, it can be used to make flour, crackers, tortillas, bread, pasta, granola, cereal, beer and whiskey.

Kernza is being strongly promoted to early-adopter growers as a dual-use crop for grain and forage. But because it is a new crop, strong relationships with businesses in various agricultural sectors are needed to expand early adoption of processing, transporting and incorporating Kernza into farmers’ operations and food products.

“A big stumbling block for getting emerging crops like Kernza off the ground is the capacity to build a community of growers, processors and sellers who can form that new supply chain,” says Gail Feenstra, UC SAREP director and Kernza-CAP team member.

“SAREP’s role in the Kernza-CAP project is as something of a ‘matchmaker,’ connecting the market potential in California to the nationwide Kernza coalition. We’ll be convening growers, millers, bakers and brewers to figure out practical steps for adoption,” says Gwenaël Engelskirchen of UC SAREP. “In the later years of the project, we’ll be looking for growers who might be interested in trialing Kernza in California.”

The Kernza-CAP project launched on Sept. 1, 2020. Results from the five-year project will include new cultivars that yield more grain and enhance critical ecosystem services, a better understanding of those ecosystem services, best practices for Kernza growers, supportive policy and educational tools, and multiple operating regional supply chains meeting increased national market demand for Kernza.

More information on Kernza, the project partners, updates and reports on research findings, additional press materials, and field day demonstration information can be found on kernza.org/kernzacap.

The Kernza trademark is owned and managed by The Land Institute, a non-profit research organization based in Salina, Kansas that is playing a critical role in developing Kernza and other perennial crops. This work is supported by AFRI Sustainable Agricultural Systems Coordinated Agricultural Program (SAS-CAP) grant no. 2020-68012-31934 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

California Ag Today2020-11-12T13:24:19-08:00November 12th, 2020|

Sacramento Valley Pest Management Seminar Dec. 9

3-Hour Seminar To Focus on Pest Mgnt on Rice, Field Crops and Processing Tomatoes

December 9, 2020

University of California Cooperative Extension Sutter–Yuba–Colusa is holding a 3-hour pest management webinar on Wednesday, December 9^th, 2020 to provide pest management information and research updates on some of the major annual crops in the Sacramento Valley. The presentations are relevant to growers throughout California and are primarily focused on pest management of rice, field crops and processing tomatoes with a portion of the webinar devoted to updates on laws and regulation.

The December 9th webinar will feature an hour of rice presentations given by Luis Espino, Rice Farming Systems Advisor in Butte County and Whitney Brim-DeForest, Rice and Wild Rice Advisor in Sutter-Yuba counties. Espino states, “This was a year with severe rice blast in the northern Sacramento Valley; the presentation will cover blast biology and management information. I will also review arthropod issues such as tadpole shrimp and armyworms.” Brim-DeForest says, “The webinar cover the latest weed research in rice, including weedy rice, watergrass species, and the 2019 weed survey”.

Amber Vinchesi–Vahl, Vegetable Crops Advisor in Colusa and Sutter-Yuba counties, will provide information on pest management of processing tomatoes, the dominant vegetable crop in the Sacramento Valley. She states, “I will be providing information on important pest issues in commercial processing tomatoes and the latest research updates on disease and weed management.”

Sarah Light, Agronomy Advisor for Colusa and Sutter-Yuba counties will present information on area field crops. Light says, “My presentation will cover relevant pest management updates related to field crop production in the region.”

The webinar will also include a regulatory update for Sutter County by Scott Bowden, Deputy Agricultural Commissioner/Sealer. This portion of the program will include information on permitting and updates on chlorpyrifos and paraquat.

Enrollment is limited, so register early. The cost is $25 for the 3-hour webinar. For more details or to register, visit http://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=32431. DPR CE and CCA credits are pending (2 “other” hours and 0.5 Laws & Regs hours).

If you have questions, contact Sarah Light [selight@ucanr.edu or call the UCCE Sutter–Yuba office at (530) 822-7515].

California Ag Today2020-11-10T16:53:40-08:00November 10th, 2020|

Adversity Affect Farmers and Ranchers

Pandemic, Wildfires, and Thieves

By Tim Hammerich with the AgInformation Network

Farmers have been faced with all sorts of adversity this year. Here’s a roundup of the most recent happenings around the state courtesy of the California Farm Bureau Federation.

Hundreds of thousands of acres of scorched rangeland leave livestock ranchers with limited options for finding more feed for their animals. California wildfires have damaged both private and public rangelands, killed animals and ruined fences, corrals, water systems and other equipment. The president of the California Cattlemen’s Association says the loss of rangeland may force some ranchers to sell off their animals early due to lack of feed.

Walnut farmers say they’re confronting two problems this harvest season: low prices for the crop and thieves who trespass into orchards to steal nuts. A number of counties have enacted ordinances to slow thefts by people who may then sell nuts on roadsides, but farmers report ongoing problems. Because of low prices, farmers say they need to sell as many nuts as they can to recoup their costs, and don’t want to lose more of their harvest to thieves.

Closure of restaurants and bars due to the pandemic brought “major hurt” to the lemon business, marketers say, and improved sales at grocery stores have only partially compensated for the losses. Farmers and marketers say lemon sales to food-service customers have improved somewhat since dropping sharply in the spring, and shoppers have bought more lemons at retail. But people in the lemon business say farmers have seen their incomes drop significantly.

California Ag Today2020-11-10T10:41:18-08:00November 10th, 2020|

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