Westlands Water District Announces Scholarships
|
|
Ag Employee Wellness Is Critical for Food Suppy
Insuring Employee Wellness
By Tim Hammerich, with The Ag Information Network of the West
Employee wellness is critical to our state’s agricultural operations. UnitedAg has recognized some members of their ambassador program for their achievements in workplace wellness. One of those is Nichols Farms HR Manager Cristina Rocha.
“UnitedAg puts together a group from different companies that they do business with. This group gathers and just kind of generates ideas on how to get employees more involved with the insurance and the benefits that are available to them within the organization,” said Rocha
Rocha hosts wellness fairs for over 350 employees at the Hanford-based pistachio and almond company.
“I try to coordinate different health organizations to come here and setup shop for a day, and then just speak to our employees about different health-related issues. Like we’ve had, I think health screenings, dental services come out here. UABT usually partakes every year in this health fair that we sponsor,” Rocha said.
Nichols also offers cooking classes, healthy lifestyle support, and an employee walking path.
Making Romaine Safer
LGMA Forms Adjacent Lands Subcommittee to Make Romaine Safer
A special new subcommittee has been appointed by the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA) to focus on how land adjacent to leafy greens farms may be contributing to foodborne illness outbreaks associated with romaine lettuce. This action is part of a comprehensive review of all existing food safety practices required under the LGMA program and is in direct response to findings from a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) report issued last week.
“The role of the LGMA’s Adjacent Lands Subcommittee is to review current LGMA standards related to grazing lands and adjacent properties, gather all relevant research done by CPS or other entities and consult with stakeholders for additional input,” said Sharan Lanini, Pacific International Marketing, who serves as the Chair of the LGMA’s Technical Committee and will be leading this important effort.
“As part of this effort, the Subcommittee plans to look at a number of factors including distance; slope and other physical properties; the impact of weather; potential barriers such as berms, diversion ditches or vegetative strips; and ‘good neighbor’ policies as they relate to properties located near leafy greens farming operations,” she said.
“Current requirements under the LGMA call for assessments of environmental conditions in and around leafy greens fields,” said Scott Horsfall, CEO of the LGMA. “But it’s clear more can to be done to keep pathogens out of our farms.”
Last week the FDA issued a report on its investigation of what was actually three distinct outbreaks occurring in the Fall of 2019. In the report, the e. coli strain linked to one of these outbreaks along with other STEC strains were detected in samples taken from cattle grazing land in proximity to where romaine lettuce crops were grown.
The FDA has stated it believes ruminants, most likely cattle, are the source of contamination in these outbreaks, but exactly how the pathogens end up on leafy greens remains a mystery.
“As leafy greens farmers we are committed to doing everything possible to make sure our products are safe,” said Dan Sutton, a leafy greens farmer and chairman of the LGMA. “If we knew what additional precautions could keep pathogens out of our fields, we would immediately make changes to our food safety program.”
The Subcommittee on Adjacent Lands is comprised of industry experts from LGMA member companies. They will be working closely with University and government researchers and meticulously examining past and current studies from the Center for Produce Safety (CPS) and other relevant scientific research. The subcommittee also plans to engage with landowners of properties located near leafy greens farms including cattle and other crops like wine grapes.
As with all areas of the LGMA’s required food safety practices, the Adjacent Lands Subcommittee will be making recommendations as part of an open, collaborative process now underway for improving the safety of leafy greens. This process is being facilitate by Western Growers and is currently considering new standards for water used to grow leafy greens and for soil amendments and other crop inputs.
“Leafy greens farmers work hard every day to implement the best-known food safety practices,” said Horsfall. “Ultimately, the LGMA is the entity charged with updating and improving these standards to better protect consumers. The input provided by the FDA report and the work being done by our subcommittees, researchers and other stakeholders is critical to prevent future outbreaks.”
Preventing Future Outbreaks in Leafy Greens
FDA Report Provides Clues to Prevent Future Outbreaks
Yesterday the FDA issued a report on its investigation of outbreaks involving romaine lettuce occurring in the Fall of 2019. The LGMA responded by issuing a press release and the following blog post:
California leafy greens growers are pledging to incorporate findings from a report issued recently by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) into its ongoing process to strengthen required food safety practices on farms.
Leafy greens farmers work hard every day to follow the best-known food safety practices. Clearly, we need to look even beyond our own farms to help us prevent future outbreaks. Information from this new FDA report will be extremely valuable as we further strengthen our practices both in and around our farms.
The FDA report issued today relates to what was actually three distinct outbreaks all occurring inf the Fall of 2019. In the report, identifies adjacent or nearby land used for cattle grazing as the most likely contributing factor associated with these three outbreaks.
The leafy greens industry hopes to learn more about how leafy greens are being exposed to pathogens like e. coli in the environment and on land surrounding farms through a series of research projects. A project to gather samples and collect data is now underway in Arizona in cooperation with producers, the University of Arizona and the FDA.
A similar study is being developed to perform research in California’s central coast growing areas with an eye toward considering preventative controls that may be necessary on land surrounding our farms as well as additional controls on the leafy greens farms themselves. The study would be done in cooperation with FDA, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, academia and the leafy greens industry. We’re hopeful this kind of work can be done to provide us with answers to help prevent future outbreaks.”
Even before these last outbreaks occurred, the leafy greens industry had launched a comprehensive process to review and update required food safety practices included under the California LGMA.
A series of subcommittees has been appointed to review practices in all areas. Water continues to be a focus of this effort and the industry is in the process of considering some 30 changes to further update practices for water used in farming leafy greens. Other subcommittees on soil amendments and sanitation have been meeting for weeks and a subcommittee on proximity to animals and adjacent land use is being appointed this week. All subcommittees are suggesting updates to strengthen existing requirements.
The goal is to create unified standards for how leafy greens are farmed using the best science and expertise available. We will be relying on information supplied by FDA, scientists and others to help us improve these practices so we can further protect consumers.
The real benefit of the LGMA system is that farmers clearly understand what practices are required. When new information is learned, the standards can quickly be updated and adopted throughout the industry
New California FFA Officers
First Time Ever, FFA Officers Elected On-line
By Tim Hammerich, with the Ag Information Network of the West
This year for the first time, the California State FFA Officers were elected online. The 2020-2021 California FFA President is Dean Hill from Templeton FFA in San Luis Obispo County.
“I’m a fourth generation farmer. I joined FFA simply because my brother did it and it seemed interesting. And then the more I got invested into it, the more I kind of kept going and got excited and started looking forward to different events. And one thing led to another, and here I am today,” said Hill.
Dean’s FFA experiences may have just recently led him to state office, but agricultural leadership runs in the family.
“My grandpa, he lives up in Chico and he works on an almond orchard. And then my father works for Valent USA. That’s a chemical company and he’s always been really big and into entomology. He got his PhD from Purdue. Yeah, he’s been working with chemicals and out on the field for a lot of it. Now I’m just kind of taken after him and also my grandpa, learning all different kinds of things and it’s just really fascinating to me,” he said.
Despite current travel restrictions, Dean says he and the rest of the team are looking forward to the challenge of creating new ways to engage FFA members this year.
After his year of service to the youth agricultural leadership organization, he plans to attend Cal Poly to pursue a degree in Ag Systems Management.
His FFA Advisors are Ms. Brandi Bognuda, Mr. Chris Hildebrand, Ms. Sophie Johnston, and Mr. Russell Zimmerman.
Other 2020-2021 Elected Officers
Emma Thorpe, a student at El Capitan High School in San Diego County, was elected State Vice President. Thorpe served as the Southern Region President, attended the Sacramento Leadership Experience, served on the State Nominating Committee, took part in the National FFA Convention and attended the Washington Leadership Conference. Thorpe’s supervised agricultural experience has been in the area of agriscience research.
Her FFA Advisors are Ms. Brenda Davis-Landini, Mr. Don Dyer, Ms. Jesse Meade and Ms. April Perez.
Mia Arisman, a student at Galt High School in Sacramento County, was elected State Secretary. Arisman was a member of the State Champion Best Informed Greenhand Team, was a National Semi-Finalist in Agricultural Issues, participated in the Parliamentary Procedure team, attended the Sacramento Leadership Experience and served as the Central Region Vice President. Arisman has raised market hogs for the county fair and is managing the Warrior Grown small animal cooperative. Her FFA Advisors are Ms. Eileen Desmond, Ms. Jessica Hamilton, Ms. Holly Hockett, Ms. Cheryl Reece, Mr. Derek Silva and Mr. Isaac Valencia.
Reese Gonzalves, a student at Modesto High School in Stanislaus County, was elected State Treasurer. Gonzalves served as the Central Region President, was a member of the State FFA Executive Committee, participated in the Sacramento Leadership Experience, attended the National Convention and served as an Ambassador with the California Almond Alliance. Gonzalves manages a beef cattle production project.
Her FFA Advisors are Mr. Scott Layne, Ms. Julie Schellhase and Ms. Victoria Vanlieshout.
Taylor Sollecito, a student at Salinas High School in Salinas County, was elected State Reporter. Sollecito was the Chapter FFA President and Vice President, attended the Sacramento Leadership Experience, served as a committee chair at the State FFA Leadership Conference and was the Monterey Bay Section President. She raised market livestock that she showed at the local fairs.
Taylor’s FFA Advisors are Mr. Chris Evans and Ms. Rachel Martinez.
Maico Ortiz, a student at Chico State University and a graduate of Galt High School, was elected State Sentinel. Ortiz served as the Central Region Vice President, facilitated Greenhand Leadership Conferences, was a sub-committee chair at the State Leadership Conference, was a member of the State Champion Agricultural Issues team and served as the Chapter FFA President. Ortiz’s supervised experience included raising market livestock, managing the Warrior Grown small animal cooperative, and working at Cattleman’s Livestock Market.
His FFA Advisors are Ms. Eileen Desmond, Ms. Jessica Hamilton, Ms. Holly Hockett, Ms. Cheryl Reece, Mr. Derek Silva and Mr. Isaac Valencia.
Survey Respondents Needed To Assess Value of Cover Crops
Researchers Launch Survey on Cover Crops to Expand Use and Policy Incentive Programs
University researchers and the Western Cover Crops Council are conducting a survey of western farmers to improve understanding of cover crop use throughout the U.S. West. The survey results will provide valuable feedback on current use of cover crops in the west, future outreach and research needs to expand use, and inform federal cover crop incentive programs to better serve farmers.
Western farmers are asked to take this brief survey to share their perspectives on cover crops—whether they currently use them, have planted them in the past, or have never planted them. This survey research is being conducted by partners at the University of Idaho, Oregon State University, and Boise State University with funding from a USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) grant. This brief, confidential survey will take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete. Upon completion you will have the opportunity to enter a drawing for one of 10, $50 Amazon gift cards.
Survey Link: http://bit.ly/2U1GUvk
COVID-19 Continues to Reverberate Through Calif. AG
California Agriculture and COVID-19
By Tim Hammerich, with the Ag Information Network
In recent weeks, we’ve been sharing stories of how California agriculture is adapting under the current circumstances stemming from COVID-19. I have a few more for you here today.
The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic reverberate through California agriculture, according to speakers at an online forum. During a virtual town hall hosted by chairs of the Legislature’s agriculture committees, economists said changes in diets and buying habits have disrupted every aspect of the farming business. One analyst said agriculture faces a “one-two punch” from the pandemic shutdown and a slow economic recovery.
By mid-May, the U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to begin shipping food boxes to food banks through a new program in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. An analysis by the American Farm Bureau Federation says the food boxes will be packaged for household use, and will contain fresh produce, dairy and meat products. AFBF says more Americans will likely need food assistance due to pandemic-related job losses.
Though classes have transitioned to virtual instruction, the student farm at Fresno State University continues operating, while observing social-distancing protocols. The university says its Agricultural Laboratory has maintained a “near-normal pace” the past month. Students continue to care for livestock and to manage orchards, vineyards and vegetable crops on campus. The farm market at Fresno State has remained open as well.
AgInfo.net is the largest Radio Network in the West with 140 Affiliate Radio Stations.
West Hills College Farm of the Future Part 2
Students Test New Agricultural Technologies and At Farm of the Future
By Tim Hammerich, with the AgInfo.net
West Hills College’s Farm of the Future is a unique program that provides students with practical, hands-on farming experience.
Director Terry Brase also envisions it as a chance to work with companies where in addition to hands-on learning, students can test new agricultural technologies.
“We also have another side of the farm where we’ve got close to a hundred acres that are made up of smaller plots. Those are the areas that are reserved for student projects,”said Brase. “And that currently we’re actually looking for funding where the project or the company that wants to maybe demonstrate a product will pay us. And pay a group of students to run a demonstration on one of these fields. And the students are directly responsible for the decisions and using the product, coming up with little research demonstration against the control part of the plot to see if it works or not.”
Brase said this gives companies early exposure for up-and-coming products, and the students a career related job during school.
“But I think what it really provides, the real value, is that the students are being paid through like a scholarship to work here on the farm. So they’re making money while they’re working on the farm. This way they’re getting the experience and we’re helping them through school,” Brase said.
Interested students or companies can visit West Hills College’s website for more information.
AgInfo.net is the largest Radio Network in the West with 140 Affiliate Radio Stations.
Cover Crops May Help Sequester Carbon in Vineyards
Carbon Sequestration in Vineyards
By Tim Hammerich, with the AgInfo Network
Agriculture has drawn attention in recent years as one potential solution for climate change. Sequestering carbon in soil is one of our few options for removing it from the atmosphere. But measuring carbon sequestration can be tricky.
However, Extension Specialist Kaan Kurtural and his team at the Oakville Experiment Station are currently evaluating the impact cover crops can have on carbon sequestration in vineyards.
“Growers came to us. A couple of the questions they had was how can we sequester the carbon and how can we mitigate the amount of greenhouse gases we emit from the vineyards? So that was some background work done on it,” said Kurtural.
“Cover crops do sequester carbon and will store it in the soil. But as you till them, if you till the row middles, all this stuff is release back into the atmosphere. So we worked with a couple of private companies and we were able to get this new type of cover crop using a perennial system, said Kurtural. “Meaning that it doesn’t have to be tilled or mowed, it just goes dormant. So we’re comparing now till versus no-till systems using perennial and annual cover crops. So that’s how that began.”
The study requires the use of infrared gas analyzers, measuring photosynthesis and respiration, and an analysis of methane and nitrous oxide emissions.
Kurtrual hopes to have results for growers by the end of this year.
California Pear Farmers Will Harvest in July
California Pear Farmers Set to Begin Harvest in Early July
As the nation’s food industry is working hard to keep food on our tables, California pear farmers are preparing to harvest a crop of fresh pears in early July.
“California pear harvest appears to be on a normal schedule this year after two years of late harvest timing,” said Matt Hemly of Greene and Hemly in Courtland. “We’ve seen pear category sales affected in recent years during July because of our late harvest. This year we expect to be picking Bartlett pears in the River District within the first weeks in July. Retailers will have no problem getting American grown pears into their stores this year.”
“We want to thank retailers and all of their employees for keeping our food supply moving during this difficult time,” said Richard Elliot of Stillwater Orchards. “As we move out of this pandemic, we hope that retailers will support local growers, families and communities to put America first.”
California pear growers are taking extra steps in the orchards and packing facilities to ensure a safe, healthy supply of fresh pears during this time.
“We employ 450 people in our farms and packing house,” explains Chiles Wilson, owner of Rivermaid Trading Company, based in Lodi, CA. “We want to make sure we can give them their jobs back this year. It’s not just about us as farmers but all the people we employ and their families.”
“Flavor is most important to consumers,” explains Pat Scully of Scully Packing in Lake County. “California pear farmers take care to pick pears at a point when they have plenty of sugar, and we never treat our pears with anti-ripening products like 1-MCP.”
1-MCP is a product that impedes fruit ripening. Producers in many growing regions use 1-MCP to extend a pear’s storage life. Unfortunately, a 1-MCP treated pear may not ever ripen properly. It may turn yellow and appear to be ripe but never soften. This disappoints consumers and prevents repeat sales.
“What we’ve found in repeated experiments in our lab is that pears treated with 1-MCP take as long as three weeks to ripen and, in fact, they may never get soft and juicy,” explains Dr. Beth Mitcham, a postharvest researcher at the University of California, Davis.
“We don’t believe that 1-MCP is a smart choice for pears like Bartletts that must ripen off the tree,” said Rivermaid Trading company’s Wilson. “We know 1-MCP inhibits the fruit’s ability to ripen, meaning no flavor and no softening. With the increased use over the past few years, we think there is a direct correlation to retail pear category decline.”
Because Bartlett pears are picked green off the tree, they ship well and will ripen naturally. Once a consumer brings them home, they will become a ripe juicy flavorful piece of fruit.
“We’re committed to producing pears that offer the best eating experience for our consumers,” said Hemly. “In early July, shoppers should begin seeing new crop Bartlett pears in-store grown by local farmers. Our California Pear Advisory Board representatives will soon be reaching out to retailers — even if it’s only virtually — to set up promotions for the new season. “
The California Pear Advisory Board is based in Sacramento, CA and represents all producers of pears in the state. More information about California pears, pear varieties and pear farmers can be found at www.calpear.com.
