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ECOSYSTEM SERVICES NOW AVAILABLE IN DATABASE

New Data On Farmland’s Multiple Benefits

The California Department of Food and Agriculture is pleased to announce what is believed to be the first-ever Ecosystem Services Database, which is now available at http://apps.cdfa.ca.gov/EcosystemServices  

Ecosystem Services are defined as the multiple benefits we gain from farming and ranching, including crop and livestock production. Many of these benefits extend into environmental stewardship and conservation. For example, the maintenance of wildlife habitats, biodiversity enhancements on working lands, renewable energy use and production, increased nutrient cycling and storage, soil enrichment, water conservation, and support for pollinating insects are some of the benefits. A more comprehensive list of ecosystem service benefits in agriculture can be found at http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/EnvironmentalStewardship/EcosystemServices.html

“California’s working farms and ranches are an important part of our natural landscape,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “The commitment to ecosystem services demonstrates clearly that beyond the productivity of fields and pastures, resource management decisions by farmers and ranchers provide us with wildlife and pollinator habitat, contribute to clean water and air, provide recreational and tourism connections, and much more.”

The database contains nearly 400 farms and ranches. It is intended to easily communicate to a broad audience the multiple benefits provided by agriculture in California. The database can be queried by key word, county, crop type, and type of ecosystem service. An interactive map allows users to view where the services are taking place.

The purpose of the database is twofold. It helps the department discuss the multiple benefits provided by California agriculture, and it assists growers, ranchers, and stakeholders who want to learn more about ecosystem services.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:45:17-07:00September 13th, 2013|

Ron Harben, Ralph Cesena, and Danny Ramos Honored

Three Recognized For Work

In Conservation Tillage

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Editor

Ron Harben

The Conservation Agricultural Systems Innovation (CASI) Center’s honored three pioneers in conservation tillage (CT) Thursday during the dinner portion of the popular Twilight Field Day at the UC Westside Research and Education Center in Five Points.

Ron Harbenwas recognized for outstanding service to CASI for his truly exceptional contributions that he has made to conservational agriculture in California, noted Jeff Mitchell, a UC Davis cropping systems specialist and field day coordinator.

Harben is the Project Director at California Association of Resource Conservation Districts.

“Ron is responsible for our strategic planning initiative, and very pivotal to the work we are doing in conservation farming,” said Mitchell.

Ralph Cesena Sr. received the CASI Industry Innovator Award. “This award is a means of providing great visibility to conservation pioneers in California,” said Mitchell.

Ralph Cesena

Cesena is president of Cesena Distributing in Stockton. His contributions to the development and expansion of conservation tillage go way back to the 1980s. “He painstakingly worked to demonstrate and encourage farmers from Yolo County to San Joaquin County to implement CT practices, including no-till and ridge till planting, and high residue cultivation,” said Mitchell.

“During this very early era of the introduction of CT approaches in California, Ralph literally stood by himself as a true loan voice for a better way. He was unquestionably way ahead of his time,” said Mitchell.

Danny Ramoswas recognized for the CT Farmer Innovator Award.

Ramos is the manager of the Morning Star company’s Lucero Farms with operations in the central San Joaquin Valley. “Ramos is responsible for the company’s farming operation and he is the developer of efficient production paradigms for crop productivity and quality for the largest processed tomato company in the world,” said Mitchell

Danny Ramos

Ramos has implemented a whole host of conservation tillage practices on the farm over the past few years on tomatoes, corn and cover crops. “His work is nothing short of phenomenal,” said Mitchell.

Ramos began a very ambitious conservation tillage work at Morning Star in 2010, when he initiated a series of demonstration evaluations involving the use of off-season cover crops, coupled with minimum and strip-tilled management for tomato production.

“He also organized farm field evaluations of different cover crops, different cover crop management, followed by strip-tilled and minimum tillage in both Hollister and Madera, and invited CASI workgroup members to see the work and evaluate the performance of these approaches,” said Mitchell. “And he continued to improve the conservation tillage work.”

In 2012 Ramos did something that has never been done before in California. “He effectively doubled cropped tomatoes and strip-tilled corn in the same field,” said Mitchell.

In 2013 Ramos made a positive out of near failed wheat crop due to reduced water allocations. In that no-till wheat residue he planted and irrigated up cotton on 60-inch beds that he rotates tomatoes and wheat on in a field south of Dos Palos. “Currently he has a good stand of cotton and has graciously hosted a no-till field event,” said Mitchell. He is deserving of this high honor.”

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:45:17-07:00September 13th, 2013|

JIM PATTERSON ON CALIF0RNIA WATER NEEDS

Assembly Member Jim Patterson on Water

Storage is Critically Needed

State Assembly member Jim Patterson represents the 23^rd district, which encompasses eastern Fresno County and part of eastern Tulare County. His comments on what needs to be done regarding California water for agriculture and urban use were made at the recent Water Summit in Fresno.

Jim Patterson, 23rd Assemblyman

I am new to the Assembly, in “sponge-mode”/listening mode and attempting to understand what we can and cannot achieve in the short-term and long-term. So what I have been trying to do is to set a framework in which I can be engaged and supportive of the water bond in 2014. And my hope is that the Senate democratic leadership will be as clear as possible with respect to the principles that the 2014 bond is going to put forward.

So there are a few principles that I will be looking for:

Principle number one is, if we are going to pass the statewide water bond, it has to create net new water. It’s not good enough, merely, to rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic.

We continue to fight over a stagnant water supply. I think we must pay attention to the wet-year runoffs, and that means storage. That means we capture it, store it, and save it, and we use it during the dry years.

When I was mayor for eight years, two of every four years were wet years. I took a look from a helicopter ride over Millerton Lake in 1997, and I saw hundreds of thousands of acre-feet flow out the Bay. I think we need to have a net, new water bond that actually gets us more of a water supply.

Secondly, the water bond absolutely has to contain storage. We live in Central California where we can look up to our mountains and we can see the benefits of hydrology that comes from the Kings River Watershed and the San Joaquin River Watershed.

We need to modernize our historic hydrology. I think there are too many people in Sacramento who want to essentially ignore the fact that we have good dams, we have hydrological systems, and they have served us exceedingly well. Not only do we get water, we get flood control, potable water, agricultural water, recreation and inexpensive energy.

Those are all strong cases to be made for storage. There are quite a number of dams that are up to capacity and others in the supply chain.

For the water policy in the long term, I think Central California has to ensure that we retain the water rights along our watersheds—the San Joaquin and Kings Rivers. I don’t think it does us any good to have a water policy that starts to begin to move our water supply to other places and to other people, because of the highest bidder. We can’t be exporting water out of our watersheds.

Whatever policy, long-term, has to incorporate net new water storage and conveyance, particularly during the wet years for use in dry ones. We have to protect our water rights; we can’t give those away in negotiations.

Finally, in the short-term, I am a little frustrated. I’ve been here for a while, and it seems we have lot of other folks are looking at our watch and telling us what time it is. And the watch is broken, and we ask them, “Can you please fix the watch?” And they tell us that they can’t.

So, in the short term, with all due respect for those who seem they cannot do anything, folks, I don’t know what the answer is on the federal level. We have to continue to encourage those people we send to Washington, D.C. and get those pumps turned on now.

There has to be a databased, fact-based, information-based approach to this that can convince those in Washington to act now. You send 800-000 acre-feet out the Bay, as it happened just last year, and for what? Because there were a little more than 300 smelt discovered in the pumps? To me, that is insanity, and the effects of it are huge.

You talk about being in a crisis; those 800,000 acre-feet of water would serve 100,000 people, irrigate 200,000 acres and employ thousands. And yet, we have the Endangered Species Act, biological findings and activity by our federal government that I can only conclude is dictatorial. And we have got to be consistently pressing those who beat us that it is not good enough for them to just say, “We are working on it; we are trying to fix it.”

I know it is easy for me as a member of the Assembly and a freshman, to say to the federal water officials, ‘”Please, you’ve got to do something.” But I want to commend those on the Panel today and those in Congress, that we have a Senate we have got to deal with, and we need to be encouraging Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Boxer and others because good things are developed in Congress, only to have them shot down in the Senate.

And while all that goes on, 800,000 acre-feet get sent out—over some smelt.

I think the major stressor is how The Endangered Species Act has been excessively and absolutely improperly used to penalize us downstream for what is going on upstream.

We have predation issues, predators are eating the smelt, and we get blamed for it.

State Assembly member Henry Perea said to revisit the stressors. Absolutely, and the fact is that Sacramento and Stockton are putting sewage into the river, and the ammonium levels are rising, and yet we are the ones at the end of the water flow who have to give up 800,000 acre-feet.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:45:17-07:00September 12th, 2013|

100’s OF LIVE ACP FOUND IN DINUBA

BREAKING NEWS

Live Asian Citrus Psyllids Found

In Dinuba Residential Area

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Editor

CDFA confirmed yesterday that two traps from two young residential citrus trees on the southeast side of the city limits of Dinuba (Tulare County), had one Asian Citrus Psyllid adult. Immediately, inspectors went to the area where the traps had been hanging and found several live ACP adults along with live nymphs on a citrus tree two doors down from where the trapped Psyllids were found.

Tom Tucker, Assistant Tulare County Ag Commissioner, told California Ag Today that this find is the most profound in the valley as live Psyllids and nymphs have been observed, in fact too many to count. Many were collected, and lab tests are being run to determine if they were carrying the bacteria that causes huanglongbing (HLB), a fatal citrus disease.

He noted that CDFA had a treatment crew in the area late on Tuesday spraying the trees where the live Psyllids were found.

Beth Grafton-Cardwell, Director of the UC Lindcove Research and Extension Center said, “The fact that inspectors found live ACPs on the tree is very troubling as it shows a breeding population. Because we see multiple life stages in the Dinuba area, it means they have had multiple generations and most likely have been around for a few months, and that means the adults could have spread to ‘who knows how far’.”

“It appears that the young trees may have been brought into the area from southern California citrus areas which are under a heavy quarantine. People should not be moving citrus material around the state. That message must get out,” Grafton-Cardwell said.

There is no commercial citrus immediately nearby, but Tucker noted this will soon turn into a five-mile radius quarantine that will stretch out into commercial citrus areas.

This comes after several trapped adults were found near Porterville in early July, as well as one trapped adult announced last week in Wasco (Kern County).

Tucker said that delimitation traps will be put out within nine square miles of the Dinuba finds. “We need to see if there are other Psyllids in the area and treat where necessary. These traps will be checked weekly,” Tucker said.

“Right now, intensive spraying will take place of all citrus trees within an 800-meter area around where the trapped and live Psyllids were found,” said Tucker.

The ACP is an invasive species of grave concern because it can carry the disease huanglongbing (HLB). All citrus and closely related species are susceptible hosts for both the insect and the disease. There is no cure once a tree becomes infected. The diseased tree will decline in health and produce bitter, misshaped fruit until it dies. To date, HLB has been detected on only one property in the Hacienda Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles County.

“We want to emphasize citrus fruit is safe to eat and the disease is not harmful to human health,” said Tulare County Agricultural Commissioner Marilyn Kinoshita. “The Asian Citrus Psyllid is another example of the many invasive species that enter our state every year.”

Residents in the area who think they may have seen the pest are urged to call the Pest Hotline at 1-800-491-1899 or the Tulare County Agricultural Commissioner. For more information on the Asian Citrus Psyllid and huanglongbing disease visit: http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/acp/.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:45:18-07:00September 11th, 2013|

VALLEY’S GOLD SET TO PREMIERE SEPT. 18TH

ValleyPBS Program Focuses on Valley Agriculture

Fresno County Farm Bureau and ValleyPBS are pleased to announce the debut of Valley’sGold, a weekly series that will present a behind-the-scenes look at the economic engine that drives our region, agriculture.

The show will premiere Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. only on ValleyPBS. The program will re-broadcast each weekend on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday at 10:30 am.

Topics in the first 13 episodes will include grapes, peaches, tomatoes, figs, Fresno State’s farm and ice cream, almonds, pistachios, cotton and more. Viewers will learn about and experience a close-up look at every aspect of the journey crops and commodities take from field to fork, across the San Joaquin Valley, from Merced to Kern Counties.

Each show is comprised of several segments that demonstrate how crops are planted, tended, harvested and processed. The historic photos of Pop Laval are incorporated to demonstrate how farming practices have evolved and many episodes include tips for home growers as well as recipes utilizing the featured ingredient.

ValleyPBS President and CEO, Paula Castadio, is excited about the program’s impact. “Thanks to increased donor support from our President’s Circle members, ValleyPBS is pleased to partner with the Fresno County Farm Bureau to shine a spotlight on our “Valley’s gold.” In an uplifting and story-telling way, this series will strengthen pride about where we live and add perspective to what we know about our area and the families that work here.”

Fresno County Farm Bureau CEO Ryan Jacobsen is the host of the show. During Valley’s Gold, Jacobsen speaks with growers about their family histories and helps share insight into the various techniques, practices and advancements used in Valley farming and agriculture.

“Our region offers a diversity of agriculture seen nowhere else on the planet. Yet many don’t know how these crops are produced and processed,” said Jacobsen. “Valley’s Gold will provide this behind-the-scenes look and empower local residents with knowledge of our important agricultural industry and the role it plays in the worldwide diet.”

The Valley’s Gold webpage will be live at valleypbs.org/valleysgold on Tuesday, Sept. 17. Click here to preview Valley’s Gold.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:45:18-07:00September 11th, 2013|

CLASS 44 AG LEADERSHIP PROGRAM CHOSEN

Class 44 Fellows Selected for California Agricultural Leadership Program

Twenty-four individuals have been selected for Class 44 of the California Agricultural Leadership Program, an advanced leadership development experience for emerging agricultural leaders. The new fellows will be inaugurated on Oct. 17 at California State University Fresno.

Through dynamic seminars during an intensive 16-month program, fellows will study leadership theory, effective communication, motivation, critical and strategic thinking, change management, emotional intelligence, and complex social and cultural issues.

Seminars are delivered by four partner universities – Cal Poly Pomona, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Fresno State and UC Davis – and other academic institutions. Fellows will participate in 55 seminar days, including a 10-day national travel seminar and a 15-day international travel seminar.

“In this rapidly changing environment, we need strong leaders who will be better prepared to deal effectively, competently and confidently with the issues and challenges affecting agriculture, businesses, organizations and communities,” said Bob Gray, president and CEO of the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation (CALF). “The new fellows will use the important skills and lessons learned in the program to make a difference as successful future leaders.”

ALF invests about $45,000 per fellow to participate in the program, which is underwritten by individual and industry donations. Ag Leadership is considered to be one of the premier leadership development programs in the United States. Since it was first delivered in 1970, more than 1,200 men and women have participated in the program and have become influential leaders and active volunteers in the agriculture industry and other areas.

Class 44 Fellows:

• Matthew Altman, Altman Plants, Vista • Jose Arriaga, Department of Agriculture, San Diego • John Chandler, Chandler Farms, Selma • Gabe Cooper, J.G. Boswell Co., Corcoran • Megan Foster, Yuba-Sutter Farm Bureau, Yuba City • Dustin Fuller, Raisin Administrative Committee, Lemoore • Steve Garland, Five Star Bank, Loomis • Taylor Genzoli, Hilmar Cheese, Hilmar • Layci Gragnani, Greenheart Farms, Arroyo Grande • Eric Heinrich, Heinrich Agriculture, Modesto • Patrick Hooker, Colorful Harvest, Salinas • Greg Krzys, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Temecula • Jessica Light, Zoetis, Sloughhouse • Tom Merwin, Merwin Vineyards, Clarksburg • Trevor Meyers, Meyers Farming, Firebaugh • Heather Mulholland, Mulholland Citrus, Orange Cove • Matt Neubert, Helena Chemical Company, Yuba City • Paul Parreira, Parreira Almond Processing Co., Los Banos • Justin Perino, Scheid Vineyards, Salinas • Julie Rentner, River Partners, Modesto • Carissa Rivers, Audubon California, Winters • Brandon Souza, AdFarm, Sacramento • Eric Thor, Rabobank, Fresno • Luke Wilson, Wil-Ker-Son Ranch, Gridley

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:45:18-07:00September 11th, 2013|

California Legislature Dismantling Water Bond

Families Protecting the Valley:

Two Water Bonds: Both Bad

A mid-August image of the San Luis Reservoir indicating a bad water year.

There are two water bond proposals making their way through both chambers of California’s legislature. And neither one is good for California agriculture or for domestic water for all Californian’s.

In the senate version authored by Democrat State Senator Lois Wolk of Davis, there is “$1.5 billion on safe drinking water projects, $1.8 billion on water quality and watershed projects, $1.3 billion on flood control and $1 billion for water system operations improvements such as groundwater storage and recycled water storage. Senate Bill 42 prohibits using bond money to build or do mitigations for a new water conveyance project.” There is nothing in her proposal for Temperence Flat Dam or any other dam, and nothing for the twin tunnels. 

The Assembly version, authored by Democrat Anthony Rendon of Lakewood, has released only a set of principles: One principle would prohibit earmarks to specific water projects, which would appear to bar the specific allocations for the two water storage projects that Republicans, backed by farm groups, had insistedon including in the 2009 version, as well as for some of the local projects that were placed in the bond for political purposes.

It was the early morning hours of Nov. 4, 2009, when the original comprehensive package was passed by the state Legislature. The bond’s goal was to overhaul California’s seriously ailing water system. The package included an $11 billion bond, with $3 billion set aside for new storage.

But the current legislature is dismantling it to suit their needs.

Hopefully, Governor Brown will see how useless the bond’s rewriting would be without a storage component for the heavy rain and snow years.

The bond, in whatever form it is in, is scheduled to go to voters in 2014.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:45:18-07:00September 11th, 2013|

LABOR UPDATE: A FEW ISSUES ACROSS STATE

Labor Shortage About the Same As Last Year

Raisin Industry is Not Feeling the Pinch

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Editor

Salinas valley labor in a broccoli field earlier this Spring.

Bryan Little who oversees labor relations with the California Farm Bureau Federation in Sacramento said the shortage of agriculture labor this year is about 25 to 30 percent, very similar to the way it was last harvest season.

Particular shortages are in Salinas Valley strawberries and Lake County and Delta area pears. “There is fruit that is being left in the fields and on the trees; they could not get it out due to not having enough people, ” Little said.

Steve Spate, a Fresno County raisin grower and Grower Representative for the Raisin Bargaining Association said labor has not been a big issue. “There are some spot issues on getting enough people for crews. But there has been quite a bit of labor that has come over from the tree fruit industry, which is getting close to the end of their season,” Spate noted.

Spate said the raisin harvest started earlier this year, which allowed for a longer season for the workers to spread out their labor.

Spate also said workers make more money on the piece rate of laying down trays, than the hourly rate of picking up the rolls and boxing them. “Some growers in earlier vineyards are ready to box, but labor is not available. So, they are having to wait until workers have laid all the grapes on the trays for drying in other vineyards.”

“I think we will make it through the season this year,” Spate said.

The reason that labor is short is due, in part, to trouble on the border. “There is crime and fear at the border, but the Mexican population there is getting a little older, and the Mexican economy is getting a little better. Put that with the fact that the U.S. economy is not all that great, and you have less people wanting to come here,” said Little.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:45:18-07:00September 10th, 2013|

Inspectors Do Not Find More Psyllids in Wasco

Wasco Area is now Restricted Due to ACP Find

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Editor

According to Glenn Frankhauser, Assistant Ag Commissioner with the Kern County Ag Commissioners office in Bakersfield, the neighborhood where the latest male Asian Citrus Psyllid was trapped was surveyed over the weekend, and no additional Psyllids have been found.

“We have finished deploying another 150 delimitation traps around the initial find in a front yard citrus tree near Wasco,” said Frankhouser. “The first mile and half out from the initial find, all traps will be checked every day for the first week. And for the first month after that all the traps will be checked once a week, and then after that, inspections will go to normal servicing at once a month.”

Spraying has not commenced yet in the area. “Once spraying does start, it will be of every citrus plant 800 meters around the initial find,” said Frankhouser.

One and a half miles around the initial find is now a restricted area for the next two years, if no other Psyllids are found. The restriction means no one is allowed to move any citrus trees or citrus fruit from that area.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:45:18-07:00September 9th, 2013|

IMPORTANT ACP UPDATE IN WASCO

California Ag Today, First in ACP Reporting

Kern County ACP Update

Please See more ACP news in earlier blog posts

According to Victoria Hornbaker, CDFA Manager of Citrus program: One male Psyllid found in yellow sticky trap in a residential neighborhood near Wasco, in Kern County

Delimitation traps are now in place and will be checked daily within a mile arc around trap. One to two miles out more delimitation traps will be checked every other day.

Within a five-mile arc of trap, there is no commercial citrus.

Neighbors being notified about urgent spray program.

Also, homeowners are being called to action to:

1. Check their trees for psyllids (see description at californiacitrusthreat.org )
2. Assist CDFA with treatments on their trees.
3. Do not move plants or citrus out of the area.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:45:18-07:00September 7th, 2013|

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