Union Pacific Railroad Donates to Center for Land Based Learning

Union Pacific Helps Supports Center for Land-Based Learning’s FARMS Leadership Program

The Center for Land-Based Learning was awarded $22,000 from Union Pacific Railroad’s Community Ties Giving Program to support its San Joaquin Valley FARMS Leadership Program.

The FARMS Leadership Program, the flagship program of the Center for Land-Based Learning, introduces high school students interested in agriculture and environmental science to the college and career opportunities available in these fields. Students gain valuable knowledge by visiting farms, ranches, community gardens, agribusinesses, and colleges and universities with majors in agricultural and environmental sciences. They attend monthly field days throughout the school year to learn about possible educational and career pathways in these fields.

Francisco Castillo, Senior Director of Public Affairs with Union Pacific Railroad, attended a virtual FARMS field day of the 2020-2021 school year over Zoom on March 26. He presented a FARMS Leadership Lesson on his own career journey, and the importance of building a personal brand and network, demonstrating his own as well as the Union Pacific commitment to workforce development in the region.

Castillo commented, “Through our Community Ties Giving Program, we seek to make a positive impact on the communities we serve. We are especially invested in Community Spaces, Public Safety, and Workforce Development throughout our network. We are committed to STEM education – for example, the programming that the Center for Land-Based Learning provides.”

The Community Ties Giving Program has long been a supporter of the Center for Land-Based Learning. They contributed $15,000 in 2018, $20,000 in 2019, and this $22,000 in 2020 to the FARMS Leadership Program for the 2020-2021 school year.

Mary Kimball, CEO of the Center for Land-Based Learning, noted, “We are appreciative of the ongoing, significant support that the Community Ties Giving Program has provided us over the years. Our youth programs depend on the generosity of local advocates, and visionary leaders like Union Pacific know the value of investing in workforce development for the next generation.”

Participating schools in the San Joaquin Valley FARMS Leadership Program include:

Health Careers Academy, Historic Durham Ferry, and Langston Hughes Academy.

California Ag Today2021-03-31T19:19:20-07:00March 31st, 2021|

Blue Diamond Growers Innovate

Blue Diamond Growers Innovates Almond Products

By Patrick Cavanaugh, with the Ag Information Network

Mark Jansen is president and CEO of Blue Diamond Growers. And they sure innovate.

“About five years ago, we opened the world’s first almond innovation center. We have a number of R&D and research and marketing people who are housed together on our campus in Sacramento, whose job is to come up with innovations, you know, utilize almonds in new and better ways. And those efforts have absolutely paid off and a year before COVID we launched our record number of new products,” said Jansen.

Jansen said during the COVID crisis, grocery stores didn’t want to innovate. The stores just wanted to keep things simple, only keep the basics on the shelves.

“The stores did not want to see anything new, they just want to make sure they have products in stock. Now, as we come out of COVID, we fully anticipate that people’s desire for seeing something new for new taste experiences, for variety, will come back with a passion,” Jansen said.

“And so, we’ve been innovating all through the pandemic and our teams have found innovative ways to do that. We’ve got a great pipeline of new product ideas that I would love to be able to share with your listeners, but I’m only able to share those such as the extreme almonds that are showing up soon,” he said. Jansen is referring to a hot and spicy line of almonds. “It becomes a competitive intelligence issue for us,” he said.

California Ag Today2021-03-30T19:14:06-07:00March 30th, 2021|

Stagnant Public Funding for Ag Research

New Report Highlights How Stagnant U.S. Public Funding for Agricultural Research Threatens Food Systems

Stagnant public funding for agricultural research is threatening the future vitality of U.S. food systems – posing risks to farmer productivity and profitability, the steady supply of affordable food for consumers, and ultimately global food security, according to a new report.

The report, jointly commissioned by Farm Journal Foundation and the American Farm Bureau Federation and authored by the IHS Markit Agribusiness Consulting Group, highlights the vital importance of public funding for agricultural research and development (R&D).

New innovations are crucial so that farmers can increase their productivity and meet rising global demand for food, even as climate change intensifies. The world population is expected to reach 10 billion by 2050, and food production will need to increase by 60%-70% to meet rising demand. While private-sector funding for agricultural R&D has been increasing, U.S. public spending has been flat for the past decade.

“The U.S. has always been a leader in agricultural innovation, but we’re at risk of losing that advantage by falling behind the rest of the world in research and development,” said American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall. “This report shows the clear need for agricultural research to benefit not only farmers but our entire food system and every person who eats. The research will unlock the answers to growing more crops even as we face increasingly volatile weather, help to create a more resilient food system supply chain and provide food that’s higher in nutritional value. It’s the golden ticket.”

Public investment is crucial, as private companies have less incentive to research subjects that benefit society broadly but offer potentially lower monetary returns, such as in the areas of environmental, animal health, specialty crop, and food safety research. Private companies primarily focus research spending on only a few major crop and livestock markets, leaving other sectors under-explored.

Other countries are seeing the value of investing in agricultural research, putting the U.S. at risk of losing its competitive advantage in agricultural production and exports. China became the world’s largest public funder of agricultural R&D in 2009, and India and Brazil are also making significant investments.

It can take years to develop and bring new technologies to market, so research funded today must seek to anticipate and solve the problems of tomorrow. In order to make agricultural and food supply chains more resilient, increased research funding is needed across the board. This paper focuses on the key areas of crop breeding, crop protection, animal health, animal disease and foodborne illness, climate change, and global pandemics as case studies.

“COVID-19 should be a wake-up call that more public research funding is needed to address unexpected shocks,” said Tricia Beal, CEO of Farm Journal Foundation. “The pandemic created huge challenges for agricultural supply chains around the world. It also showed just how quickly pathogens can spread. Increased public support for agricultural research is crucial for finding solutions to make our entire food system more resilient.”

California Ag Today2021-03-29T19:10:19-07:00March 29th, 2021|

AgSafe Helping Farm Industry for 30 Years

AgSafe Marking 30 Years of Training Farmers, Supervisors and Farm Worker

In agriculture as in most fields, workers and employers alike need ongoing training to keep up with changing requirements and advances in the field. Fortunately for California’s food and farming industries, a nonprofit called AgSafe has been providing specialized training in worker safety, health, human resources, and food safety for 30 years.

In fact, Natalie Gupton, AgSafe’s Vice President, and Chief Operating Officer, said nearly 100,000 employers, supervisors, and farmworkers have been trained over the years, adding that the $50,000 provided by the Farm Credit associations serving California since 2012 has been extremely helpful in making that happen.

“Our flagship event is our annual conference, and the support Farm Credit has given for that event has helped sustain it and ensure cost is not a barrier for the ag industry to attend,” Gupton said. “We certainly appreciate that support. We couldn’t do the work we do without the support you give us.”

Supporting Farm Credit institutions include American AgCredit, CoBank, Farm Credit West, and Fresno Madera Farm Credit – all of which are part of the nationwide Farm Credit System, the largest provider of credit to American agriculture.

Keith Hesterberg, President and Chief Executive Officer of Fresno Madera Farm Credit, said Farm Credit supports AgSafe because worker safety is a high priority for the industry.

“The safety of the essential workers who harvest and process the crops that feed America and the world is a top priority for the industry, and AgSafe has been a leader in safety training since its founding in 1991,” Hesterberg said. “Supporting its ongoing training efforts is a great investment.”

But HR training is equally important, noted Mark Littlefield, President and Chief Executive Officer of Farm Credit West, because employers need to stay abreast of ever-changing state laws and regulations.

“For example, the state requires farm labor contractors to take a nine-hour course each year to maintain a valid license,” Littlefield said. “Continuing education provided by AgSafe is an essential component of keeping our farms operating safely and in compliance with the state’s numerous employment laws, and Farm Credit is proud to help make it possible.”

The eight-person staff provides the bulk of the training, much of it developed by Vice President and Chief Education Officer Angelina Ceja in partnership with regional partners and guidance from state and federal agencies.

Gupton said AgSafe provides free informational webinars and materials that are available to any group or organization involved in agricultural work in both English and Spanish. Grant opportunities had allowed the development of robust programs such as the California Agricultural Human Resource Certificate, an on-demand federal focused Agricultural Human Resource Certificate, and an H2-A Cost Estimator.

Besides the industrywide training courses the company offers, she said AgSafe can provide specialized training for farming businesses with specific needs, such as sexual harassment prevention, injury and illness prevention plan development, first aid, and supervisor essentials. And while the bulk of the training takes place in California – the nonprofit is based in Modesto – AgSafe is now reaching out to farmers and ranchers in several other states as well. To help serve other regions more effectively, Gupton is based in Louisville, Ky.

Currently, she said, AgSafe is concentrating on COVID-19 prevention and compliance.

“People are looking for more information about COVID, so we prioritized our efforts to focus on providing reliable information to help the industry navigate regulations and provide best practices to keep our workforce safe. New information is coming out almost daily and our goal is to provide timely and succinct information,” she said.

Regardless of the training needs, she said AgSafe’s goal is simple: “to be the one-stop resource providing worker safety, health, and human resources, solutions for the food and farming industries. And we thank Farm Credit for its generous support in helping us strive toward that goal.”

California Ag Today2021-03-29T13:08:41-07:00March 29th, 2021|

CWA: A Big Advocate For California Farming

CWA Group Effectively Speaks on Behalf of the Busy Farmer

Since 1975, California Women for Agriculture (CWA) has educated and advocated about the importance of farming. Farm Credit continues to support their efforts.

In 1975, a group of women concerned about challenges to California agriculture got together to “speak on behalf of the busy farmer” and educate consumers and legislators about farming issues. Today, the CWA has become one of the largest all-volunteer advocacy groups in the nation, consisting of a diverse group of bankers, lawyers, accountants, marketing professionals, and consumers – along with farmers and ranchers.

Rose Tryon, a fifth-generation rancher beginning her second year as CWA president, said it is critically important that the ag industry continues to mount education and advocacy efforts, and last year added a digital campaign to its usual lobbying efforts.

“Last year we ran a digital campaign titled Faces of Ag, where our communications team highlighted members who work in different facets of the industry,” she said. “We wanted to point out (to lawmakers) how important agriculture is to the state’s economy, how many jobs are involved, and how many women and minorities are involved in ag and make a connection about how their decisions affect women and minority populations and ag in general. Our membership is as diverse as the crops we grow.”

Because of the importance of educating policymakers about the many issues affecting farming and ranching in California, Farm Credit associations serving California have sponsored CWA for more than 20 years. Supporting Farm Credit institutions are American AgCredit, CoBank, Colusa-Glenn Farm Credit, Farm Credit West, and Fresno Madera Farm Credit – all of which are part of the nationwide Farm Credit System, the largest provider of credit to American agriculture.

“About half of the million dollars Farm Credit donates to nonprofits each year goes to preserving agriculture and raising awareness of the importance of agriculture in California,” said Timothy Elrod, president, and CEO of Colusa-Glenn Farm Credit. “CWA’s 1,300 members do a great job educating decision-makers and advocating for policies that keep our state’s agriculture industry competitive and viable. We believe our contribution of $10,000 a year to support this great organization is an investment in the future of farming.”

Tryon said Farm Credit’s support over the years has been essential in helping the organization grow

“We can’t continue to advocate without our sponsors, and we are so appreciative of Farm Credit’s support. They’ve been an absolutely wonderful sponsor, and we couldn’t continue without them,” she said.

The organization consists of 21 local chapters that focus on promoting agriculture locally and providing scholarships to students majoring in farming-related majors. Tryon said her local chapter in the Chico area, for example, raises money to loan to students who can’t afford to buy an animal for FFA or 4H competitions. A student then raises the animal, shows it, and repays the loan when she sells it after the competition.

That kind of commitment to the future of agriculture is another reason why Farm Credit continues to sponsor CWA, noted Keith Hesterberg, president and CEO of Fresno Madera Farm Credit.

“In our area, CWA partners with Ag One to put on the Ag Boosters BBQ each year, which raises funds to support ag students and programs at Fresno State,” Hesterberg said. “Farm Credit is proud to directly sponsor that program, which helps ensure we will have well-educated ag leaders in the future.”

Photo: California Women for Agriculture members gathered at their annual convention in 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

California Ag Today2021-03-24T10:37:09-07:00March 24th, 2021|

Hoping Federal Water Allocation Increases

Hoping the 5 percent Water Allocation Increases

By Patrick Cavanaugh, with the AgInformation Network

With all the tree nut growers in the Central Valley, lack of rain, and snow, that 5% water allocation from federal water districts will hurt. We hope it goes bigger.

Ryan Jacobsen is the CEO of the Fresno County Farm Bureau. “If you’re in California, particularly the Valley we’re dependent upon five to seven good storms to make or break a season. And we have not seen that whatsoever,” Jacobsen said. “We’ve really only had one and a half good storms put a little snowpack up in the Sierra Nevada. And so therefore we are in a deficit because of what mother nature has provided.”

“But up in the Delta there, we have our issues in regards to just wielding water through there because of the ESA issues, because of the new biological opinions that does help somewhat based off of the conditions of where the Delta is, is kind of where the pumping takes place. But in years, like this year, we got to have some basic amount of water and that just hasn’t come to fruition yet,” Jacobsen explained.

Jacobsen said on the West Side, farmers may be able to divert water from row crops. to their permanent crops

“They’re permanent plantings are a component of their overall landmass. And so they’ll take water that may have flowed towards those row and field crops and they’ll divert it towards their permanent crops,” he said. “And so, there is a lot of farmers that still rely upon that surface supply.”

“Even at 5%, at least it’s something. We hope that’s going to grow. I mean, even a 10%, 15, 20% puts us in a lot better scenario for those folks to be able to use that surface supply, to go towards their permanent plantings there. And so our hope is, is that it’s going to grow from this point forward,” he said.

California Ag Today2021-05-13T16:01:35-07:00March 22nd, 2021|

Manure Management Get’s a Boost

A Consortia of Microbes Assist in Manure Management in Livestock

Boost is a product utilizing the digestion abilities of special bacteria and natural enzymes cultured for their ability to digest organic matter quickly, efficiently and without odor. These strains will work both in the presence of oxygen as well as in its absence. The natural enzymes quickly break down proteins, starch, carbohydrates, animal, and vegetable fats & oils as well as paper.

The composition of Boost includes a unique micro-nutrient enriched carrier to provide accelerated germination, growth, and superior enzyme production while reducing odor, BOD, COD, suspended solids, turbidity, and ammonia concentrations. Stable bacteria spores enhance shelf life and guarantee microbial concentration. Spore-form allows it to resist chlorine, disinfectants, and high-water temperatures.

Considering the attributes of Boost in the digestion of organic materials, this consortium of bacteria proves to be a multi-functional/use means of preconditioning livestock manures in advance of field application. Boost accelerates the transition of raw organics into plant-available nutrients reducing the stress on depleted indigent soil microbial bacteria. This process of preconditioning raw organics is not limited to poultry litter, livestock beddings, forage, and feed wastage.

The organic digestive ability of Boost bacteria has decreased the time required to compost whole livestock carcasses in mass to include the bones, viscera, hide, feathers, and bulking materials. In the interest of on-farm biosecurity measures, the ability to dispose of animal/poultry carcasses at thermophilic temperatures at accelerated rates of decomposition decreases the exposure to trafficked disease while allowing for a field-ready, rich nutrient by-product.

In terms of poultry health and housing, Boost will reduce the measurable levels of ammonia ppm generated from litter after one application for an entire grow-out season significantly reducing flock mortality. In the reduction of ammonia, the reduction of chick death loss due to blindness, respiratory infections, and footpad issues are noted.

In terms of swine health, applied to deep or shallow pull-plug pits, the ability of Boost to degrade organic materials reduces the levels of ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and methane from the pits. As with poultry, the reduction of pit gasses decreases the damage to ISOwean pig lungs, increases the rate of gain, and lessens effects of heat stress in confined livestock.

California Ag Today2021-05-13T16:03:01-07:00March 19th, 2021|

Explorer Course Offered by Center of Land-based Learning

New Introductory Farming Course to be offered by Center for Land-Based Learning

In response to an unmet need in the region for entry-level beginning farmer courses, the California Farm Academy, a program of the Center for Land-Based Learning, is offering a new program in 2021: the CFA Explorer Course.

The Explorer Course will last for six weeks and accept a small cohort to allow for social distancing while exploring the field of farming firsthand. A combination of online learning classes, farm tours, and hands-on field sessions, the CFA Explorer Course offers adults interested in farming their first introduction to the field. The Explorer Course will be offered for the first time May 22-July 3, 2021 and then again August 21- September 25.

California Farm Academy Director, Dr. Sridharan (Sri) Sethuratnam, said of the program, “The Explorer is the ideal first step for someone who has been dreaming of farming for a while but did not know where to start. The Explorer will provide them with the formative knowledge and guide them to tangible next steps in their farming journey.”

A Beginning Farmer at the Center for Land-Based Learning in Woodland

The California Farm Academy’s 7-month Beginning Farmer Training Program will be taking a hiatus in 2021 to thoughtfully and strategically prepare for its second decade. Be on the lookout for announcements on the 2022 CFA Beginning Farmer Training Program’s application deadlines later this year.

Mary Kimball, CEO of the Center for Land-Based Learning, commented on the program innovation for 2021, “We’re very excited to add the Explorer Course to our CFA Program offering this year. It’s been something we’ve long been evaluating, and it turns out that this year is the perfect year to start it. We know that many people aren’t quite ready to take the full 7-month Training Program plunge, and we hope that the Explorer Course will be something that we can continue to offer in future years as well. There is already a great deal of interest, and we look forward to welcoming new people into the exciting opportunities that farming provides.”

There are limited spots left in the spring Explorer course!If you are interested, email sri@landbasedlearning.orgtoday. The application portal will open in July for the fall Explorer course.

California Ag Today2021-05-13T16:03:59-07:00March 18th, 2021|

Agronomy Scholarships Offered By CCAs

Western Region CCA Offers College Scholarships and Teaching Honorariums to Professors

The Western Region CCA (Certified Crop Advisor) program is excited to announce the second annual scholarship program for students interested in agronomy and obtaining their Certified Crop Advisor credentials. Scholarship recipients are the next generation of leaders in the agriculture industry.

Western Region CCA is offering four $1,000 scholarships to undergraduate students. One from each of the four following regions: Arizona/California desert region (PhoenixàSan Diego/Inland Empire), California coast region (OxnardàSalinasàNapa Valley), California northern valley region (Mercedà Redding), and California southern valley region (MaderaàBakersfield).

The scholarship application features a series of questions and will be scored on the following:

Describe your coursework, year in school, GPA, and major
Describe any scholarships, awards, and other forms of recognition you have received
Describe your leadership involvement at school and in the community
Describe your professional commitment to agriculture and work history (if applicable)
Describe your pathway to earning the certified crop advisor credential in the near future

Scholarship applications will be submitted online through the scholarship homepage (www.wrcca.org). In September, winners will be honored at the 2021 Crop Consultant Conference.

In addition to the scholarship program, WRCCA will be offering honorariums to professors who teach agronomy related coursework. There are four $500 honorariums available, one for each scholarship region (Coast, Desert, North Valley, South Valley). To apply, write and submit a plan of how you would utilize the funds to help students learn more about agronomy. Plans will be submitted online through the scholarship homepage (www.wrcca.org).

The Western Region CCA program is committed to refining the knowledge and skill of those making important decisions in the field. CCAs work with producers to help make economically and environmentally sound decisions. This counsel is the result of the hours spent gaining knowledge and perspective through requirements to become a certified crop adviser. CCAs play a vital role in working with producers to ensure sustainability and long-term success for agriculturalists.

“With modern agriculture and regulatory hurdles and all of the challenges we face, you need to be broadly trained and the CCA is a great first step.” Karl Wyant, Western Region CCA Vice President

It is the board’s hope that scholarship recipients are the next generation of certified crop advisers leading the way in the agriculture industry.

California Ag Today2021-05-13T16:05:48-07:00March 15th, 2021|

Lawsuit Filed Against Coachella City County on Farm Wage Increase

Agriculture Coalition Files Lawsuit Challenging Coachella Urgency Ordinance

A coalition of agricultural organizations has filed a lawsuit in Riverside Superior Court to block Coachella’s urgency ordinance mandating that farmers and other agricultural employers pay an additional four dollars per hour to their employees for at least 120 days.

In the complaint, plaintiffs Western Growers Association, California Fresh Fruit Association, and Growing Coachella Valley argue, among other claims, that there is no factual justification for the urgency ordinance, that it’s unconstitutionally vague, and that the urgency ordinance will cause irreparable harm to agricultural employers for which they have no adequate remedy.

“Coachella Valley farmers have made significant investments to comply with local, county, state, and federal guidance on employee health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Growing Coachella Valley Executive Director Janell Percy. “Add in these expenses to already-existing regulatory compliance costs, agricultural overtime laws, and the highest minimum wage in the country, our local family farms are buckling under the weight.”

After the Coachella City Council passed the mandate, a Los Angeles Times report relayed a warning from a United Farm Workers organizing coordinator who correctly observed that farmers are already “struggling” with California’s wage and overtime costs and are reducing overtime hours: “Hero pay sounds good in theory, he added, but in practice, it’s possible that ‘the worker ends up losing.’”

“The COVID-19 pandemic continues to be felt by all. The past year has been nothing short of challenging,” said California Fresh Fruit Association President Ian LeMay. “Yet, as we begin to collectively move beyond the darkest days, it is beyond astonishing that the leaders of the City of Coachella decided to impose another burden on agriculture. It is our hope that with time and additional counsel, the City will reverse course and remove this obstacle to economic recovery in the Coachella Valley.”

In a comment letter to the council prior to their adoption of the urgency ordinance, Western Growers President and CEO Dave Puglia noted: “Farmers are price takers, not price setters. Grocery and restaurant buyers have many options for sourcing the types of fresh produce grown in the Coachella Valley and will look elsewhere – likely Mexico – for cheaper sources of fresh bell peppers, lettuce, cabbage, table grapes, dates, citrus and other Coachella-grown produce. While the Coachella City Council can mandate higher wages be paid to farm employees, they cannot mandate that grocery stores and restaurants accept the additional cost and pass it along to consumers.” The full text of that letter is linked here.

According to the Palm Springs Desert Sun, some members of the Coachella City Council acknowledged that they approved the premium pay mandate “without all the data they needed to make an informed decision,” including Coachella Mayor Pro Tem Josie Gonzalez who said, “I do have to admit — I did not understand the impact and I’m worried that in us wanting to do what we believe in our hearts is the right thing, it may even hurt our workers.”[2]

“This ordinance was driven by the simplistic and ultimately false assumption that the basic laws of economics can be ignored without consequence,” said Puglia. “While some council members appear to be reconsidering this action, the ordinance – which hands enforcement to private trial lawyers under California’s job-killing ‘Private Attorney General’ law – is in force now. It is so poorly written that many employers with Coachella ties can’t determine if the ordinance even applies to them. We are taking this drastic step to prevent the economic injuries farmers and thousands of agriculture employees are bound to suffer if this measure is not repealed immediately.”

Click here for the full text of the complaint with exhibits.