BioConsortia Expands Davis Labs

BioConsortia Moves to New, Larger Laboratories and Expands R&D Team

BioConsortia, a leader in microbial solutions that improve plant phenotypes and increase crop yields with reduced chemical and fertilizer inputs, is announcing an expansion of its R&D laboratories and team with a new, state-of-the-art facility in Davis, CA.

BioConsortia’s new facility is located at Cousteau Place in Davis, CA, encompassing initially 15,000 square feet of laboratories and offices, and an additional 5,000 square feet of yet unfurnished space for further expansion.

BioConsortia Senior VP Operations & Administration, Christina Huben, said, “The new and modern laboratories will provide the needed space and facilities for our growing R & D team and expanded platform, particularly in synthetic biology, microbiology and fermentation. This new facility has more than doubled BioConsortia’s operations space and positioned our Company for future growth.”

Betsy Alford Ph.D. from UC Davis and Andrew Phillips Ph.D., from Bayer CropScience, both join the BioConsortia team that is currently utilizing gene editing to develop the next generation of products for nitrogen fixation, yield enhancement, and crop protection. The power of gene editing unleashes the natural power of microbials by enabling an over-expression of biocontrol metabolites or the continuous fixation of atmospheric nitrogen to help plants grow healthily and higher-yielding with fewer conventional chemical inputs.

BioConsortia CEO Marcus Meadows-Smith concluded, “It is a very exciting time at BioConsortia. The most recent hires to our world-class team of scientists further expand our expertise and will accelerate our work in gene editing and genomics. Our new laboratories provide the space needed to further our endeavors.

In December we announced a major collaboration with Mosaic for the development and commercialization of our nitrogen-fixing products. We have a pipeline of biopesticides and biostimulants in registration and partner evaluation phase.”

Meadows-Smith concluded, “We are delivering on our goal to support growers and sustainable agriculture by developing microbial products with higher consistency and superior efficacy.”

California Ag Today2021-02-02T18:08:30-08:00February 2nd, 2021|

Coalition Sends Pres. Biden Immigration Reform Letter

Immigration Reform & Almond Pollination

By Tim Hammerich with the AgInformation Network

Calling for “strong leadership and bipartisanship” from Congress and the incoming Biden administration, more than 180 groups, companies and individuals urge quick action on immigration reform. The coalition, which includes the California Farm Bureau and other agricultural groups, issued a joint statement Tuesday. It described immigration laws as “decades overdue for an overhaul” to create a “modern, humane and effective immigration system.”

A measure passed by California voters last fall could complicate the transfer of family farms from one generation to the next. Proposition 19 affects taxes on homes and inherited property. A California Farm Bureau specialist says the measure could trigger a partial property tax reassessment of an inherited farm or ranch—depending on property value and other factors. Farm Bureau is seeking clarification on the measure’s impact.

During the next few weeks, beekeepers will finish moving some 2.5 million honeybee colonies into California orchards to pollinate almond trees. But beekeepers who lost hives to wildfires last summer say it may take them more than a year to rebuild. A Solano County beekeeper who lost most of her bees, buildings and equipment to wildfire says she will spend this spring making more hives, to be ready for the 2022 pollination season.

California Ag Today2021-02-01T22:47:10-08:00February 1st, 2021|

Farmworkers Need Vaccine Now!

Nisei Farmers League Implores Quick Action For Front Line Workers

Manuel Cunha, Jr., President of Nisei Farmers League recently expressed his disappointment in the lack of COVID-19 vaccine that has been made available to our frontline essential farmworkers. (namely Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines)

“There are approximately 629,000 agricultural workers in California that not only feed the United States but also feed the world.”

Mr. Cunha stressed the importance of the recommended 2 doses of the vaccine being made available before May and the summer months when it becomes very difficult for the employer to be without the workers for several days and the worker will not want to take time off to take the vaccine.

Cunha stated “These workers go to the fields, packing houses and processing plants every day and should be given some priority. Farmworkers and farmers do deserve this protection. They have kept us healthy and alive.” We are proud to work with private health clinics, such as United Health Centers and our counties.

We implore our Governor, Secretary of Agriculture, the State Department of Health, and our local counties to implement the recently announced “My Turn Program” and the “Vaccine Delivery Network” to get our farmworkers vaccinated by the promised start date of mid-February.

California Ag Today2021-01-29T10:54:51-08:00January 29th, 2021|

Pushing Back on UFW Access to Farms

Western Growers Files Amicus Brief in Union Access Case

By Jason Resnick, Sr. VP, and General Counsel, Western Growers Association

Western Growers, California Fresh Fruit Association, Grower Shipper Association of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties and Ventura County Agricultural Association have filed an amicus curiae – friend of the court – brief at the U.S. Supreme Court in a case challenging the so-called Access Regulation promulgated by the Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB) in 1975.

California’s Access Regulation requires agricultural employers to allow labor union organizers such as the United Farmworkers Union onto their private property for up to three hours per day, 120 days per year, for the purpose of organizing agricultural employees. A divided panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the regulation, but eight judges dissented noting the “decision not only contradicts Supreme Court precedent but also causes a circuit split” (i.e., conflicting decisions between different federal circuits that can only be reconciled by the Supreme Court.)

The amicus brief was filed in the case of Cedar Point Nursery and Fowler Packing Company, Inc. v. Hassid, in which the question presented to the Supreme Court is “whether the uncompensated appropriation of an easement that is limited in time effects a per se physical taking under the Fifth Amendment.”

The amicus brief argues that California has repeatedly recognized the sanctity of the right of private property owners to exclude third parties under the Fifth Amendment, but not when it comes to the Access Regulation. The brief goes on to say:

“California has upended that proposition for the sake of one privileged group: organized labor. Specifically, in this case, agricultural labor unions. In all other cases, California recognizes the right of private property owners to establish rules by which third parties may be allowed to access private property, if at all. Otherwise, trespassers are subject to criminal prosecution… But not in the case of organized labor. In that case alone, California has enacted statutes and regulations that coerce acceptance of physical invasion. Regulations of the State’s ALRB have exacerbated the problem for farmers by authorizing repeated trespass by union organizers for 120 days each year.”

The amicus brief was drafted by Michael Berger with Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, one of California’s preeminent appellate land use lawyers. The petitioners, Cedar Point Nursery and WG member Fowler Packing Company, Inc., are represented by Howard Sagaser and Ian Wieland with WG Ag Legal Network member Sagaser, Watkins & Weiland, and Joshua Thompson, Damien Schiff and Wencong Fa of Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF). PLF is a nonprofit legal organization that defends Americans’ liberties when threatened by government abuse. Western Growers lauds the petitioners and their counsel for taking this important fight all the way to the United States Supreme Court.

California Ag Today2021-01-28T18:31:40-08:00January 28th, 2021|

Reducing Almond Harvest Dust

Reducing Dust During Almond Harvest–A Big Goal of the Industry

By Patrick Cavanaugh, with the AgInformation Network

Brian Wahlbrink is with Sperry Farms in Stanislaus County and Vice Chairman of the Almond Board as well as being the chair of the Almond Board’s Harvest Working Group—focused on reducing dust.

“This is the real gritty and dirty group, who gets the pleasure of focusing on the major goal of trying to reduce harvest dust by 50% by 2025. But I think we’ve already learned that progress is never a straight line,” said Wahlbrink. “You know, when it comes to these initiatives, I’ve loved being involved with this group. It’s such a diverse group. We have such an exciting future. We have growers, handlers, researchers, and there’s eight orchard equipment companies on this group. It’s remarkable,” he said.

“We had eight competing companies come into this room and talk about the betterment of the industry. It’s really amazing. And I so appreciate everybody doing that. And we have so much participation. You know, this year, the main focus was the existing equipment. We were talking about conditioners. We were talking about the Low-dust harvesters,” noted Wahlbrink.

Wahlbrink said, it’s interesting that they get the attention of the USDA, CDFA, and the Air Board incentive programs.

“And there’s actually been some very high dollar incentives for growers to participate in these programs and help with the acquisition costs of equipment,” Wahlbrink explained.

California Ag Today2021-01-27T18:02:50-08:00January 27th, 2021|

Farm Credit Helping Non-Profits Impacted by COVID

Farm Credit Provided Over $1 Million to California Non-Profits in 2020

In a challenging year, leading ag lender awarded grants to over 100 groups to support agriculture in the Golden State

The COVID-19 pandemic posed remarkable challenges for California’s farmers and ranchers in 2020. Abrupt shifts in demand caused by restaurant and school closures and a jump in meals prepared at home forced producers to pivot to respond to these market shifts and many farmers experienced significant losses as a result.

But the state’s farming industry is by nature resilient and will rebound as the pandemic eases. And as it has done for over 100 years, Farm Credit continued to demonstrate its unwavering commitment to agriculture in 2020 by supporting the industry through sponsorships, education and grants to young and beginning farmers.

In fact, the Farm Credit Alliance – American Ag Credit, CoBank, Colusa-Glenn Farm Credit, Farm Credit West, Fresno Madera Farm Credit, Golden State Farm Credit, and Yosemite Farm Credit – contributed over $1 million in 2020 to over 100 agricultural organizations. That’s in addition to several million dollars the individual associations donated directly.

Approximately half of these funds were devoted to industry support – the preservation of agriculture and raising awareness of the importance of agriculture. The remaining funds provided funding for the future of agriculture through supporting youth programs and farming groups that provide networking and continuing education for their members. And like farmers, these organizations had to quickly adjust by operating virtually instead of in person.

One program Farm Credit supports is the Center for Land-Based Learning’s FARMS program, which normally takes students from participating high schools into the fields once a month to give them hands-on experience about different types of crops and how they are raised, harvested and processed. This year, with such tours canceled, the Center set up daily Zoom calls to give students the chance to talk to and learn from farmers and other agricultural experts.

“Our state’s youth and beginning farmers are the future of agriculture, which is why Farm Credit strongly supports programs like the Center for Land-Based Learning, along with FFA and 4H to encourage young people to go into farming and ranching,” said Mark Littlefield, President and CEO, Farm Credit West. “Farm Credit also is committed to helping small and beginning farmers become established.”

Supporting small farmers is a top priority because one-third of the 75,000 farms in California are less than nine acres. Evan Wiig, director of membership and communications for the Community Alliance with Family Farmers, said support from sponsors like Farm Credit is the only way events like their California Small Farm Conference could take place.

“Our primary constituents don’t have a lot of extra spending power. We have to keep the event affordable, and we couldn’t do that on ticket sales alone,” he noted. “Farm Credit’s support has allowed us to grow and offer services to more people.”

Preserving and raising awareness of California agriculture is vital as well. One way Farm Credit helps make that happen is by sponsoring California Ag in the Classroom, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating youth throughout the state about the importance of agriculture in their daily lives, and the California Farm Water Coalition, which regularly provides fact-based information on-farm water issues to the public.

“California is the nation’s leading farm state. Given our great natural resources such as soil and climate, nearly anything can be grown here,” said Keith Hesterberg, President and CEO, Fresno Madera Farm Credit. “But the industry continually faces new laws and regulations that make it harder for agriculture to succeed. Farm Credit strongly supports efforts to educate policymakers and the public about the role California agriculture plays in the U.S. food system, and how important agriculture is to the state’s economy.”

And as the spreading coronavirus forced many businesses to shut down last spring, Farm Credit, the Dairy Farmers of America and Hilmar Cheese quickly stepped in to help expand the state’s Farm-to-Family Program by providing seed money for food banks and donating 37,000 pounds of cheese. Gov. Gavin Newsom noted that private-sector contributions from Farm Credit and others were leveraged to launch a $15 million campaign to support the program through the end of the year.

Farm Credit plans to continue its strong support to California agriculture in 2021 and into the future.

California Ag Today2021-01-26T18:04:40-08:00January 26th, 2021|

Kings River Conservation District Get’s Grant

Kings River Conservation District Awarded $300,000 Watershed Coordinator Grant

The California Department of Conservation (DOC) today announced five watershed coordinator grants totaling $1.5 million to support regional sustainable groundwater management goals. The grants will go to organizations around the state within medium- and high-priority groundwater basins.

“California’s world-class economy – its unparalleled agricultural sector, diversity, and abundance of industry and communities of all sizes and geographies — depends on water, and with the reality of climate change, that increasingly means groundwater,” DOC Director David Shabazian said. “Groundwater is a critical resource that we must manage more intently to meet today’s needs while also ensuring adequate water supply in the future. These grants, which support the goals of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), help us do that.”

Established by legislation in 2014 and managed by the Department of Water Resources (DWR), SGMA is California’s framework for sustainable groundwater management. SGMA requires governments and water agencies that overlie high- and medium-priority basins to halt overdraft and bring pumping and recharge of groundwater basins into balance.

Staff from DOC’s Division of Land Resource Protection — which administers programs that conserve California’s agricultural land, support land-management efforts, and map and analyze land-use change — coordinated with DWR in developing the grant program. Residual funds from the Water Security, Clean Drinking Water, Coastal and Beach Protection Act of 2002 supported the grants.

“DWR appreciates the opportunity to coordinate with the Department of Conservation and is very excited about these watershed coordinator grants,” said Steven Springhorn, acting deputy director of DWR’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Office.

“SGMA emphasizes that groundwater is best managed at the local level, and DWR is administering a number of projects and programs to assist locals with SGMA implementation. These grants build upon these efforts and support the need for ongoing collaboration between local agencies and their communities.”

The watershed coordinator positions funded by these grants will build broad coalitions of government, stakeholders, and communities to develop plans and projects to improve watershed health, and to achieve state and local natural resources goals.

The successful applications are listed below; view details including a map of the grants here. Note: The San Joaquin Valley grants are for different subbasins of the large watershed.

The San Jose University Research Foundation was awarded $300,000 to fund the work of two watershed coordinators in the Salinas Valley.
The Napa-based California Land Stewardship Institute will receive $272,680 to support a watershed coordinator in the Ukiah Valley.
The Southeast Sacramento County Agricultural Water Authority, based in Herald, was granted $299,901 for work in the San Joaquin Valley.
The Fresno-based Kings River Conservation District will receive $300,000 to support projects in the San Joaquin Valley.
The Pixley Irrigation District, based in Tipton (Tulare County), was granted $300,000 for work in the San Joaquin Valley.

“We received 26 grant applications requesting $7.5 million for the available $1.5 million in funding,” said Keali’i Bright, who heads DOC’s Division of Land Resource Protection. “This demonstrates that the local organizations both understand how critical the implementation of SGMA is and need support to do so.”

Contact:

California Ag Today2021-01-25T18:01:21-08:00January 25th, 2021|

Water Infrastructure Letter Sent to President Biden

National Coalition Pushes for Investment in Aging Water Infrastructure

A national coalition of more than 200 agricultural organizations and urban and rural water districts urged President-elect Joe Biden and congressional leadership this week to address aging Western water infrastructure in any potential infrastructure or economic recovery package.

The coalition includes organizations from 15 states that collectively represent $120 billion in agricultural production, nearly one-third of all agricultural production in the country, and tens of millions of urban and rural water users.

In separate letters to President-elect Biden and congressional leaders, the coalition said existing Western water infrastructure is in desperate need of rehabilitation and improvement. Most of the federal water projects in the West were built more than 50 years ago and were not designed with present and future population demands and climate conditions in mind. Without immediate attention, the coalition said, the Western water system will quickly prove inadequate to meet the needs of urban and rural users and the environment.

The coalition encouraged the federal government to invest in a diversified water management portfolio that enhances water supply and quality for urban and environmental uses while keeping water flowing to Western farms. Specific recommendations include funding for:

Water conservation.
Water recycling, reuse and desalination projects.
New water storage facilities, both surface and groundwater.
Watershed management, fish passage and recovery, and habitat restoration.
Federal financing mechanisms for water projects.
Loans for local districts operating and maintaining federally owned irrigation projects.
Water quality improvement for rural communities.

Beyond financial support, the coalition also called on the federal government to ensure the timely construction of water projects by streamlining the regulation and permitting processes.

“While many think of infrastructure in terms of highways, bridges and other transportation facilities, there is an equally compelling need for federal investment in water infrastructure across the West. Meaningful and timely federal investment in water infrastructure, along with a regulatory system that prioritizes efficiency and completion of projects, is necessary to preserve our farms and strengthen our rural communities in the West,” said Western Growers President and CEO Dave Puglia.

“Federal investment in water projects will bring widespread benefits to the environment and throughout the American economy, and will provide jobs, both in rural communities throughout the West and in communities across the country where the equipment and materials for the projects would be produced,” California Farm Bureau President Jamie Johansson said.

“Water is the lifeblood of the West. Without reliable and affordable water supplies, every sector of our economy would suffer – from agriculture to manufacturing and high-tech to local community needs. As Congress and President-elect Biden consider an infrastructure stimulus package, it is of paramount importance that maintenance, rehabilitation and development of water infrastructure is a high priority,” said Family Farm Alliance Executive Director Dan Keppen.

“A reliable water supply is a frontline defense in the effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19. It is also a cornerstone of our nation’s economy and the environment. Investing in water infrastructure will jumpstart the economy with jobs and provide sustained economic activity by allowing farms, industry and communities to grow and thrive,” stated National Water Resources Association Executive Vice President Ian Lyle.

“For the well-being of the people of this country and our nation’s economy, we stand together in calling for our leaders in Washington, D.C., to join us as partners in making the essential investments in our aging water infrastructure across America that are so long overdue,” Association of California Water Agencies Executive Director Dave Eggerton said.

Click here for the letter to President-elect Joe Biden and click here for the letter to congressional leadership.

California Ag Today2021-01-22T18:43:00-08:00January 22nd, 2021|

Tree Dormancy Explained

Winter Dormancy In Treenuts

By Patrick Cavanaugh

Craig Kallsen a UCAR Farm Advisor, Kern County. He explains why tree nuts, particularly pistachios go dormant.

“Trees that go dormant generally are adapted to cold climates. Dormancy reduces the chance that the tender vegetative and flower buds will push into freezing winter temperatures,” explained Kallsen. “Since we’re well north of the equator, a lot of our nut and fruit trees that are successful here have this characteristic.”

“We can subdivide dormancy into endodormancy and ecodormancy. We’re all familiar with the general temperature change that occurs as we go from autumn into winter. Temperatures are decreasing and at some point in winter, temperatures start increasing. And then when we get to spring, they increase rather rapidly, and bloom occurred in trees in Kern County,” he said. “In fact, it happens throughout the entire San Joaquin Valley.”

Endodormancy usually starts in October early November and continues into about the 1st of March and for leaf-out and bloom to occur, the plants endodormancy requirement for an adequate fall and winter cold period must first be met. And this is also known as chilling hours.

“So in pistachio for leaf-out and bloom to occur, the weather has to provide the trees with a certain amount of cold before the trees will come out of dormancy. Once we’ve got the trigger, the trees are triggered to bloom, we go into an ecodormancy period,” noted Kallsen

Kallsen said this usually happens at the end of February early March. “And then continues into the spring until we start getting temperatures warm enough for bloom. And this keeps going until early April,” he said.

California Ag Today2021-01-21T18:01:36-08:00January 21st, 2021|

Ben Maddox Named Ag and Wine Executive with B of A

Bank of America Names Ben Maddox Western Food, Agriculture and Wine Executive

Bank of America is pleased to announce that Ben Maddox has been named Western Food, Agriculture, and Wine Executive.

Based in Fresno, Maddox and his team will continue to work with local growers, processors, wholesalers, and marketers to provide financing solutions to crop and dairy farmers, cattle ranchers, and feedlots, farm product processors (meat/dairy/produce), grain merchandisers, packaged foods, poultry, pork, and vintners.

Bank of America is one of the largest providers of financial services to the food and agribusiness sectors, with its industry-leading agribusiness group delivering end-to-end banking and finance solutions to agriculture producers and related businesses.

“Ben’s extensive experience providing credit to food and agriculture producers and processers and thorough understanding of the industry dynamics and cycles will position him to lead this critical multi-billion dollar western portfolio ranging from small family farms to global brands into the next decade,” said Kathie Sowa, global banking and markets executive, Central Valley.

Maddox will also continue in his role as Global Commercial Banking Market Manager for the Central Valley, serving companies with annual revenues of $50 million to $2 billion, providing a variety of financial solutions, including treasury, credit, investment banking, risk management, international and wealth management.

With more than 20 years of commercial banking experience, primarily in the Central Valley, Maddox joined Bank of America in 2014. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an option in Finance and a minor in Economics from California State University, Fresno, as well as Series 7, 63, and 24 certifications. Previously, Maddox served for 5 years in the U.S. Navy. An active member of the community, Maddox currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Central Valley Chapter and coaches youth softball and soccer.

California Ag Today2021-01-20T18:02:10-08:00January 20th, 2021|