Protecting California’s Pollinators

Almond Alliance of California Joins With Diverse Group of Agriculture, Conservation, and Natural Resource Organizations to Protect California’s Pollinators

Alliance Sponsoring AB 391 to Provide Critical Funding for Pollinator Habitat

The Almond Alliance of California (AAC) is joining with a broad array of organizations from across California’s agricultural and environmental landscape to form the California Pollinator Coalition to address a shared commitment to the health of pollinators. The Coalition is focusing on increasing the value working lands provide to our environment while benefitting biodiversity and farmers alike.

“It’s a simple fact that without honey bees, there would be no almonds. The Almond Alliance strongly supports this collaborative effort to increase habitat for pollinators on working lands,” said Alliance Chairman Mike Curry.

The Alliance is sponsoring AB 391 California Pollinator Conservation Funding, authored by Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua (D-Stockton). This bill will provide critically needed funding for activities that accelerate the adoption of conservation practices designed to integrate pollinator habitat and forage on working lands. “California almond farmers know that every almond exists because a honey bee visited an almond blossom,” explained Curry. “Honey bees and other pollinators need a varied and nutritious diet. This bill will help growers implement those important conservation practices that benefit honey bees as they forage for pollen and nectar in the orchard. The Almond Alliance is proud to sponsor this bill and looks forward to working with its partners for the bill’s successful passage in the California legislature.”

Assemblymember Villapuda noted the importance of protecting pollinators. “Pollinators are responsible for bringing us one out of every three bites of food,” he explained. “They also sustain our ecosystems and produce our natural resources by helping plants reproduce. Working lands offer an opportunity to expand habitat and forage for pollinators which will help sequester carbon and contribute to climate risk reduction. To further engage growers in delivering solutions that benefit pollinators, state investment is critical for activities that accelerate the adoption of conservation practices that integrate pollinator habitat and forage on working lands.”

AB 391 will appropriate $5 million dollars to provide funding to a variety of agencies to deliver technical assistance, outreach and grants to incentivize participation in state and federal conservation programs where pollinator habitat and forage is established.

The California Pollinator Coalition, convened by Pollinator Partnership, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and the Almond Board of California, includes more than twenty organizations – representing the large majority of California’s crop and rangeland – pledging to increase habitat for pollinators on working lands. Together, the goal is to increase collaboration between agriculture and conservation groups for the benefit of biodiversity and food production. The result will be on-the-ground improvements, technical guidance, funded research, documentation of relevant case studies, and track progress toward increasing healthier pollinator habitats.

Current California Pollinator Coalition membership includes:

Agricultural Council of California
Almond Alliance of California
Almond Board of California
California Alfalfa and Forage Association
California Association of Pest Control Advisers
California Association of Resource Conservation Districts
California Cattlemen’s Association
California Citrus Mutual
California Department of Food and Agriculture
California Farm Bureau Federation
California State Beekeepers Association
California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance
Environmental Defense Fund
Monarch Joint Venture
Monarch Watch
Pollinator Partnership
Project Apis m.
University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service of California
Western Growers
Dr. Neal Williams, University of California, Davis

California Ag Today2021-04-07T16:09:58-07:00April 7th, 2021|

President Biden: More Water Investments Needed

National Ag, Water Coalition Highlights Need for More Water Investments in Biden Infrastructure Proposal

Recognizing the constructive elements of conservation, efficiency, recycling, and watershed management included in the Biden administration’s initial infrastructure proposal, a national coalition of over 200 agricultural organizations and urban and rural water districts said today it would urge the federal government to further bolster investment in the nation’s aging water facilities.

In January, the coalition called on the administration and congressional leaders 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 and rural communities.

While the details of the plan are still forthcoming, the coalition said it looks forward to working with the administration and Congress on the larger need for Western water infrastructure, such as above- and below-ground water storage facilities, conveyance and desalination, along with federal financing mechanisms for such water projects.

With Western states facing another drought and their importance in supplying much of the nation’s food supply, the coalition said it is even more critical to recognize the need for rural water infrastructure investments to capture and store water for use when it is needed most.

“To ensure that food can continue to be safely and affordably produced in the West, and that rural communities continue to have access to the water critical to their economies, it is important that water supply investment be included as a necessary component of a national infrastructure package,” California Farm Bureau President Jamie Johansson said. “We will continue to work with Congressional leaders to build on the administration proposal with enhanced funding for water infrastructure.”

“Decades of neglect have rendered our federal water projects unable to meet the human and environmental needs of the West,” Western Growers President and CEO Dave Puglia said. “While highways and bridges are front and center in the administration’s proposal, federal investments in water storage and conveyance would present an opportunity to strengthen our farming and rural communities while providing good-paying jobs and an economic boon for the construction industry.”

“The severe drought punishing much of the West only emphasizes the need to plan now for future droughts and provide the funding needed to not only fix, but to ‘build back better’ the national system responsible for delivering water to homes, businesses, farms, and the environment,” Family Farm Alliance Executive Director Dan Keppen said.

“Appropriate investments in water infrastructure will assure that underserved rural communities throughout the nation have access to clean, reliable water,” Association of California Water Agencies Director of Federal Relations David Reynolds said. “Water infrastructure funding can help the nation adjust to climate change, better protect the environment and help ensure safe, abundant local food supplies.”

“The Biden administration has put its opening hand in the infrastructure debate on the table,” National Water Resources Association President Christine Arbogast said. “We look forward to additional details and discussion on the Western water and rural water elements specifically mentioned in the President’s Build Back Better proposal. Infrastructure needs in the West are different from other regions of the country, and they deserve the attention and investment which will come from the vigorous debate which will now begin in earnest. We look forward to working with the administration and Congress on this critical effort.”

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.

California Ag Today2021-04-06T17:28:08-07:00April 6th, 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|

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|

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.

California Ag Today2021-05-13T16:06:58-07:00March 12th, 2021|

Walnut Board To Credit For Market Promotion Expenses

USDA Announces Results of Walnut Marketing Order Referendum

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced amendments to the federal marketing order regulating the handling of walnuts grown in California. These amendments authorize the California Walnut Board to provide credit for market promotion expenses paid by handlers against their annual assessments due under the program.

The amendments were approved in a referendum conducted Nov. 30 through Dec. 11, 2020. They were favored by 80.57% of the growers voting, representing 82.81% of the total volume of walnuts. To gain approval, the amendments needed the support of at least two-thirds of the growers voting in the referendum or at least two-thirds of the volume of walnuts grown by those voting in the referendum. A final rule amending the marketing order will be published in the Federal Register.

USDA’s process for considering this change included an administrative hearing conducted April 20-21, 2020.

The board locally administers the marketing order that maintains minimum grade and size regulations for walnuts grown in California. The marketing order also authorizes promotion, and research and development projects. More information about the marketing order is available on the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) 984 California Walnut webpage, the AMS Marketing Orders and Agreements webpage, or by contacting the Marketing Order and Agreement Division at (202) 720-2491.

Authorized by the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, marketing orders are industry-driven programs that help producers and handlers achieve marketing success by leveraging their own funds to design and execute programs that they would not be able to do individually. AMS provides oversight to 29 fruit, vegetable, and specialty crop marketing orders and agreements, which helps ensure fiscal accountability and program integrity.

California Ag Today2021-03-10T16:48:25-08:00March 9th, 2021|

Dirty Dozen List is Unscientific

Despite Significant Criticism, “Dirty Dozen” List Continues

After facing significant criticism in 2020 for the release of its “dirty dozen” list and raising unfounded food safety fears among consumers during the early days of the pandemic, it seems the list authors are again determined to move forward with its release in 2021.

Although the list has been repeatedly discredited by scientists, has been shown to negatively impact the produce purchasing habits of low-income consumers and 94% of registered dietitians surveyed agreed that the “dirty dozen” list messaging hinders their ability to increase fruit and vegetable consumption among their clients and consumers, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) continues to cling to this decades-old tactic.

As we have in previous years, the Alliance for Food and Farming calls on EWG’s leadership to instead prioritize public health and the best interest of consumers by using their considerable resources and connections to advance public and private initiatives that promote increased consumption of fruits and vegetables

Decades of nutritional studies prove that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can improve immune function, encourages weight loss, prevents diseases and prolongs life span. However, only one in 10 Americans eat enough each day, according to the Centers for Disease Control. One such study from Tufts University found that “prescriptions” for fruits and veggies would prevent 1.93 million cardiovascular events (such as heart attacks) and 350,000 deaths, as well as cut healthcare costs by $40 billion.

Further toxicology studies and government sampling data consistently have shown the safety of the very same popular produce items on the “dirty dozen” list. The United States Department of Agriculture’s Pesticide Data Program report shows that 99% of the foods samples had residue levels well below government safety standards. And 42% has no detectable residues at all.

And, an analysis by university toxicologists found that a child could eat hundreds to thousands of servings each day of the produce items included on EWG’s list and still not have any health effects from residues because the levels are so minute, if they are present at all.

Faced with the weight of considerable scientific facts, EWG simply cannot continue to disparage the more affordable and accessible fruits and vegetables by calling them “dirty” and promoting false and fear-based messaging. This tactic runs completely counter to recommendations by health experts and nutritionists everywhere who state that consumers can eat either organic or conventional produce with confidence – both are safe and nutritious.

The pandemic has illustrated the importance of providing consumers with science-based information so they can make the right health and safety choices for themselves and their families. It has also shown us the harm from repeated misinformation. Encouraging consumption by supporting and reassuring consumers about their produce choices is the right thing to do. And, it’s time for EWG to do what’s right and what’s best for public health. Click here to like or share this blog.

#NoMoreDirtyDozen, #FactsNotFears, #Eat More Produce

California Ag Today2021-05-13T16:08:09-07:00March 9th, 2021|

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