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APPLY FOR USDA EASEMENT PROGRAM

2014 Farm and Ranch Easement Program Applications Due February 14

Land trusts and other eligible entities interested in permanently protecting farm or ranchlands in California are encouraged to submit applications to the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) by Feb. 14, 2014.

“We are excited to announce that we have significantly more funds available than in previous years to permanently protect farms and ranches for future generations,” said Carlos Suarez, NRCS state conservationist in California. Six million dollars are available to permanently protect farm and ranchlands throughout California.

FRPP is a voluntary easement program that helps farmers and ranchers keep their land in agricultural production. The program provides matching funds to State, Tribal, or local governments and nongovernmental organizations with existing farmland protection programs to purchase conservation easements.

Landowners interested in the FRPP must first work with one of these eligible entities with funds necessary to match the federal contribution from NRCS. The permanent conservation easements protect agricultural land and important farmland soils, by prohibiting conversion to non-agricultural uses.

While NRCS accepts FRPP applications throughout the year, the agency plans to make 2014 funding decisions from the pool of applications received by February 14. As with all NRCS easements, the landowner retains the title to the land and the right to control access and recreational use. The land remains on the tax rolls.

In 2013, NRCS funded $4.2 million in FRPP easements to protect eight agricultural properties, in six counties. In total, 3,000 agricultural acres were protected helping to sustain farming in California.

Since its inception in 1935, NRCS has worked in partnership with private landowners and a variety of local, state and federal conservation partners to deliver conservation based on specific, local needs.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:42:23-07:00January 2nd, 2014|

California Ag News: Eric Mussen to Retire

Eric Mussen: A Smokin’ Career at UC Davis

Honey bee guru Eric Mussen, Extension apiculturist at the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology who will be retiring at the end of June, has seen and used many a smoker during his 38-year career.

Eric Mussen will be retiring in June 2014
Photo: Kathy Keatley Garvey

But this one is different.

In honor of his service, the California State Beekeepers’ Association recently presented him with a plaque decorated with a smoker “for 38 years of work and support.”

Throughout his career, Mussen has offered advice to scores of people and figuratively put out many a fire involving beekeeping and pollination issues.

A smoker, a device that beekeepers use to calm honey bees so they can open their hives, masks the smell of the alarm pheromones released by guard bees. It also prompts the bees to gorge on honey.

Considered by his peers as one of the most respected and influential professional apiculturists in the nation, Mussen presented a slide show of some of the highlights of his career during his two-hour presentation on “The Most Interesting Time in Beekeeping.”

“I got carried away,” Mussen said later. “I was nearly at the end of the second hour when I was asked to wrap up my 45-minute presentation. Many listeners said that they still hope to hear the ‘more current’ portion that had to be omitted.”

Mussen has given presentations to CSBA since joining the UC Davis faculty in 1976. He is also the organization’s apiculturist and parliamentarian and served as a delegate to the American Beekeeping Federation.

A native of Schenectady, N.Y., Mussen received his bachelor’s degree in entomology from the University of Massachusetts (after turning down an offer to play football at Harvard) and then received his master’s degree and doctorate in entomology from the University of Minnesota in 1969 and 1975, respectively.

His doctoral research focused on the epidemiology of a viral disease of larval honey bees, sacbrood virus.   Mussen continues to tackle many new challenges regarding honey bee health and pollination concerns, including mites, diseases, pesticides, malnutrition, stress, Africanized honey bees and the successful pollination of California’s almond acreage.

Mussen educates the beekeeping industry and general public with his bimonthly newsletter, from the UC Apiaries, which he launched in 1976. Since 1976, he has also written Bee Briefs, addressing such issues as diseases, pesticides and swarms.

The recipient of numerous state and national awards, Mussen is a worldwide authority on honey bees, said Jackie Park-Burris, a commercial queen breeder in Butte County and a past president of the California State Apiary Board.

Mussen is known for devoting his research and extension activities toward the improvement of honey bee health and honey bee colony management practices. He helps growers, consumers, UC Farm Advisors, agricultural commissioners, scientists, beekeepers, researchers, pesticide regulators, 4-H’ers, and state and national agricultural and apicultural organizations, among others.

“I am basically all pro-bee,” Mussen told the American Bee Journal in a two-part feature story published in the September of 2011. “Whatever I can do for bees, I do it…It doesn’t matter whether there is one hive in the backyard or 15,000 colonies. Bees are bees and the bees’ needs are the bees’ needs.”

Recruitment is underway for his successor, who will begin as an Extension assistant apiculturist.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:42:23-07:00January 2nd, 2014|

NOVEMBER 2013 MILK PRODUCTION STATISTICS

California Remains Top Milk Production State, Nov. 2013

Sources:

USDA-NASS publication “Milk Production”

USDA-ERS publication: “Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook”

California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB)

CDFA

CDFA reported the top five milk production states in November 2013 were:

(Percent Change from Same Month/Previous Year)

1. California +0.6%

2. Wisconsin -0.6%

3. New York +2.1%

4. Idaho -1.8%

5. Pennsylvania -0.2%

California has been the nation’s leading dairy state since 1993, when it surpassed Wisconsin in milk production. California is ranked first in the U.S. in the production of total milk, butter, ice cream, nonfat dry milk, and whey protein concentrate. California is second in cheese production.

USDA estimates overall monthly milk production across the U.S. was up by 0.1% in November 2013, compared to November 2012. California milk production increased 0.6% compared to November 2012 (on 1,000 more cows and 10 more pounds of milk per cow).

California accounts for 21% of the United States’ milk production. In 2012, California produced 42 billion pounds of milk – more than one-fifth of the nation’s total production. Approximately 40 percent of the total U.S. dairy product exports in 2012 came from California.

Dairy farming is a leading agricultural commodity in California, producing $7 billion in annual retail sales in 2012. Currently there are more than 1,500 California dairy families, whose farms house 1.82 million milk cows. Approximately one out of every five dairy cows in the U.S. lives in California.

California’s milk standards exceed federal standards because California processors add nonfat milk solids, which offer improved taste and nutritional benefits. California milk exceeds the federal guidelines for the amounts of calcium and protein in each serving.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:42:23-07:00January 1st, 2014|

USDA TO STUDY DAIRY ANIMAL HEALTH PRACTICES

USDA To Research Dairy Practices of Animal Health and Welfare Management

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) is joining forces with the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) to conduct a national dairy study in January 2014. NASS will survey dairy farmers in 17 states, including California, about their animal health and welfare management practices.

“Animal health is one of the most important issues our dairy farmers face today,” said Vic Tolomeo, director of the NASS Pacific Regional Office. “By responding to the survey, California dairy farmers will help determine trends in animal health care and best practices to ensure proper animal health.”

The two federal agencies will reach out to nearly 3,500 producers nationwide, including approximately 400 in California, to obtain the most accurate data. Farmers with fewer than 30 cows will receive a brief survey in the mail. NASS interviewers will visit farms with 30 or more cows to personally gather information from the operators.

USDA’s veterinary services representatives will visit with operators who are eligible and who choose to continue in this study. Some operators will also have the opportunity to participate in a year-long calf-monitoring study. Once the study is completed, participating operators will receive customized reports describing their animal welfare measures, as well as additional reports and information sheets.

NASS provides accurate, timely and useful statistics in service to U.S. agriculture.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:42:24-07:00January 1st, 2014|

IMPROVED PESTICIDE REGISTRATION IMPROVEMENT ACT

PRIA Tracking Email Notification Software to Deploy TODAY

EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) has developed and will deploy TODAY, December 31, 2013, software enhancements for the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act (PRIA)’s requirement for Registration Tracking Milestone email messages.

The enhancements will be available to the industry beginning January 1, 2014 and will inform registrant contacts when any of their PRIA submissions reach each of the seven defined tracking milestones.

Before manufacturers can sell pesticides in the United States, EPA must evaluate the pesticides thoroughly to ensure that they meet federal safety standards to protect human health and the environment. The EPA grants a “registration” or license that permits a pesticide’s distribution, sale, and use only after the company meets the scientific and regulatory requirements.

Applications for a new or amended pesticide registration must include the appropriate EPA forms.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:42:24-07:00December 31st, 2013|

TULARE CITRUS INCURS FREEZE DAMAGE

Tulare Citrus Grower Evaluates Freeze Damage

Ed Chambers is a citrus grower whose main acreage is located down by Richgrove in Tulare County.

Chambers grows “the whole gamut of citrus” on 650 acres, including murcotts, tangos, seedless Valencias, Satsumas, Navels, regular oranges, lemons, grapefruit, and limes.

Chambers assessed damage from the early December freeze, resulting from the temperature drop and short water supplies. “Of the 340 acres in the Richgrove area, I have 80 acres of late navels and they are hurt bad. They will probably go to juice; I think they may be a total loss.”

“The seedless Valencias are the same way, they were hurt pretty badly, but we have to wait and see about them,” said Chambers. ‘The same is true for regular navels, the old line navels and the Fisher navels, there was a lot of damage, but we don’t know to what extent yet.”

Chambers continued, “We have water and wind machines, but the temperature was down around 25 or 26 degrees (F) for too many hours over too many consecutive nights, and the fruit is not hardy enough to withstand such temperatures.”

“Wind machines were started 30 degrees or below and they went all night, but they bring down temperatures only a few degrees.” Chambers remarked, the low temperatures are hard to combat; if the wind machines don’t bring you up above 27 degrees, you are still hurting all the time.”

“The mercots and tangoes are thin-skinned,” Chambers said. “We did manage to keep the temperatures up a little more in those, and I think we will be able to salvage them. There is damage, but it’s not so that you can’t pack fruit.”

Chambers explained, “We had a really light crop on the late fruit, generally found in the middle of the block. I think when you have light crops, there isn’t enough fruit to keep everything else warm, and so they get cold more quickly.”

“I went into the citrus business for myself in 1967,” Chambers recalled. “In 1990, I spent half the night sobbing, looking at the trees facing temperatures of 16 or 17 degrees. It was the worst citrus freeze in history. There were spots in the Valley that were zero degrees. It was devastating.”

Chambers recalled, “1967 was a nasty freeze too. There were some freezes in the ‘70’s too, but back then we didn’t have any insurance.”

“Insurance eases the pain; in times like these, you don’t make any money—only about 2/3 of your cost of production,” Chambers commented. “ Some growers did not insure enough. The big insurance, for the most part, keeps you from going broke; but it is expensive. If you buy the big insurance, you can emerge with your costs covered, and maybe just a little more.”

“We’ll get through it,” declared Chambers. “We’ve gotten through every time before this. While this time was not as bad as ’90, I think it was worse than ’07 or ’98, a pretty tough one too.”

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:42:24-07:00December 31st, 2013|

Contest underway: Find the first Cabbage White Butterfly

Want to Trade a Butterfly for a Beer?

Arthur Shapiro is willing to trade a butterfly for a beer.

And it’s all in the name of science.

Cabbage White Butterfly on Catmint. Photo: Kathy Garvey

If you collect the first cabbage white butterfly of 2014 in the three-county area of Yolo, Solano or Sacramento, you’ll collect a pitcher of beer or its cash-prize equivalent from Professor Shapiro of the UC Davis Department of Evolution and Ecology.

It’s all part of Shapiro’s 43-year study of climate and butterfly seasonality. He launched the annual contest in 1972 to draw attention to Pieris rapae and its first flight.

“It is typically one of the first butterflies to emerge in late winter,” he says. “Since 1972, the first flight has varied from Jan. 1 to Feb. 22, averaging about Jan. 20.” Shapiro, who usually wins his own contest, snagged the first cabbage white butterflies of 2013 on Jan. 20 and 21.

The cabbage white butterfly inhabits vacant lots, fields and gardens where its host plants, weedy mustards, grow. The male has white wings; the female may be slightly buffy. The underside of the hindwing and of the tip of the forewing is distinctly yellow and the hindwing is more or less overscaled with gray below. The black markings on the upperside, except the black at the bases of the wings near the body, tend to be faint or even to disappear early in the season.

The butterfly must be collected outdoors in Yolo, Solano or Sacramento counties and must be delivered live to the office of the Department of Evolution and Ecology in 2320 Storer Hall, during work hours — 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. All entries must list the exact time, date and location of the capture and the collector’s name, address, phone number and email.

“The receptionist will certify that it is alive and refrigerate it,” Shapiro said. “If you collect it on a weekend or holiday, hold it your refrigerator but do not freeze it. A few days in the fridge will not harm it.”

Shapiro, who is in the field more than 200 days a year, has been defeated only three times since 1972. Those winners were all his graduate students, whom he calls “my fiercest competitors.” Adam Porter won the beer in 1983, and Sherri Graves and Rick VanBuskirk each won in the late 1990s.

When Shapiro wins, he shares the reward with his graduate students and their significant others.

All in all, the cabbage white butterfly contest “helps us understand biological responses to climate change,” Shapiro said. “The cabbage white is now emerging a week or so earlier on average than it did 30 years ago here.”

Shapiro maintains a website on butterflies at http://butterfly.ucdavis.edu, where he records the population trends he monitors in Central California. He has surveyed fixed routes at 10 sites since as early as 1972. They range from the Sacramento River Delta, through the Sacramento Valley and Sierra Nevada mountains, to the high desert of the western Great Basin. The sites, he said, represent the great biological, geological and climatological diversity of Central California.

Shapiro and biologist/writer/photographer Tim Manolis co-authored “A Field Guide to Butterflies of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento Valley Regions,” published in 2007 by the University of California Press.

A distinguished professor, Shapiro is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Royal Entomological Society and the California Academy of Sciences.

For more information on the beer-for-a-butterfly contest, contact Shapiro at amshapiro@ucdavis.edu or (530) 752-2176.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:42:24-07:00December 31st, 2013|

CRIME ALERT

–>

Equipment Stolen in Monterey

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office Ag Crime Unit is requesting assistance in locating a CAT Diesel Booster Pump and trailer stolen from southern Monterey County between 12/22/13 and 12/23/13.

The trailer has an owner-applied number on the right side tongue (CA0270139B). It also has “B-9” on the tongue. See posted photos.

Please contact MCSO Det. Javier Galvan at (831) 755-3811or Deputy Kris Knott at 755-3722 if you have information regarding this case.

Please refer to CR07967-13. Please distribute this flyer accordingly.

Monterey County Sheriff’s Office

Rural Crime Unit NET ALERT 12/30/2013

Scott Miller–Sheriff/Coroner

MCSO Ag Crime Unit ●831-755-3780

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:42:24-07:00December 31st, 2013|

CDFA AND DWR MEET FOR DROUGHT PREPARATION

Water Transfers And Drought Preparedness Meeting Jan. 7th

Announced TODAY, California State Board of Food and Agriculture will be joined by representatives from the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) and State Water Resources Control Board to discuss water transfers and drought preparedness on January 7, 2014. This meeting will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the California Department of Food and Agriculture, 1220 ‘N’ Street – Main Auditorium, Sacramento, CA 95814.  

“California’s farmers and ranchers need to prepare for a potentially significant drought year,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “We are looking at scenarios in which considerable land fallowing and unsustainable groundwater overdraft will occur – leading to direct impacts within our rural farming communities. CDFA is partnering with federal and state government agencies to provide further information on drought preparedness for the agricultural sector.”

In November, initial allocation levels were released for the State Water Project providing a five percent allocation for water contractors. This initial allocation is among the lowest on record, duplicating the initial allocation level following California’s most recent drought (2007-2009).

In addition, nine of California‘s 12 major reservoirs are below 50 percent capacity – including Lake Shasta (37 percent), Lake Orville (37 percent), San Luis (29 percent), and Folsom Lake (20 percent). DWR reports that about half of California’s statewide precipitation occurs December through February, with three-quarters occurring November through March.   

Invited speakers include: Bill Croyle, California Department of Water Resources; Tom Howard, State Water Resources Control Board; Paul Fujitani, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Mid-Pacific Region; David Guy, Northern California Water Association; Jason Peltier, Westlands Water District; Luana Kiger, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service; Navdeep Dhillon, USDA Farm Service Agency; Randy Fiorini, Delta Stewardship Council and Thad Bettner, Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District.

“We are sounding the alarm on behalf of the agricultural industry,” said Craig McNamara, president of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture. “With the strong potential that California is entering its third dry year, we need to start planning now to minimize long-term impacts. I remain hopefully that the next few months will bring much-needed precipitation, but planning for the future must begin today.”

The California State Board of Food and Agriculture advises the governor and the CDFA secretary on agricultural issues and consumer needs. The state board conducts forums that bring together local, state and federal government officials, agricultural representative and citizens to discuss current issues of concern to California agriculture.

This meeting will be streamed online at: www.cdfa.ca.gov/LiveMediaStream.html

Follow the board on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/Cafood_agboard

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:42:24-07:00December 31st, 2013|

Trapping and Inspecting new Flush is Important

New Year Brings Vigilance on ACP in Citrus

By Patrick Cavanaugh, editor

During 2013, there were many finds of Asian Citrus Psyllids in the San Joaquin Valley which means the pest is on the move and spreading.

Beth Grafton-Cardwell

According to Beth Grafton-Cardwell, UC Riverside IPM Specialist and Research Entomologist, and director of the Lindcove Research and Extension Center, with 2014 arriving, the industry must have traps out and a close inspection of the new flush of growth in February.

“The cold snap that we had in December was probably really good to help reduce the psyllid numbers, so we are hoping that it will slow things down,” Grafton-Cardwell said. “The psyllid does not do well in cold weather, however the citrus growers try to keep their orchards warmer to try and protect the fruit so in doing so they may be protecting the psyllid.”

Grafton-Cardwell said that researchers across the nation are working hard to come up with solutions for the disease Huanglongbing (HLB), which will kill the tree. She said there is work being done in Florida on breeding citrus with tolerance to the bacterium that causes HLB.

Grafton-Cardwell reminds the public that if they are moving citrus fruit around to make sure it’s free of leaves and twigs to insure that no psyllids are riding on them. “Also do not move any citrus plant material around the state,” she said.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:42:24-07:00December 31st, 2013|