IRRIGATION NOZZLE REBATES AVAILABLE FROM PG&E

PG&E Rebates:
Low-Pressure Sprinkler Nozzles Are Recommended

Replacing high-pressure sprinkler nozzles with low- pressure sprinkler nozzles enables you to reduce your irrigation system’s operating pressure, thus reducing the energy it takes to run the pumps—yet still distribute the same volume of water your crops need, with fewer line breaks and less maintenance.
Requirements:

      •      Must convert from a high-pressure, sprinkler system nozzle (50 psi operating pressure or more at the sprinkler head) to a low-pressure sprinkler system nozzle. Low-pressure sprinkler system nozzles must replace high-pressure sprinkler system nozzles one-for-one.

     •      A pumping plant analysis must be completed after the replacement to ensure reasonable pumping efficiency. Must have 45% overall pumping efficiency or above.

     •        Hand move or permanent (solid set) systems apply. Application Process: 
• To qualify for this rebate, invoice must include the number of nozzles. 
• Must also include a pumping analysis, completed after installation, in order to show overall pumping efficiency.

Sprinkler-to-Drip Irrigation

Replacing a high-pressure sprinkler system with
drip irrigation reduces water, energy costs and maintenance costs and increases yields and revenue. Switching to drip irrigation also enables you to continue crop production in those areas where water supplies are depleted or restricted.

Requirements:

To qualify for this rebate, system must be converted from a high-pressure, impact-type sprinkler irrigation system (50 PSI operating pressure or more at the sprinkler head) to a micro-irrigation system.

Exclusions:

• Not applicable to new plantings of vineyards or orchards unless a vineyard or         orchard was the previous crop on the field.

• Drip tape systems are not eligible.

Visit www.pge.com/ag  or call Agriculture Customer Service

at 1-877-311-FARM (3276)

2016-05-31T19:45:14-07:00September 23rd, 2013|

REINKE MANUFACTURING DONATES CENTER PIVOT FOR STUDY

Deficit Irrigation Project Underway

Project Data Should be Big Help To Growers

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Editor

A new and important research project is underway at the UC West Side Research and Education Center in Five Points, which could eventually point the way for growers of annual crops to stay in business with limited water.

The research features a $100,000 center pivot machine donated by Reinke Manufacturing.

Crowd listens to Rich Hanshew with Reinke Mfg.
The plots will be pie-shaped. Different nozzles on the machine will handle distinct irrigation regimes. The trial will be replicated with various types of treatments within the circular system.

To begin with, the center pivot will irrigate an 8-acre half-circle of alfalfa and an 8-acre half-circle of cotton. All aspects of production – including irrigation system performance, weed control, fertilization, soil salinity and economic viability – will be monitored by a diverse team of researchers from UC Cooperative Extension, Fresno State University and UC Davis, plus farmer cooperators and industry members.

 “By controlling the speed of the pivot, pie-shaped segments will get either full irrigation, three-quarters of the full amount or about half of the full irrigation quantity,” said Jeff Mitchell UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis.

Dan Schueler with Senninger Irrigtion
Dan Schueler, southwest district manager for Senninger Irrigation (who has donated the nozzles) spoke about the increased nozzle drops on the machine with many different flow rates. “This is a three span machine, and it has nearly 400 drop nozzles. Many of these nozzles have been used since the early 1980s in Texas and other areas that are chronically water-short,” Schueler said. “And we have some data that can be pulled from those areas.”

“We hope to learn from this machine that we can disseminate back to growers. We can quickly change out sprinkler packages to get the data we may need as the machine is moving around the field,” Schueler said. “We are going to be able to show growers different nozzles to get different things done, and we are thankful that UC has stepped up with this project and opened up the space for us to do it.”

“This machine will give us a tremendous amount of flexibility from a sprinkler package and application rate point of view,” Schueler said. “We know that we need to put on as much water as we can without exceeding the intake rate of a particular soil type. Whether you are irrigating a light or heavy soil, we need to gather the information more quickly in California.”

“Unless we get an unbelievable rain year, next year is going to be a big deficit irrigation year, and it will be ugly,” said Schueler. “So we need double or triple nozzle packages to allow us to start the year with a certain amount of water and finish with much less water available,” Schueler said.

“Growers in other areas of the country, such as the mid-west and Texas, are farming with deficit irrigation and getting good crops,” Schueler noted. “With our serious water situation, growers in California will have to turn to reduced irrigation and still produce a profitable crop.  And we want to bring this information to the grower through the University of California.”

Rick  Hanshew with Reinke Mfg.
Rick Hanshew, southwest territory manager for Reinke Manufacturing. “The equipment has the most up-to-date technology available. It will have a touch screen panel and the Ontrac system on the unit. Ontrac features a remote communications control, so it’s easy to view the machine’s operation on a computer.  Ontrac can also send an alert to a smart phone in case the machine were to shut down,” said Hanshew. “The machine, as it moves through the field can be sped up or slowed down and with different nozzles we can run some good deficit irrigation studies.”

“We are looking toward the future here,” said Hanshew. “I have been selling pivots for 15 years, the last six, I have been a manufacturer rep for Reinke, and have sold pivots to growers from Lancaster to Merced. One of the first things growers ask is to show them some data from California. We have a lot of data from the Mid-West but not much from California, and I so happy to have this research in place at the West Side Research and Education Center.”

“Hopefully we are going to get some great information from this research,” said Hanshew. “These pivots are very versatile and can be used in many different crops, such as cotton and many forage crops  We have tomato growers that have been able to get a decent crop off of the system. Even the processor said it was very acceptable,” Hanshew noted. “So it is possible.”

Hanshew said his target is all the acres on flood irrigation in California. “When you use a pivot versus flood you use only 60 percent of the water,” he noted.

2016-05-31T19:45:14-07:00September 23rd, 2013|

Food Tank…The Food Think Tank

Food Tank: There is Big Food Waste, But Solutions are Emerging

According to Food Tank there is far too much food waste in the world, and it’s happening in areas where people go hungry every day. 

According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted globally each year.

California Farmers Are Helping with Solutions

Throughout the United States, farmers are harnessing the power of social media to get unsold produce onto plates. In California, one farmer grew tired of discarding produce that came back from farmers markets and chose to advertise the leftovers on Facebook.

The response was so enthusiastic, that the idea developed into a website called CropMobster, where farmers can connect with restaurants, hunger relief organizations, and other companies to make use of food that would otherwise be wasted.

But Food waste is truly a global problem.

According to recent U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates, roughly 133 billion pounds of food from stores, restaurants, and homes is wasted in the U.S. each year. 

In the U.K., up to 30 percent of vegetables never leave the farm because they don’t meet the aesthetic standards of supermarkets.

In Latin America, average food waste amounts to more than 200 kilograms per person per year.

Over 60 percent of the carbon footprint of food waste can be attributed to Asia and North Africa.

Australian consumers throw away up to 20 percent of all food that they buy.

With an annual value of approximately US$4 billion, 10-20 percent of Africa’s grain harvest is lost after the harvest – and that amount is enough to feed 48 million people.

The good news, however, is that in each of these regions, farmers are developing, scaling up, and incorporating innovations in infrastructure, technology, and farming practices that are reducing food waste on their farms – or using it to nourish their crops.


In sub-Saharan Africa, farmers are implementing both sophisticated and simple technologies to reduce post-harvest food waste, and keep food fresh and presentable for market. In Tanzania, a SEED-awarded project undertaken by Rift Valley Foods is using solar drying technologies to preserve produce through dehydration at low cost, allowing farmers to sell once time-sensitive produce when the market presents a better price. In Nigeria, a local teacher developed a simple evaporative cooler to reduce spoilage by preserving harvested crops at lower temperatures. And in Kenya, small metal silos without added pesticides experience crop losses of only 1.4 percent, compared with polypropylene bags with added pesticides that experience crop losses of 24 percent after six months.

In Asia, new research on best practices is helping small-scale farmers limit food loss and repurpose on-farm waste. In the Philippines, the use of plastic crates for transportation – instead of bags, sacks, and bamboo baskets – has been shown to prevent food loss during transport due to compression, puncture, and impact. In Central Asia, anaerobic digesters are creating a valuable fertilizer from decomposed organic waste. According to a publication by IEA Bioenergy, some 8 million small-scale digesters are being used in China, and 50,000 digesters are being used in rural communities in Nepal.

In Latin America, consumers’ food waste is being composted as fertilizer for local farms. Maria Rodriguez, an entrepreneur in Guatemala City, has helped women living near city dumps use earthworms to compost waste and sell it as fertilizer under her ByoEarth initiative. On her own farm, she uses pulp from coffee beans as feedstock for worms.

In Australia, the initiative SecondBite collects surplus food that is safe and edible from farmers to donate to community groups, which then distributes it to households. SecondBite has, to date, rescued nearly 8 million kilograms of food that would have been otherwise wasted.

In Europe, initiatives like Tristram Stuart’s Feeding the 5000are helping farmers connect with food pantries to repurpose safe and nutritious, but “wonky”-looking, produce to nourish people in need. Volunteers visit farms to glean crops that don’t meet the aesthetic standards of produce buyers and supermarkets, so that they can be used for charity.

Each of these initiatives and inventions are examples of innovative action that is helping farmers, eaters, and businesses contribute to a better food system.

Food Tank is organization for farmers and producers, policy makers and government leaders, researchers and scientists, academics and journalists, and the funding and donor communities to collaborate on providing sustainable solutions for our most pressing environmental and social problems. 

2016-05-31T19:45:14-07:00September 22nd, 2013|

Sonoma County Grapes are Excellent Quality

 Sonoma County In Middle of Big Harvest
Sonoma County’s 2013 harvest season has seen a flurry of activity both in the vineyards and wineries these past few weeks as grapes have ripened at the optimal pace due to moderate temperatures that have allowed phenolic maturity to catch up with Brix levels.

Reports throughout the county show most fruit is being picked, on average, 2-3 weeks ahead of schedule with winegrowers and winemakers pleased with quality and flavors, with some calling it “beautiful,” “gorgeous,” “spectacular,” “inspiring,” and “excellent.” 

To date, Sonoma County has harvested between 30%-40% of the total crop, with winegrowers and winemakers anticipating the fast pace to continue over the next three to four weeks to ensure all fruit left on the vines is picked before the arrival of cooler temperatures or rain this fall.

Harvest is well underway and up to three weeks early for many growers here in the County.  The cooler weather in August allowed the flavors to develop, and from all accounts, we are hearing that grape quality is excellent. This has been a very compacted harvest and we’re seeing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot all coming in at the same time, which is pretty atypical. This compacted harvest has winegrowers and winemakers working hard day and night to make sure they’re picking fruit at just the right time for flavor development and to manage the timing of fruit coming into the winery. Things are coming in above average in terms of quantity and everyone seems enthusiastic about the vintage.”   – Karissa Kruse, President of the Sonoma County Winegrowers

Here are some quotes from the “front vines” of several of the American Viticulture Areas (AVAs) of the county

Alexander Valley

Powerful flavors developing early, good yields, great quality, I’m loving the concentration in this year’s fruit.  I think our vineyard manager Tom Gore said it best when talking about the flavors in a cab vineyard as being off the Richter scale.” – Susan Lueker, Director of Winemaking at Simi Winery

The heat spike in late August, early September pushed brix levels on everything up sharply. Where we usually have 3-4 degrees difference from the north end of Alexander valley to the south we now have 0-2 degrees difference between the ranches. While the brix levels shot up the maturity hasn’t moved as quickly so we’re tasting sweet fruit that still has some vegetative characters to it. We have only picked about 40% so far. The Sauvignon Blanc in Russian R River Valley is done as well as some Sangiovese in Alexander Valley for a Rose program. Last week we began to pick some Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon from Alexander Valley. Weather looks a little threatening for the next week but predicted rainfall amounts are still very low if any.” – Brad Petersen, ‎Vineyard Manager at Silver Oak Cellars & Twomey Cellars, and Sonoma County Winegrowers Chairman

Dry Creek Valley

The 2013 vintage is going to be a great year for Sonoma County wines. Our first zinfandel from Rockpile arrived this week and the flavors are incredible. A long and relatively mild summer has allowed for steady ripening across all of our varietals. Fruit is ripening and gaining sugar but still holding on to some nice acidity. Overall, we expect it to be an excellent year. The threat of rain is always on our mind but for now, we power on and remain upbeat. To date, we have harvested around 62.5 tons out of 165 tons of planned production. About 38% of all our fruit is in tank and all of our whites are off the vine. Reds in tank thus far are Rockpile Zinfandel, Dry Creek Syrah, Dry Creek Grenache, and Maple Vineyard Petite Sirah. The last of Chardonnays from Alexander Valley came in last Friday. The only challenge we currently face, is the possibility of rain at the end of next week. Should the rain materialize we will have to accelerate our time line to ensure only the best quality fruit makes it in to a Dutcher Crossing bottle.”- Matt Ward, Winemaker’s Assistant at Dutcher Crossing Winery.

Fort Ross-Seaview

In the steep ridges overlooking the Pacific Ocean, we have been very cautious about our picking decisions.  We have picked about a third of the Pinot Noir and should complete the remaining blocks by the end of the weekend.  Waiting a few extra days for flavors to develop has delivered great dividends despite the temptation to get the crop harvested before the rain – forecast for the end of the week.  The Chardonnay still needs more time to hang as does the Pinotage.  We generally harvest these varieties a few weeks after the Pinot Noir but this year they will be ready by the time all the Pinot Noir is picked.  As we did last year, we will be making some Late Harvest dessert Chardonnay – if the weather obliges.” – Linda Schwartz, Owner at Fort Ross Vineyard & Winery

Knights Valley

“2013 is turning out to be a fantastic year for Knights Valley.  On the heels of 2012, it is inspiring to see another extraordinary vintage.  At Knights Bridge we strive for excellence and this vintage makes our job easy.” – Tim Carl, Managing Partner at Knights Bridge Winery.

Sonoma Valley

As of Sept 12th, we have 340 tons total harvested from all our AVA sources. So far so good. With a heat spell over the first weekend of September, I am seeing sugars develop quickly, but often times faster than flavors can catch up. I am looking forward to more moderate temps to get things back in balance.” – Chris Louton, Winemaker at St. Francis Winery & Vineyards

Russian River Valley/Green Valley

“Crop yield is comparable to 2012.  We picked before the heat spike on Sept. 7 – 9 and our fruit tasted and smelled fresh fruity during de-stemming. Our harvest is complete since we only grow Pinot Noir” – Pamela Gunsalus, Owner at Gunsalus Vineyard

“We’re blessed with another great year in the Russian River Valley. Looks like another year where everyone is extremely happy. Winemakers are happy because quality looks great again. Fruit is terrific. Flavors developing nicely with wonderful balance of pH & bright acidity. As of Monday, September 23rd we are about 60% thru Pinot Noir & 40% thru Chardonnay. The warm weather last weekend caused very little damage. In fact it helped to push harvest along. The weather the rest of this week & into next looks perfect.” – Mick Schroeter, Sonoma-Cutrer Winemaking Director


About Sonoma County Winegrowers 
Sonoma County Winegrape Commission, dba Sonoma County Winegrowers (SCW), was established in 2006 as a non-profit marketing and educational organization dedicated to the promotion and preservation of Sonoma County as one of the world’s premier grape growing regions. With more than 1,800 growers, SCW’s goal is to increase awareness and recognition of the quality and diversity of Sonoma County’s grapes and wines through dynamic marketing and educational programs targeted to wine consumers around the world. For more information about SCWC and its programs, visit www.sonomawinegrape.org  

About Sonoma County Vintners
 
Sonoma County Vintners (SCV) is the leading voice of Sonoma County wine, dedicated to raising awareness and building understanding of Sonoma County as one of the world’s premier wine regions, noted for its heritage of artisan winemaking, distinct growing regions, and extraordinary quality. Founded in 1944, SCV represents more than 200 wineries and affiliates of all sizes throughout the county. Learn more about SCV at www.sonomawine.com

2016-05-31T19:45:14-07:00September 22nd, 2013|

FARMERS GET BREAK ON ELECTRIC METERING

Farmers Get Renewable Energy Boost

Barrier to Distributed Renewable Energy Production Removed by CPUC

San Francisco — On Friday the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) cleared the way for new rules that will make it easier for California farmers, school districts, businesses and others making use of the state’s Net Energy Metering (NEM) program to produce renewable energy. The CPUC Commissioners directed the public utilities to put in place procedures that allow NEM customers to aggregate electric meters on their property and use excess clean energy generated at one meter to be credited against other meters.

Farmers and ranchers typically have multiple meters on their property.  Current California law prohibits the power generated from an on-site renewable facility to be counted against other meters.  Consequently, farmers would have to install a separate facility for each meter, which is extremely inefficient and cost prohibitive, limiting their ability to cost-effectively generate renewable energy. 

The change came about because of the 2012 passage of a bill, Senate Bill 594, authored by Senator Lois Wolk (D-Davis). The California Climate and Agriculture Network (CalCAN), a coalition of sustainable agriculture organizations, supported the bill. For more information on Senate Bill 594, please see http://bit.ly/oNr9fT.

“California farmers produce more renewable energy on their farms and ranches than their counterparts in other states, but obstacles still exist,” said Jeanne Merrill, CalCAN Policy Director.  “The CPUC action today moves us closer to clean, renewable energy- powered farms throughout California.”                                                                                                                                                   

The CPUC action was taken after they conducted a study that found that implementing the NEM rule change would have no impact on electricity rates. A summary of the study can be found at http://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Published/G000/M075/K733/75733127.PDF.

“It’s going to be easier and more affordable for growers like me to produce renewable energy,” said Jon-Mark Chappellet of Chappellet Vineyard and Winery.  “Not only will more farmers and ranchers be able to cut their energy costs, but they’ll be reducing the carbon footprint of their operations.”  

This improvement to the NEM program will move California closer to meeting the Governor’s goal of 12,000 megawatts of distributed renewable energy generation in the state. 


2016-05-31T19:45:14-07:00September 21st, 2013|

LAND VALUES COINCIDE WITH COMMODITY PRICES

Ag Land Values in West Have Strength


TODAY Rabobank published a new report on U.S. land values. Vernon Crowder, senior analyst based in Fresno, co-authored the report and notes that in the Western U.S., land values are expected to move in the same direction as the Midwest with one caveat.


“The changes seen in land values in the West, especially those in California, should be less dramatic than that of the rest of the country,” said Crowder. “This is due in large part to the diversity of crops grown in the region.”


According to the report, in the medium term adjustments in values will generally only coincide with commodity prices and weaken with the increase of interest rates and the value of the US Dollar.

2016-05-31T19:45:15-07:00September 20th, 2013|

GIFT TO UC DAVIS TO SOLVE CA WATER PROBLEMS

–>A Boost for Watershed Science, Agriculture

The University of California, Davis, will build on its success as a center for problem-solving research on California’s critical water issues thanks to a $10 million gift to the Center for Watershed Sciences from the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation.

The Center for Watershed Sciences—the state’s leading academic institute on water management—will be able expand its scientific research and public engagement capabilities on the state’s increasingly difficult water problems, including drinking water safety and reliability, agricultural production, flood protection, hydroelectric power, recreational use and the survival of salmon and other native fish species.

State officials have long relied on models developed at the center to assess the potential effects of proposed water management actions. The center’s scientific research has informed policymakers on several critical water issues, including the ecological health and water supply of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, which provides drinking water for 22 million Californians and supports the state’s $27 billion agriculture industry.

California faces unprecedented challenges managing its limited water supply and maintaining the health of its rivers, lakes and estuaries as the state’s population and economy grows, according to the center’s scientists. Competing water demands have increased water scarcity, worsened water quality and severely diminished populations of wild salmon and other native aquatic species.

“California’s problems will become more challenging as the climate changes and water demands increase,” said Jay Lund, director of the Center for Watershed Sciences. “This gift significantly strengthens our ability to stay ahead of potential water crises with forward-thinking insights and innovative solutions.”

“The S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation and its founder, Stephen D. Bechtel, believe that California can meet the water needs of its cities, farms, and ecosystems, but only if water management is informed by research, grounded in best practice, and enabled by sound policy,” said Lauren Dachs, president of the Foundation. “The Foundation is pleased to partner with UC Davis to develop solutions to California’s multifaceted water challenges.”

2016-05-31T19:45:15-07:00September 20th, 2013|

California Grape Shipments Soar

 California Table Grapes

Shipped at Record Pace!

California table grapes have been shipped at a record pace in recent weeks. According to USDA data through September 13, 2013, five of the past six weeks have seen week-ending shipment totals of over four million boxes.

Last year, only one week in the entire season surpassed four million.

“Grapes from California are in strong demand worldwide,” said Kathleen Nave, president of the Fresno-based California Table Grape Commission. “With nearly 45 million boxes shipped, the industry is on pace for another record crop year.”

August 2013 saw 18.4 million boxes shipped, according to USDA data, a record-high for the month of August. This is six percent more than August 2012. The previous record of 18.1 million boxes was set in August 2007.

The total volume surpassed the 100 million 19-pound box equivalent mark for the first time in history last year and set a new record. The 2013 season estimate is 105.7 million 19-pound box equivalents.

Grapes from California will be available around the world through January 2014.

2016-05-31T19:45:15-07:00September 20th, 2013|

CONSERVATION TILLAGE COMBINES INNOVATION WITH SOLUTIONS

Conservation Tillage Research

Shows Benefits

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Editor

 Twilight Conservation Tillage Attendees listen to speakers 
Jeff Mitchell, a UC Davis cropping systems specialist and the coordinator of the recent Twilight Conservation Tillage (CT) field day noted the ‘unifying themes’ that the UC and industry are working on.  The event included three bus tour stops at three center pivot locations and several stops at the UC West Side Research and Education Center in Five Points.

 “Our basic goal in this event was to provide new and emerging information on precision irrigation systems and in particular overhead irrigation which may be far more widely used in the Valley in the future,” said Mitchell. 

“Second, we also intended to provide information and solutions, both technological and also in terms of soil management, to problems that may arise with the use of this new irrigation approach,” Mitchell said, adding,  “These technologies include careful matching of water application devices (nozzle packages) and innovative ‘boom back’ drop hoses that keep wheel tracks dry.” 

The soil management practices include reduced disturbance, residue preservation, and soil carbon building through the use of cover crops.  Together, these strategies can improve soil quality and function and allow the sustainable use of cheaper, precision irrigation systems such as overhead. 

Mitchell spoke about CT Research
Our third theme was to provide new information on various applications of ‘conservation agriculture’ that we’ve been working on.  These include no-till cotton and tomato production, strip-tillage sugar beet production in high residue, flat-planted conditions, and the use of cover crops in SJV annual cropping systems. 

“A big part of what we talked about was conservation agriculture,” said Mitchell. “This cultural practice is used in different areas around the world as an alternative to conventional agriculture,” he said.

He outlined what a diverse group of UC researchers, farmers and others who are part of the Conservation Agriculture Systems Innovation (CASI). A lot of it points to what we have been doing with conservation agricultural principles and practices here.

“In the context of how to improve the soil resource, well it’s a hard case to make,” Mitchell said. “Why should anyone be concern with soil quality? Since data has been collected since 1920 with processing tomatoes, the yields have gone up 747 percent. This phenomenal success in increased production is indisputable. With this in mind, many could rightly ask how in the world could anyone say that I have a problem with soil quality,” noted Mitchell.


Mitchell outlined concerns stemming from a late April meeting with growers along with UC Farm Advisors, Natural Resources Conservation District (NRDC) and private companies. The goal of the meeting was to come up with a list of practices that people would recognize as improving the soil.

“The ideas on list were really nothing new,” said Mitchell. “But I would doubt that there are very many people doing some of the harder ones such as reducing soil disturbance, which means reducing physical, biological and chemical disturbance. Most fields are very heavily tilled.”

The list also stated that rotating crops would be good, and there are many growers who do that. But Mitchell said there are growers who are deliberately trying to increase soil carbon.

“Soil Improvement ideas are not new.”
Soil carbon relates to the organic matter in the soil. It improves the physical properties of soil. It increases the cation exchange capacity (CEC) and water-holding capacity of sandy soil, and it contributes to the structural stability of clay soils by helping to bind particles into aggregates, which improves soils.

Mitchell said there are farmers around the country such as in Ohio and New Mexico, who are using no till, (reduced disturbance). “They are adding cover crops to their systems and increasing soil carbon and at the same time, they are reducing cost. So there are people who are doing this,” he said.

Mitchell then discussed the long-term CT work at the UC Westside Research and Education Center.

“In field trials here we had a standard till no cover crop during the winter, so it was pretty bare ground. Then we had a standard till where we worked the soils, reworked the beds with a cover crop during the winter,” Mitchell said.

Then he pointed out a CT area, which is no-till, with a residue of processing tomato vines. “We are going to plant cotton into the beds next spring—that’s zero tillage, and reduced disturbance.

Next to that field we have a CT area where we are going to plant a cover crop this fall to get more organic matter into the soil.

NRCS offices have some cost-share funding available for growers wanting to attempt conservation practices. They are finding that growers who use less tillage also have more carbon in the soil. And while growers are also saving money with less tillage passes, NRCS does not show us doing very well in the west.

Also there are some growers in the Midwest that are betting that high quality no-tilled soils around the country and the world are going to have increased value for production in the coming years. So some growers with venture capitalist behind them are buying up soils and encouraging growers to practice no-till farming to have a better resource. These investors are actually trying to make money on these soil improvement practices.

“Since 1998, we have tried to look at these kinds of CT systems, that reduce disturbance, and accumulates residue on the soil surface, noted Mitchell. “Are there benefits to this? Are there benefits in saving water, cycling nutrients due to the cover crop? Is there anything that can be tweaked to give us benefits such as lowering soil temps? Maybe microorganisms are able to thrive better during certain times of the year when the soil is not baking.” Mitchell noted

Mitchell: Soil Organic Matter Holds more Water
“Conservation Ag is globally becoming recognized, as an alternative to the status quo,” he said. “It’s about incorporating and integrating ecological management with high tech and high productivity kinds of systems. It’s not to go backwards but instead to merge the best of many kinds of systems.”

“As you reduce tillage, there is more plant residue accumulating on the beds. A percentage of these residues will be there when you plant the next crop.  A big part of the trials is controlled traffic. The no-tilled beds that have been growing cotton and tomato have not been moved in 12 years. There has not been any breaking up of beds. In some systems we add a cover crop to try and improve the soil if we have water this winter,” Mitchell noted.

But he pointed out something very interesting. He said that in the cover crop field over the last 14 years, he has added only eight inches of supplemental water to grow the cover crop. “After 12 years we have added essentially he small research field has had an additional 19 tons of organic material or seven tons of carbon than it wouldn’t have had in a bare condition, with just eight inches of water and normal rainfall.

“If you just do CT, our study has shown there is a carbon increase just by not disturbing the soil. And if you combine cover crops and CT you get the biggest carbon benefit,” noted Mitchell

One take home message is that if the soil is improved through CT methods or cover crops, then the infiltration rate can be increased if and when rain comes. It would be good to bank the water we get we may get instead of it ponding on the surface and evaporating.

The CT yield story is not so encouraging regarding tomato production.  “In the early years the tomatoes on the CT system, for whatever reason did well,” said Mitchell.  “But during he last several years, including this past year, yields have gone down. Some of the problems were due to diseases, but think we either have some rotation issues or we need to address our management there,” he added. 

However, for the last or six years we have had cotton yields in the no-till plots that matched the standard till plots.”

2016-05-31T19:45:15-07:00September 20th, 2013|

NUTS HAVE FEWER CALORIES THAN EXPECTED

Scientists Improve Calorie Estimation Method


U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists have improved the method for estimating calories in tree nuts, showing that there are fewer calories in pistachios and almonds than previously thought. The modified method should also work well for other foods, according to the scientists with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), USDA’s in-house research arm.

Chewing begins the digestive process of liberating nutrients from food. This process is necessary before nutrients are considered “bioaccessible.” In theory, the fat within some hard foods is not completely absorbed because it’s difficult to digest the food’s cell walls, which contain the fat.

Physiologists David Baer and Janet Novotny at the ARS Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center in Beltsville, Md., fed 16 healthy adults pistachios at three different levels: none, 1.5 ounces per day, and three ounces per day, along with a background or “base” nut-free diet. The volunteers ate each pistachio level for 18 days. Researchers collected and analyzed urine and stool samples from all feeding periods. This analysis consisted of measuring calories in the foods that were fed to volunteers (energy in) and measuring the same foods’ excreted remains (energy out).

Novotny, also a mathematician, wrote a series of algebraic equations to evaluate data from the biological samples and to isolate and measure the calories specifically supplied by the pistachios separately from the base diet consumed. “The base diet always consisted of the same foods and composition, thus allowing us to tease out the caloric value of the single target food,” says Novotny.

The study suggests that the caloric value of pistachios has likely been overestimated by about 5 percent, because the fat from the nuts wasn’t completely absorbed by the intestinal tract. The study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition in 2011, was supported by USDA and Paramount Farms, Inc., Los Angeles, with an improved method and reported in the September 2013 issue of Agricultural Researchmagazine.

Baer and Novotny conducted a similar human clinical trial in which they fed the volunteers three different levels of whole almonds as part of a carefully controlled diet for an 18-day period. According to food labels, almonds provide 168 calories per 1-ounce serving, but the researchers found that the same serving actually provided 129 calories when computed by the modified method. This difference was due in large part to loss of undigested fat, protein, and carbohydrate in the stools, according to the authors.

The study showed that it is possible that the total number of available calories from certain whole nuts, and perhaps other similar foods, may be lower than originally estimated. The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2012, was supported by USDA and Almond Board of California.
2016-05-31T19:45:15-07:00September 20th, 2013|
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