Central Valley Farmer is Honored

Harold McClarty to be honored with an Award of Distinction at UC Davis

Harold McClarty, a fifth-generation California farmer who built the international tree fruit and grape-growing business HMC Farms, will be honored Friday, October 4 with an Award of Distinction from the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CA&ES).

The award is presented annually to individuals whose contributions and achievements enhance the college’s ability to provide cutting-edge research, top-notch education and innovative outreach. McClarty is being honored as a friend of the college.

The McClarty family has been farming in the Central Valley since 1887. One hundred years later, after graduating from UC Santa Cruz, McClarty established the HMC group of companies on the family’s original 40 acres. A commitment to innovation has helped grow the family business into a vertically integrated tree fruit and table grape supplier with locations in California, Chile, Mexico and Peru.

McClarty’s wife, Deborah, is a UC Davis alumna. Today, the family business includes their two children and spouses. The McClarty family believes in the value of education and giving back to the community.

Harold served as a UC Davis Foundation Trustee for six years. The family supports many UC Davis projects, including the Agricultural Sustainability Institute’s Adopt-an-Acre program. They also support school garden programs, invest in their local community college in Reedley and give to the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation.

The Award of Distinction ceremony starts at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, October 4, in the ARC Pavilion on the UC Davis campus with a reception to follow. To learn more and register, visit the College Celebration website at https://caes.ucdavis.edu/news/events/college-celebration.

California Ag Today2019-10-02T10:15:45-07:00October 2nd, 2019|

The Wonderment Elderberries

Elderberies Have Rich Benefits for Farms and Diets

By Jeannette Warnert, UCANR Communications Specialist

Native California elderberries can be found at the intersection of sustainable farming, super nutrition and economic viability. Naturally drought tolerant, flavorful and packed with nutrients, they are capturing the interest of farmers, health-conscious consumers and scientists.

Elderberries were the focus of a field day offered by UC Agriculture and Natural Resources Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP) in September at Cloverleaf Farm, an organic berry and tree fruit operation in Dixon.

Elderberries occur naturally around the world. In California, Native Americans used the tree’s stems for making flutes, berries for food and purple dye, and bark, leaves and flowers for their purported anti-inflammatory, diuretic and laxative properties.

“They had a relationship with the plant for food, medicine and music,” said SAREP academic coordinator Sonja Brodt. “We wish to honor the elderberry’s history here and thousands of years of management by California native tribes.”

UCCE Farm Advisor Rachael Long said elderberries can be used in a hedgerow designed to attract beneficial insects.

UC Cooperative Extension advisor Rachael Long said elderberries are her favorite native plant.

“They’re pretty in the spring and summer. The flowers smell like cloves. It’s a wonderful fragrance,” she said.

But perhaps the best attribute of elderberries for Long, a proponent of planting hedgerows on the edges of farmland, is the tree’s ecological benefits. Elderberries can be among the rows of trees, shrubs, grasses and sedges in hedgerows that attract beneficial insects and pollinators to farms to help with biocontrol of pests and pollination of plants in adjacent crops.

“Flowering native plants like elderberries, toyon, Christmas berry, coffee berry, manzanita and coyote brush provide nectar and pollen for native bees, honey bees and other insects,” Long said. “I see a lot of green lace wings (predators of aphids, spider mites and other pests) in elderberry.”

Long reported that a tomato farm didn’t have to spray as much for aphids because of the beneficial insects attracted by the hedgerow. “They saved $300 per acre each year,” she said.

Hedgerows require long-term planning and care, including weed control. Establishing a hedgerow costs about $4,000 for a 1,000-foot-long planting with a single row of shrubs and trees bordered by native perennial grasses. At that rate, Long has calculated that a return on investment in pest control takes about 15 years. For pollination, the return on investment is about 7 years.

Installation of hedgerows can be eligible for cost sharing with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service Environmental Quality Incentives Program. Costs can also be offset by harvesting the elderflowers and elderberries in the hedgerow and making value-added products – such as syrups and jams – or selling the flowers or berries to a processor.

Processing the mature elderberries with sugar allows small-scale producers to make deep purple elderberry syrup.

Farmer Katie Fyhrie shared how Cloverleaf Farm is managing elderberries in a hedgerow, harvesting flowers in the spring to make and bottle elderflower cordial, and harvesting berries in the fall to produce and bottle deep purple sweet-tart syrup. Sixteen ounce bottles of cordial and syrup sell for $12 each. The cordial and syrup are ideal for serving with seltzer and ice for a fruity and uniquely wild-tasting drink.

Elderberry Farmer Katie Fyhrie.

Fyhrie is also working with Brodt of SAREP to gather data for research on best production practices, farm and processing labor costs, and yield comparison between native plants and named varieties from the Midwest. The study includes data from three California farms.

The project is a collaboration among the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (a program of the Agricultural Sustainability Institute at UC Davis), the UC Agricultural Issues Center, the UC Davis Department of Food Science and Technology and four farmers to assess the farm management practices, cost, nutritional content, and market potential of California elderberries.

While laboratory research comparing the nutritional characteristics of the California blue elderberry with the North American black and the European black is continuing at UC Davis, food science professor Alyson Mitchell and her graduate student Katie Uhl were able to share what is already known about the nutritional benefits of the fruit.

They said elderberries are high in vitamin C, dietary fiber, phenolic acids and anthocyanins. Elderberries contain antibacterial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents. While they have a strong history as a treatment for colds and flu, more studies are needed to understand their medicinal use, Mitchell said.

The field day in Dixon was among the first outcomes of the two-year project. A growers’ production guide, cost of production study, an assessment of market demand and nutritional analyses are also planned. The information will be made available, along with other resources on elderberry cultivation and processing, on the ASI website.

California Ag Today2019-10-01T10:34:05-07:00October 1st, 2019|

Many Join the UC ANR Ranks

Eight academics joined the ranks of UC Cooperative Extension advisors, specialists and an academic coordinator over the last few months.

By Jeannette Warnert, Communications Specialist, UCANR

The new academics are:

Top Row from Left: Kamyar Aram, Marisa Coyne, Amer Fayad, and Joy Hollingsworth. Bottom row from left: Susana Matias, Joji Muramoto, Mohamed Nouri, and Kosana Suvocarev.

Kamyar Aram
UCCE specialty crops advisor
Contra Costa County

Kamyar Aram joined UC ANR in August 2019 as UCCE advisor in specialty crops. He serves Contra Costa and Alameda counties. Previously, Aram was a post-doctoral scholar at UC Davis working on research and outreach for management of vectored grapevine diseases. He has bachelor’s degrees in plant biology and Latin from Ohio State University, a master’s degree in horticulture from Cornell University and a doctorate degree in plant pathology from UC Davis. His doctoral research focused on the life cycle of the Sudden Oak Death pathogen in aquatic environments. For his master’s thesis, Aram studied the use of compost as a source of nitrogen and to suppress soilborne diseases in vegetable production.

Aram can be reached at (925) 608-6692, kamaram@ucanr.edu.

Marisa Coyne
Academic Coordinator for Volunteer Engagement
Master Gardener statewide program

Marisa Coyne was named academic coordinator of volunteer engagement in the UC Master Gardener Statewide Program in April 2019. Previously, Coyne was a community education specialist at the UCCE office in Marin County, where she managed the 4-H Youth Development Program. Originally from Philadelphia, Coyne has worked in rural and urban communities and in food, agriculture and wilderness spaces, providing interdisciplinary, inquiry-based educational opportunities for learners of all ages. Coyne holds a bachelor’s degree in communications at Temple University and a master’s degree in community development at UC Davis.

Coyne can be reached at (530) 750-1394, macoyne@ucanr.edu.

Amer Fayad
Director, Western IPM Center
UC ANR headquarters

Amer Fayad joined UC ANR as director of the Western Integrated Pest Management Center in July 2019. He is a plant pathologist with research experience on the identification, epidemiology, biological and molecular diversity of viruses. Prior to joining UC ANR, Fayad served in several capacities at Virginia Tech, most recently as associate director and Africa program manager of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for IPM. Fayad has a bachelor’s degree in agriculture and a master’s degree in crop production from the American University of Beirut. He earned a doctorate degree in plant pathology, physiology and weed science from Virginia Tech.

Fayad can be reached at (530) 750-1271, afayad@ucanr.edu.

Joy Hollingsworth
UCCE nutrient management and soil quality advisor
Fresno County

Joy Hollingsworth was appointed nutrient management and soil quality advisor, serving Fresno, Kings, Madera and Tulare counties, in April 2019. Before taking her new position, she served as a staff research associate at the UC Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Parlier. Previous to that, Hollingsworth was a junior specialist in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences, where she designed and implemented agronomic field trials for canola, camelina, sugar beets and castor. Hollingsworth has a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s degree in plant science from Fresno State.

Hollingsworth can be reached at (559) 241-7527, joyhollingsworth@ucanr.edu.

Susana Matias
UCCE nutrition specialist
Statewide position, based at UC Davis

Susan Matias joined UC ANR in July 2019 as a UCCE specialist in the Department of Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology at UC Davis. Before coming to UCANR, Matias was a research scientist with the California Department of Public Health and a specialist at UC San Francisco. From 2013-18, she was an assistant project scientist in the Department of Nutrition at UC Davis. Matias has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in educational psychology from Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. She earned a doctorate degree in epidemiology from UC Davis, with an emphasis in international and community nutrition. Her research interests include maternal and child nutrition, immigrant health, food security, obesity and diabetes prevention.

Matias can be reached at (510) 642-0980, slmatias@berkeley.edu.

Joji Muramoto
UCCE organic production specialist
Statewide position, based at UC Santa Cruz

Joji Muramoto became UC ANR’s first organic production specialist in May 2019. He has a joint affiliation with UCCE and the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems at UC Santa Cruz. In his new role, Muramoto will coordinate a statewide program focused on fertility and pest management in organic production systems across the state. Muramoto has bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees in soil chemistry from Tokyo University of Agriculture. He has conducted research and extension on fertility and soil-borne disease management in organic and conventional strawberry and vegetable production since 1996.

Muramoto can be reached at (831) 459-2178, jmuramoto@ucanr.edu.

Mohamed Nouri
Area UCCE orchard systems advisor
San Joaquin County

Mohamed Nouri joined UC ANR in April 2019 as an area orchard systems advisor serving San Joaquin County. He will conduct a research and extension program to address high-priority production and pest management issues in walnuts, sweet cherries, apples, oil olives and other crops. Because San Joaquin County is the statewide leader in cherry and walnut production, Nouri will be a regional and statewide leader, facilitating interaction among campus-based academics, UCCE advisors and community stakeholders. Previously, Nouri worked at the UC Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center as a graduate student and post-doctoral researcher. He performed research on fungal diseases of major fruit and nut crops. Nouri has a bachelor’s degree in life and earth sciences, a masters in microbiology and plant pathology and a doctorate degree in plant pathology, all from Tunis ElManar University.

Nouri can be reached at (209) 953-6115, mnouri@ucanr.edu.

Kosana Suvocarev
UCCE biometeorology specialist
Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, UC Davis

Kosana Suvocarev joined UC ANR as a UCCE biometeorology specialist in March 2019. Before taking this position, she was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Arkansas, where she was part of a team effort focused on rice farming, water conservation and greenhouse gas emission reduction practices in the area of the Mississippi Alluvial Aquifer. Suvocarev earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Novi Sad in Serbia, and a doctorate degree at the University of Zaragoza, Spain.

California Ag Today2021-05-12T11:05:01-07:00September 20th, 2019|

UC President Janet Napolitano Steps Down

UC Vice President Glenda Humiston Statement on UC President Napolitano stepping down

By Pam Kan-Rice, UC ANR

Glenda Humiston, University of California vice president for agriculture and natural resources, issued the following statement on Wednesday:

Earlier today (Sept. 18), UC President Janet Napolitano announced that she will be stepping down as president of the University in August 2020. President Napolitano joined UC as the first woman to lead the university in 2013.

We are thankful for President Napolitano’s leadership and vision to address critical issues that affect California, the rest of the country and the world.

Recognizing the challenge of feeding a growing worldwide population, Napolitano launched the Global Food Initiative to inspire more collaboration and draw from the collective resources of all 10 UC campuses, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to develop solutions for food security, health and sustainability.

To address the threat of climate change, she created the Carbon Neutrality Initiative, which marshals resources from across the UC system to research and develop ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

To attract and retain top-flight academics, she created the Presidential Match for Endowed Chairs to help UC campuses and UC ANR encourage donors to establish endowed chairs to fund research. The Presidential Match has enabled UC ANR to fill five endowed positions in UC Cooperative Extension, ensuring the scientists will have a dedicated source of funding for their ongoing agricultural research.

Finally, she emphasized the university’s commitment to diversity by taking actions to let immigrant and LGBTQ members of the UC community know they are welcome and supported.

The UC Board of Regents will soon appoint a search committee to start a national search for the next president of the University. Per policy, the search committee will include student, academic and alumni representatives who will seek input from the UC community and the public.

More information, including highlights of President Napolitano’s tenure at the University, can be found at https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/university-california-president-janet-napolitano-announces-decision-step-down-next-year.

California Ag Today2019-09-23T20:31:15-07:00September 18th, 2019|

Congressman Harder: Veto SB1

Harder, California Members of Congress Statement on Planned Veto of SB1

WASHINGTON – Representative Josh Harder (CA-10), alongside Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Representatives Jim Costa (CA-16), John Garamendi (CA-03), and TJ Cox, (CA-21) released the following statement in advance of Governor Gavin Newsom’s veto of SB1.

Congressman Harder

“While we support the objectives of SB1 – to protect clean air, drinking water, and our environment – the bill as written would jeopardize those very goals. It is critical that all Californians, especially those in our disadvantaged communities, have a reliable supply of clean, fresh drinking water, in addition to water for our environment and essential agriculture industry. We applaud the Governor’s leadership in vetoing this bill, and his efforts to solve California’s difficult water challenges with solutions that meet the needs of the 21st century.

“Working together with all water users provides the best hope for avoiding endless litigation on the management of California’s water supply. We know this through experience. Continuing the collaborative process put in motion by the Governor can result in improved habitats and protect fish and wildlife species, while also ensuring improved water supply reliability for our communities and family farms across California.”

California Ag Today2019-09-15T19:05:40-07:00September 16th, 2019|

Generic Promotion of US Pistachios is Powerful

New Analysis Points to the Power of US Pistachio Industry’s Generic Program

American Pistachio Growers’ (APG) efforts to reduce or eliminate trade barriers in several key overseas markets have been a significant boon to pistachio exports and to growers’ bottom-line. A new study, “An Analysis of the Effects of the American Pistachio Growers’ Program to Reduce/Eliminate Tariffs on U.S. Pistachios,” has quantified, for the first time, the direct benefit to the U.S. pistachio industry from APG’s strategic program to vanquish trade barriers.

The analysis from Dr. Dennis H. Tootelian, an emeritus Professor of Marketing, sought to determine what shipments of U.S. pistachios would have been if tariffs had not been lowered or eliminated in Israel, Mexico, China and Hong Kong, and the European Union which are the export markets prioritized for focus by APG. Many of his analyses centered on the period from 2009 through 2017 — the period in which tariffs were reduced in all five geographic areas.

Tootelian’s study showed that actual shipments of U.S. pistachios after the tariffs were reduced or eliminated for each export market were more than 2.3 billion pounds greater than what would have been expected had the tariffs remained in place. Equated in economic terms, the boost in export volume after the trade barriers had been removed amounted to nearly $3 billion greater value than what would have been expected had the tariffs remained in effect.

While Tootelian did not have any prior expectations of what his study would show, he was surprised by the findings.

“To see this kind of an increase in shipments on a before and after basis with the tariffs did surprise me. I did not expect this kind of result in the marketplace. These are not small numbers,” Tootelian said. “What the data tell me is that there is latent demand for U.S. pistachios and once the tariffs come down, foreign markets want to buy them.”

Tootelian said the projected economic boon to U.S. growers is even more profound if the fluctuations in prices in China and Hong Kong were eliminated from the analysis.

“If you take the price fluctuations in China and Hong Kong out, the increase in value of pistachio shipments amounts to nearly $355 million more dollars per year — nearly $4.5 billion in total from the time when tariffs were in effect to after they were reduced or eliminated,” said Tootelian.

Data from the analysis estimated that more than 1.7 billion pounds of U.S. pistachios in total, or an average of more than 192 million pounds annually, may have gone into storage if they were not diverted to other markets. While the effect of the projected added supply on the world market is unknown in terms of lower prices, Tootelian said that it would surely have had a detrimental impact on U.S. growers.

“It is unknown what that would have done to the price,” he said. “In order to divert from storage and into other markets, prices probably would have had to come down considerably and whether they would have been able to market that much supply is an unknown.”

Underlying Tootelian’s analysis is the fact that price is not the sole determinant of the volume of U.S. pistachio exports. He said when tariffs are lowered or eliminated, traditional economics would dictate that increased shipments would lead to lower prices, but his data show demand for U.S. pistachios in some key markets remained high in the post-tariff era. Several factors, he said, appear to be in play.

“One is the reputation of U.S. pistachios, which carries a very positive market image with consumers and importers. Second, it could be the quality of the product is better or more consistent, or both, for what consumers can buy from other countries,” said Tootelian. “And third, there are a lot of reputable health studies that show nuts are healthy and nutritious. APG has invested considerable resources raising consumer awareness of the healthful attributes of pistachios, and consumers appear to be willing to pay a higher price. That is pretty clear from the data.”

APG has aggressively worked in the halls of Congress, with U.S. trade officials and with foreign governmental bodies to alleviate burdensome trade barriers and create a more open market for U.S-grown pistachios.

“Quantifying the value of APG’s efforts to growers has been difficult up to now, but this new study gives us some tangible answers to the importance of the work we are doing on behalf of the U.S. pistachio industry,” said Richard Matoian, APG’s executive director. “Frankly, we were quite surprised at the magnitude of these numbers. It’s our strong belief that whenever and wherever trade barriers exist to the free flow of American-grown pistachios around the world, we will confront them vigorously.”

In a postscript to his analysis, Tootelian added, “If I were a grower, I would be encouraging APG to be doing this more in other markets because the greater the demand there is for the product, the less goes into storage and that helps boost the price.”

California Ag Today2019-09-10T19:23:58-07:00September 11th, 2019|

Marcy Martin To Head Citrus Research Board

Martin Selected Following Year Long National Search

Marcy L. Martin was named today as the new president of the Citrus Research Board (CRB). The appointment was announced by CRB Chairman Dan Dreyer, who said that Martin was selected after a nearly year-long national search for the very best candidate to lead the organization.

Martin joins the CRB with more than 25 years of experience with California commodity organizations. She most recently served for 14 years as director of trade for the California Fresh Fruit Association (CFFA), where she advocated on behalf of the state’s fresh grape, blueberry, pomegranate and deciduous tree fruit production in governmental, legislative and policy issues. Prior to that, she had been controller of the California Apple Commission for ten years.

In 2015, then U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack appointed Martin to the Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee (ATAC) for Trade in Fruits and Vegetables. In his announcement, Vilsack said of those who were appointed, “They are an invaluable asset as we work to enact trade agreements and trade policies that deliver the greatest economic benefit for U.S. agriculture and for our nation as a whole.”

“California’s citrus growers, packers and shippers have demonstrated through their keen understanding that an industry must invest in sound research to meet the challenges of a constantly evolving environment, marketplace and consumer,” said Martin. “The Citrus Research Board, industry, staff and research community have stepped up to take on looming challenges, specifically huanglongbing, that have devastated citrus production within other regions, both domestically and globally. This is an area I am passionate about, and I look forward to bringing my experience in the technical and regulatory arena to the team.”

Dreyer said, “The Board is pleased to have Marcy Martin taking the helm of CRB. Her extensive experience with commodity organizations and local, state and federal regulatory agencies will be a key ingredient to the success of CRB projects and priorities. She comes to the CRB with extensive knowledge of fresh tree fruit production and the agricultural use of plant protection products. Our Board members were impressed by her dedication to and passion for agriculture.”

“The California citrus industry is an important economic contributor and an icon of the Golden State,” Martin said. “Citrus is part of our American and Californian agricultural footprint – a commodity we need to preserve and foster. I’m honored to be part of this continuing tradition.”

Martin officially will join the CRB on October 1 and will be based out of the CRB headquarters in Visalia, California. She will take the reins from Interim President Franco Bernardi.

“We cannot thank Franco enough for his dedicated service to the CRB throughout the past year,” said Dreyer. “He did an excellent job in guiding the organization through a challenging period, and the Board has been truly grateful for his leadership.”

California Ag Today2019-09-10T14:14:08-07:00September 10th, 2019|

AgTech Insight And Agritecture Form Strategic Alliance

AgTech and Agritecture Reach both Out Door and Urban Ag Space

AgTech Insight LLC, Salinas, CA and Agritecture LLC, Brooklyn, NY are excited to announce the formation of a strategic alliance between the two firms. In its simplest form, AgTech Insight will advise and provide services to Agritecture clients in the large scale outdoor agriculture industry while Agritecture will advise and provide services to AgTech Insight clients in the urban agriculture space. The focus of the mutually beneficial effort is aimed at improving both the firm’s capabilities across a broader array of services for clients in the ag sector globally.

Aaron Magenheim, Founder of AgTech Insight stated that “The urban and indoor Agriculture space is rapidly growing around the world and collaborating with Agritecture, given their leadership in their industry sector and global vision using innovation and best practices to help a growing population is a natural fit! Over the past year, it has been great to work with David Ceaser and the Agritecture team sharing our expertise and working on projects together. There is a unique resource we have been developing together which we will be sharing with the world soon and are excited to be working together to bridge the Urban and large scale agriculture sectors!”

David Ceaser, Agritecture horticultural specialist said, “Agritecture is very excited about our collaboration with AgTech Insight. Urban and Peri-urban farming is generally smaller-scale agriculture and focuses on smaller more niche consumer markets. But, as far as farming goes, there is no reason to re-invent the wheel. There is a ton that we can learn from large scale outdoor ag. The vast amount of experience and knowledge that Aaron and his team bring to the table is invaluable for us.”

AgTech Insight is a global leader in full-spectrum agriculture technology consulting services. We have an elite team of subject matter experts around the world, each of whom has a unique skill set to help our clients execute both short and long-term strategies. We deliver distinctive consulting and advisory expertise to a variety of companies and large corporates, governments, investors, farmers, industry leaders, and more. Our team tracks over 3,000 digital AgTech companies around the globe and get past the smoke and mirrors to work with real companies to make a huge impact on the world’s food supply. In 2014 we saw the Agriculture and Tech industries starting to collide and were inspired to start AgTech Insight as a bridge to help these two very different industries collaborate. We specialize in sharing deep, on-the-ground experience in the emerging AgTech space that is necessary for success in this evolving industry. –http://www.agtechinsight.com/ Solutions@AgTechInsight.com

Agritecture Consulting provides a comprehensive approach to CEA project development. In operation since 2014, Agritecture has helped more than ninety organizations determine the feasibility of their ideas, validate their business strategies, recruit talent for their projects, and manage operational challenges. Our job is to jumpstart your knowledge of CEA, help you navigate barriers to entry, make industry connections, and mitigate risk. Our consulting services are backed by several years of operations data and a team of

California Ag Today2019-09-08T21:13:41-07:00September 9th, 2019|

Redd Group: ALRB Still Biased Toward Unions

Redd Group Offers Help in Labor Management

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Editor

Jesse Rojas is the CEO of the Redd Group based in Bakersfield. “In essence, the Redd Group primarily offers labor management consulting, primarily in agriculture. But in general, what the group provides is everything from improving your employee relations by using and implementing new methods of communications.

Union avoidance is a big part of the Redd Group’s work to helping companies and employees know their information, their rights under the NLRB and also the ALRB to avoid unionization. “However, at the same time, we want to improve human resources departments and management. We also offer training and leadership development for supervisors and middle management and upper management within companies,” Rojas said.

“We also handle the aspect of properly enforcing arbitration agreements and those type of issues, and anything related to HR and labor relations and labor management,” said Rojas. ” I grew up in agriculture, and I love this industry. I love the people behind it, and that’s where I’ve been focusing the most with the Redd Group, which is labor management in agriculture.”

UFW Still up To There Usual Business

“The UFW is still trying to unionize employees wherever they can. But, they’re resorting to a different type of tactic in terms of organizing employees because they don’t have much relevance or positive things to offer employee anything that would attract them to join the union,” said Rojas.

“They’re resorting to their friends at the ALRB, and the legal process, to push themselves on companies. In terms of the ALRB, we thought that they would change after the big corruption deal and violation of rights that they did at Gerawan. But it seems like the ALRB is just back to business as usual,” noted Rojas

The latest situation is that Governor Gavin Newsom recently appointment Barry Broad to an ALRB board position. Broad is an attorney by training, and he has spent most of his recent career as a union lobbyist in Sacramento, primarily with the Teamsters Union.

“He’s a 100% pro-union big labor guy,” said Rojas. “My concern is he still doesn’t have any experience in agriculture or labor relations with farm employees. So, based on what he’s been doing in Sacramento, which is lobbying for big labor for unions, I can’t see and expect any non-bias from him,” explained Rojas.

Many do not expect that ALRB in California to change their tactics. The ALRB is expected to have farmers on the board so that there is a more balanced approach to decisions. “If they didn’t want to have a farmer or someone who is in the interest of the agriculture industry. At least put an actual employee who’s been in the farms, who understands what they need, what they want, their rights, their work, which is what this agency is supposed to do,” he said.

Farm employees need to be involved in the structure of how things happen in Sacramento. Many times its just big special interest employees that make the decisions up in Sacramento. It’s about time real people, real citizens, actual employees get involved in the process, and they have a say of what’s going on.

For more information on the Redd Group go to www.reddgroup.org

California Ag Today2019-09-04T12:23:17-07:00September 5th, 2019|

Calif. Ag Leaders Chosen for 50th Class

CA Ag Leadership Considered the Premier Leadership Program in U.S.

Twenty-four individuals have been selected for Class 50 of the California Agricultural Leadership Program, an advanced leadership development experience for emerging agricultural leaders. The new fellows will be inaugurated into the program on Oct. 10 at the Clovis Veterans Memorial District. The program, which inaugurated its first class in 1970, will celebrate its 50th anniversary in Monterey in October 2020.

Through dynamic seminars during an intensive 17-month program, fellows will study leadership theory, effective communication, motivation, critical and strategic thinking, change management, emotional intelligence and complex social and cultural issues. Seminars are delivered by four partner universities: Cal Poly Pomona, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Fresno State and UC Davis. Fellows will participate in 55 seminar days, including an eight-day national travel seminar and a 15-day international travel seminar.

“After an application and alumni-assisted interview process that witnessed a record number of applicants, we are very pleased to announce the 24 individuals making up Class 50,” said Barry Bedwell, president of the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation (CALF). “This distinguished group, made up of 12 women and 12 men, will begin their 17-month formal leadership program shortly, but more importantly, this is the start of a lifelong leadership process that will not only make them better leaders but benefit California agriculture as well.”

CALF invests approximately $55,000 per fellow to participate in the program, which is underwritten by individual and industry donations. Ag Leadership is considered to be one of the premier leadership programs in the United States. Since it was first delivered in 1970, more than 1,300 men and women have participated in the program and have become influential leaders and active volunteers in the agriculture industry and other areas.

Class 50 Fellows:

Celeste Alonzo, Junior Enterprises LLC, Coachella

Leeann Bettencourt, Bonipak Produce, Santa Maria

Tyler Blackney, Wine Institute, Sacramento

Adrian Calixtro, Wonderful Orchards, Selma

Yezmin Carrasco Valle, Reiter Affiliated Companies, Oxnard

Mitch Coit, Marv Coit Inc., Firebaugh

Kris Costa, California Milk Advisory Board, Turlock

Natasha Crivelli, Chris and Natasha Crivelli Farms, Dos Palos

Rocco Cunningham, R.O. Shelling & Barlas Feeds, Petaluma

Brian Gill, Gill Cattle/Nielsen Insurance, Exeter

Erin Gorter, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Templeton

Megan Grima, Stephens Ranch Inc., Yuba City

Ted Kingsley, Vann Bros., Williams

Lindsey Liebig, Sacramento County Farm Bureau, Galt

Holly Little, Acadian Seaplants, Walnut Grove

Julian Lopez, Imperial County, Imperial

Megan Marques, California Farm Bureau Federation, San Luis Obispo

Jonathan Merrill, Merrill Farms LLC, Salinas

Michael Newton, Newton Farms, Stratford

Erin O’Donnell, The Sun Valley Rice Company, LLC, Arbuckle

Brian O’Neill, Huron Orchard Services, Fresno

Matt Peyret, First Northern Bank, Woodland

Priscilla Rodriguez, Western Ag Processors Association, Fresno

Trevor Tagg, West-Gro Farms Inc., El Centro

California Ag Today2019-09-04T08:02:20-07:00September 4th, 2019|

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