BREAKING NEWS: Medfly Infestation in Los Angeles

A quarantine has been declared due to a Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) infestation detected in the city of Los Angeles. One adult male and five unmated females were detected in five traps between March 3 and 12, 2014, and four larvae were discovered in backyard fruit on March 18.

The Medfly can infest more than 250 types of fruits and vegetables, causing severe impacts on California agricultural exports and backyard gardens alike. Residents who believe their fruits and vegetables are infested with fruit fly larvae are encouraged to call the state’s toll-free Pest Hotline at 1-800-491-1899.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Los Angeles County Agricultural Commissioner, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) are working collaboratively on this project.

The 88-square mile quarantine is in central Los Angeles, near the University of Southern California. Additional information, including a map of the 88-square mile quarantine zone, is available at: http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/medfly/regulation.html#index.

To eradicate the infestation, the increased release of sterile male Medflies began last week, at a rate of 250,000 flies per square mile per week, double the normal rate in that area.

The sterile male Medflies are brought to California by the joint CDFA/USDA sterile insect rearing facility in Los Alamitos, which prepares sterile flies for release everyday over the Los Angeles Basin.

The sterile release program has a proven track record of eradication in southern California. Sterile male flies mate with fertile female flies in the environment but produce no offspring.

The Medfly population decreases as the wild flies reach the end of their natural life span with no offspring to replace them, ultimately resulting in the eradication of the pest.

The enhanced release area is approximately 25 square miles. In addition, properties within 200 meters of detections are being treated with an organic formulation of Spinosad, which originates from naturally-occurring bacteria, in order to eliminate any mated females and reduce the density of the population.

Finally, fruit removal will occur within 100 meters of the larval detection property in order to remove any fruit infested with eggs and larvae.

“Our pest prevention system to detect and respond to invasive species like the Mediterranean fruit fly is working well and according to design,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “The release of sterile Medflies is a proven method of eradicating an infestation. The key is to move swiftly and take action before the pests can cause widespread damage and become established.”

The quarantine will affect any growers, wholesalers, and retailers of susceptible fruit in the area as well as local residents – home gardeners are urged to consume homegrown produce on site and not move it from their property.

The eradication approach in the Los Angeles area is the standard Medfly program used by CDFA and it’s the safest, most effective and efficient response program available.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:07-07:00March 24th, 2014|

CDFA Secretary Karen Ross talks with students at Chico State

Source: Excerpted from Heather Hacking, ChicoER News; posted by CDFA

California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross spoke to students at the California State University, Chico Farm on Tuesday.

Ross was in Chico as guest speaker at the Chico Rotary Club and she toured the University Farm before meeting with students and local ag leaders.

“We need to reconnect farmers with consumers and create an ag-literate populace,” said Ross.

One student asked about a recent proposal by the governor to eliminate grant funding for FFA agriculture education.

Ross said students can send a powerful message; those in the FFA blue jackets can and should stand up at school board meetings and talk about the importance of investing in youth.

“What about conflicting messages that come from various sectors of agriculture?” asked Dave Daley, an instructor at Chico State.

Ross said there is room for many different segments of the food industry — organic and conventional and all the variations in between.

“Consumers want assurance that they have a choice,” said Ross. “Having many different markets also provides opportunities for producers.”

For students wondering which direction to go with after college, Ross encouraged young people to consider careers with CDFA and USDA.

“Many people are at retirement age,” Ross said. “A fresh workforce is welcome.”

“CDFA Secretary Karen Ross talks with students at CSU Chico” -ChicoER News

For any ag producers, it’s important to be able to communicate and to clearly express themselves through writing, she added.

The stories of the farm cannot be told in 140 characters, the length of one Twitter entry, and the ability to communicate science to non-farmers will become increasingly important.

Ross also noted that farming has always included adaptation; as the world population increases and open land decreases, improvements to farming will continue.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:54-07:00March 4th, 2014|

USDA Funds $3 Million to Improve Bee Health

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will provide close to $3 million in technical and financial assistance for interested farmers and ranchers to help improve the health of bees, which play an important role in crop production, particularly in California.

The funding is a focused investment to improve pollinator health and will be targeted in five Midwestern states, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, where California farmers procure their bees.

USDA reports that Honey bee pollination supports an estimated $15 billion worth of agricultural production, including more than 130 fruits and vegetables that are the foundation of a nutritious diet.

California’s 800,000 acres of almond orchards typically require 1.8 million domesticated bee colonies, just to pollinate its almond trees alone.

The future security of America’s food supply depends on healthy honey bees,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Expanded support for research, combined with USDA’s other efforts to improve honey bee health, should help America’s beekeepers combat the current, unprecedented loss of honey bee hives each year.”

Funding will be provided through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to promote conservation practices that will provide honey bees with nutritious pollen and nectar while providing benefits to the environment. Recent studies have shown that beekeepers are losing approximately 30 percent of their honey bee colonies each year, up from historical norms of ten to fifteen percent overwintering losses experienced prior to 2006.

This assistance will provide guidance and support to farmers and ranchers to implement conservation practices that will provide safe and diverse food sources for honey bees. For example, appropriate cover crops or rangeland and pasture management may provide a benefit to producers by reducing erosion, increasing the health of their soil, inhibiting invasive species, providing quality forage and habitat for honey bees and other pollinators, as well as habitat for other wildlife.

Midwestern states were chosen because from June to September the region is the resting ground for over 65 percent of the commercially managed honey bees in the country. It is a critical time when bees require abundant and diverse forage across broad landscapes to build up hive strength for the winter.

Applications are due March 21, 2014.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:55-07:00February 27th, 2014|

USDA, CDFA TO HOLD DROUGHT RESOURCE SESSIONS; UPCOMING FED DEADLINES

Multiple State/Fed Agencies to Hold 5 Drought Sessions Around State

As California faces one of the driest years ever recorded, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will be holding informational sessions on drought resources for farmers, ranchers and farmworkers in several locations throughout the state in the coming weeks.

These sessions will provide information on a variety of state and federal government programs designed to assist farmers with water conservation, crop insurance, and other on-farm management tools. Information on farmworker assistance programs will also be available.

Upcoming application deadlines for federal programs include:

Crop insurance programs offered by the USDA’s Risk Management Agency (February 28th)
Non-insured crop insurance offered by the USDA’s Farm Service Agency (March 1^st)
Water conservation enhancements offered by the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (March 3rd).

These programs offer a variety of on-farm assistance, including cover crops and tree pruning, as well as market-based risk management tools.

Informational sessions will be held on the following dates/locations:

February 18, 2014 6p.m. to 8p.m. Redding/Palo Cedro

Junction Elementary School – Theater Room

9087 Deschutes Road

Palo Cedro, CA 96073

February 19, 2014 6p.m. to 8p.m. Salinas/Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office

1428 Abbott Street

Salinas, CA 93901

February 20, 2014 6p.m. to 8p.m. Fresno

Fresno County Farm Bureau

1274 W. Hedges Ave

Fresno, CA 93728

February 25, 2014 6p.m. to 8p.m. Ventura/Camarillo

Ventura County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office

555 Airport Way, Suite E

Camarillo, CA 93010

February 26, 2014 6p.m. to 8p.m. SanDiego/Escondido

San Diego County Farm Bureau

1670 E. Valley Parkway

Escondido, CA 92027

Several state/federal government entities will be represented at these information sessions, including:

USDA Farm Service Agency
USDA Risk Management Agency
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
USDA Rural Development
California Employment Development Department

CDFA continues to support California’s drought response and:

Has developed a web page as an information clearinghouse on assistance programs for farmers, ranchers and farmworkers
Will continue to work with California food banks to address drought-related impacts
Is working with the University of California to develop a real-time assessment of drought impacts in farming and ranching communities.

With California facing one of the most severe droughts on record, Governor Brown declared a drought State of Emergency last month and directed state officials to take all necessary actions to prepare for water shortages. Governor Brown has spoken with President Obama about crucial federal support during the ongoing drought, and the state continues to work with federal partners to ensure a coordinated drought response. The administration has also expressed support for federal legislation introduced by Senators Feinstein and Boxer and Representatives Jim Costa, Tony Cárdenas and Sam Farr.

Across state government, action is being taken. The Department of General Services is leading water conservation efforts at state facilities, and the Department of Transportation is cutting water usage along California’s roadways by 50 percent. Caltrans has also launched a public awareness campaign, putting a water conservation message on their more than 700 electronic highway signs.

In January, the state took action to conserve water in numerous Northern California reservoirs to meet minimum needs for operations impacting the environment and the economy. The State Water Resources Control Board announced it would work with hydropower generators and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to preserve water in California reservoirs. Recently the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the California Fish and Game Commission restricted fishing on some waterways due to low water flows worsened by the drought.

The state is working to protect local communities from the dangers of extreme drought. The California Department of Public Health identified and offered assistance to communities at risk of severe drinking water shortages and is working with other state and local agencies to develop solutions for vulnerable communities. CAL FIRE hired additional firefighters and is continuously adjusting staffing throughout the state to help address the increased fire threat due to drought conditions. The California Department of Food and Agriculture launched a drought website to help farmers, ranchers and farmworkers find resources and assistance programs that may be available to them during the drought.

Even as the state deals with the immediate impacts of the drought, it’s also planning for the future. Recently, the California Natural Resources Agency, the California Environmental Protection Agency and CDFA released the California Water Action Plan, which will guide state efforts to enhance water supply reliability, restore damaged and destroyed ecosystems and improve the resilience of our infrastructure.

Governor Brown has called on all Californians to voluntarily reduce their water usage by 20 percent, and the Save Our Water campaign launched four public service announcements encouraging residents to conserve and has resources available in Spanish. Last December, the Governor formed a Drought Task Force to review expected water allocations and California’s preparedness for water scarcity. In May 2013, Governor Brown issued an Executive Order to direct state water officials to expedite the review and processing of voluntary transfers of water and water rights.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:58-07:00February 13th, 2014|