Ag Alert is the newspaper of the California Farm Bureau Federation, reaching Farm Bureau agricultural and collegiate members. Agricultural members are owners and decision-makers on California farms and ranches. The California Farm Bureau Federation is a non-governmental, non-profit, voluntary membership organization whose purpose is to protect and promote agricultural interests throughout the state of California and to find solutions to the problems of the farm, the farm home and the rural community. Farm Bureau is California's largest farm organization, comprised of 53 county Farm Bureaus. Farm Bureau strives to protect and improve the ability of farmers and ranchers engaged in production agriculture to provide a reliable supply of food and fiber through responsible stewardship of California's resources.
The show goes on Junior livestock auction can’t be stopped by wildfire
Freedomfrommilking New automated systems liberate dairy farmers
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www.cfbf.com • www.agalert.com AUGUST 25, 2021
Trees & Vines ® Dairy & Livestock ®
s p e c i a l r e p o r t s
ByChristine Souza A state drought curtailment regula- tion, adopted last week for the Klamath River watershed, calls for minimum instream flows but also incorporates potential voluntary actions to achieve water savings to help fish and keep farm- ers farming. Montague rancher RyanWalker, presi- dent of the SiskiyouCounty FarmBureau, said the State Water Resources Control Board took a balanced approach inmak- ing its decision. “One of the things that we asked for in the regs that we got was flexibility… to have some adaptive management and we got that,” Walker said. “To the board’s credit, they understood that they were doing this in a very short time Board balances farmers, fish in watershed action
ByChing Lee Supplying the U.S. market with the first fresh-picked apples of the season re- mains an important niche for California growers. But competition fromother pro- duction regions continues to sour pric- es, prompting growers to look to expand their business through exports. Being first on the market tends to be more lucrative, and California ap- ple farmers typically enjoy a three- week window—after imports from the Southern Hemisphere wane and before Washington state ramps up its harvest— in which supplies are sparse. “We always try to get what we have out before Washington hits the market, be- cause usually once they come online, the price tends to drop pretty significantly,” said ElizabethCarranza, director of trade for the California Apple Commission. But durability of apples and improved storage techniques have stretched car- ryover volumes from the Evergreen State, diminishing California growers’ early advantage. Stored Washington apples from last season “can have considerable impact on the marketplace for California,” said Virginia Hemly Chhabra, a grower and handler in Sacramento County. “If you’ve got something coming in from these later growing seasons that’s still here in the market, it’s generally go- ing to be cheaper,” she added. California farms harvest season’s first fresh apples
See WATER, Page 5
Latest fire stirs fears of losing farm tourists
ByKevinHecteman While theDixie Fire expanded its reach in northeastern California, a newer blaze east of Sacramento put wineries and ag- ritourismoperators on edge in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Wineries in southern El DoradoCounty were under evacuation warnings late last week on account of the Caldor Fire, which ignitedAug. 14, saidBarbaraKildow,man- agerof theElDoradoCountyFarmBureau. “We’ve got grapes down in south coun- ty,” Kildow said. “Smoke’s the worst, and we’re getting ready to harvest here in the next several weeks.” The Caldor Fire spread quickly tomore than 100,000 acres. Cal Fire crews have continued to battle the blaze, still largely uncontained, this week.
Harvest of Gala apples is underway at a farm in San Joaquin County.
See APPLES, Page 6
n e w s p a p e r
Comment.......................................2 Trees & Vines...............................7 Dairy & Livestock..................... 11 Classifieds........................... 17-19 Inside
Published by
See FIRE, Page 14
Protecting farm employees from smoke: What to do
ByBryanLittle California’shot summer growingseason and an ongoing drought feeding out-of- control wildfires pose challenges for farm
Employers covered by the night-work standard must furnish employees with high-visibility garments (referred to as “Class 2” garments), which couldbe a vest, jacket, T-shirt or other itemdepending on conditions, and ensure employees wear themwhenworkingatnight.Employersare also required toconduct a safetymeetingat the start of eachnight-work shift to inform employees about the locationof restrooms, drinkingwater,designatedbreakareas,near- bybodiesofwater andhigh-trafficareas. Meanwhile,whenitcomes toheat, farm- ers have worked with employees over the last 15 years to provide enhanced protec- tion through implementation of the Heat IllnessPreventionStandard, frequentlybe- ginningworkveryearly inthemorningand concluding theworkdaybefore thehottest afternoon temperatures. They have also discoveredbenefits of working at night. In addition to simplifying compliance with the Heat Illness Prevention Standard due tocooler temperatures at night,workingat night canprotect thequalityof somecom- modities, particularlywinegrapes. As a service to FELS Newsletter read- ers, this month’s issue includes FELS Tailgate SafetyTraining sheets covering all three of these topics. You can learnmore about subscribing to the FELS Newsletter at www.fels.net/1/fels-services/annual -subscription-services.html. While there is no substitute for thor- ough training—which we hope you con- ducted before the onset of hot weather, thewildfire seasonandundertakingnight work—these tailgate safety training sheets are a valuable resource that we’repleased tomake available. (Bryan Little is director of employment policy forCaliforniaFarmBureauandchief operating officer of FarmEmployers Labor Service, a FarmBureau affiliate.)
employers. The 700,000-acre-and- countingDixieFire andthedevastating Caldor Fire have conspired to fun- nel smoke in agri- culturalproduction areas just as sum- mer temperatures have soared into
The 2020 Caldwell Fire impacted farmers in the Klamath Basin.
Bryan Little
triple digits. These conditions invoke two regulations that farmemployers—perhapspreoccupied withCOVID-19mandates imposedby our state government—may have lost sight of. Theymust follow regulations designed to protect employees fromthe dangers of ex- cessiveheat andwildfire smoke. No California farmemployer should be surprised that Cal/OSHAcompliance offi- cers are actively enforcing a standard that shouldbeat topof themindwhentempera- tures routinely exceed 90 degrees. We’ve keptour regular readersofFarmEmployers Labor Service’s FELS Newsletter , which I edit and FELS produces as a service to our subscribers and clients, informed. And I weighed in recently on this page on han- dling the sweltering summer (“Summer heatmeans time for shade,water andrest,” Ag Alert® , Page 2, July 14). Additionally, theCal/OSHAsmokestan- dard requires remedies when employees are exposed to air quality of 151 or greater on the air quality index (AQI) for the pres- ence of PM2.5 for more than one hour. Theymust move work into environments with filtered air if possible. Or, if feasible, employersmust reschedulework toa time
shouldbeawareof.They include thenight- work regulation (or as Cal/OSHA desig- nates it, “OutdoorAgriculturalOperations DuringHours of Darkness”). The night-work standard applies be- tween sunset and sunrise. The basic rules are not complicated, but they will require some verification and recordkeeping to demonstratecompliance, procurement of a lightmeter (thesearewidelyavailable for less than$100) andhigh-visibility clothing for employees. Employers must provide minimum levels of light, and this can be done through area lighting or lighting on an employee’s person (like a headlamp). Herearesomesituational examples for the amount of light required: •Three foot-candles inmeetingareasor areaswhere employees takemeal periods or rest breaks. • Five foot-candles for tasks not involv- ing theuse of knives or other cutting tools. • Ten foot-candles for tasks involving knives or cutting tools or working around movingmachinery ormachinery parts. • Twenty foot-candles for equipment maintenance.
of better air quality or provide employees with approved particulate respirators un- der voluntary-use rules. The voluntary-use requirements mean it is not necessary to fit-test andmedically evaluate employees who choose to use a provided N95 respirator. That’s a reason- able recognition on the part of the stan- dard’sproponentsof thepractical impossi- bilityof fit-testingandmedicallyevaluating 400,000 farm employees at work during California’s peak agricultural seasons. However, employers must train em- ployees using information provided in the standard’s Appendix Babout proper respi- ratoruseandthehazardsofwildfiresmoke, presumablytoencourageemployees touse employer-provided respirators when the AQI exceeds 150. And if the AQI for PM2.5 exceeds 500, employers are required to provide respi- rators in accordancewith requirements of thegeneral industryrespiratoruserule(in- cluding fit-testing andmedical evaluation of respirator users). Unrelated tosmoke, thereareotherCal/ OSHA regulations that farm employers
VOL. 48, NO. 31
August 25, 2021
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2 Ag Alert August 25, 2021
Voluntary groundwater trading efforts gain steam
Specific to the role that government should play to enable well-managed groundwater trading, Fienup said that SGMAprovides a really good foundation. “SGMA recognizes the importance of local management and that local water users and local regulators have infor- mation that’s just not available at larger scales—that’s essential to sustainable management,” Fienup said. Others suggested that the government has a role in providing funding for tech- nical assistance.
Of the lessons learned, Fienup said it is important to be mindful about the financial and human resources needed to successfully manage this type of pro- gram, noting that “in most cases, these are time-sensitive deals, so we have to turn things around quickly. Even though we’re not involved in the negotiations in itself, we legitimize the deal so we can’t be slow to process it.” (Chr i s t ine Souza i s an ass i s tant editor of Ag Alert. Shemay be contacted at csouza@cfbf.com.)
ByChristine Souza State agencies and interest groups are working to develop a voluntary ground- water trading program as a tool to aid water managers and farmers. The effort seeks to protect aquifers under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act by bringing threatened supplies into balance. “Due to historic overdraft, there’s just not enoughwater,” saidJustinFredrickson, California FarmBureau Federation envi- ronmental policy analyst. “In addition to supply, we need to be looking at demand. Groundwater trading is a potential way to allow pumpers to create flexibility and manage scarcity within a basin without major new physical infrastructure. It’s re- ally an accounting exercise.” Speaking before the California Water Commission last week, TaraMoranof the Water DataConsortiumsaid the purpose of thework to advance a groundwater-ac- counting and budgeting platform is “to make (the platform) broadly accessible for groundwater sustainability agencies and other agencies to use voluntarily to support local, regional and state water management decisions.” The project was co-developed by the Rosedale Rio-Bravo Water Storage District and the Environmental Defense Fund, and is a partnership that also in- cludes the Water Data Consortium, Ca l i f o rn i a Depa r tment o f Wa t e r Resources and the state water board. Commissioners heard from water managers from California, Texas and Nebraska who addressed water trading issues such as safeguards for vulnerable water users, stakeholder engagement, governance and oversight, and the gov- ernment’s role. AnnDimmit, IntegratedManagement Planmanager for the Twin PlatteNatural Resources District in Nebraska, said her district connects willing buyers and sell- ers and has been overseeing water trans- fers for about 15 years. “The biggest piece for us is having a clearly defined set of rules, in which all growers are treated equally and those rules help us protect the environment and sometimes even the farmers them- selves,” Dimmit said. Matthew Fienup, integral to designing the Fox Canyon Water Market, spoke on behalf of the Fox Canyon Groundwater ManagementAgency. FoxCanyon intend- ed to implement awatermarket as part of its groundwater sustainability plan. “Really clear objectives are the start- ing point for any design process. Those require rules to achieve those objectives and an effective governance system,” Fienup said. Accurate water-use data is also important, Fienup said, adding that theremust be an approach for unintend- ed consequences. While protecting water needs of com- munities, the environment and small- scale farmers, Fienup said, a disadvan-
taged community should not have to rely onmarket prices to secure basic needs. “Once a basin commits to a regime around water trading or pumping, obvi- ously then there need to be safeguards to protect disadvantaged communities and groundwater-dependent ecosystems,” Fienup said.
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August 25, 2021 Ag Alert 3
Dixie Fire shuts down fair, but not livestock auction ByKevinHecteman
ple and just the compassion that they had in raising more money for the kids, it was just neat. It would give you goosebumps if youwere there.” MeganNeer, theauction’s chairwoman, saidshewas “super thankful for all thekids that stayed strong with this.” She said that whenthe fairwas canceled, those involved forged ahead. “We still need to help teach these kids that when there’s a roadblock, it’s not the end,” Neer said. Overcoming the road- block, she added, took “many nights, manyphonecalls trying to, at the lastmin- ute, get stuff going for that.” In the end, all but oneor twoof the fam- iliesmade it to Sierraville for the auction. “Theyfollowedthrough,”Neersaidof the
4-H students. “They showed up at the sale over there in a tent and some new white shirts that theybought atWalmart, and just showed what people do and howwe can stillmoveonand live. Itwas really special.” The auction grossed about $519,000— and led tomore support for aDixieFire re- lief fund.Neer saidFiveMarysFarmsoutof Fort Jones in Siskiyou County came to the auction with the intention of supporting IndianValleystudentswho losthomesand animals to the fire. Five Marys resold its auction purchases and donated the funds toDixie Fire relief efforts. Other donations were made to the Clayton Floyd Neer 4-H Steer, Swine, Sheep andGoat Loan fund, Neer said. “It was truly just amazing what they did
ourfamilies,ourcommunitiesandourlands from the increasing threat of fire” Interior SecretaryDebHaaland said ina statement. Unrelated to federal actions, theunion rep- resenting fire crews in California recently reached a tentative agreement toboost the pay of Cal Fire firefighters. An agreement withthestatewouldgivethema2.5%salary hike—on topof recently restoredpay. In2020, state firefighters tookaone-year, 7.5%pay cut. It expired July 1. for these kids,” Neer said. “You just can’t even describe it, really. It melted all their hearts, and it was verymuch respected.” Roberti’s daughter Kristin, the Sierra Valley 4-H president, showed a steer at the event. “We would like to thank volunteers and sponsors for coming togetheronsuchshort noticetohostthelivestockshoweventformy fellow4-HandFFAexhibitorsaswellasmy- self,”theyoungerRobertisaidinastatement. “It was a phenomenal experience for all the kids,” Jane Roberti said, “just to be able tosee their friendsandto interactwith ones whowere affected.” (Kevin Hecteman i s an ass i stant editor of Ag Alert. He may be contacted at khecteman@cfbf.com.)
The massive Dixie Fire canceled the Plumas Sierra County Fair. But the live- stockauctionwent aheadanyway—thanks to some very determined people. “Don’t tell a group of individuals up here that you can’t do something,” said Jane Roberti, a longtime Plumas-Sierra CountyFarmBureaumemberwhoserved as the hastily rearranged event’s advertis- ing coordinator. The junior livestock show and auction, scheduled for Aug. 11-15, had appeared doomed after the fair was forced to cancel its scheduledAug. 19-22 run inQuincy on account of the second-largest wildfire in California’s recorded history. But the sale committee and several volunteers banded together to come up with an alternative, “because we need- ed to make it happen for our exhibitors,” Roberti said. The event was moved to the Sierraville Roping Club Grounds in Sierraville to al- low 4-H and FFA exhibitors the chance to showand sell their animals. The show took place Aug. 13-14, with theauctionbeingheldthemorningofAug. 15. In all, 93 lots were sold, Roberti said, and the buyers were generous. A couple of lambs sold for $100per pound, she said, while a goat fetched $200 per pound. “One lot was a pig that perished in the fire,” Roberti said. “The generosity of peo-
Federal, state fire crews getting pay hikes Thousands of federal firefighters, in- cluding many battling extreme heat and catastrophic wildfires in the West, are about to get a pay raise to $15 anhour. In June, President Bidencalled their pay “unacceptable.” Now firefighters will see pay increases by Aug. 24.
The raises will be retroactive to June 30 forwildland firefighters. Temporary front- line fire crewmembers will receive $1,300 awards, andpermanentwildfirepersonnel will get bonuses equal to10%of their base pay over sixmonths. “Thebravemenandwomenonthefront- linesdeservefairpayfortheirworktoprotect
The raises will go to 11,300 firefighters with the U.S. Forest Service and another 3,500with theDepartment of the Interior. Most federal firefighters are hired at wages of less than $13 an hour—lower than the minimum wage in California andWashington.
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4 Ag Alert August 25, 2021
Water Continued from Page 1
the default driver of these regulations, whether they are reasonable, whether they can be achievable andwhether they can be effective.” Sari Sommarstrom of Etna in Siskiyou County suggested that theplan for achiev- ing instream flows is not achievable as written in the proposed regulation. “The expectation that these (min- imum flows) are going to be what ’s needed is not going to end in success, unfortunately,” Sommarstrom said. “It would be great to have those minimum flows to help the fish. Unfortunately, I don’t see these expectations being met with your proposal.” The state can help locals by provid- ing technical and financial help for in- stalling water meters on wells and also with a watermaster for the local area, Sommarstrom suggested. She said, “It is much better if you have a watermas- ter delegated here to understand all of these issues.” Meanwhile, Walker said, “These regs probably don’t mean much for this sea- son: Some pasture guys are going to have to start feeding a little bit early and alfalfa guys aren’t going to take a fourth cutting.” He added: “We want to find ways to get through this year and next year and not have for-sale signs on ranches and to try tomake this all work.” Once the regulation for the Scott
and Shasta watershed is approved by the Office of Administrative Law and filed with the secretary of state, curtail- ment orders can be issued. Unless the state’s drought declaration is lifted, the curtailment regulations will remain in place into the next water year, which begins Oct. 1. The regulation follows other drought eme r g enc y cu r t a i lmen t r e gu l a - tions adopted by the board for water rights holders in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and Russian River watersheds. For the delta, the state water board last Friday issued curtail- ment orders to approximately 4,500 water right holders to protect drinking water supplies, prevent salinity intru- sion and minimize impacts to fisheries and the environment. “We knew this was coming in terms of hydrology and that therewas noway that all the water right holders were going to be able to get the water that their water rights indicated, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less,” Scheuring said. Thewaterboardaskswaterusers tosub- scribe to their respective region’s drought list or to frequently visit the board’s Watershed Drought Information page at www.waterboards.ca.gov/drought. (Chr i s t ine Souza i s an ass i s tant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at csouza@cfbf.com.)
verters with the highest level of prior- ity can work together under potential voluntary cooperative agreements to reduce water use in the coming year by 30% in the Scott River and 15% in the Shasta River. “Guys with groundwater can take ad- vantage of the 30% rule in the Scott and 15% in Shasta to have more options and get some certainty by finding this water savings,” Walker said. “That was some- thing the FarmBureau fought for—to get certainty. We would have liked an abili- ty for all water users to get certainty, but what we got was what we got.” In urging the board to include volun- tary actions to achieve local water savings in the regulation, speakers at themeeting last weekhighlighteddecades-longwater conservation efforts. “A lot of good work has gone in lo- cally,” said Chris Scheuring, California FarmBureau senior counsel. “The folks in the watershed are really the ones that know what can be done, and certain- ly kudos to board staff, doing a whole lot of work with flexibility and trying to find solutions to get us where we need to go in the context of voluntary coop- erative agreements.” However, Scheur ing added, “We continue to have a problem with the (California Department of Fish and Wildlife) flow recommendations as
frame and put in placeholders, even for the underlying flow requirements to be negotiated and certainly for the volun- tary agreements to be negotiated on an ad hoc basis.” The action affects holders of 3,500 wa- ter rights in the Scott and Shasta rivers of the Klamath watershed. The regula- tion affects those who divert surface and groundwater based on the water right priority system, and affects the most ju- nior water rights first. It includes measures to helpmaintain minimum flows to protect fish, ensure supplies for human health and livestock needs and encourage voluntary efforts that may be used in lieu of curtailments. Explaining how the regulation would impact water diverters, Walker said, “the devil’s in the details.” He said those who divert surface water don’t have much of an assurance of water and will have to make some tough decisions. “You have to decide: Do I feed cows through the winter and then hope I have water? Do I sell cows now? Do I plant grain and hope for rain to bring it up in- stead of alfalfa? Do I fallow ground now and try to preserve what pastures I can?” Walker said. State water board staff explained that, under the regulation, groundwater di-
The Produce Safety Rule is Here; ARE YOU READY?
Farm Employers Labor Service (FELS), an a liated company of the California Farm Bureau (CAFB), has partnered with the Safe Food Alliance through a California Department of Food and Agriculture grant contract, as their designated training provider for Central and Southern California, to conduct the required Produce Safety training for growers. Presented in a free two-day remote delivery webinar format! What sets Safe Food Alliance, FELS, and Farm Bureau apart is their total of over 100 years of experience and our dedication to providing technical guidance and leadership to the California agriculture community. Most farms are required to have at least one designated supervisor who has been trained in accordance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety rule. Upon completion of the course, attendees will receive an o cial certi cate from the Association of Food & Drug O cials.
The Food Safety Training Partnership is offering these training courses throughout California. You can find more information and register at foodsafetytrainingpartnership.com, or call 916-561-5672. Supported by California Department of Food and Agriculture
August 25, 2021 Ag Alert 5
Apples Continued from Page 1
gets varieties that are harder to find and that are big on flavor, said farmer Geri Prevedelli. Even though the farm also grows commercial varieties such as Fuji and Granny Smith, she said “we grow some unusual apples that other people don’t have.” The farm typically begins picking Gravenstein in mid-July, but heavier fog in the region this year delayed fruit rip- ening and harvest by two to three weeks, Prevedelli said. She noted yields are down due to lack of winter chill hours, which affects fruit set. Because the farm sells most of its fruit at farmers markets, Prevedelli said she’s able to talk to her customers about what they like. Whereas grocery store shoppers tend to pick apples that are flawless in appearance, she said farm- ers market customers are more willing to look past cosmetic imperfections in favor of flavor. Prevedelli acknowledged that heir- loom varieties are harder to grow, and it takes “a large commitment to raise a tree,” noting the five to seven years for trees to reach production. “That’s why you see people going into berries and vegetables, which are a lot faster turnaround for your acres,” she said. (ChingLeeisanassistanteditorofAgAlert. Shemaybe contactedat clee@cfbf.com.)
Apple harvest in the state started in mid-July withGala, the earliest commer- cial variety to hit themarket and now the state’s top-produced apple, according to commission data. It will be followed by Granny Smith, Fuji andCripps Pink, also marketed as Pink Lady. Growers are expected to produce about 1.3 million 40-pound boxes of ap- ples this year, down fromanestimated1.4 millionboxes in 2020, saidTodd Sanders, the commission’s executive director. He attributed the slight dip to older trees be- ing retired and new plantings that have not yet come into full production. State apple orchards have fluctuated in recent years between 12,000 and 14,000 total acres. Plantings stood at 12,844 acres during the 2019-20 season, up from 12,229 in 2018-19, the commission re- ported. Almost every county in the state produces apples, but San Joaquin, Santa Cruz and Sonoma counties dominate, with about 2,000 acres each. For the initial crop at least, growers have reported good fruit quality and yields, though sizing may be “a little bit off ” due to the larger volumes and the heat, Sanders said. “Because of the heat, the apples are going to be super, super sweet because they’re going to be higher in sugar con- tent,” he said. The biggest selling point for California apples is their freshness, he said, noting that apples from the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere are “probably almost a year old at this point.” Growers here tend to “pick, pack and ship,” finishing harvest by October or November, Sanders said, though some apples will continue to ship through January. Even though California ranks fifth in U.S. apple product ion—behind Washington, New York, Michigan and Pennsylvania—it remains a leading ap- ple exporter. About 25%of the state’s crop goes to foreignmarkets.
Gala apples, harvest of which began in mid-July, now represent the largest commercial apple variety grown in the state.
The state ships apples to 27 coun- tries, with Canada, Mexico, Taiwan and Southeast Asia being top destinations. During the 2019-20 season, the state ex- ported 58,115 boxes. Canada represents nearly 80% of California’s apple export sales, though China—the world’s largest apple producer—has taken some of that market share in recent years, according to the commission. Carranza said export shipments are expected to improve from last year, which saw them “down quite a bit” due to logistical challenges caused by the pandemic. With port delays still snarling shipments, she said, those impacts may continue this year. Due to large apple suppl ies from Washington state and countries such as China, Carranza said bolstering export markets has become more important for California growers. She noted state apple exporters have felt ripple effects of retaliatory tariffs on U.S. apples set by China and India, key export mar- kets for Washington apples. With less
volume going to those markets, more apples end up in the domestic market, indirectly affecting California growers, Carranza said. “(California growers) are definitely relying more on exports as the market becomesmore saturated,” Carranza said. A small-scale grower, Prevedelli Farms in Watsonville grows about 40 apple va- rieties, many of them heirlooms. It tar-
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Is all salt bad?
The total salts in soil and water can come from several sources. Salts are often measured by the electrical conductivity (EC). The EC for irrigation water is normally a measure of total salts, but it does not tell us which salts make up the composition. Common units of measure are deciSiemens per meter (dS/m) or millimho per centimeter (mmho/cm), 1 dS/m = 1 mmho/cm. The EC is usually a balance of cations and anions reported as meq/l. Cations (+) Anions (-) Calcium Ca Bicarbonate HCO3 Magnesium Mg Carbonate CO3 Sodium Na The predominate cations and anions are listed above. Potassium may be reported but does not usually contribute to salinity issues. Boron and Nitrates may also be reported, these are important for diagnosing toxici- ties and N requirements. Irrigation water samples should be analyzed to tell us how much individual cations and anions are present. When EC measurements are above 4.0, and sodium levels are high, crops may experience reduced soil water availability for root absorption. Crops grown on saline soils must work harder to take up water. These crops may show symptoms of water stress, even when soils are moist. High levels of sodium in the water or soil can lead to poor soil structure decreasing water infiltration, damaging crops and increasing soil pH which changes nutrient availability. If leaching sodium with clean water isn’t an option, keeping calcium as the dominate salt will help reduce the negative effects of sodium. Remember to keep Ca > Mg + Na. Chloride CI Sulfate SO4 Sources: Valley Tech Ag Lab & UC Almond Production Manual publication 3364.
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6 Ag Alert August 25, 2021
A SPECIAL GROWERS’ REPORT OF AG ALERT ® C A L I F O R N I A Trees & Vines ®
The cover crop phacelia, shown here planted between rows of table grapes at a farm in Parlier, yields benefits including enhanced soil health, fewer inputs, weed suppression, greater water retention and habitat for beneficial insects.
In praise of cover crops: Farmers tout their benefits ByDennis Pollock
as mulch. The CDFA program provides financial incentives to California farmers and ranchers to implement conservationmanagementpractices that sequester carbon, reduce atmospheric greenhouse gases and improve soil health. Cardoza recently shifted fromdoing crops on every other row to doing themon every single row. “We noticed how extremely effective the cover crop is at suppressing weeds,” he said. “The fact that there is a cover crop in every rowmeans that we’re not disking every other row, dramaticallyminimizing our tillage. “Cover cropping is the tool I would never take out of my toolbox,” he added. His plantings include nitrogen fixers, he said, “my nitrogen budget for the year.” He doesn’t apply nitrogen in any other form. There’s also daikon radish, grass and other plantings. When done harvesting in some vineyards, he can flood irrigate and plant cover crops. With drip irrigation only, he waits for the first heavy rainstorm, then tills lightly and uses a planter. Cardoza said thick taproots “make large pores that open up the soil.” He said he wants living plants on as much of the ground as possible and for as long as possible.
Tocover cropor not tocover crop. That’s adecisionbasedonweighing advantages and costs. It’s aparticularly challengingquestionconsideringwhat thecostsmaybe in theSan JoaquinValley, where rain is often sparse. Farmers recently discussed thewater dynamics of the valley as they debated the use of perennial cover croppings for grapes and almonds. StevenCardozawithCardozaRanches inFresnoCounty saidhe remains a truebeliever in cover cropping. Cardoza farms organic raisins in Easton. Hewas 12 years oldwhen his father, Dwayne Cardoza, chairman of the Raisin Bargaining Association, first planted a cover crop. Cardoza now praises the progressiveness of his father. He said he wants to be able to farm for decades, and he said he believes cover cropping will afford him the chance to do that. He said it makes his land more resilient and less dependent on inputs in future years. Cardoza left the family farm for a time for college and a sales job. He later returned to farming. He took to experimentingwith cover cropping, reduced tillage composting and using drones andmoisture probes. TheCaliforniaDepartment of FoodandAgriculturehealthy soils programisnowhelp- ing Cardoza conduct research on cover cropping, including compost application as well
See COVER, Page 8
August 25, 2021 Ag Alert 7
Cover Continued from Page 7
“Totheextent thesoilholdsthatwater, it’s inthebankandcanbeaccessed,”Kingsaid. King said he has seen no negative im- pact on yields. But he said one year a par- ticularly lushcover cropdidattract rabbits, which gnawed on drip lines. “Wemowed earlier that year,” he said. BothKing andCardoza use a seed drill to plant cover crops rather than broad- cast seed. Kingsaidtiming is important and“ideal- ly youwant to drill before the first rain. It’s like a fieldof dreams: Youput the seedout there and hope the rain comes.” “The issuewithbroadcasting is that a lot of times you’re just providing expensive bird food,” King said. As to choosing covers, Cardoza said the machineheusescanhelpshift toplantsthat aredenser andbecomea source formulch. For almonds, King said, he looks for some plants that act as forage for polli- nators. He also has mixes of legumes and mustards as well as a soil buildermixwith radish, mustard, grasses and peas. Lauren Hale, a research soil scientist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service in Parlier, is heading research into cover crops in part- nershipwithastatedemonstrationproject inCalifornia. She said researchers are looking at cov- er crops to enhance soil health and for
those near the introduced crop. In the fall of 2020, researchers looked at infiltration rates, but impacts are ex- pected eventually. They also looked at the total soil microbial biomass in differ- ent soil samples. In native treatments, there was en- hancedmicrobial biomass. “Didwe save water?” Hale asked. “This year and inthe first season, no,wedidnot.” A factor in that was that precipitation re- ceived fromNovember toMarch2020was 63%of average. But the advantages of the cover, espe- cially the phacelia, was that “bees just love this crop,” she said. Its biomass also boosted the carbon-nitrogen ratio. That wasbelieved tohelpenhance themicrobi- al community and the soil structure. This year, less water was applied, just 36 gallons of water per vine compared the previous year’s156gallons.Nomorewater willbeappliedtocovercrops.Precipitation was 71% of average in the cool season months. It’s not yet knownwhat thewater savings will be. Hale said itmay be that growers elect to have a dense cover in a wet, cool season, and inadry, cool season, theydon’t. Itwill be a question they will likely have to pon- der year by year, he said. (Denni s Pol lock i s a repor t er in F r e s no . He ma y b e c on t a c t e d a t agcompollock@yahoo.com.)
regenerative agriculture and are seeking to determine whether they are practical inplaces where irrigationwater resources are limited. “We wanted to see if benefits conferred from the cover crop are passed to the soil below the vines,” she said. The vineyardwas established last year. In 2019, researchers broadcast seedmix- tures over a “fluffy seed bed,” she said, covering seed mixtures with a quarter inch of soil. In January 2020, plants be- gan to emerge. One seed mixture included five intro- duced species, dominated by a Merced rye.Anothermixturewasallnativespecies, dominated by phacelia. Winter of 2020 brought lowannual pre- cipitation. Microsprinklers were used to helpestablish the cover togeneratea lush, dense cover with a high biomass, which attractedmany insects and bees. Thecoverwasallowed toreseedanddry out. Itwas thenmoweddown, andresidue was left to serve as amulch. The grape va- riety is Almond King, which is harvested in autumn. There were variations in volumetric soil moisture among species when ap- plying the same amount of water. The amount of water applied was lowered for native species. Vines adjacent to native cover crops proved tohavewider trunkdiameters than
Hemows the cover regularly and gets it “down to a stubble” a month before har- vest, preparing the bed before laying out grapes on paper trays to dry in the sun. “We have to get it perfectly flat like ev- erybody else,” he said. But unlike growers whohavenocover, there isnot theneed for frequent tillage. Cardoza said places where cover crop- pinghasbeendone for the longest periods have thehighestwater retention levels.He uses soil moisture probes to assess levels and confirmhis suspicions that more wa- ter is retained in the root zone. “In our area, our soils are extreme- ly sandy,” he said. “So, water just runs through it like a coffee filter. Anything you can do to keep water higher in the soil profile and in the root zone, you can have massive benefits.” The covers also create habitat for bene- ficial insects. Cardozashowcaseduseofapieceofma- chinery for mowing and mulching. The machine disperses mulch onto the berm near the vines. Ben King, whomanages orchards from KerntoColusacounties, growscover crops in almond and pecan groves. His cover crops include clover, peas and grasses. He said he believes it’smost important to im- prove thewater-holding capacity of soil.
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8 Ag Alert August 25, 2021
Orchard growers consider new crops to suppress weeds
primarily to provide food for pollinators, prevent soil erosion, retain nutrients in the soil or improve soil structure and or- ganic matter content may choose vari- eties and management practices to suit those purposes. But if themaingoal is tosuppressweeds, the key is the rapid development of high biomass cover crops to quickly fill the space between the rows and crowd out theweeds. “Select fast-growing, high biomass species like cereal rye,” Haring advised. “Timely cover crop planting supports in- creased cover crop biomass.” Cover crops are one of the weed sup- pression tools that could gain in promi- nenceas legal andhealth issues leadsome growers to take a second look at glypho- sate, themostwidelyusedbroad-spectrum herbicide inCalifornia orchards. “Some growers and end users are concerned about glyphosate,” said Brad Hanson, UCCooperative Extensionweed control specialist. “Wecancontrolweeds in orchardswithout glyphosate, but it’s going to costmore. Glyphosate is pretty cheap.” Some orchard growers are switching to weed control programs based on the her- bicide2,4-D, accordingtoHanson.But that material also faces some controversy and potential regulatory pressure.
Whilecover cropscantakeuppart of the slack in controlling weeds, high-biomass plants must be managed to fit with the overall orchard program. “Consider how high-biomass cover cropsmay interactwith irrigation, orchard sanitation or other orchard operations,” Haring said. For maximum weed suppression, the cover crop should be grown over a long season, frommid-October to mid-April. Haring found that waiting until after January sanitation did not give the cover crops enough time to grow. Even though rapiddevelopment of bio- mass isagoal, it isnot advisedtouse inputs to give cover crops a boost. “If your goal is to suppress weeds, I wouldn’t use a lot of inputs on my cover crop,”Haringsaid. “If youfertilizeyourcov- ercrop, you’regoingtogetaflushofweeds.” The annual cost for cover crops is around $50 for 50 pounds of seeds and an additional $20 an acre to seed. However, some pollinator mixes are available at no charge. “The (Project) Apis m. seed group has a ‘Seeds for Bees’ mix they send for free,” Haring said. ( Bo b J o hn s o n i s a r e p o r t e r i n Sacramento. He may be contacted at bjohn11135@gmail.com.)
ByBob Johnson As some herbicides come under scruti- ny, cover crops may give orchard growers another tool formanaging thebareground between rows. They can takeadvantageof that space, plus water and light, to grow cover crops that suppress weeds. But the choice of cover crop varieties, plantingdates andmanagement program should be chosen to suit the purpose of preventing weeds from taking over that bare ground. “Choose your cover crop species and management practices based on the
specific functions that are important for your own orchard system,” advised Steve Haring, a University of California, Davis, doctoral student in weed science. “Abundant cover crops limit bare ground and leave fewer resourcesavailable forun- wantedweeds.” Growers came to see and discuss the latest research at the Nickels Soil Lab Annual Field Day in Arbuckle. There, Haring suggested: “Have a specific man- agement goal for your cover crop and a plan tomeet that goal.” Growers looking to use cover crops
EPA ban draws farm critics American Farm Bureau Federation has urged the federal government to re- consider its decision to ban a crop-pro- tection material widely used on crops including tree fruits and nuts, vegetables and other produce. maker.Agroupconvenedby theCalifornia Department of Food and Agriculture and theDepartment of Pesticide Regulation is working to develop alternatives.
AFBF President Zippy Duval l ex- pressed concerns about the EPA action and said it “takes away an important tool tomanage pests.” “Farmers and ranchers care deeply about the quality of our crops. Nothing is more important than producing safe, nu- tritious food,”Duvall said. “So, wemust be guidedby themost reliabledeterminant of safety, which is science.” Chlorpyrifos has been widely used in U.S. agriculture since it was registered for use in the 1960s.
A pend i ng U. S . Env i ronmen t a l ProtectionAgency rulewill prohibit useof chlorpyrifosoncrops.Oncepublished, the regulationwould give farmers sixmonths to stop applying thematerial. California farmers have already been seekingalternatives tothebroad-spectrum pesticide. State sales ended in 2020, with limitedapplicationspermittedthroughthe end of that year, under a deal between the stateandDowAgroSciences, theproduct’s
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BETTER COLOR IN TABLE GRAPES WITH AFRIKELP
Percentage of fully colored berries in 2 table grape varieties at first harvest. Kern County, CA..
96.8%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
81.0%
68.5%
47.5%
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Alison Afrikelp
University of California, Kern county. Dr. Ashraf El-kereamy, 2018.
Control
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August 25, 2021 Ag Alert 9
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