Growth Continued from Page 13
FOR ORGANIC PRODUCTION HERBICIDE EC FOR ORGANIC PRODUCTION HERBICIDE EC HERBICIDE EC ® ® SUPPRESS ® Herbicide EC is a broad spectrum contact herbicide for post-emergent, non-selective weed control for all food and non-food crops. • Excellent tool in in organic and IPM programs • Helps break chemical resistance • Zero pre-harvest interval (PHI) • Safe for pollinators and beneficials • Non-volatile, emulsifiable concentrate • OMRI and WSDA listed for certified organic crop production. Win the War on Weeds! Provides fast burndown! where you can save a fewpennies.” Hementioned solar panels at the cool- er and variable rate pumps as invest- ments that continue to save money over the long haul. Despite rising costs and difficulty find- ing suitable ground, the grower-shippers at the summit said they are optimistic Research has shown that mycorrhizae can extend from the roots of one plant to another and even serve to issue warnings when pests attack. Living plants take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and send it through the roots into the soil, where it feeds the microbial community that makes for healthy crops. UCDavis research has also shown that plants grown in soil with a richmicrobial community canaccumulatemore salicyl- ic acid, whichmakes them less inviting to insect pests. Cover cropping is an essential part of building healthy soil by keeping roots in “Depending on how they are man- aged, cover crops could actually reduce available groundwater,” cautioned Eric Brennan, aU.S.Department ofAgriculture horticulturalist. His video presentation, “Cover Cropping Strategies for Climate- Smart Farmers and Climate-Resilient Farms” aired at the Organic Grower Summit and is available on YouTube. Brennan said he also learned over the years that in legume and cereal mixes, a commoncover crop strategy, the legumes do not compete well, especially when the fall is warmand thewinter dry. Soil Continued from Page 6 “It tookmore labor, but the production didn’t godown,” said JessicaHunter, CEO of Del Rey Avocado, a Fallbrook-based packer and shipper of avocados grown fromSanDiego to San Luis Obispo coun- ties. “So, we were making more money per acre.” Hunter started Del Rey’s organic op- eration, now a player in the California market, on 10 acres. She guided its growth as she learned the complexities of organic fertility. Even successful organic shippers face the same economic pressures that chal- lenge conventional growers. “In 2000, it cost $4,000 an acre to irri- gate avocados,” she said. “We have to get asmany pounds as we can.” Other grower-shippers have noticed a range of recent increased costs. “Our packing charge costs have all in- creased,” Mabs said. “It’s unprecedent- ed. We must have control on the story of why prices must go up. The equation has changed the last sixmonths.” There is no silver bullet to solve the problemof rising costs. “Youhave to lookat efficiencies,”Peixoto said. “There are so many small things because consumer demand for organic products continues to increase. “Thekeyfor theorganicgrower is that the consumption is still goingup,”Hunter said. Many younger consumers are choosing tobypassprocessorsandbuy freshorganic produce that they prepare themselves. the ground to feed the soilmicrobial com- munity, researcherssaid,butmanagement of the cover crop can be complex. of regional organic wholesalers, followed by increased interest amongmainstream corporate retailers. Organic growers and shippers face an added challenge as they scale up: It is not alwayseasy tofindenoughsuitableground tomeet the demand. “If your land isn’t suitable for organic farming,don’tdoit,”Mabscautioned.“Back intheearly2000s, therewasa lotof trial and error. Farmershadtofigureoutwhatwould workon their landwith their trees.” But if the systemdoes work, and yields approach those for conventional farms, the cash sales per acre can be significant- ly higher.
Dick Peixoto’s Watsonville-based Lakeside Organic Gardens expand- ed exponentially after he partnered with a grower in the Imperial Valley desert, allowing the company to offer many vege- tables year-round.
“There’sagenerational change,”Peixoto said. “My nieces andnephews aren’t buy- ing organic Gerber off the shelf. They’re buying fresh fruits and vegetables, and making their own baby food.” (Bob Johnson is a reporter in Monterey Coun t y . He may b e c on t a c t ed a t bjohn11135@gmail.com.)
Central Coast region growers can re- ceive nitrogen credit for their cover crops under water-quality regulations de- signed to reduce nitrate leaching into the groundwater. To receive this credit, they mustmeasure the cover crop, because the biomass incorporated into the soil binds nitrogen before it leaches. Conventional and organic farmers can receive credits for cover cropping under newwater-quality regulations if they take measurements that Brennan outlines in the video. Doing nothing to respond to the changes is not a viable long-term alter- native, he said. (Bob Johnson is a reporter in Monterey Coun t y . He may b e c on t a c t ed a t bjohn11135@gmail.com.)
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14 Ag Alert February 16, 2022
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