Ag Alert. July 19, 2023

Flower farmer breeds new colors for dahlia market By Pat Rubin

Like most California farmers, Kristine Albrecht likes to walk among the rows of crops at her Santa Cruz farm. She reach- es down and picks up a handful of soil to check the moisture level. She pulls a plant toward her to inspect the flowers. She also watches weather reports and worries about heavy rains, destructive winds, spring hailstorms and late frosts. But that’s where the resemblance to most other farmers ends. Albrecht isn’t growing almonds or cherries or toma- toes or corn. She’s cultivating 2,000 dahlia plants and, from May until October, her 1/4-acre plot is a riot of color. Plants towering 5 or 6 feet tall lean into the rows. Dahlia flowers in a vari- ety of shapes and colors reach out to be noticed. Colors range from yellow and cream and white to red, purple and pink. Some colors are bright and bold, while others are quiet and understated. Her cactus-type dahlia flowers can be a foot or more across while the pom-poms can be less than an inch each. For almost 18 years, Albrecht has run Santa Cruz Dahlias, an organic dahlia farm. She’s built a reputation for being one of the top dahlia growers and hybrid- izers in the country. With the eye of an artist and mind of a scientist, she’s pro- duced new color varieties for both show and the florist trade.

Kristine Albrecht of Santa Cruz Dahlias uses a hybridization process, merging pollen from different plants to create new dahlia varieties. She develops and evaluates

a diverse array of seedlings, looking to create greater selections of floral colors and shapes.

To do so, Albrecht employs plant hy- bridization, a process of combining the pollen from two different plants and cre- ating a new plant that is a cross between the two. For her hybrids, she uses a paint- brush to collect the pollen from one dahl- ia flower, perhaps a cactus-type dahlia, and transfers it to the flower of another dahlia flower, perhaps a pom-pom-type

flower. She repeats the process several times to ensure good pollination. Her cultivars in soft hues of burgundy and pink and blush are in demand with florists and wedding planners as well as home gardeners. Her new introductions often sell out in minutes. Albrecht’s work with dahlias began almost accidentally. An experienced

gardener, she grew giant pumpkins with her son but dabbled with dahlias in her flower beds. Her husband, Brian, sug- gested they use the flowers in their bed- and-breakfast. “He wanted flowers in the rooms,” she explained. “We went from a few tubers to

See DAHLIAS, Page 23

Agricultural Market Review

Quotations are the latest available for the week ending July 14, 2023 Year Ago Week Ago Latest Week Livestock Slaughter Steers – 5-Area Average Select & Choice, 1150–1460 lbs., $ per cwt. 135.50-137 178-179 178 Hogs – Average hog, 51-52% lean, Iowa-Minn. market, $ per cwt. 112.42 94.49 100.86 Slaughter Lambs – $ per cwt. 125–175 lbs. National weekly live sales 135-193.86 No Quote 145-210 Field crops – basis prompt shipment Barley – U.S. No. 2, $ per cwt. Truck, Stockton-Modesto-Oakdale-Turlock No Quote No Quote No Quote Cotton – ¢ per lb., Middling 1 3/32” Fresno spot market 74.48 78.35 78.26 Corn – U.S. No. 2 yellow $ per bu. trucked 9.31 No Quote 7.74 Alfalfa Hay – $ per ton, quality*, FOB Region 1, Northern Inter-mountain 350 (S) No Quote 170-180 (G) Region 2, Sacramento Valley No Quote No Quote No Quote Region 3, Northern San Joaquin Valley No Quote No Quote No Quote Region 4, Central San Joaquin Valley 450 (S) No Quote 330 (P) Region 5, Southern California 20-22.50 (per bale) No Quote 22 (P, per bale) Region 6, Southeast Interior 350-375 (P/S) No Quote 290-320 (P) Oat Hay – $ per ton, quality*, FOB Northern California, dairy No Quote No Quote No Quote Oats – U.S. No. 2 white, $ per cwt. Statewide, trucked price No Quote No Quote No Quote

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Dry Beans – Grower FOB prices Baby Limas, $ per cwt, (sacked) Large Limas, $ per cwt. (sacked) Blackeye, $ per cwt. (sacked)

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Rice – Milled No. 1 Head, FOB No. Calif. mills Medium grain, $ per cwt. Wheat – U.S. No. 2 or better, winter, $ per cwt. 13% protein, Los Angeles, trucked price

58-62

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70-72

No Quote No Quote Provided by the California Farm Bureau as a service to Farm Bureau members. Information supplied by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Market News Branch. * ADF=Acid detergent fiber; (S) = Supreme/<27%ADF; (P) = Premium/27-29; (G) = Good/29-32; (F) = Fair/32-35. No Quote

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18 Ag Alert July 19, 2023