Ag Alert. August 23, 2023

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.

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Field Crops ® Vegetables ®

special reports

By Ching Lee As Congress hammers out the 2023 Farm Bill, growing interest in the impacts of agriculture on cli- mate could give or- ganic farmers more political sway as they advocate for funding and programs that help them. Organic farmers have long sought rec- ognition for their role in mitigating climate change, saying their farming practices promote conservation and help improve soils that store carbon. They say expand- ing technical and financial assistance such as through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, or EQIP, would help them further implement activities that build resilient landscapes. But with the farm bill’s historic focus on commodity crops, those who grow specialty crops—the backbone of many California organic farms—say they have felt largely left out of the omnibus legis- lation, which renews every five years and sets the agenda for a range of food and agricultural programs. Advancing organ- ic agriculture in federal climate change policy could provide openings for more legislative support. Yolo County organic farmer Jim Durst said he participates in “very few” federal programs, but he has used EQIP. He said the program has helped him with cover cropping and installation of underground irrigation systems. The EQIP Organic Initiative pays farm- ers up to $140,000 for implementing con- servation practices ranging from improv- ing irrigation efficiency, creating pollinator habitat and controlling erosion. “Those (programs) are valuable be- cause they’re long-term investments,” Durst said, adding he would like to see more farm bill dollars go toward helping organic farms go solar or purchase electric tractors and vehicles. Other farm bill programs such as crop See BILL, Page 19 Organic farmers consider wish list for 2023 Farm Bill

Agricultural employees take a break under a shade trailer at a Colusa County squash field earlier this month. California law requires employers to provide shade, water and rest when temperatures exceed 80 degrees. Farms should also have systems in place for contacting emergency personnel.

Farms focus on safety amid summer heat

By Caleb Hampton By the time the sun rose over the Sutter Buttes, Leticia Hermosillo and the

As the day grew hotter, the women sipped water from bottles hanging at their waists. Hermosillo stationed an orange cooler at the end of a row for refills. Next to the field stood a pair of porta potties and a line of trucks holding more drinking wa- ter. A shade trailer—a picnic table and aw- nings anchored to a flatbed trailer—offered an escape from the sun during breaks.

“That’s how we take care of our- selves and take care of each other,” Hermosillo said. Every summer, caravans of shade and water line California’s fields, orchards and vineyards, providing heat relief for workers harvesting crops.

22-woman work crew she supervises were knee-deep in a Colusa County squash field,

separating male and female plants that farmer Mitchell Yerxa grows for seed.

See HEAT, Page 23

n e w s p a p e r

Inside

Comment ......................................2 Field Crops ..............................7-8 Vegetables........................... 11-12 Classifieds........................... 22-23

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Can D.C. lawmakers grasp the labor needs of farms? By Matthew Viohl

ing to push lawmakers and their staff members to address these employment challenges. Other bills such as the DIGNITY Act, a comprehensive immigra- tion bill, have received some bipartisan attention, and the House Committee on Agriculture kickstarted an Agricultural Labor Working Group to assess the sever- ity of the workforce situation and suggest what aspects need the most attention. Although labor is not directly under the purview of the House Agricultural Committee, its members have no doubt been pressured to support legislation on agricultural employment given the feed- back at field hearings around the country during the past two years. Thankfully, California has three members on this small group of only 14: Reps. Jim Costa, D-Fresno; Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale; and Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara. While the current state of agricultural labor policy is not one that offers much encouragement, there is little doubt that pressure for action continues to build on lawmakers and agency officials in D.C. It would serve them well to consider some of President Eisenhower’s remarks from that speech in 1956. After emphasizing the im- portance of registering to vote and making farm voices heard, he said this: “Your decision can then assure and di- rect our progress in the years ahead—prog- ress in our farm life and in our whole na- tional life, progress toward our great goal: the prosperity of our people, strong and free, in a world of peace.” To ensure the American Dream for farm- ers remains attainable, we must continue to urge our elected officials to understand these challenges and meet them head on in a bicameral and bipartisan way. (Matthew Viohl is director of federal policy for the California Farm Bureau. He may be contacted at mviohl@cfbf.com.)

Nearly 67 years ago, then President Dwight D. Eisenhower was giving a speech before a group at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. Lamenting the challenges faced by the agricultural in- dustry during and after the Korean War, he quipped, “You know, farm- ing looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you’re a thousand miles from the corn field.” Matthew Viohl His words exemplify challenges that still exist today. Political figures in Washington, D.C., who have rarely had close ties to farming or ranching, often find them- selves in charge of running programs or writing laws that have significant impacts on agriculture. As the demographics of our country have urbanized for over a century, so has the makeup of Congress. These shifts have made the public and our elected representatives less famil- iar with where exactly their food comes from. Aside from some issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, their local grocery stores have generally been well stocked. Sure, maybe their favorite brand may not always be available, but nothing to a level of a food crisis. Unfortunately, a crisis is exactly where we seem to be heading when it comes to farming in America. Rising production costs, availability and affordability of nec- essary chemicals and fertilizers, overregu- lation and natural disasters are just some of the significant factors making it harder and harder to maintain a sustainable business. And with roughly a third of all U.S. agricul- tural workers here in California, our pro- ducers know all too well that rising labor

Congress continues to hear calls to pass legislation to protect and enhance America’s agricultural workforce. But divisions on immigration policy make it difficult to address farm employment.

costs threaten that sustainability as well. While Eisenhower lamented the discon- nect between the nation’s capital and rural America, our industry finds itself in a posi- tion where congressional inaction threat- ens our future. For decades, the Senate and the House have failed to come together to address these challenges in a meaning- ful way. Though not exclusively a matter of “ag labor,” the last credible attempt to exact change in the area of immigration came in 2013. That was when the “Gang of Eight”—a bipartisan group of U.S. sen- ators—helped pass the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act in a 68-32 vote. The legislation would eventually die though after going to the House when then-Speaker John Boehner refused to give the bill a chance to be voted on. Although the politics have shifted since then, the cri- sis remains the same. Producers remain

unable to meet their labor needs whether through high costs, lack of worker avail- ability or often both. For several years, the California Farm Bureau has helped push legislation such as the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, an initiative that would revamp the H-2A visa system and address the exist- ing workforce as well. Although passed in a bipartisan House vote in the previous Congress in 2021, the bill stalled in the Senate despite a late push in 2022 by Sen. Michael Bennet, D-CO. In today’s political atmosphere, the prospects of significant agricultural labor reforms appear more challenging than in preceding years. A divided Congress cer- tainly doesn’t help. As we prepare to enter a presidential election year, the political ten- sion becomes heightened, and lawmakers tend to avoid more controversial topics. This has not stopped us from continu-

VOL. 50, NO. 31

August 23, 2023

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2 Ag Alert August 23, 2023

Water board hits pause on flows for Scott, Shasta rivers

how important the salmon are for the Karuk people. If these fish are driven to ex- tinction, we will lose a part of who we are.” “The Scott and Shasta (rivers) are the heartbeat of the Klamath’s salmon production, serving as key spawning grounds,” he said. Siskiyou County Farm Bureau President Ryan Walker was part of an agricultural panel that spoke on behalf of the region’s farmers and ranchers. He said, “The emergency regulations are a way to make sure everyone stays at the table and keeps

working towards a solution. “I think the board would much rath- er have a proposal from stakeholders,” added Walker, a rancher from Montague. “There’s going to be extreme voices on both sides, but I think there’s a recognition that something that is more agreed upon would work better.” The region’s farmers were affected by curtailment of their water rights since May 2021 when Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a drought emergency. The curtailment order

By Christine Souza The California State Water Resources Control Board held off on a decision to set minimum instream flows on the Scott and Shasta rivers and instead directed staff to return next month with a plan to adopt in- terim flow measures to support salmon. The board last week also asked farm- ers, tribes and other stakeholders to work together to develop plans for long-term restoration of the salmon fishery. “We heard a lot of commonalities among the discussions we had,” said E. Joaquin Esquivel, chairman of the state water board, during a seven-hour session on the matter. “There is disagreement on how you get to where we want, but I know this community wants to see thriving ag- riculture, thriving fish and thriving tribes. “This is a working board,” he added. “We are here to work with these issues and work with the communities that are impacted.” Alexandra Biering, senior policy advo- cate for the California Farm Bureau, provid- ed public comment, urging the board to not proceed with regulatory action. Instead, she called for allowing landowners and tribes to collaborate on better solutions. Following the meeting, Biering said the board needed to leave some near-term protections in place but was not yet will- ing to initiate a process to set permanent instream flow requirements. “This is not necessarily a win for any side but leaves open space for the parties to hammer out a long-term agreement for protecting fish, flows and the viability of the farming and ranching communities,” Biering said. The agenda item was initiated by the Karuk Tribe’s July 1 petition, which re- quested the state water board use its emer- gency powers to curtail water use in these watersheds to prevent the extinction of coho salmon. The petition urged the board

to set permanent minimum flows. Karuk Chairman Russell “Buster” Attebery told board members that state law gives them the authority, and they have a duty to protect fishery resources. Attebery said the tribe’s goal is not to drive farmers and ranchers out of business. But he added, “It is really hard to overstate

See FLOWS, Page 6

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August 23, 2023 Ag Alert 3

From The Fields ®

From the Fields is a firsthand report featuring insights from farmers and ranchers across the Golden State, including members of the California Farm Bureau. If you would like to be a contributor to From the Fields, submit your name, county of membership and contact information to agalert@cfbf.com.

Photo/Fred Greaves

Photo/Courtesy Frank Hilliker

Theresa Jeffreys Bright Colusa County pecan farmer

Frank Hilliker San Diego County egg producer

With the wet winter we had, the pecans did really well. I had some aphid activ- ity early on. I waited it out, and the beneficials came up enough to where I didn’t have to spray, which is what I really prefer because it is so expensive (to spray). The aphid population is down, and the beneficial population is up, so I think I should be able to weather the storm and not have any aphid damage this year. I have a fairly good pecan crop. My Pawnees, which hardly did anything last year, are probably pushing 2,000 pounds to the acre. The Wichitas are not quite as heavy this year. They’re probably down a thousand pounds to the acre. I am basically organic, even though I’m not certified. My customers are going for the most natural, most direct, farm-to-fork product. Because of hit or miss with the orchard, I’m probably going to only harvest a small portion of the pecans. I will be getting the orchard floor ready. I didn’t do weed spray or strip spraying this year. I am trying to do minimal cost management. In just those rows that have a significant crop, I’m doing selective grooming as a cost savings. I haven’t irrigated my orchard. The trees would probably have benefit- ed from it, but because of economics, I saved the water for the row-crop part of my operation that’s grown by a farm tenant. Everything’s going well with those crops. Fuel cost is way up. Interest rates are up. The interest rates are huge on a farming operation. Most farmers have a production credit line, so you borrow money in the spring to get planted and to do whatever cultural practices you need, and then hope to pay it off after harvest. When you’re having to pay that kind of interest, you’re crossing your fingers that harvest is going to be enough to cover those costs.

The big thing on our mind right now is this weather we’re going to get here in Southern California. We’re preparing for a hurricane. We’re getting all of our winter gear out—sandbags and water diversion things. We’re getting it ready, and we’ll start deploying it when it rains. We’re going to hope the roofs don’t fly off the chicken houses. The chickens will be nice and dry as long as the roof doesn’t fly off. Other than that, there’s not a whole lot going on. Everything is business as usual. We got our new flocks of chickens in. We’re starting to get them geared up laying eggs so we can get ready for the upcoming season. Our busier time is when school starts through about Easter. We’re making sure all our flocks are younger. We have all our chicken houses full in September, October and then push them straight through December, January, February. The price of eggs has gone down, but the cost (of production) continues to rise. We’re trying to pinch every penny we can. Unfortunately, there’s not a whole lot we can do. Typically this time of year (egg prices) are lower because it’s hotter and people don’t want to eat a lot of eggs in the summertime. But once we get into fall and everybody’s back to school, we’ll sell more eggs, and prices will go up. We follow the market, so we dropped the price at our own little farm store. We get people that come in every day and buy eggs, so we’re thankful. (Store traffic) is about average. We don’t have a crazy amount of customers like we did during the high-price times or during COVID, but we have our regulars, and we have a few new customers.

Joe Valente San Joaquin County winegrape and almond farmer

We’re probably two to three weeks behind normal in the vineyards. We’re anticipating starting har- vest the last week of August if not the first week of September. The same thing with almonds. They’re probably two to three weeks later than normal. Last year we were already harvesting at this time. There’s not too many work crews out. We’re doing some tying and training in the vineyards, but not a whole lot. It’s more anticipation of waiting to get the call to start harvest. If it’s a compacted season with all commodities, our concern would be trucking. If everyone has a shortened season, everyone will be competing for trucking and for labor at the same time. The tomato season seems to be late. A lot of times they start in early August, so we’re not all com- peting for the same trucking companies. If they’re stretched out and still trying to haul tomatoes and do some almonds and grapes, there are only so many trucks, and there’s only so many drivers. A lot of trucking firms have the equipment—the trucks and trailers—but not enough people to drive them. We have a good, steady workforce on our ranches that work year-round, and then some that don’t work year-round but tend to come back for harvest. We’re almost all mechanical harvesting in the winegrapes and the almonds. We don’t do a lot of hand-picking in the grapes at all, so that helps. We’re all looking at whether there are any forecasted rains. It’s always a concern during harvest. With the almonds, if they’re shook and on the ground and we get rain, it’s hard to get them dried, and you don’t want to get mold on them. The same thing with the grapes. If the sugar content is high enough and you get some early rains, you could start getting some decay on the grapes.

Ag Alert File Photo

4 Ag Alert August 23, 2023

Nick Rocca Fresno County almond and raisin grower

In the almonds, we are late on harvest. But we are going to harvest some nonpareils pretty soon. We’re still probably a week if not more behind from last year. A lot of the centers of the trees are still green, which I suppose is a good problem to have because it shows there is much water retention. Related to almond yields, everything across the board is low. The only vari- ety that seems decent is the self-pollinating varieties such as Independence. Thompson seedless grapes are being harvested for wineries to make champagne. When the Thompsons, which are used to make raisins, are low in sugar, they are sold to wineries. At the end of July and beginning of August, a lot of farmers think, I’ve got low sugar, and I’m not going to make as much per ton, so I’m going to harvest it for champagne. I don’t get paid as much, but I have less risk, and harvest costs are lower. On a year where the wine prices are high, farmers will do this, so they’re hedg- ing their bets early. We’re getting ready to cut canes to harvest raisins on some early Thompsons. On what I own, I probably won’t cut canes for another week. We have to have our raisin grapes on the ground for drying by Sept. 25, so we’re going to wait, but the hard part is the shade. We get a lot of shade into September, and the crop doesn’t dry. If you have 10-foot or 11-foot rows, you’re playing this balancing game between not being able to dry your fruit evenly or having enough sugar to dry in a high grade. We planted pumpkins over the Father’s Day weekend. We are going to have a big selection of pumpkins this year, about 15 varieties. With pump- kins, we do online sales, and do some pumpkin patch tours for local schools.

Photo/Courtesy of Nick and Kim Rocca

August 23, 2023 Ag Alert 5

Flows Continued from Page 3

for the Scott and Shasta rivers, which ex- pired Aug. 1, limits surface-water diversions and groundwater pumping, and prioritizes minimum flows to protect threatened coho and other fish. To put an end to “combat science,” Walker suggested a framework for interim measures that bridges the gap to a future where a science-based model advances restoration. He said it is important to col- laborate with other stakeholders to de- velop data and science, flow models and hydrologic models that direct restoration and lead to improvements for fish. “Agriculture can be part of the solution, but it’s not going to be the only solution,” Walker said. “We’ve got to look at what we can do to help chinook in-migration and develop scenarios that don’t penalize peo- ple that have done the conservation work, and most importantly, we need to work with our neighbors, agencies and tribes.” Sari Sommarstrom, a retired watershed consultant in the Scott Valley community of Etna, said, “I’ve been working on trying to find that magical balance between fish and farms here for three decades.” In discussing hypothetical models used by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Sommarstrom said, “We have real-world Scott River fish and flow data,” and suggested all parties collaborate and look at the true data for fish spawning.

Siskiyou County farmers Brandon Fawaz and Jason Finley, from left, county Farm Bureau President Ryan Walker, California Farm Bureau field representative Ned Coe and senior policy advocate Alexandra Biering turn out for last week’s meeting of the California State Water Resources Control Board in Sacramento. The agricultural delegation called on the board to develop an alternative to permanent flows on the Scott and Shasta rivers.

“This is not dueling science. It is how we interpret that data, and the flows needed to be assessed instead of adopting a hypothet- ical that does not use local fish data, which we have,” Sommarstrom said. “The instream flow methodology is not intended for pre- scribing instream flow standards, yet it’s

being promoted here as a regulatory tool.” Fellow panelist Gary Black, a restoration and conservation consultant, farms along the Scott River. He said, “We are mindful and sympathetic, and we love a strong run of salmon. It’s our goal, too. We don’t like these droughts either and just have a dif- ference of opinion on some of the metrics.” Black agreed with board staff that more data about the condition of the watershed is needed. “We should have better gauging data on all our tributaries,” he said. “That’s an area we can quickly jump on and improve.” Siskiyou County farmer Brandon Fawaz

of Etna informed the board of his invest- ment in “countless irrigation upgrades” and how he cut back on alfalfa acreage to reduce water use. Fawaz emphasized the need to tackle local water issues as a community. “Tribes, communities and farmers—we all need water for fish, and trust us, no one wants that more than any of us,” Fawaz said. “Water flow without habitat won’t make fish, so I hope we can pause there and work on some things together.” (Christine Souza is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at csouza@cfbf.com.)

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6 Ag Alert August 23, 2023

CALIFORNIA

Field Crops A SPECIAL GROWERS’ REPORT OF AG ALERT ®

Organic rice farmers seek research to boost output By Robyn Rominger Organic rice grows at this Sacramento Valley field near the Sutter Buttes. Farmers who attended a University of California Cooperative Extension field day expressed interest in more organic research to increase yields and tackle challenges such as weeds.The state’s organic rice production increased from 14,072 in 2019 to 17,290 acres in 2021.

of California Cooperative Extension meeting on organic rice production. The event was sponsored by the UC Organic Agriculture Institute. He was one of several organic rice growers looking to boost yields while managing weeds and other challenges. “There are now a few thousand acres of organic rice, so it’s becoming more important, and it would be helpful to have more research into fertility and weed control, and all the things that we’re working on,” Sills said. Luis Espino, rice farming systems advisor and UCCE director in Butte County, mod- erated the gathering. He endorsed the need for continued research and support to build the organic rice sector. Espino is working on a project led by the University of Arkansas to determine the challenges and opportunities of growing organic rice. “Organic rice is a good alternative or supplement for growers,” Espino said, adding,

When Ed Sills of Pleasant Grove Farms in Sutter County started growing organic rice in the 1980s, this system of farming was just a tiny niche for California rice growers.

“At the time, because it was such a small market, I think the re- search and the techniques were not considered that important,” Sills recalled. Since then, consumer demand for organic rice has steadily in-

creased in the U.S., and farmers are planting more acres. In recent years, the amount of certified organic rice harvested in California has risen from 14,072 acres in 2019 to 17,290 in 2021. Now California organic rice growers face increasing competition from foreign imports. To help maximize production, they’re looking for more support from uni- versity researchers. With this goal in mind, Sills turned out in Yuba City last month to attend a University

See RICE Page 8

August 23, 2023 Ag Alert 7

Rice Continued from Page 7

“We want to hear from organic growers about their needs in terms of research and extension, what kind of information is needed.” UC Organic Agriculture Institute Director Houston Wilson, an entomolo- gist at UC Riverside, noted the rising im- portance of organic crops in California, which he said account for 8% to 10% of the state’s total crop acreage. “There’s a growing importance of or- ganic agriculture,” Wilson said. “The mar- kets have been expanding continuously, and we’re seeing an increased demand for reduced environmental impacts of crop production across the board.” Wilson added, “A key piece of further optimizing these organic practices and production systems is in the develop- ment of some type of institutional sup- port to drive this forward.” In 2019, UCCE hired California’s first organic crops specialist, Joji Muramoto. Wilson said universities from New York to Washington state are adding “targeted positions to focus on organic production.” Farmers who attended the meeting shared their experiences, and it became evident that the methods used to grow rice organically are hardly uniform. Sills’ daughter, third-generation rice grower Jessica Sills, said, “We’re all doing things differently. That’s why it’s nice to have meetings with others. We all learn from each other.” Wilson noted there has been a lack of shared technical information for organic farming, including for rice. “As we’ve seen growing market de- mand for organic production, it’s hit a threshold where we really need to ramp up support for these systems,” he said. “Organic research and pro- duction systems are very unique com- pared to conventional and require a different approach.”

Sacramento County rice farmer Ed Sills, left, with daughter Jessica Sills and the family’s farm manager Fernando Cordova, grows organic rice. They run Pleasant Grove Farms, which converted to organic production in the 1980s and supplies organic rice to Lundberg Family Farms and Farmers’ Rice Cooperative.

Ed Sills said he is pleased that “the re- search establishment has become much more interested in organic in the last five or 10 years.” He said that is “because or- ganic has become a bigger market and due to the environmental considerations that everybody is talking about sustainability.” The Sills’ family farm was established in 1946 in Arbuckle as a conventional rice farm before converting to organic years later. The farm has since relocated from Colusa County to Sutter County. In addition to rice, the 3,500-acre farm produces and processes organic corn, popcorn, beans, wheat, sunflower, saf- flower and sorghum. The Sills grow organic rice on about 1,300 acres for Richvale-based Lundberg Family Farms and Farmers’ Rice Cooperative,

headquartered in Sacramento. They typically laser-level fields with a slight slope that enables the irrigation water to drain properly. The family’s farm manager Fernando Cordova said fields are flooded, and after seeds are planted by airplane, the germinated rice grows and gets a head start before weed seeds emerge. At planting time, the rice seed is soaked for 24 to 48 hours to begin germination. The added water makes the seed heavier, so it sinks into the ground after it is flown over flooded fields. Pleasant Grove Farms soaks rice seed for Lundberg rice growers in Sutter, Yuba, Colusa and Yolo counties prior to aerial planting. “Lundberg (Family Farms) gives us an

order and we’ll soak it,” Jessica Sills said. “We broke a record this year, soaking over 2 million pounds of seed. The rice pro- duced from that feeds 2.5 million people.” (Robyn Rominger is a reporter in Winters. She may be contacted at robynrominger.com.) Grower embraces no-input farming, celebrates yields By Robyn Rominger Scott Park is a first-generation farmer who began producing rice in the 1970s

using conventional agricultural practices. After a decade in production, he took a

chance on converting to organic. Today, his Park Farming Organics in Meridian raises 100% certified organic rice. Until recently, Park managed 1,400 acres of or- ganic crops, which he says are “spread over 10 miles on 24 fields.” The Sutter County farmer is an advocate for the organic rice sector. Park, a mentor farmer with the Center for Regenerative Agriculture and Resilient Systems at California State University, Chico, also en- courages University of California research- ers and farm advisors to work with growers to enhance organic rice production. “Rice is part of the whole organic farm system, and you can’t use a convention- al mindset to farm organically,” Park said last month at a UC Cooperative Extension meeting on organic rice production. “Researchers need to help organic farmers solve problems with an organic mindset that is more about cultural practices than it is about chemicals.” See GROWER, Page 10

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8 Ag Alert August 23, 2023

New director takes helm at UC Davis Mondavi Institute

to the institute, which connects faculty and students with a network of scientists, entre- preneurs, policymakers, consumers and industry professionals engaged in wine, brewing and food science. “I’m really excited to build on the great history of the Robert Mondavi Institute,” Spang said. “It’s been so successful at bringing people together to celebrate the joy of food and wine and to highlight dif- ferent voices and perspectives from across the wine and food communities. It’s truly an honor for me to continue this work as the new director.”

Spang first joined UC Davis 12 years ago as associate director of the Center for Water-Energy Efficiency, where he led a team of researchers studying ways to im- prove how resources are used by manag- ing water and energy together. He’s been with the Department of Food Science and Technology faculty since 2015. He’s the faculty advisor for the Food Loss and Waste Collaborative, an interdisciplinary research program on campus focused on developing solutions and innovative approaches to reduce loss and waste throughout the food life cycle.

The Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science at the University of California, Davis, has a new director. Edward “Ned” Spang,” an associate professor with the Department of Food Science and Technology, began his new position Aug. 1. He succeeds wine chemist Andrew Waterhouse, professor emeritus

with the Department of Viticulture and Enology, who retired in June after five years as the institute’s director. The Robert Mondavi Institute is home to the university’s winemaking, brewing and food science programs and their facilities. Spang brings broad expertise on the rela- tionships between food, water and energy

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August 23, 2023 Ag Alert 9

Grower Continued from Page 8

In terms of challenges, “The biggest is- sue is weed control, be it organic rice or any organic crop,” Park said. “Weed control is the No. 1 problem, and the best thing that the university and extension can do is give farmers the cultural tools to keep weeds under control.” In recent years, Park has handed the reins of the farming operations over to his son, Brian. The father calls himself an advisor “on the sidelines,” saying, “he is the owner now. I’m just the older parts runner.” But he said the farm continues in “experimenting nonstop to figure out a way to do what we do even better.” Park Farming Organics produces long-, medium- and short-grain rice varieties. Instead of aerial seeding rice into flooded fields, the Parks drill seed their rice. They grow Calhikari, a premium-quality short-grain rice and other certified variet- ies for Lundberg Family Farms. They also produce rice as part of Shumei Natural Agriculture, a global community of farm- ers who use ecologically friendly and sus- tainable farming practices based on a phi- losophy developed by Japanese naturalist Mokichi Okada in the 1930s. The Shumei-inspired rice, Park said, is “grown with zero inputs, not even com- post.” He added, “The yields are almost as good as conventional rice.” He explained that conventional rice

Scott Park of Park Farming Organics in Meridian grows organic rice in concert with Shumei Natural Agriculture, a global community of farmers who use ecologically friendly and sustainable

farming practices. He says yields “are almost as good as conventional rice.”

growing has a much greater emphasis on water management and chemical applica- tion, “whereas organic water management is mostly geared towards high water— drowning the weed species, especially barnyard grass and watergrass.” Park Farming Organics emphasizes crop rotation over monoculture. “With our crop rotation, we’re growing about 15 different crops. We’re going to rice about every six years,” he said. The farm also grows tomatoes, sun- flowers, squash, cantaloupe, honeydews,

wheat, corn, seed crops and oil-seed crops, flax and safflower. “We use a constant rotation: a cereal, a legume and a vegetable,” Park said. “That leads to problem solving. It helps unbeliev- ably on problems with pests and fertility.” In addition to crop rotation, “We also give a lot of value to cover crops, light till- age, using compost and using lower rates of water, nitrogen and seeds.” The farm’s crops are regenerative organ- ic certified, Park said, noting that some re- tail chains such as Whole Foods Market

require growers to be certified. “That’s why we got certified because there are markets out there that we can tap,” he said. “It’s a marketing tool.” He said he has dedicated himself to farming while protecting the environment. But he is quick to add, “This movement of ecology, equity, climate—all this save-the- Earth is worthless and doesn’t work unless there are profits. I’m a practical farmer.” (Robyn Rominger is a reporter in Winters. She may be contacted at robynrominger.com.)

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10 Ag Alert August 23, 2023

CALIFORNIA

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The Center for Agroecology farm at the University of California, Santa Cruz, collaborates with farmers and others on research to improve organic farming practices and increase sustainability.

UC researchers look at soil, no-till for organic crops By Bob Johnson

variety of lethal soil-borne diseases. Weeds are controlled in the research plots by planting a mustard cover crop, which can be killed by a mower in early spring. The university farm at UC Santa Cruz is also home to ongoing studies to develop a no-till- age system for growing organic vegetables. Researchers are studying how much the no-till system encourages the buildup of carbon in the soil, which helps mitigate climate change. In addition to these long-term research projects, the farm serves as a classroom where future farmers and researchers learn the basics of sustainable farming. “We have had an outsized impact for our 30-acre footprint,” said Darryl Wong, UC Santa Cruz Center for Agroecology executive director and the lead investigator for the no-till study. The idea of the UC Santa Cruz farm took root in 1967, when English gardening expert Alan Chadwick and a group of students turned a challenging hillside campus location into a productive farm using nothing but hand tools and organic methods. Four years later, campus administrators set aside a larger portion of the meadow as a farm.

The method used on thousands of acres by organic strawberry growers to rid their soil of diseases that could destroy the crop was first tested and refined on a 30-acre hillside farm at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Known as anaerobic soil disinfestation, a source of organic matter is incorporated in the soil. It is then tarped and kept irrigated to field capacity for weeks or months, which kills 80-100% of the verticillium

pathogens and half the macrophomina pathogens. At the campus farm, UC Cooperative Extension organic production specialist Joji Muramoto, who has studied the technique for strawberries on the farm for more than a decade, continues this ongoing research. In studying this method, Muramoto learned that rice bran is the most economical source of organic material in California. He has fine-tuned the amount that has to be incorporated, noting the technique should be used only on fusarium during the warmer months. Anaerobic soil disinfestation is used by nearly half the state’s organic strawberry growers to treat the soil. They have no other economical technique to manage a

See FARM, Page 12

August 23, 2023 Ag Alert 11

Farm Continued from Page 11

Last November, the Center for Agroecology and UC Merced were desig- nated as agricultural experiment stations, a category previously reserved for UC’s land grant campuses in Davis, Riverside and Berkeley. “Being an ag experiment station is a rec- ognition of some of the work we’ve done in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems,” Wong said. “It will allow us to use some funding streams we haven’t been able to. We’re hoping it will give us more reliable funding for the work we do.” Funding is already coming in. Wong said the Center for Agroecology received $10 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to support “next-generation farmers research.” He added, “We’re excited to see students doing organic research.” USDA has a $200 million project to help smaller farmers gain market access and UC has been designated as the lead agen- cy for the western region, which includes Utah, Arizona and Nevada. The UC Santa Cruz farm is the hub for 11 coastal coun- ties. Once studies are complete, USDA will invest another $200 million in infrastruc- ture for the initiative. In June, the Center for Agroecology re- ceived a $100,000 grant from the UC Santa Cruz Center for Coastal Climate Resilience for a research trial on no-till practices for microfarms and urban gardens. The pi- lot project will create research plots at the

Darryl Wong, executive director of the Center for Agroecology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, leads research efforts to improve organic farming practices. The center and university farm were designated as an agricultural experiment station.

university farm and the campus Chadwick Gardens to support additional research on no-till microfarms in the coastal region. Students at UC Santa Cruz current- ly learn on a 3-acre plot set aside for hand-scale techniques that would be most appropriate for urban farming and a 12-acre plot used for tractor-scale techniques that would be used by small farmers. In addition to Muramoto’s des- ignation as a UCCE organic systems specialist, the growing agroecology pro- gram is bringing on board another UCCE

advisor specializing in agriculture and climate change. Ongoing research will look at ways to prevent nitrate leaching during rainy winters. “We’re also looking for increased funding for a broad range of research,” Wong said. Every Thursday afternoon, students, faculty and neighbors come to the barn near the base of the Santa Cruz campus. There, organic vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers are sold at a farm stand. Food not sold at the weekly farm stand

goes to campus food pop-up stands, which donate boxes to students facing food insecurity. High registration fees and high rent in the Santa Cruz area mean that many uni- versity students need help with food secu- rity, Wong said. “It comes full circle,” he said. “The stu- dents grow this food, and some of it goes back to students who need it.” (Bob Johnson is a reporter in Monterey County. He may be contacted at bjohn11135@gmail.com.)

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12 Ag Alert August 23, 2023

Grower paperwork requests seek proof of sustainability

data to retailers, which pass them along to suppliers, which then interpret the re- quests and attempt to respond with mea- surable proof. “It is a lift to get that data,” said Jim McKeon, director of organic integrity and compliance for Salinas-based Taylor Farms. “But we’re also seeing it as an op- portunity. It’s a broad set of data being re- quested from a bunch of different channels because the customer is more in tune with where their food is coming from.” He said suppliers must discover ways to identify and capture data to fulfill these audits. “We take it all the way back to the field level to narrow in and decide on what microbiological test we’re going to do, what nitrogen test we’re going to do, how frequently we’re going to do it,” McKeon said. “We’re in the space right now where we’re trying to define and measure improvement.”

McKeon and Brennan also analyze sustainability audits to identify customer preferences such as interest in a compa- ny’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. They said seeing the bigger picture from the consumers’ perspective helps suppli- ers stay proactive. Last year, Brennan was promoted to an expanded role including additional over- sight of Grimmway Farms’ environmen- tal, social and governance data collection and reporting initiatives, according to a company press release. Today, she heads a newly formed team that addresses the demand for sustainability data. It is an additional overhead cost re- quired by large national suppliers. “There is a cost associated with every question,” Brennan said. “If we are the size we are and we are having a hard time an- swering questions, what does that bode for

By Caitlin Fillmore Bakersfield-based organic and con- ventional vegetable grower Grimmway Farms bills itself as the world’s largest carrot producer and a sus- tainable operation “dedicated to protecting natural resources and preserving the environment.” Amid growing consumer-driven de- mands for transparency, such sustain- ability pledges by Grimmway Farms, other growers and produce suppliers may now require a considerable amount of paper- work to back them up. Major retailers call for sustainability au- dits that can range from simple checklists to detailed reports documenting efforts to reduce greenhouse gases, conserve water and provide equitable workplaces. Dana Culhane-Brennan, Grimmway’s vice president for external affairs and cor- porate responsibility, said sustainability audit paperwork requests from top retail- ers can span 60 to 80 pages of information. “There is an expectation that companies are doing things responsibly,” Culhane- Brennan told attendees at the Organic Produce Summit in Monterey in July. “Integrity is key in this process.” One retailer requiring documentation is

Walmart, which began collecting sustain- ability data in 2017 after launching Project Gigaton ™ . According to its website, the project’s goal is to offset 1 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases in the global sup- ply chain by 2030. The retailer identified six areas of focus for the effort: energy, waste, packaging, product use and design, transportation and contributions to nature. Everything from a supplier’s packaging to its choice in raw materials, its transportation op- tions to how much it regenerates its nat- ural environment is open to scrutiny via Walmart’s surveys. “(Audits) help us understand where we stand in relation to our goals and un- derstand where our suppliers are in their (sustainability) journey,” explained Roland Harmon, director of global food sourc- ing at Walmart. “We cannot tackle these broader systemic issues alone.” Harmon said data provided by suppliers is not shared with other suppliers or used as leverage by Walmart. There remains no standardized ap- proach to quantify a produce supplier’s positive or negative contribution to natural and social environments. Instead, the process works as a one-way street: Customers submit requests for

See AUDITS, Page 16

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August 23, 2023 Ag Alert 13

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