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.
Evolving thesodbusiness Pandemic, drought affect both types and availability of turf
Raising tax concerns Rural Democrats seek to exempt family farms from tax changes
Page 3
Page 21
www.cfbf.com • www.agalert.com MAY 12, 2021
Trees & Vines ®
s p e c i a l r e p o r t
ByChristine Souza In water-stressed farming areas of California, farmers removed productive trees and idled other land to divert what littlewater they have toother crops, as the reality of the 2021 drought became ever more apparent. “We ’ r e r emov i ng 15 - y e a r- o l d , prime-production almond trees,” said DanielHartwigofWoolf Farming inFresno County. “We’re pulling out almost 400 acres, simply because there’s not enough water in the system to irrigate them, and long term, we have no confidence that therewouldbewater in the future.” Woolf Farming buys water from the Westlands Water District, a contractor of the federal Central Valley Project. Two consecutive dry winters, combined with environmental requirements on the CVP, led the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to allocate only 5% water supplies to Westlands and other contractors in February—and then to suspendeven that amount a fewweeks later. The bureau said last week it was also suspending the 5% allocation it had made for its other agricultural contrac- tors, those north of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The State Water Project also reduced its water allocation in March, from 10% to 5%. Gov. GavinNewsomexpanded an ear- lier drought emergency proclamation, adding 39 counties Monday to an earlier declaration for Mendocino and Sonoma counties (see related story, Page 17). Among its provisions, the governor’s proclamation directs the State Water Resources Control Board to consider modifying requirements for reservoir releases and diversion limitations and to protect cold water pools for salmon and steelhead. The governor’s office said the action “also enables flexibilities in reg- ulatory requirements and procurement See SHORTAGES, Page 17 Farmers grapple with implications of water cuts
Water shortages will reduce rice plantings An aerial applicator seeds a field in Sutter County with rice. With plenty of dry, sunny days this spring, Sacramento Valley rice farmers have seen little disruptions to their planting schedules, though water cutbacks could reduce rice acreage by about 20%, according to initial estimates.
ByChing Lee Dryweather this springhas created ide- al planting conditions for California rice farmers, but lack of available irrigation water has forced cutbacks to how much they can grow. Unhindered by spring rains and soggy fields that typically slow planting prog- ress, Brian McKenzie, who farms rice in Sacramento, Sutter, Placer andYolocoun-
ties, saidheexpects to finish20daysahead of his normal schedule, which bodes well for the crop. Delayed plantings usually push harvest into the autumn rainy sea- son, raising the prospect of lower yields. “Asagrower, I feel fortunate tohavesuch a dry spring, even though we needed the rain,” he said. Due to worsening hydrologic condi- tions, rice farmers in the Sacramento
Valley have seen their surface water de- liveries reduced by an average 25% to 50%, with some cut asmuch as 100%, said Tim Johnson, president and CEO of the California Rice Commission. Initial estimates indicate California farmers will grow about 100,000 fewer acres of rice this year, down 20% from the
See RICE, Page 19
n e w s p a p e r
Comment..................................... 2 Trees & Vines...............................7 Ask Your PCA............................ 18 Classifieds........................... 25-27 Inside
Published by
Six factors will ensure California agriculture’s future
ByRobert Rivas I amproud to be a part of California ag- riculture. Our state has the impressive re- sponsibility of feeding our country—and
five years to spur the economy and in- vest in food and farming systems. It would earmark investments in four key areas: regional and local food process- ing and distribution; safety for farm and food system workers; combating hun- ger and improving healthy food access; and promoting sustainable agriculture and climate resilience. It would make significant investments to protect and enhance agricultural lands; invest in the Healthy Soils Program and State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program; develop family housing for farmworkers; and enhance local pro- cessing, cooling and food storage in- frastructure, to name just a few of the bond’s specific components. The agricultural industry generates $50 billion a year for our state economy, provides numerous jobs and supplies a critical proportion of our food supply. California cannot thrive unless its farms and ranches are thriving. Travel ing across our state, I was struck by the astonishing magnitude and diversity of our agricultural sec- tor. There is much work to be done to ensure that farmers and ranchers can recover from last year’s crises and pre- pare for the next ones, which will surely come. Yet despite these challenges, I am highly optimistic about the future of California’s farms. I encourage farmers and ranchers throughout the state to stay engaged with my committee. I plan to make ad- ditional visits throughout the state soon, and I hope we can work together to en- sure California always remains an agri- cultural powerhouse. (Assemblymember Rober t Rivas, D-Ho l l i s t e r, cha i r s t he As s emb l y Agriculture Committee.)
even theworld.We have led the na- tion in agricultur- al production for the past 60 years due to our richly productive land and climate. Ye t , our agr i - culture industry now faces serious
Robert Rivas
and urgent challenges, from recover- ing from last year’s multiple crises to the ever-increasing competition in the global market. As newly appointed chai r of the Assembly Agriculture Committee, I re- cently took a two-month tour to survey our state’s agricultural sector. I met with an array of farmers and ranchers, work- ers, industry and union leaders, scien- tists and academics, and elected officials. We visited more than 50 sites, from the Central Coast to the Central Valley, from the Bay Area to Los Angeles, the Inland Empire, San Diego andmore. After the tour, my office and I pro- duced a report that summarized our findings frommeetings with more than 70 stakeholders. The full report is avail- able frommy website at a30.asmdc.org; you’ll find a link in our March 30 news release about it. The tour reaffirmed for me the ex- traordinary resilience of California ag- riculture in the face of COVID-19 and last year’s devastating wildfires. And it provided key insights into how the agri- culture industry can retain its compet- itive advantage and, importantly, how
Sonoma County dairy farmer Doug Beretta, right, talks with Assemblymembers Robert Rivas and Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, center, as part of Rivas’ tour of California agricultural facilities.
those of us in the Legislature can help. Stakeholders told us that for California agriculture to remain a national leader, policymakers must promote and in- centivize the following six hallmarks of the industry: • Competitiveness: mitigating reg- ulatory burdens, business costs and trade pressures. • Re s i l i enc y : r e c ov e r i ng f r om COVID-19 and wildfires. • Diversity: supporting a diverse work- force, topography and crops. •Worker protections: keeping laborers healthy, housed and fairly compensated. • Food security: investing in food pro- cessing and distribution infrastructure; fighting hunger. • Sustainabilityandinnovation: promot- ing climate-smart andhigh-tech farming.
The tour helped guide my agen- da for the 2021-22 legislative session. Two of my priority bills for this year in- clude Assembly Bill 73, the Farmworker Wildfire Smoke Protections Act, and AB 125, the Equitable Economic Recovery, Healthy Food Access, Climate Resilient Farms andWorker Protection Bond Act. AB 73 would require Cal/OSHA to establish a stockpile of N95 masks for farms, immediately deploy specialized strike teams during wildfires, and to distribute wildfire safety information in Spanish and English during a wildfire in the region. It would help ensure that the workers who harvest our food are protected from the harmful effects of wildfire smoke, and it would help farm- ers obtain this equipment quickly and without cost. AB 125 would invest $3.12 billion over
VOL. 48, NO. 18
May 12, 2021
AG ALERT ® weekly newspaper is an official publication of the CALIFORNIA FARM BUREAU
www.agalert.com www.cfbf.com
@cafarmbureau @cafarmbureau @cafarmbureau
@calfarmbureau
Board of Directors (District 1) Al Stehly; (2) Andy Wilson; (3) Terry Munz; (4) KevinMerrill; (5) Jenny Holtermann; (6) Joey Airoso; (7) Donny Rollin; (8) Richard Bianchi; (9) Tom Rogers; (10) JanGarrod; (11) JoeMartinez; (12) Paul Sanguinetti; (13) Ron Peterson; (14) Ken Mitchell ; (15) David Barhydt; (16) Garrett Driver; (17) Domenic Carinalli; (18) David Rosenthal; (19) TomStewart; (20) JimMorris; (21) Blake Alexandre; (Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee Chair) Lindsey Mebane. Advisory Members Ronnie Leimgruber, Chair, CFB Rural Health Department; Glenda Humiston, University of California Cooperative Extension. Letters to the editor: Send to agalert@cfbf.com or Ag Alert, Attn: Editor, 2600 River Plaza Drive, Sacramento, CA 95833. Include name, address, phone number, email address; 250-word limit.
ADVERTISING: Chris Tedesco- Manager, Marketing and Business Development (916) 561-5656 Brock Tessandori- Advertising Sales (916) 561-5585 Classifieds: (916) 561-5576 2600 River Plaza Dr., Sacramento, CA 95833. Represented in the East and Midwest by J.L. Farmakis, Inc. Eastern office: Bill Farmakis 48 Topfield Rd., Wilton, CT 06897 (203) 834-8832; Fax: (203) 834-8825. Midwest office: Russ Parker , P.O. Box 7, Albia, IA 52531 (641) 946-7646, Bob Brunker , 8209 NW 81st Ct., Kansas City, MO 64152 (816) 746-8814, Jennifer Saylor , 8426 N. Winfield Ave., Kansas City, MO 64153 (816) 912-2804, Laura Rustmann , 901 Lands End Cir, St. Charles MO 63304, (636) 238-8548. AG ALERT ( i s sn 0161 - 5408 ) i s pub l i shed weekly except weeks of Memor ial Day, July 4,
Melanie Duval- Chief Marketing Officer Dave Kranz- Editor/Director, Publications and Media Relations Christine Souza- Assistant Editor Ching Lee- Assistant Editor Kevin Hecteman- Assistant Editor Karin Bakotich- Design Services Manager Jessica Cook- Graphic Artist Paula Erath- Graphic Artist Chico Ochi- Administrative Supervisor GENERAL INFORMATION: (916) 561-5570 agalert@cfbf.com
Thanksgiving, Christmas; and with exceptions, by the Cal i fornia Farm Bureau, 2600 River Plaza Dr. , Sacramento CA 95833 (telephone: (916) 561-5570) . Periodicals postage paid at Sacramento, California. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to AG ALERT, 2600 River Plaza Dr., Sacramento, CA 95833. The California Farm Bureau does not assume responsibility for statements by advertisers or for products adver t ised in AG ALERT nor does the Federation assume responsibility for statements or expressions of opinion other than in editorials or in articles showing authorship by an officer, director, or employee of the California Farm Bureau Federation or its affiliates. No alcohol, tobacco or political ad-
vertising will be accepted. Jamie Johansson , President
Shannon Douglass , First Vice President Shaun Crook , Second Vice President
Printed on Recycled Paper
BPA Business PublicationMember
2 Ag Alert May 12, 2021
Sod farms see demand shifts from pandemic and drought
home wanted to appreciate their yards.” Jimmy Fox , who runs Amer i can Sod Farms, said his Escondido oper- ation was the hardest hit as pandemic shelter-in-place orders took hold in spring 2020. “It didn’t shut us down all the way, but it definitely slowedbusiness down, espe- cially for the first three or four months,” Fox said, noting that this coincided with March throughMay—typically peak sea- son for homeowner business. Larry LeMay, president of A-G Sod
Farms, saw the same mixed bag—more residential but less commercial de- mand. His company—which grows sod inMoreno Valley, Palmdale, Fresno and Stockton—works with a lot of schools and their sports fields. “I think the schools were probably a l ittle more hesitant, not knowing when they were going to be back,” LeMay said. “We had a downtick in that market.” So far, Fox said, 2021 looks promising.
ByKevinHecteman Wi t h Ca l i f o r n i a b e g i nn i n g t o emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic but sliding deeper into drought, the people who operate sod farms have found two powerful forces buffeting their businesses. John Marman of Palm Desert-based West Coast Turf describes doing business inCOVID times as “interesting.”His busi- ness covers residential, commercial and municipal customers. “We really shut down initially with the pandemic,” Marman said, noting that professional sports suffered one of the worst effects. Football stadiums, for example, typ- ically resod after hosting non-football events such asmotocross races and con- certs, Marman said—events sidelined by the COVID-19 pandemic. “For us, that was heavily impacted,” he said. “That category of our business ‘Innovation Fair’ will discuss food loss and waste A free, virtual event later this month will describe federal investments and business activities in reducing food loss and waste in the food system. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said it will hold the first Food Loss and Waste Innovation Fair May 26 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. PDT. In announcing the event, USDA said the Innovation Fair “will present busi- nesses and research teams that have received USDA funding to research or commercialize cutting-edge food loss and waste solutions.” Presenters will include businesses that have committed to reducing food loss and waste in their operations by 50% by 2030, plus USDA agencies that will discuss their food loss and waste activities in research, measurement, education, funding and outreach. One of the presenters will be a San Francisco-based f irm, ReGrained, that has collaborated with the USDA Agricultural Research Service to develop patent-pending technology to dry and process brewers grains into healthy, high-quality flours, transforming food waste into value-added products. USDA said the event will feature vir- tual booths where visitors can learn about solutions offered by business, government and academic institutions. Attendees will be able to text-chat with representatives and other guests, watch videos, and download reports and other materials, USDA said. Registration is available via www. usda.gov/foodlossandwaste/news/ innovation-fair.
was close to nonexistent.” On the residential side, “whether it be smaller landscape contractors or homeowners, or even big-box stores for that matter, (we) definitely saw an uptick,” Marman said. “Not enough to cover our losses in the sports-turf cate- gory, but I think people being forced at
See TURF, Page 27
PROTECT YOUR PASSION TO
COUNTRYCHOICE ® INSURANCE FOR YOUR SMALL FARM OR RANCH
Protecting what you’ve worked so hard to build starts with CountryChoice ® , insurance for your small farm or ranch from the No. 1 farm insurer in the U.S. 1 Do you have enough coverage? Your homeowners policy is important, but if you live on a small farm or ranch, you may need more protection. CountryChoice wraps your home and farm coverages into one policy that covers items such as a barn or outbuilding, farm equipment and livestock. Farm Bureau ® insurance benefits Farm Bureau members may be eligible for discounts on Nationwide ® farm insurance and other insurance products. Ask your Nationwide agent for more information.
For a free insurance review or to learn more about Nationwide’s farm insurance, talk to your local agent. To find an agent near you, go to FarmAgentFinder.com.
1 By direct written premium, AM Best (2018). The Farm Bureau, FB, and the FB National logo are trademarks of the American Farm Bureau Federation and are used with permission under license by Nationwide. Nationwide and the Nationwide N and Eagle are service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. CountryChoice is a service mark of Nationwide Agribusiness Insurance Company. © 2020 Nationwide GPO-0486CA.1 (12/20)
May 12, 2021 Ag Alert 3
Farm groups wait for details of Biden climate plan ByChristine Souza
nounced the “America the Beautiful” initiative last week, describing it as a 10- year, nationwide effort to conserve, con- nect and restore 30%of the nation’s lands and waters by 2030. Speaking to reporters during a media call, the agency leaders said the plan came in response to an executive order on climate change by President Biden. The order, the officials said, addresses how a national conservation goal can
help strengthen the economy, combat the climate crisis, improve biodiversity andwildlife habitat, and address inequi- ties in access to nature. NationalClimateAdvisorGinaMcCarthy said the administration emphasized that the effort be “collaborative, voluntary and locally led.” The administration said its principles to guide the effort include the pursuit of collaborative approaches and “a commit-
ment to supporting the voluntary conser- vation efforts of farmers, ranchers, and fishers.” Priority areas, the report said, include “incentivizing and rewarding” voluntary conservation work on farms, ranches, forests and fisheries. In response, California Farm Bureau President Jamie Johansson said the administration plan appropriately ac- knowledges the role farmers, ranchers and foresters already play and canplay in addressing climate change, but said that acknowledgementmust carry through as the plan is implemented. “The voluntary efforts California farmers already perform—such as cover cropping, no-till farming and the estab- lishment of land-conservation tools such as easements—should be accounted for as government agencies refine work- ing-lands policies,” Johansson said. “We will work with the administration to en- sure it considers thepractical implications of its policies for farmers and ranchers.” American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall noted the report “acknowledges concernswe have raised” and recognizes the contributions farmers and ranchers make to conservation. “The report is a philosophical docu- ment that emphasizes important prin- ciples such as incentive-based voluntary conservation, protecting personal and property rights, and continued ranching on public lands, but it lacks specifics,” Duvall said, adding that FarmBureauwill continueworkingwith theadministration to “ensure the details live up to promises made to protect American agriculture.” Johanssonnoted the state of California has already announced its own intention to protect 30%of land andwater by 2030, and he said farmers and ranchers have shown willingness to adapt as needed in response to climate change. “California’s working lands represent part of the solution to climate goals, and the objective of climate policy should be to keep working lands working,” he said. “California farmers, ranchers and forest- ers are world leaders in promoting soil health, usingwater efficiently, enhancing wildlife and simultaneously producing safe, affordable food and farm products for consumers.” Noting the state’s agricultural diversity, Johansson said California farmers and ranchersmust have flexibility tomanage land in ways that will succeed for their crops and employees, and for the type and scale of their operations. “One-size-fits-all approaches will fail,” he said. “Providing farmers amenuof op- tions most appropriate for their farm or ranch holds the best chance for success.” Johansson said on-farm strategies for addressing climate change “must be backed by research and be practical for farmers to implement—because for farms and ranches to meet their conser- vation goals, they must also meet eco- nomic goals.” (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.)
Noting that climate goals outlined by the Biden administration will have real, on-the-ground implications for farm- ers and ranchers, the California Farm Bureau urged the administration to lis- ten to farmers’ and ranchers’ voices as it fleshes out its “30 x 30” plan. Officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Department of the Interior and Department of Commerce an-
Keep a watchful eye on your grapes this season with VIGILANT ® from UPL. This powerful miticide provides quick knockdown of harmful mites at all life stages, in addition to long residual control and a short PHI. All of this while still going easy on beneficial insects and predator mites. Ask your PCA about VIGILANT or visit vigilantmiticide.com to learn more. STAY VIGILANT ® AGAINST MITES. Always read and follow label directions. VIGILANT, UPL, OpenAg and the UPL logo are trademarks of a UPL Corporation Limited Group Company. ©2021 UPL Corporation Limited Group Company. SPC-2003D
4 Ag Alert May 12, 2021
Because protection requires great precision.
Sivanto ® Prime insecticide precisely targets key damaging pests like Asian citrus psyllid, citricola scale and aphids while helping safeguard bene cial insects. In doing so, Sivanto Prime preserves the overall health of your plants and, most importantly, protects your investment. Sivanto Prime: precision that preserves and protects. Protect against harmful pests while helping safeguard beneficials.
Learn more at SivantoInsecticide.com.
ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Not all products are approved and registered in all states and may be subject to use restrictions. The distribution, sale, or use of an unregistered pesticide is a violation of federal and/or state law and is strictly prohibited. Check with your local product dealer or representative or U.S. EPA and your state pesticide regulatory agency for the product registration status in your state. Bayer, Bayer Cross, and Sivanto ® are registered trademarks of Bayer Group. For additional product information, call toll-free 1-866-99-BAYER (1-866-992-2937) or visit our website at www.BayerCropScience.us. Bayer CropScience LP, 800 North Lindbergh Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63167. ©2021 Bayer Group. All rights reserved.
A SPECIAL GROWERS’ REPORT OF AG ALERT ® C A L I F O R N I A Trees & Vines ®
Wineries deal with challenges including fires, drought ByDennis Pollock The three W’s—in this case, weather, wildfire and wine —took center stage at a we- binar on challenges facing California wineries. Smoke from a wildfire looms over vineyards in this file photo. Experts say more than a dozen compounds in smoke can add an off-taste to winegrapes, and severe fire seasons have caused increasing problems for grape growers and wineries. A University of California economist says wildfires add to a list of concerns affecting the wine business, which also includes drought, low grape prices and employee shortages.
Smith said a recent UCCooperative Extension study showed that chemicals that can cause an off-taste in grapes from smoke dissipate in two hours. “So, only smoke from fires close to the vineyard near harvest would cause significant smoke taint,” he said. Unlike in 2017, the 2020 fires mostly did not hit grape-growing regions directly, he said. Smith said farmers and vintners should expect andprepare for droughts andwildfire, which will affect all of agriculture. He said prices will likely rebound as the economy recovers, adding that he expects to see increased automation and use of artificial intelligence in vineyards. California accounts for 85% of U.S. wine production; the globe’s top producers are Italy, France and Spain. In her presentation, Williams discussed the impact of wildfire smoke and showed two pictures: one of “smoke-tainted” grapes, the other unaffected grapes, which were indistinguishable in appearance. She said 13 problemcompounds can impact or add an off-taste to wines. The wines may appear to be fine while young, but exhibit flaws during aging.
The event was presentedbyUniversity of CaliforniaCooperativeExtension specialists and featured Aaron Smith, UC Davis professor of agricultural economics, and Molly Moran Williams, industry and community relations director with the Napa Valley Grapegrowers Association. Smith added lowprices and employee shortages as issues facing a business plagued by the increasing frequency of wildfires and the likely increasing frequency and dura- tion of drought. He said the winegrape crush for 2020 declined 14% from 2019 and 21% compared to 2018. Red winegrape prices for 2020 dropped 23% from2019, and white winegrape prices declined6%. The largest pricedeclines came inpremiumwine regions, he said: InNapa, the drop was 21% from 2019 and in Sonoma, 15%. COVID-19 reduced premiumwine sales in restaurants and tasting rooms, he said, and early-season heat reduced grape yields. Even so, “there was a lingering oversupply,” Smith said, adding that people in the wine business also cite smoke impact fromwildfires as a factor in declining prices.
See CHALLENGES, Page 8
May 12, 2021 Ag Alert 7
In addition, Williams said, grape vari- eties respond to smoke differently—and the threshold can be low. “We’re talking about parts per billion,” she said. “It can be one sugar cube in an Olympic-sized pool or 1 second over 32 years, the threshold at which an entire vintage can be ruined or not.” Since 2017, Williams said, the Napa Valley has had “some level of smoke and fire” during every harvest. “We have been the point of the spear when it comes to responding to se- vere fire and smoke events,” she said. “We’re coming to terms with the fact that wildfires are a natural part of our ecological landscape.” Williams said it is important to recog- nize the role of climate change, stating her belief that no amount of forest man- agement could have overcome “12,000 lightning strikes spontaneously, causing all these fires across California.” “We doneed to do forestmanagement, preventing severe wildfires and mitigat- ing losses,” she said. “But we have to talk about climate change at the same time.” A single fire in theNapa region resulted in $2 billion in losses to the wine busi- ness, Williams said, adding that crop in- surance rarely covers full market price and there is no property insurance for Challenges Continued from Page 7
counter a smoke-tainted wine, because no vintners would risk the damage to their reputation by marketing it. “That’s why some took a loss this year,” Williams said. She said there was only one labora- tory in the region that could determine if grapes had been damaged by smoke; as a result, many farmers had to wait 30 to 60 days, and had to decide whether to proceed with harvest without knowing the viability of their fruit. Some wineries chose to back out of contracts because of concerns that grapes were damaged, she said. Williams said she would like to see re- search on whether there are ways to re- move smoke taste during the wine-mak- ingprocess. She said therehas been some discussion about how to push harvest dates earlier, by pruning differently and taking other actions. The fact some wineries either did not produce wines or cut back on produc- tion, along with a dry season this year, could lead to a production gap that will boost demand, Williams said. A full account of Smith’s “crushing crush report” may be read at asmith. ucdavis.edu/news/crushing-grape-report. (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.)
As wines age, any impact of smoke on grapes may become more apparent. In some cases, it may be three years before vintners know whether wines may be affected.
vineyards without houses on them. Napa County produces a specialized, high-value crop, offers comparatively higher wages and draws employees from other regions, Williams said—but the cost of living and housing is high. She said vineyardworkers lost an aver- age of $5,500 per person during harvest last year, and that lost wages could total $50 million. Williams said a task force is working on better ways to identify smoke impacts to wine, provide model contracts relat-
ed to smoke exposure, better insurance policies and disaster relief resources, best-practices programs for fire preven- tion and land management strategies in and around vineyards, and a wage loss assistance programfor vineyard employ- ees, in partnership with the Napa Valley Community Foundation. It takes about three years for grapes to find their way into bottles for sale, she said, “so we won’t really have the full picture of how much wine was lost for a while.” But she said it’s unlikely any consumer of Napa Valleywinewould en-
ROTATION! ROTATION!! ROTATION!!!
THE KEY TO EFFECTIVE AND CONSISTENT POWDERY MILDEW CONTROL IS
THE ONLY FRAC GROUP U6 POWDERY MILDEW FUNGICIDE
HIGHLY SYSTEMIC & BROAD SPECTRUM FRAC GROUP 3 FUNGICIDE
THE ONLY FRAC GROUP 13 POWDERY MILDEW FUNGICIDE
Mettle® is a registered trademark of Isagro USA. Torino® is a registered trademark of Nippon Soda Company, Ltd. Quintec® is a registered trademark of Nissan Chemical Corporation. Always read and follow all label directions.
8 Ag Alert May 12, 2021
County Farm Bureaus hold webinar on pheromone use
to Kevin Herman and representatives of two aerosol manufacturers, Suterra and Semios. It costs roughly $10 an acre to install puffers and $10 an acre to take them down, representatives said. Puffer manufacturers said there is lit- tle likelihood NOW could develop re- sistance to pheromones. The panel said each aerosol emitter covers about 1 acre, and that the manufacturer takes care of cannister disposal as needed. The workshop also discussed or- chard sanitation. Kevin Herman said a machine he calls “the sanitizer” is an important complement to puffer technology, im- proving sanitation by going after mum- mies with a flail mower that is modified so it pulverizes them. It has blowers that blow any mummies on the berm area into the next row, and it has brush- es in the front to move mummies into “the kill zone.” Herman saidhis crews also do awinter mummy shake or hand pulling, particu- larly in figs. Asked if hemakesmultiple passeswith “the sanitizer,” Herman said it’s usually a single pass, but it needs to be done slowly enough to pulverize any mummies. A video of the presentat ion may be viewed at vfbshare.org; follow the Workshops link. (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.)
ByDennis Pollock An inaugural three-county Farm Bureau webinar on farming of specialty crops in the San Joaquin Valley featured a presentation in which the person be- lieved to be the largest grower of figs in the world endorsed use of aerosol emit- ters for pheromone disruption to combat the navel orangeworm. The navel orangeworm, or NOW, is de- scribed as the No. 1 enemy of almonds, but it also plagues other crops that in- clude pistachios and figs. Those are among the crops produced by KevinHerman, who farms 4,000 acres of figs in Madera, Fresno and Merced counties. His Specialty Crop Co. also grows walnuts, kiwifruit, persimmons and pomegranates. The Zoom presentation included the executive directors of the Tulare, Kings and Madera County Farm Bureaus. The Valley FarmBureau Specialty Crop Hub and Rural Education (S.H.A.R.E) pro- gram is a collaboration formed by the county Farm Bureaus to serve as an in- novative network of specialty crop grow- ers in the three counties, which have more than 824,000 cumulative acres in specialty crop production and 6,350 farming operations. ChristinaBeckstead, executivedirector of the Madera County Farm Bureau, in- troduced a video farm tour that featured Herman and his son talking of puffer technology. It opened with mention of restrooms that use puffers tomake them smell better. “It’s the same technology we use, but instead of puffing out something that is scented, its role is to create mating confusion in the navel orangeworm,” Herman said. His son, Erik Herman, oversees the puffer technology as head of marketing, sales and technology with the Specialty Crop Co. He explained that the system the company uses enables it to check rainfall, chill hours, temperatures, leaf wetness and puffer functionality. Puffers are placed high in the trees. Weather stationswith amotherboardde- termine the amount and timing of puffs. KevinHerman said it’s a good alterna- tive to pesticides for NOW control. “It’s not only good for the environment, it’s good for employees and saves us on labor,” Herman said. He said the puffers can be used on conventional and organic crops, but that growers should check with pest control advisors to determine if what the puffers use is certified as organic. He said all his fig, almond and pista- chio orchards have puffer technology, which has been used for about eight years. Herman said he is “tickled pink with the results.” The puffers prove most effective in a rectangular field that is not a “long, skin- ny field” or too small, he said, adding that it is important to work with neighbors to encourage them to employ the technol-
ogy as well, especially if a farmer has a small field. “I would not want to use this on any- thing smaller than a 40-acre parcel, un- less a bunch of my neighbors aroundme were also doing it,” he said. Use of the puffer technology saves at least one and perhaps two pesticide treatments every year, Herman said. He said thepuffers cost from$125 to$135per acre, a once-a-year expense that includes placing of the puffers, plus removal and service at harvest’s end. Herman said timing of puffer place- ment is not as crucial as the timing of pesticide sprays. He said the amount of pheromone released can be “dialed up or down,” depending on what is learned frommonitoring the amount of NOW in each area on a weekly basis. He pointed out the puffers affect only NOW, not other insects that could in- clude beneficials, and said he believes use of the puffers also improves quality. To explore puffer options, ErikHerman recommended conducting an internet search for “navel orangeworm puffers” or “reaching out to your PCA.” Tricia Stever Blattler, executive direc- tor of the Tulare County Farm Bureau, fielded questions after showing the farm-tour video, and passed themalong
Grain • Feed • Nuts Design, Construction & Installations for Ag & Industry
ALVAN BLANCH ALMOND DRYER • Unbeatable Performance • Models for Nuts, Hemp, or Other Products • Highly Fuel Efficient • Precise and Consistent Drying
Bin Sweep
Drag Conveyors
Bucket Elevators
Hopper Tanks
• Storage & Handling • Augers • Dryers • Aeration Systems • Custom Manufacturing • Spiral E-Z Let Downs • Installation & Service
Kraemer & Co.Mfg., Inc. 530-865-7982 | Fax: 530-865-5091 Cont. Lic. #485-547 Web: www.kcomfg.com
Pruning strategies can help regulate avocado yields ByBob Johnson
of 18,000 pounds an acre, according to Gabriel Filipe of Mission Produce, though different areas within the block may produce as little as 5,000 pounds or as much as 30,000. “Within a grove, we try three differ- ent systems,” said Filipe, whose title at Mission Produce is senior director of California sourcing and farming. “In one area, we will remove a limb or quadrant ; in another, we will take out
trees; and in a third, we will just top.” Filipe made his remarks as farmers discussed pruning strategies during a Zooming to Healthier Trees and Soils webinar co-sponsored by the California Avocado Society, California Avocado Commission andUniversity of California Cooperative Extension. Oxnard-based Mission Produce is a leading avocado producer, with or- chards and facilities throughout the
Western Hemisphere, Asia, Europe and NewZealand—and Filipe cautioned that the management strategy that works for themmight not be best for all growers. “A lot of what growers should dowould depend on their tree size, their tree age and their budget,” he said. One part of theMissionpruning strate- gy is to thin the trees, whichover time can produce a dense canopy that becomes unworkable and unproductive. “In older groves, wemight remove half the trees in 10%of the block, and just top in 40%,” Filipe said. Avocado trees generally need to be thinned over time as the canopy spreads out, but he said thequestionof howmany trees to pull out, and how early, depends on the density of the original planting. “Planting high density will get you into high production a few years earlier, but if you’re planting 400 trees an acre, you might start removing trees at five years,” Filipe said. “If youplant 150 trees an acre, you can wait until year 10 or 12.” Another question in developing an avocado pruning strategy is how tall to allow the mature trees to grow, to avoid toomuch shadewithin the canopy and to minimize tall ladder work. “We like to keep our tree height no more than 80% of the row width,” Filipe said. “If the rows are 20 feet apart, our goal is 16 feet, so we top them at 12 feet and let them grow. The trees we top this year will come on heavily in two years.” For around half the trees in a mature orchard, he said, theMission strategy is to remove a few limbs to open the canopy. “We bring light into trees that were shaded out, and we also promote fresh budwood,” said Blake Petrucci, Central Coast regional farmmanager forMission Produce. “We like to have layers of fruit on the sides, so the trees protect them- selves when the winds come.” The Mission Produce representatives said the result of this pruning strategy is that in a particular year, some areas with- in the block have low yields, other areas have extremely high yields, but the aver- age is good yields that can be repeated year after year. “We’ve been able to sustain yields of 18,000 pounds,” Filipe said. “In one area of the grove, we get around 5,000 pounds; in another, it is 10,000 to 12,000; but in a third area, we get 20,000 to 30,000 pounds.” For the first few years after planting, avocado trees need littlepruning, accord- ing to Filipe, until the leaders are chosen around year three. “We dominimal pruning the first three years and by year three start taking out branches,” he said. The Southern Cal i fornia ground Mission uses to grow avocados is gener- ally too hilly to make machine pruning practical, he added. “We use pole saws, or chain saws on poles, hand-held chain saws, and pole
To mitigate the effect of alternate bearing and promote a consistent yield from avocado trees, Mission Produce uses a complex pruning strategy that varies within the same block. The strat- egy also accounts for the need to thin trees as the canopy closes and shades out some areas. The management regime results in average San Luis Obispo County yields
The scientific explanation. A broad-spectrum contact pesticide PREV-AM delivers quick and effective knockdown of insects, diseases and mites. There are no restrictions on the number of applications throughout the season due to its multiple modes of action. Multiple modes of action:
Suffocation PREV-AM is easily drawn into an insect’s spiracles, moving into the trachea and quickly suffocating the insect.
Coating Disruption The disruption of waxy coatings on insects’ wings makes them unable to fly, feed or mate.
Proof of Performance:
Better pest control.
Desiccation - Insects By drying the waxy connection of a soft body insect’s exoskeleton, body
Desiccation - Diseases PREV-AM pentrates the hydrophobic coating of fungal mycelia, destroying the living tissue.
fluids leak out – causing death.
See PREV-AM’s multiple modes of action video. www.PREV-AMworks.com A valuable resistance management tool PREV-AM’s physical modes of action make resistance development highly unlikely. PREV-AM can replace application(s) of a susceptible pesticide or be added as an additional application in the spray rotation. Benefits of PREV-AM include:
• No residual activity • Quick knockdown
• Multiple modes of action for broad use • 3-in-1 insecticide, fungicide and miticide • No pre-harvest interval Learn more at oroagriusa.com PREV-AM is a proprietary trademark of Oro Agri Inc. Always read and follow label directions.
See AVOCADOS, Page 14
10 Ag Alert May 12, 2021
To slow walnut diseases, UC seeks resistant rootstocks
ByDennis Pollock Five researchers have rolled up their sleeves to tackle disease resistance inwal- nuts, and two of them, both with the U.S. AgriculturalResearchService, spokeduring this year’sCaliforniaWalnutConference. The twoareDanielKluepfel,workingon crown gall, and Greg Browne, working on Phytophthora. Bothscientists arebasedat theUniversity of California, Davis. Others researching disease resistance screening include Andreas Westphal, a UCRiverside nematologist at the Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Parlier; JanineHasey, a field site coordinator and tree crop and environ- mental horticulture advisor emeritus with UC Cooperative Extension in Sutter and Yuba counties; andChuck Leslie, with the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences, whoworks onplant propagation. Kluepfel talked of managing crown gall with disease-resistant rootstocks, saying the long-termgoal of researchis todevelop and deploy walnut rootstocks with resis- tance to the major soil-borne pathogens: crown gall, Phytophthora root and crown rot, and lesionnematodes. He said four possibly disease-resistant hybridshavebeenclonallypropagatedand arebeingexaminedinfieldtestsatmultiple
locations in the Central Valley. Additional hybridshavebeenclonallypropagatedand will be ready for testing in2021-22. The research is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the California Walnut Board. Nurseries co- operating with researchers include Sierra GoldNursery andDuarteNursery. Kluepfel said one objective is to gener- ate and identify a hybrid Juglans walnut germplasm that resists the key soilborne pathogens. The germplasm collection is housedat theNationalClonalGermplasm Laboratory inDavis. Once those are identified, researchers said they plan to propagate those and val- idate their efficacy in field trials—and then deliver the rootstocks to farmers. Kluepfel saidthereare11diverseJuglans species. Researchers are focusing on Juglans microcarpa, a black walnut, and generating hybrids with Juglans regia. He saida rating systemwas established, ranging from no symptoms to varying degrees of girdling up to greater than 50% of the stem. Plants are injected with Agrobacterium tumefaciens (crown gall), thenchecked in twomonths todetermine the degree of resistance. Browne andhis researchers are looking at two different species of Phytophthora.
Researchers from the University of California and U.S. Department of Agriculture have been working on ways to protect walnut orchards from diseases such as crown gall and Phytophthora.
They judge resistance based on survival duration, the percentage of crown length rotted and the percentage of root length rotted. Research continues on resistance to root-lesion and root-knot nematodes. Nematode research has special chal- lenges, because it must be done in the field. Unlike crowngall andPhytophthora research, it can’t be done in the green- house. Nematode sampling is done over two years. As part of the research, Browne and Kluepfel each develop “elite” clonal dis- ease-resistant rootstocks that are passed on to Sierra Gold Nursery, which gen- erates large numbers of each clone. The clones are then grown at four fieldplots in Tulare, Lake, Glenn and Sutter counties.
Commercial rootstocks are also grown at those sites for comparison. Browne talked of identifying and managing walnut diseases caused by Phytophthora. He said it’s now estimat- ed there are 300 species of the soilborne pathogen that affect thousands of plant hosts—up from 86 species identified in 2000 and 180 described by 2018. Phytophthorawas thecauseof Irishpotato famine in the 1840s. It is exacerbated with water satu- ration. Rivers and canals can spread Phytophthora, and it canalsobe spreadby infestednursery stockandsoilmovement. Once introduced,Phytophthora isvirtually
See WALNUTS, Page 12
Get a free water stress analysis
Now you can preview the industry’s most popular aerial imagery and data analytics with no risk and no commitment. Book a free trial flight to get an early-season check on crop health—and see your farm through the lens of our powerful irrigation performance management tools.
NEW CUSTOMER OFFER
Schedule your flight at ceresimaging.net/AgAlert or call 1-888-313-3705 . Terms and conditions apply.
May 12, 2021 Ag Alert 11
Walnuts Continued from Page 11
agecanbe risky, hesaid, and irrigationsys- tems should be designed to avoidwetting the root crown. Specific symptoms and specific lab diagnosis are needed to conf irm a Phytophthora disease problem, he said. EnglishandNorthernblackwalnut vari- etieshavevery lowresistance toP. cinnam- omi and P. citricola. There is low tomod- erate resistance to each with the Paradox variety. Vlach has low resistance to each,
and clonal VX211, a cross of J. hindsii and J. regia, has low resistance to P. cinnamo- mi andmoderate resistance to P. citricola. RX1, a cross of J. microcarpa and J. regia, has high resistance to P. cinnamomi and moderate to high resistance to P. citricola. A Paradox diversity study from 1998 to 2006 evaluated resistance of seedling elite clones among diverse Paradox hybrids, whichledtotheselectionofRX1.Afterafield study, all treesonParadoxseedlingwerere- moved, due tomortalityanddecline.
Browne said Phytophthora resistance is “very good” in RX1 rootstock, and the research team is continuing its goal of achievingmultiplepathogen resistance to Phytophthora, crowngall andnematodes. He said resistant rootstocks offer themost economical foundation for management of Phytophthora onwalnut. (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.) Grants benefit veteran farmers SixCaliforniafarmershavereceivedsmall grantsthroughtheFarmerVeteranCoalition. TheFVCsaidlastweekthesixareamong more than 100 veterans nationwide who learnedtheywouldbeawardedequipment via the Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund. The grant program supports veterans in their early years of farming and ranching. Executive Director Jeanette Lombardo saidtheFVCpurchasesapieceofequipment thefarmerhasidentifiedasbeingcritical,“to helpthemgrowtheiroperationssotheycan continue to feedtheir communities.” The California recipients include MarineveteranLynkeishaDixon,Fortitude Empowerment Center, Palmdale; Marine veteran Randy Herbert Jr. , Herbert Wolf Sanctuary, Dulzura; Army veteran GuadalupeSmith,OrganicFarmSolutions, LosAngelesCounty;Marine veteran Jesus Toro, ToroApiaries,Madera; Armyveteran Frank Wall, Farmer Frank’s Mushrooms, Atascadero; and Marine veteran Marcus Wilson, Valley Rise Farms, Winchester. The coalition said funding for the grants was made possible by Kubota Tractor Corp., Tractor Supply Co., the Wounded Warrior Project, Farm Credit, Tarter USA, Homestead Implements, Vital Farms anddirectly fromother farm- er veteranmembers.
impossible to eradicate from the soil, the researchers said. P.cinnamomi isthemost lethalspecieson walnuts, invadingroots first, thenthecrown and trunk. Another destructive species, P. citricola, invades thecrownand trunk. Browne said key strategies inmanaging Phytophthora include sanitation, careful soil andwatermanagement, andchemical control. Flood irrigation with poor drain-
THE NEXT DROUGHT IS COMING, PROTECT YOUR WATER SUPPLY…
DEMAND A 100 YEAR WELL.
Roscoe Moss Well Screen • STRONGEST COLLAPSE STRENGTH • LEAST LIKELY TO CLOG • CORROSION RESISTANT STEEL OPTIONS • HIGHEST EFFICIENCY FOR MAX WATER • STOCK READILY AVAILABLE • MADE IN CALIFORNIA SINCE 1926
PVC Screen History of Cracking
Vertical Mill Slot Screen Prone to Clogging
www.californiabountiful.com
A Farm Bureau Production
KVPT/18
Fresno
Sun. 11:30 a.m.
KSBW-ABC/8.2
Monterey/Salinas Sun.
6:30 p.m. 6:00 p.m. 5:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m.
KOVR/13 KSBY/6
Sacramento
Sat.
San Luis Obispo Sun.
RFD-TV: Dish Ch. 231, DirectTV Ch. 345 Sun.
8:00 a.m.*
*Times listed are Pacific Time
Now trending
LOS ANGELES 323.263.4111 • ROSCOEMOSS.COM • BAKERSFIELD 661.747.6908
@cabountiful
12 Ag Alert May 12, 2021
Grape growers use weather data to protect their vines
“Dry soil makes freeze damageworse,” Zhuang said. Spring frost can cause mild damage to leaves or shoots, or severe damage that kills shoots and results in yield loss. Zhuang said the extent of dam- age depends on locat ions of vine- yards, and can be most extensive in low spots. Temperatures above 100 degrees can result in heat stress, leaf sunburn and berry sunburn. The stress can reduce yield and fruit quality. It’s important to
manage irrigation with drip or in-can- opy mist prior to heat events, Zhuang said; sunblock can also be sprayed prior to heat events. In advance of the baking days of sum- mer, Zhuang touched on the importance of heat illness prevention to protect farm employees, and the need to take protec- tivemeasures based on air temperatures and relative humidity. He said he hopes todevelop anup-to-the-minute, easy-to- use UC IPMHeat Index Alert.
ByDennis Pollock Tracking the weather can be a key to fighting vineyard pests, calculating water needs and avoiding crop dam- age—and weather stations scattered around the state play a significant role in that process. TwoUniversity of California viticultur- al farm advisors discussed the value of information those stations provide, and pointed the way to accessing key data without having to resort towrestlingwith semi-complicated formulas. George Zhuang, UC Cooperat ive Extension farm advisor for Fresno County, opened a San Joaquin Valley Winegrowers Association virtual work- shop by saying the benefits of weather stations include their role in following disease andpestmodels, tracking chilling hours andproviding alerts for freeze, frost and heat stress. They also, of course, track precipi- tation and can be used to prevent heat illness, alert growers to impacts from wildfire smoke and track growing de- gree days. Each station tracks wind direction and speed, air temperature, precipitation, light intensity, leaf wetness, relative hu- midity and canopy temperature. Theweather stationshavebeenaround for some 30 years, Zhuang said, and all of those in Fresno and Madera counties were upgraded last year with new data- loggers and new batteries. A key source of information the sta- tions contribute to is the UC Davis PowderyMildewRisk Assessment Index. It is developed by following a formula that takes into account canopy tempera- tures between 70 and 85 degrees, which allow for rapid growth, and above 95 de- grees, which inhibit spore germination. Temperatures above 105 degrees can kill the fungus. The index is based on disease pressure and shows the likelihood of a pathogen being present and reproducing. It sug- gests treatment intervals based on the mildew risk assessment. But the index is not “a silver bullet,” Zhuang said. “It’s not a substitute for field observations.” It is, however, a tool for understanding the biology of powdery mildew and its growth in a vineyard, and it is a tool to help control powderymildewby defining optimal times to apply fungicides. Zhuang said following the index “will save you time and money, but it takes time to learn.” The index can be reached online at ipm.ucanr.edu/WEATHER/index.html. At that page, the user can select “Grape powdery mildew index.” From there, the user can click on a county and find a weather station within it, and then will have access to the current index. Zhuang said grapevines require cold temperatures to break bud dormancy and approximately 150 chilling hours.
“Not enough chilling hours results in erratic and non-uniform bud break and uneven cluster ripening at harvest,” Zhuang said. At the same time, dormant freeze dam- age can also cause delayed and erratic budbreak, stunt shoot growth and dam- age vascular tissues.
See WEATHER, Page 14
HIT ME ALYBUG WITH YOUR BEST SHOT
New Sequoia ® CA insecticide hits mealybug (and leafhopper) like a ten-ton brick. It comes from a unique class of chemistry – the sulfoximines – and has never been used in grapes. The different mode of action makes Sequoia CA an excellent rotation partner in full-season IPM programs with other classes of chemistry. And Sequoia CA fits perfectly into pest management programs that rely on beneficial insects. Mites aren’t flared and secondary pests stay… secondary. To learn more, contact your pest control advisor.
Visit us at corteva.us ® TM Trademarks of Corteva Agriscience and its affiliated companies. Sequoia CA is not registered for sale or use in all states. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. Always read and follow label directions. ©2021 Corteva
May 12, 2021 Ag Alert 13
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28Powered by FlippingBook