Ag Alert. October 19, 2022

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.

Fall pumpkins Wholesale producers have ample supply for season

Special issue Monterey to host major organics event

Page 13

More stories inside

www.cfbf.com • www.agalert.com OCTOBER 19, 2022

Field Crops ® Vegetables ®

special reports

By Ching Lee An ongoing debate within the organ- ic farming community is anything but settled after two le- gal battles in which courts sided with the U.S. Department of Agriculture that crops grown in hydropon- ic systems can be certified organic. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals last month upheld a district court ruling that allows crops grown hydroponically to be labeled and sold as organic. The decision affirms what USDA has repeatedly clari- fied: that hydroponic systems, which use water as the growing medium, are eligible for organic certification. Legal rulings aside, the fight over what some farmers believe is the heart and soul of organic farming rages on. “It’s been one of the hardest issues I’ve seen in my career at CCOF,” said Kelly Damewood, CEO of the Santa Cruz- based organic certifier California Certified Organic Farmers. Some organic farmers believe that soil is essential to organic farming and that hydroponic crops cannot be organic be- cause they are not grown in soil. They fur- ther contend that hydroponic production does not build soil health, the hallmark of organic farming. “Organic agriculture is based upon the age-old conversation between the plant and the soil and microbiology,” Yolo County organic farmer Jim Durst said. “It’s something that cannot be replicated in a watering system.” Durst is part of a group of organic farm- ers and stakeholders represented by the Center for Food Safety, which sued USDA after the department refused to issue new regulations prohibiting organic certifica- tion of hydroponic farms. CFS points to lan- guage in the Organic Foods Production Act that requires all organic farms to “foster soil fertility” through practices such as proper tillage, crop rotation and use of manure. See HYDROPONICS, Page 12 Courts: Crops not grown in soil can be sold as organic

The shrinking Colorado River is shown at Glen Canyon Dam in northern Arizona. Water agencies from California that rely on water from the river have offered to accept reduced allotments amid historic drought conditions. Reductions in supplies could significantly impact farmers in the Imperial Valley.

Farmers brace for water cuts to help river

By Peter Hecht As the Colorado River water crisis deep- ens amid withering drought in the West, Imperial Valley growers with historic rights to water from the river are making calcula- tions on whether to farm or fallow. This month, the Imperial Irrigation District, which supplies Colorado River water to farmers in America’s largest grow- ing region for winter vegetables, joined other California water agencies in offering

to take a dramatic cut in the amount of water they pull from the river. Imperial Valley farmer Ronnie Leimgruber, who grows carrots, wheat, hay, lettuce and onions in Holtville, said he is willing to do his part to conserve water or cut back on farm acreage. But he said the uncertainty is wearing on him. Leimgruber signed production contracts last spring and early summer for the 2023 growing season. His crops were planted in

September and this month. Federal officials and multiple states and Mexico haven’t agreed on a plan for con- serving Colorado River water. The IID and area farmers likely won’t know how much they will get until sometime next year. “There is nothing we can do now until next June on water or on fallowing crops, and they just don’t comprehend that,” Leimgruber said of federal agencies. “It’s

See COLORADO, Page 23

n e w s p a p e r

Comment ......................................2 Field Crops ..............................7-8 Vegetables........................... 13-14 Classifieds........................... 21-23 Inside

Published by

A bad union bill is signed: What should farmers do? By Carl Borden and Bryan Little

when work will begin and end each day. Employers should avoid sudden changes in work schedules that could force employ- ees to rearrange daycare, transportation of children to schools and other aspects of personal lives. Second, employers should ensure that their pay, benefits and working conditions not only meet legal requirements but ex- ceed them, so they are competitive with employers in your area. Employers should also make sure that payroll, workplace safety and employee relations practices— including supervisor and foreperson treat- ment of employees—are sound. If agricultural employees believe they are treated fairly and equitably, they are less likely to turn to farmworker advocates and union organizers or other third parties for information or help. Employers seeking guidance may con- tact the Farm Employers Labor Service. FELS® provides products and information to help understand federal and state work- place requirements as well as the latest leg- islative and regulatory developments. FELS labor management consultants can provide a communications bridge to your workforce. They are bilingual and bicultural and have deep experience in working with agricultural businesses. In this new adversarial world, reaching out for assistance—and an ally—may iden- tify and resolve issues, while helping farm businesses secure employees’ trust and loyalty as they perform the important work of California agriculture. (Carl Borden, senior counsel for the California Farm Bureau, may be contacted at cborden@cfbf.com. Bryan Little, chief execu- tive officer for Farm Employers Labor Service and Farm Bureau’s employment policy direc- tor, may be contacted at blittle@cfbf.com.)

Signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 28, Assembly Bill 2183 dramat-

If agricultural employers offer competitive pay and benefits and work routines that respect employees’ personal and family needs, their work- ers are unlikely to be eager targets for union organizers.

ically rewrote California law governing how labor unions can become certified to represent agri- cultural employees for collective bar- gaining purposes. Effective Jan. 1, the bill by

Carl Borden

Assemblyman Mark Stone, D-Scotts Valley, will prompt cautious farmers, ranchers and

agrees annually to express no public opin- ion about union representation and to give union organizers access to the workplace. AB 2183 seeks farmers’ concession on ac- cess after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2021 that it is unconstitutional to force them to allow organizers on their land or at their businesses. Under this option, employees will vote in a flawed, untrustworthy mail-in elec- tion that can include union involvement in acquiring, completing and returning ballots, with opportunities for undue in- fluence and trickery. That very scenario led the California Farm Bureau to oppose AB 2183 and previous “card check” union organizing bills. Under the second option, an employ- er not opting for labor peace status will retain free-speech and private-property rights—but at a big cost. No true election is held among the employees. Instead, a union seeking to organize the workforce may initiate a card-check campaign, where the union can simply gather signed autho- rization cards and petition the ALRB for certification with majority support. The employer then must submit to the ALRB and union a list of employees in the

pay period before the petition’s submis- sion. If the ALRB finds the union has not demonstrated majority support, the union would have 30 days while in possession of the employee list to coerce what will likely be a small number of employees needed to sign authorization cards to demonstrate majority support. In signing AB 2183, Gov. Newsom also announced an agreement in principle to pursue in the 2023 legislative session sig- nificant changes to the bill, perhaps giving him cover for signing a misguided measure he strongly indicated he would veto just weeks earlier. Sadly, the proposed revisions do not ad- dress the “procedural integrity” problems cited by the governor and his office in late August. Instead, the supplementary agree- ment would eliminate the labor peace election option and leave only a card- check process involving union organizers collecting signed authorization forms. So, how should agricultural employers approach this new world that AB 2183 will bring about? The first step is to communicate with your employees. Ensure they understand their compensation and, well in advance,

other agricultural employers to edu- cate their employ- ees so they won’t be vulnerable to deceptive union organizing pitches that promise bene- fits in return for 3% of their wages in union dues.

Bryan Little

Since taking effect in 1975, the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act has de- creed that a union may be certified by a two-step process. First, a majority of an agricultural employer’s employees must sign cards asking the Agricultural Labor Relations Board, which administers the Act, to hold a secret-ballot, polling-place election. Second, the ALRB conducts the election. If a majority of employees vote for union representation, the union is certified to represent them. But AB 2183 discarded that secure process, replacing it with two options for employers to choose from: a labor peace election or a nonlabor peace election. In choosing labor peace, an employer

VOL. 49, NO. 38

October 19, 2022

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) Ronnie Leimgruber; (2) Andy Wilson; (3) Richard Miner; (4) Kevin Merrill; (5) Brian Medeiros; (6) Joey Airoso; (7) Donny Rollin; (8) Richard Bianchi; (9) Jay Mahil; (10) Jan Garrod; (11) Joe Martinez; (12) Paul Sanguinetti; (13) Ron Peterson; (14) Joe Fischer; (15) Clark Becker; (16) Garrett Driver; (17) Johnnie White; (18) David Rosenthal; (19) Taylor Hagata; (20) Jim Morris; (21) Ronald Vevoda; (Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee Chair) Jocelyn Anderson. Advisory Members Al Stehly, 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: Brock Tessandori- Business Development Manager (916) 561-5585 Shelby Baldridge- Advertising Operations Assistant Classifieds: (916) 561-5573 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 (issn 0161-5408) is published weekly except weeks of Memorial Day, July 4, Thanksgiving,

Melanie Duval- Chief Marketing Officer

Christmas; and with exceptions, by the California 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 advertised 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-

Peter Hecht- Chief Editor, Publications

Christine Souza- Assistant Editor

Ching Lee- Assistant Editor

Karin Bakotich- Design Services Manager

Paula Erath- Graphic Designer

Nicole Pacheco- Graphic Designer

vertising will be accepted. Jamie Johansson , President

GENERAL INFORMATION: (916) 561-5570

Shannon Douglass , First Vice President Shaun Crook , Second Vice President

agalert@cfbf.com

Printed on Recycled Paper

BPA Business Publication Member

2 Ag Alert October 19, 2022

Past job prepares farmer for managing family business

family’s farm before moving to Washington, D.C., in 2011. He spent two years working on Capitol Hill for Congressman Mike Thompson, D- St. Helena. “There was a period there where I was content with, if not eager to, build a life on the East Coast,” Weiss said. But he did move back to California in the fall of 2019, working remotely for CQ Roll Call. By March 2020, he made the switch back to the family farm. Since returning to farming, Weiss said he’s been “doing my best” to brush up on

his Spanish, the language of many of his employees. The family business has “ad- justed with the times,” working with cli- ents who want their vineyards machine harvested and/or are making the switch to a more mechanical approach in the vine- yard, including pruning. Even though the family’s own vineyards are not mechanically pruned, he said, the company during the past few years has developed other vineyards that allow for mechanical pruning. The family does use

By Ching Lee (This is the second of a three-part series highlighting individuals in California Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers & Ranchers program.) With the

a reporter, then editor before assuming a director-level role in which he managed a team in India that followed U.S. regulatory and legislative information. He got his start in journalism at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he worked as a student report- er while studying English literature. After college, he returned briefly to his

labor-inten- sive crops his family

See YF&R, Page 16

grows—pears and winegrapes—Lake County farmer Will Weiss manages peo- ple as much as he manages trees and vines. As assistant general manager of his family’s business, Bella Vista Farming Co. in Kelseyville, Weiss works with 50 year- round employees. During pear harvest in August, his crew swells to 150 to 200 people, relying on seasonal workers to get through the crunch. In addition to its own farming, the com- pany develops vineyards for other clients and does custom harvesting and trucking. It was one of the first vineyard manage- ment companies in Lake County to offer nighttime harvest by hand. To secure the workforce it needs, Bella Vista works with labor contractors and is a labor contractor itself, so that it can navi- gate the complex H-2A temporary agricul- tural workers program. With this expertise, the company now supplies labor to its own farms and to other farms. That part of the business, Weiss said, has “all been an evolution.” As the company considers its future in pears and wine- grapes, labor remains top of mind. “I think it would be silly to say that we do not think about the availability and ability of our labor force at Bella Vista Farming within the context of almost every business decision,” Weiss said. From decisions about whether or how the business should grow to adding or removing clients to whether it should add a mechani- cal harvester, Weiss said they are all “tied to the folks we have available to do the work.” This year, as the company moved into its pruning season for pears and winegrapes, Weiss said there was “a larger number of individuals” applying for work on the farm than there had been during the past two years. He pointed to the ongoing drought as a reason for the reduced crop acreages in the state, which reduced competition for agricultural workers. Also, with the decline in value of the region’s cannabis crop, some growers planted fewer acres or did not plant at all, leaving “sufficient local workers to fill our needs,” he said. As a result, Bella Vista did not need to use the H-2A program, which in past years brought in two dozen employ- ees for about 10 weeks to help with pruning or vineyard development. Even before Weiss returned to the fam- ily farm more than two years ago, people management had become “the princi- pal focus” of his work. Weiss worked for more than seven years as a journalist at CQ Roll Call, a trade publication that re- ports primarily on Congress with “heavy policy analysis.” There, he worked first as

FARMING FOR OUR FUTURE

WE ARE FARM CREDIT A nationwide network of customer-owned associations supporting rural communities and agriculture with reliable, consistent credit and financial services.

The future of agriculture lies in our youth. We’re here to help with programs and services focused on supporting the next generation of young, beginning and small farmers.

FarmCreditAlliance.com (855) 611-4110 toll free

American AgCredit CoBank Farm Credit West Fresno Madera Farm Credit

October 19, 2022 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/Ching Lee

Ag Alert file photo

Domenic Carinalli Sonoma County winegrape grower and organic dairy farmer

Paul Sanguinetti San Joaquin County farmer

For the winegrapes, we grow pinot, chardonnay and pinot grigio. We got done harvesting for the year about two weeks ago. Everything went well. We had a dif- ferent harvesting season with the rain and the heat, so we had to work through it with the wineries and pickers. Everybody was very cooperative, and it went very well. The grapes were off just a little bit from my average, but we had a nice crop, and the quality was excellent. The dairy business is tough. We’re just trying to survive. I’m not milking that many cows, but we’re trying to hang on. We’ve had about three dairies go out of business here in Sonoma County in the last few weeks. With the dairy industry, once you go out, you’ll never go back again. It’s kind of a different world. The costs are just so high. It’s crazy. The cost of everything is up. The cost of hay and grains is up, and I’m sure a lot has to do with the war in Ukraine because they have a huge amount of grain. It goes all over the world, and that’s been basically stopped. We’re getting hay from Nevada and ev- erywhere; it’s almost like gold. Our prices are decent, but under these conditions, there’s just not a lot of money. It’s just a matter of trying to hang on right now. The tertiary-treated water that we get from the city of Santa Rosa came to an end last week. The city finally got their ponds down where they want them, but we’re basically done irrigating anyway. We’ve got some pasture that we’d like to irrigate, but right now, that’s not going to happen. It’s the end of the season.

We just finished harvesting tomatoes. Now that the tomatoes have been harvest- ed, we’ve got to chop the vines, and we’ve got to work up the ground and get it in shape. We’ve got to go through the walnut varieties that we’ve harvested already. We’ve still got Chandlers and a little block of Tulares that we have yet to harvest. We’ve got some dead wood that fell out the trees, so we’ve got to chop that. Then, we’ve got some lime to spread on a couple of fields that need to be treated. We’ve got to strip spray them and give them a little shot of water. The boys finished harvesting the almonds, so they are all done. Frost from early this year affected the boys’ almonds, and the crop was really light because of it. With the drip irrigation, if you turn the drip on, I don’t know if it really does any good, so they may have to go to some microsprinklers or something. As far as the walnuts, frost didn’t hurt anything like it did last year. Last year, the walnuts got hurt from the frost, but we didn’t have any problem this year. We’re working some ground for next year, trying to get it worked up for toma- toes and probably some silage corn. I might have some garbanzos, but it just de- pends on what the weather does and if it rains. Part of this ranch relies on surface water, and when I don’t have enough rain and enough surface water, I have to use deep wells to irrigate. We’re just paying bills and hoping to collect some money. Fuel or the off-road, red- dye diesel is about $5 a gallon right now. A few years ago, it got down to below $2.

Jocelyn Anderson Glenn County walnut and almond grower

Walnut harvest has been very busy since we began in late September. North coun- ties had a later start due to rain in the fields and having to wait for fields to dry out. Harvest has been nonstop since then. In the order that they are harvested, we grow Gillet, Howard, Hartley and Chandler walnut varieties. The walnut crop is decent this year, but it would be larger if there were fewer impacts from the high temperatures. The heat waves that affected the state during the summer really took a toll this year. It is too early to know the figures on total crop damage from heat, but we will have a better understanding after harvest when numbers are finalized. Periods of high heat damage the trees by causing them to stress, resulting in burnt (black) and shriveled walnuts, blanks and overall lower yield. We are seeing grades come back with a good range of light-colored kernels overall. Defects have been minimal. At the walnut huller, we are working our way through the Chandlers and have a few more weeks to go be- fore harvest is complete. We expect to wrap up harvest by Oct. 22, since there could be more rain in the forecast, and we’d like to get the nuts off of the trees by then. Related to our almonds, we wrapped up harvest in mid-September. Due to the damage to the trees caused during periods of frost this year, we saw a 10%-50% decline in production amongst fields depending on the area and how hard they were hit by frost.

Ag Alert file photo

4 Ag Alert October 19, 2022

Grant Chaffin Riverside County farmer

We are in the heat of lots of plantings. We’re in the seventh cutting of our alfalfa, so the production season is coming to an end. We typically get eight or nine cuttings per year. Demand is uncharacteristically strong. Supply is extraordinarily limited, and the price just continues to go up. The flipside of that is we saw a little bit of relief in the form of some of our expenses. Diesel prices started to drop, but they’re coming back up. Nitrogen fertilizer started to drop, and it’s coming back up. Phosphorous fertilizer stayed pretty consistent at a high level. Historically, it was $300 a ton for nitrogen sources, and now I’m paying $900 to $1,000 per ton. Our margins continue to get cut by our increas- ingly high expenses. We’re starting to plant alfalfa and are about a week into our alfalfa plantings. We just finished planting baby potatoes, which are sold in assorted packages of whites, yellows and purples. We’ll be planting wheat Dec. 1. We’re getting fields prepped and ready and pre-irrigated for our dehydrated onion program, so we’ll probably start planting onions the first week of November. It’s just preparations. You’re either getting ready to plant, planting or getting ready to harvest or harvesting. It’s such a brisk rotation, and the growing season is so long here. There really is no down time. You’re constantly transitioning from one crop to the next. The water availability is the big unknown. We are fallowing 25% of our acreage, and that number is going up to 35% in August of 2023. I’m proud of our community in our long-term acknowledgment of a water crisis on the Colorado River. We have been mak- ing contributions to that for the last 18 years. Long before there was a cry of shortage, we (irrigators that rely on Colorado River water) had already acknowledged it, and we were participating to try and offer some type of relief.

Photo/Courtesy of Grant Chaffin

Keep what's above our land safe by understanding what's below. Call 811 Before You Dig

October 19, 2022 Ag Alert 5

USDA grants support climate-smart farmers in state By Christine Souza

of Agriculture. The grants support efforts such as manure management to reduce methane emissions, regenerative practices in almonds and collecting data to develop a national soil inventory. Projects from the second funding pool will be announced later this year. The goal of the program is to reach more than 50,000 U.S. farms and encom- pass up to 25 million acres of working lands to sequester more than 50 million

metric tons of carbon dioxide over the lives of the projects. Grant recipients from California dis- cussed details of individual climate-smart projects during a meeting of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture. Denise Mullinax, executive director of the California Dairy Research Foundation, presented information about a project that provides financial incentives to dairy pro- ducers who adopt manure management

practices to reduce methane emissions. “Eighty-five percent of the $85 million will go direct to dairy producers for the im- plementation of those practices,” Mullinax said. “We’re going to target greater than 50 dairies. The way we structure the grant to enable us to do that is provide up to $1,000 per cow with a maximum of $1.5 million per dairy facility.” Mullinax said that there is the potential of match funds through the CDFA Alternative Manure Management Program. “For a single project, a single dairy project could receive up to $2.25 million for the imple- mentation of these practices,” she said. The project, Partnering to Invest in Building Markets for California’s Climate- Smart Dairy Producers, has four compo- nents. They incude implementation of cli- mate-smart practices, on-farm research, outreach and education and development of climate-smart product markets. Grower-owned cooperative Blue Diamond Growers received a $45 million grant to incentivize growers to adopt cli- mate-smart and regenerative practices, which will lead to verified claims, busi- ness-to-business reporting and green- house gas quantification. “We’re thrilled to have this opportunity. The almond industry is well poised to ad- vance climate-smart practices,” said Alicia Rockwell, Blue Diamond Growers director of government and policy affairs. The $45 million grant awarded to Blue Diamond is over a five-year period starting in October. Climate-smart practices that qualify for funding help sequester carbon and attract pollinators include cover crop- ping between orchard rows, conservation planting outside of the orchard, hedgerows and whole-orchard recycling. Whole- orchard recycling involves chipping the orchard when it is at the end of its lifespan and the material is plowed into the soil to sequester carbon. “We do have many domestic and inter- national customers now specifically ask- ing us for climate-smart activities that they can utilize in their supply chains, so this is a perfect opportunity for us to take these practices, identify what they’re doing on farms and connect them to both domes- tic and international markets,” said Dan Sonke, Blue Diamond Growers director of sustainability. Grant funds of $20 million awarded to Elevated Foods benefit urban farmers in Orange County and across the U.S. to meet needs of small and underserved producers of fresh fruit and vegetables. Partners pro- pose to implement practices on hundreds of thousands of acres planted to fruit and vegetables in key U.S. growing regions. “The thing that really excites us is, as we know, this grant program is spread out across all of agriculture,” said Steve Brazeel, co-founder and president of Elevated Foods. “We were obviously concerned that specialty crops wouldn’t have as much sway as some of the bigger commodities.” Brazeel explained that Elevated Foods plans to use climate-smart practices and technologies that have been adopted by See GRANTS, Page 15

California agricultural entities are among recipients of a federal grant pro- gram intended to increase market oppor- tunities for U.S. commodities produced using climate-smart production practices. Seventy projects—including 20 from California— received in grant funds through Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities under a first pool of $2.8 bil- lion in funding from the U.S. Department

BOOST YOUR PEST CONTROL

NEW FAST-ACTING INSECTICIDE FOR VEGETABLES NOW APPROVED FOR USE IN CALIFORNIA

Help keep aphids, thrips, and whiteflies out of vegetable crops with NEW Senstar ® Insecticide from Valent U.S.A. With two effective modes of action, Senstar provides stellar control against soft-bodied insects, protecting vegetables from unwanted invasions. Quickly eliminate harmful insects at all life stages — including eggs — with the next-level power of Senstar . Ask your local retailer or visit Valent.com/Senstar to learn more.

Scan Code to

Learn More

Products That Work, From People Who Care® | valent.com | 800-6-VALENT (682-5368) Always read and follow label instructions. Products That Work, From People Who Care and Senstar are registered trademarks of Valent U.S.A. LLC. ©2022 Valent U.S.A. LLC. All rights reserved.

6 Ag Alert October 19, 2022

CALIFORNIA

Field Crops A SPECIAL GROWERS’ REPORT OF AG ALERT ®

Colusa County farmer George Tibbitts harvests rice at his farm in Arbuckle. Tibbitts, who grows rice and row crops, says he can increase yields and control disease and weed pressure by rotating crops. A new University of California calculater helps rice growers decide which crops make the best economic sense to use as part of a crop rotation.

New tool helps rice growers plan rotational crops By Vicky Boyd

developed the calculator. It may be found at https://rice-rotation-calculator.ipm.ucanr. edu/. A mobile version also is available. “I think as a first draft, it’s excellent because they try and point out all of the things that growers should consider when making a decision about pulling a field out of rice,” Tibbitts said. One thing growers may want to consider is using more custom work, which can ex- pand rotational opportunities, Tibbitts said. The cost calculator provides this scenario as an option. “They have a mindset that they want to do everything themselves,” he said. “But if you’re willing to make that switch in thinking, that expands your options to head in another direction.” From an agronomic standpoint, Brim-DeForest said crop diversification is fundamen- tal to long-term agricultural sustainability. Rotation has been shown to provide several benefits that help manage pests and pesticide resistance issues and improve soil health. U.S. Department of Agriculture figures show that only about 10% of California’s rice acres are rotated to a different annual crop. Over the years, Brim-DeForest said she had heard anecdotes from rice growers

The University of California has launched an online tool to help rice growers and pest control advisors decide whether continuing to farm rice in the coming season or rotating to another field crop makes better economic sense. The Rice Rotation Calculator was developed using grower surveys, UC Cooperative Extension cost studies, grower focus group input and PCA suggestions, said Whitney Brim-DeForest, a UCCE rice advisor for Sutter, Yuba, Placer and Sacramento counties. With rice as the base crop, the tool allows users to explore different rotational scenarios for safflower, sunflower, dry bean and processing tomato production. George Tibbitts, who farms rice and row crops near Arbuckle, is a strong proponent of crop rotation and uses it himself. “If I have a field that’s been in a row crop, like tomatoes, in general I believe I have higher yields with the following rice crop, because to a certain extent, I’ve controlled disease and weed pressure by rotating out of a terrestrial crop into an aquatic crop,” he said. If the drought continues, Tibbitts said rotating a field out of rice and into a row crop is a way to reduce water consumption and keep a field in production. He said he’s fortunate to have soils that hold water needed for a rice crop but also allow percolation for row crops. But not all rice growers have soils that offer the same flexibility. Tibbitts was a member of the grower focus group that provided input as the researchers

See TOOL, Page 8

October 19, 2022 Ag Alert 7

Tool Continued from Page 7

about why they did or didn’t rotate, but the information was never recorded in a systematic manner. “We made a lot of assumptions about why growers don’t rotate, but nobody ever asked them,” she said. This led Sara Rosenberg, a UC Davis doctoral student in horticulture and agron- omy, to conduct a large rice grower survey in 2020. She talked to 42 growers about their perceived benefits and challenges of crop rotation. Of those, 20 were in continuous rice, 12 rotated with annual crops and 10 were farming organically. In addition, Rosenberg sought to identify factors influ- encing decision-making and barriers to rotation adoption. “I think some economic research can be based on fixed assumptions, and we wanted to show the ranges of outcomes that growers may experience because there are so many different scenarios that growers are dealing with,” Rosenberg said. Seeing a need for an online tool where rice growers and pest control advisors could play “what if” with crop rotations, Brim-DeForest said they applied for and received funding from the Western Integrated Pest Management Center. They worked with UC IPM computer programmer Chinh Lam to develop the online tool.

A new online tool helps rice growers consider crop rotations, including sunflowers, safflower, dry beans or process- ing tomatoes. About 10% of California rice acreage is rotated to different field crops.

Brim-DeForest said they settled on the four rotational crops based on survey re- sults. Most of the economic data was de- rived from UC cost of production studies. Throughout the process, they sought the input of a rice-grower focus group to ensure the results were valuable for the target audience. As the online tool neared completion, Brim-DeForest sent it to oth- er growers, key stakeholders and PCAs to gather feedback. She said the overall response was, “This is a pretty cool tool.” But there were also some functions that had to be changed because they were confusing or a bug pre- vented them from working properly. Rosenberg cautioned that the tool

results are based only on a snapshot of switching from rice to a different row crop. “In a long-term rotation, you have a lot of things that will impact economics that are not captured in this tool,” she said. To help address some of those issues, Rosenberg is looking at how long-term crop rotations of two different scenarios compare to contin- uous rice over a period of 15 years. Users begin by choosing one of the four rotational crops. The tool features a catego- ry drop-down menu with several choices, including baseline information for the ro- tational crop. From there, users can drill down the costs tied to specific categories, such as seed, straw management, field re- construction, irrigation and harvest.

The tool presents the results in an easy-to-read bar chart that provides a fi- nancial snapshot of switching to the ro- tational crop compared to staying in rice production. Users can quickly go back to a category and change a field, such as pro- cessing tomato yield per acre, to determine how it might affect overall profitability. With the framework in place, Brim- DeForest said programmers can easily update data. She said it also will be much easier for farm advisors or others within the UC system to launch similar decision tools for other crops. (Vicky Boyd is a reporter based in Modesto. She may be contacted at vlboyd@att.net.)

FOR THE INDUSTRY INDUSTRY BY THE

January 24-26, 2023 Exhibits run January 25-26 Housing and Registration opens October 18 SAFE Credit Union Convention

Center, Sacramento, CA unifiedsymposium.org

8 Ag Alert October 19, 2022

Sutter County organic farmer Scott Park, a mentor to fellow farmers, is scheduled to discuss regenerative organic farming at the Organic Grower Summit, from Nov. 30 to Dec. 1, in Monterey.

Organics event to highlight sustainability, technology

By Bob Johnson

The Organic Produce Network, founded in 2017 to connect facets of the organic produce community through education, information and live events, is presenting the event with Western Growers Association. The two-day event includes educa- tional sessions for established grow- ers-shippers interested in the latest technology to improve efficiency and increase profits. Other sessions will focus on benefits of organic farming to the food system and the environment. As part of a panel on what lies ahead for certification of regenerative organic farming practices, Elizabeth Whitlow,

Leaders in organic production will discuss hot-button topics, including

supply-chain is- sues, inflation, labor, and new in- novation and tech-

nology, as part of the Organic Grower Summit, to be held Nov. 30 to Dec. 1, in Monterey. “From seed to soil to harvest, our goal is to present the most relevant and timely information on the most import- ant subjects and issues facing organic production,” Organic Produce Network co-founder and CEO Matt Seeley said in a statement promoting the event.

See SUMMIT, Page 17

POWERFUL SOLUTIONS • POWERFUL BENEFITS • POWERFUL DEALER NETWORK The best line of irrigation solutions is durable, rugged, easy to use and integrated. Zimmatic ® by Lindsay is your single source to make the most of your operation. That’s our strong point. www.lindsayadvantage.com

ASK YOUR LOCAL DEALER ABOUT MONEY-SAVING OFFERS: BISHOP MONTGOMERY CREEK IRRIGATION, LLC 760-937-2157 MERRILL

ZIMMATIC. STRONG.

ALSCO, INC. 541-798-0427 www.alscoirrigation.com RED BLUFF ALSCO, INC. 530-527-4001 www.alscoirrigation.com

Separators and Filtration Solutions

News briefs: federal organic livestock rule, bill veto Standards for organic livestock

transportation and slaughter practices to support animal welfare for avian and mammalian livestock. The proposed changes also establish indoor and outdoor space requirements and stocking-density limits for poultry. USDA organic standards already require outdoor access for poultry and livestock. But some poultry companies use enclosed porches to meet the requirement. The proposed amendments would clarify the

standards to require true outdoor access and room to roam for poultry operations. USDA has proposed two implementation periods—five years versus 15 years—for certified organic egg producers to meet the outdoor space requirements for laying hens. Submit comments at www. regulations. gov. Written comments may be submit- ted by mail to Erin Healy, MPH., Director Standards Division, National Organic Program, USDA-AMS-NOP, Room 2646-So.,

Ag Stop 0268, 1400 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-0268. Mailed com- ments must be postmarked by Nov. 10. To access the docket, including back- ground documents and comments re- ceived, go to www.regulations.gov and search for docket “AMS-NOP-21-0073.” Organic legislation vetoed Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have made changes to the California Organic Food and Farming Act, which governs how the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the California Department of Public Health enforce rules on the production, labeling and marketing of organic products. Assembly Bill 1870, by Assemblyman Mark Stone, D-Scotts Valley, was meant to help the state stop people from making false claims about their products being or- ganic. It would have required CDPH to es- tablish a process for resolving complaints about the production, labeling and mar- keting of organic products within 90 days, as specified in existing law. The bill would have required CDPH to compile, publish and submit information on total fees collected, including the costs to administer the state organic program. In his veto message, Newsom said AB 1870 is “duplicative of existing law and re- sults in ongoing General Fund costs not included in the budget.” Existing law requires organic food processors and handlers to register with CDPH. It also authorizes any person to file a complaint with CDPH about sus- pected noncompliance. Under current law, CDPH must establish a procedure for handling complaints, com- pleting an investigation and reporting the findings and enforcement action taken, if any, to the complainant within 90 days. In addition, the law requires CDPH to com- pile, publish and submit to the California Organic Products Advisory Committee a summary of specified information collect- ed from the registration form. Standards board meets in Sacramento The National Organic Standards Board will hold one of two annual meetings in Sacramento Oct. 25-27. The board makes recommendations on production, han- dling and processing of organic products. Sessions will be held at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Arena, 300 J St., and webcast live from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.ams. usda.gov/event/national-organic- standards-board-nosb-meeting- sacramento-ca-2022. ‘Cost Share’ deadline is Oct. 31 U.S. certified organic producers and handlers may receive a 50% refund on cer- tification costs, up to $500 per certification category. Those include crops, livestock, wild crops and state organic program fees. Refunds are provided under the U.S. Department of Agriculture Organic Certification Cost Share Program. Applications must be submitted by Oct. 31. For more information, go to www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and- services/occsp/index.

Farmers and the public may still com- ment on proposed changes to U.S. organic regulations, specifi- cally requirements for organic livestock and poultry production. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has extended the deadline to Nov. 10. The proposed rule, published on Aug. 9, clarifies living conditions, healthcare,

Whether you plant conventional seed or varieties with trailblazing traits, make W-L Alfalfas ® your partner. For more than 60 years, W-L Alfalfas varieties have kept growers at the forefront of forage. Our innovative genetics and traits can make a lasting difference in your fields, too. Our advanced UltraCut ™ alfalfa disease package gives you agronomic and economic advantages when it comes to helping control the toughest disease strains. Plant your legacy with W-L Alfalfas varieties.

ASK YOUR RETAILER FOR W-L ALFALFAS SEED. 800-406-7662 | WLALFALFAS.COM

©2022 Forage Genetics International, LLC. W-L Alfalfas ® and HarvXtra ® are registered trademarks of Forage Genetics, LLC. Roundup Ready ® is a registered trademark of Monsanto Technology LLC, used under license by Forage Genetics International, LLC. HarvXtra ® with Roundup Ready ® Technology and Roundup Ready ® Alfalfa are subject to planting and use restrictions. Visit ForageGenetics.com/legal for the full legal, stewardship and trademark statements for these products.

10 Ag Alert October 19, 2022

SUCCESS IN AGRICULTURE TAKES VISION.

AND A LENDER WHO SHARES YOURS.

Agriculture is changing, and never has it been more important for a lender to understand those changes to meet your financing needs and grow your business. American AgCredit is committed to being a partner for your continued success — today and in the years to come.

We’ll be here to help you navigate the road ahead.

Your future grows here

SCAN ME

Visit agloan.com/growyourfuture

A Part of the Farm Credit System.

Equal Opportunity Lender.

USDA has said the soil fertility provision applies only if crops are grown in soil. The courts agreed. Sylvia Wu, CFS’s senior and managing attorney, said the group is exploring its le- gal options. She said CFS disagrees with USDA’s position “that hydroponic crop productions are exempt from the soil fer- tility requirements simply because they do not use soil.” Durst said he takes issue with how “the spirit of the law was being rewritten to ac- commodate businesses that came late” to organic, which he said reflects specific farming practices “that we spent many years trying to write into this law.” He stressed that he’s not against hydropon- ics and other alternative farming systems, but “call it what it is.” Referring to soil-less farming systems as organic, he said, com- promises the “integrity of the word.” Karen Archipley, who farms hydroponic vegetables in San Diego County, said she has followed the USDA National Organic Program since the day she and her hus- band Colin established their farm Archi’s Acres 17 years ago. The farm teaches sus- tainable organic agriculture to active-duty military, veterans and civilians, some of Hydroponics Continued from Page 1

whom have built their own certified organ- ic hydroponic farms. With the scarcity and high cost of water in her region, Archipley said the hydropon- ic method of growing food allows her to use one-tenth of the water that soil farmers use while producing three to five times the crop without the use of chemicals. “We follow the soil food web like every- body else,” she said. “Organic is growing with integrity. We are truly sustainable organic farmers.” She called the controversy about wheth- er hydroponic can be organic “childish” and “poor sportsmanship,” and said she thinks it’s just “a few people that are wor- ried about their market share.” Alameda County farmer Ron Mitchell has been growing hydroponically for 40 years. Before he retired from production farming, he operated Berkeley-based Local Greens, a hydroponic farm that grew microgreens in jute, a fiber used to make burlap, and water enriched with worm castings. He said his system created “a per- fect environment” for crops with “no bugs ever.” He never needed to use pesticides and herbicides. Mitchell now works for Chicago-based Clayco, which builds vertical farms and

greenhouses. He said he thinks those who claim his method of farming does not deserve organic certification just don’t want competition. “That’s the real argument,” he said. “Well, sorry, but that’s a reality in life, is that somebody’s going to grow some- thing quicker and cleaner and tastier in an organic way.” But Damewood of CCOF said she doesn’t think people who want to remove hydroponic from organic are solely wor- ried about competition. “In my experience, they’re really stead- fast defenders of organic principles, and they’re courageously standing up for what they believe in,” she said. Debate about hydroponics—and more broadly container and other novel pro- duction systems—has percolated with- in the organic community for decades, Damewood said. She noted CCOF has cer- tified these systems for decades because there had never been express prohibition from USDA. With proliferation of these farms in more recent years, people took notice, she said, and wondered why they’re allowed to be certified. What CCOF struggled with, she said, was “the idea of kicking out members of our community, folks who we had been cer- tifying, who we knew believed and strived to uphold the organic standards.” At the same time, she said the organization also

“completely understood the concerns and frustrations of folks who didn’t want hy- droponic systems in organic.” One of the key challenges in the debate, she said, is that people have different opin- ions about what hydroponic means. While most people may think of hydroponic as an indoor system with roots in water and plants grown under artificial light, she said water-based methods remain “pretty rare” in organic production. Hydroponic en- compasses “a whole spectrum of produc- tion,” she said, with farms using different kinds of substrate. Mushrooms, sprouts and transplants, for example, are all widely accepted forms of production, she noted. CCOF has advocated for labeling of crops produced using these systems, she said, as that would allow the certifier to “still be inclusive but support the transparency that consumers deserve.” But she said farmers on both sides of the issue have mixed feel- ings about it. Some already label their prod- ucts “hydro-organic.” Pro-soil farmers feel such a label is an oxymoron. Others don’t want another label requirement. “At the end of the day, we’re working to- wards a world where organic is the norm and want to welcome a lot of different types and scales and increase the diversity of folks who are able to grow and sell organi- cally,” Damewood said. “We believe there’s room for them in the movement.” (Ching Lee is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at clee@cfbf.com.)

The Produce Safety Rule is Here; ARE YOU READY?

Farm Employers Labor Service (FELS), an aliated company of the California Farm Bureau (CAFB), has partnered with the Safe Food Alliance through a California Department of Food and Agriculture grant contract, as their designated training provider for Central and Southern California, to conduct the required Produce Safety training for growers. ALL TRAININGS BEGIN AT 8 AM September 7, 15 and 21:

California Farm Bureau Harvest Room 2600 River Plaza Drive, Sacramento October 5: Glenn County Farm Bureau 831 5th Street, Orland November 15: Yolo County Farm Bureau 69 West Kentucky Ave., Woodland

You’ve worked tirelessly to maximize the potential of your operation. Here’s one more thing that will help. For a limited time, New Holland Deal Days gives you THREE ways to save BIG on select haytools and mid-range tractors. Get cash back 1 or low-rate financing 2 on existing inventory. Or, pre-order now for even bigger cash incentives on model year 2023 dairy and livestock equipment now through the end of the year. Stop in today or visit nhoffers.com.

Most farms are required to have at least one designated supervisor who has been trained in accordance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety rule. Upon completion of the course, attendees will receive an ocial certicate from the Association of Food & Drug Ocials.

FAIRFIELD GARTON TRACTOR INC. 707-425-9545 www.gartontractor.com MODESTO GARTON TRACTOR INC. 209-538-0911 www.gartontractor.com NEWMAN GARTON TRACTOR INC. 209-862-3760 www.gartontractor.com

H elle Farm Equipment, Inc. 1 4155 Route 136, Dyersville, IA 52040 h ttps://www.hellefarmequipment.com 5 55-555-5555 H elle Farm Equipment, Inc. 1 4155 Route 136, Dyersville, IA 52040 h ttps://www.hellefarmequipment.com 5 55-555-5555 SANTA ROSA GARTON TRACTOR INC. 707-586-1790 www.gartontractor.com STOCKTON GARTON TRACTOR INC. 209-948-5401 www.gartontractor.com TULARE GARTON TRACTOR INC. 559-686-0054 www.gartontractor.com H elle Farm Equipment, Inc. 1 4155 Route 136, Dyersville, IA 52040 h ttps://www.hellefarmequipment.com 5 55-555-5555

TURLOCK GARTON TRACTOR INC. 209-632-3931 www.gartontractor.com UKIAH GARTON TRACTOR INC. 707-468-5880 www.gartontractor.com WOODLAND GARTON TRACTOR INC. 530-615-2828 www.gartontractor.com

1 C nancing purchase with CNH Industrial Capital America LLC or CNH Industrial Capital Canada Ltd. fi ash back amounts vary and are applied at time of sale. Cash back offers are only available when

2 F or Commercial use only. Customer participation subject to credit quali cation and approval by CNH Industrial Capital America LLC or CNH Industrial Capital Canada Ltd. See your participating fi N ew Holland dealer for details and eligibility requirements. Down payment may be required. Not all customers or applicants may qualify for this rate or term. CNH Industrial Capital America LLC and C NH Industrial Capital Canada Ltd. standard terms and conditions apply. Canada Example: The interest rate will be 0% for 12 months. Total contract term is 12 months. Based on a retail contract date of October 1, 2022, with a s fi uggested retail price on a new T5.100 STG5 DC, ROPS of C$109,472 customer provides down payment of C$21,894.80 and nances the balance of C$87,577.20 at 0% per annum for 12 months. There will be 12 equal monthly p ayments of C$7,298.10. The total amount payable will be C$87,577.20, which includes nance charges of C$0. Taxes, freight, setup, delivery, additional options or attachments not included in suggested retail price. Offer is fi n ontransferable. Offers end December 31, 2022; subject to change or cancellation without notice. © 2022 CNH Industrial America LLC. All rights reserved. CNH Industrial Capital and New Holland are trademarks registered in the U fi nited States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or af liates. 2 F or Commercial use only. Customer participation subject to credit quali cation and approval by CNH Industrial Capital America LLC or CNH Industrial Capital Canada Ltd. See your participating fi N ew Holland dealer for details and eligibility requirements. Down payment may be required. Not all customers or applicants may qualify for this rate or term. CNH Industrial Capital America LLC and C NH Industrial Capital Canada Ltd. standard terms and conditions apply. Canada Example: The interest rate will be 0% for 12 months. Total contract term is 12 months. Based on a retail contract date of October 1, 2022, with a s fi uggested retail price on a new T5.100 STG5 DC, ROPS of C$109,472 customer provides down payment of C$21,894.80 and nances the balance of C$87,577.20 at 0% per annum for 12 months. There will be 12 equal monthly p ayments of C$7,298.10. The total amount payable will be C$87,577.20, which includes nance charges of C$0. Taxes, freight, setup, delivery, additional options or attachments not included in suggested retail price. Offer is fi n ontransferable. Offers end December 31, 2022; subject to change or cancellation without notice. © 2022 CNH Industrial America LLC. All rights reserved. CNH Industrial Capital and New Holland are trademarks registered in the U fi nited States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or af liates. 1 C nancing purchase with CNH Industrial Capital America LLC or CNH Industrial Capital Canada Ltd. fi ash back amounts vary and are applied at time of sale. Cash back offers are only available when 2 F or Commercial use only. Customer participation subject to credit quali cation and approval by CNH Industrial Capital America LLC or CNH Industrial Capital Canada Ltd. See your participating fi N ew Holland dealer for details and eligibility requirements. Down payment may be required. Not all customers or applicants may qualify for this rate or term. CNH Industrial Capital America LLC and C NH Industrial Capital Canada Ltd. standard terms and conditions apply. Canada Example: The interest rate will be 0% for 12 months. Total contract term is 12 months. Based on a retail contract date of October 1, 2022, with a s fi uggested retail price on a new T5.100 STG5 DC, ROPS of C$109,472 customer provides down payment of C$21,894.80 and nances the balance of C$87,577.20 at 0% per annum for 12 months. There will be 12 equal monthly p ayments of C$7,298.10. The total amount payable will be C$87,577.20, which includes nance charges of C$0. Taxes, freight, setup, delivery, additional options or attachments not included in suggested retail price. Offer is fi n ontransferable. Offers end December 31, 2022; subject to change or cancellation without notice. © 2022 CNH Industrial America LLC. All rights reserved. CNH Industrial Capital and New Holland are trademarks registered in the U fi nited States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or af liates. 1 C nancing purchase with CNH Industrial Capital America LLC or CNH Industrial Capital Canada Ltd. fi ash back amounts vary and are applied at time of sale. Cash back offers are only available when

The Food Safety Training Partnership is offering these training courses throughout California. You can find more information and register at foodsafetytrainingpartnership.com, or call 916-561-5672. Supported by California Department of Food and Agriculture

12 Ag Alert October 19, 2022

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