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.
Date harvest Coachella Valley crop replenishes supply amid rising demand
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www.cfbf.com • www.agalert.com OCTOBER 7, 2026
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By Manola Secaira California diesel prices skyrocketed in September, adding another layer of stress for farmers and truck fleet owners who de- pend on the fuel for daily work. According to AAA, California’s average diesel price on Oct. 1 was more than $8 a gallon, up sharply from $5.16 a year ago. California’s average price represents the highest in the nation, about $2 more than the current national average of about $6. Experts attribute the price spike in part to continued disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz amid the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Ships transiting through the Middle Eastern waterway nor- mally carry about one-fifth of the world’s petroleum, making disruptions there a significant risk to global energy supplies. Diesel and gas prices have dramatically increased since the war began in February. Other global stressors, including Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries, also play a part. Ryan Cummings, an economist with the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, said California’s taxes and fees are among the factors driving the state’s higher price. He also pointed to broader global market pressures that are pushing up diesel costs nationwide. California has historically supplied most of its own gas and diesel, but refinery clo- sures in recent years have led the state to import more from other countries. Even so, Cummings said gas and diesel prices are largely set by the global market, making the impact of in-state refinery closures on current diesel prices negligible. “There’s some transportation costs, but those are pretty small,” he said. “Whether a refinery opens here or a refinery closes here, as long as you have free trade, it’s the global market that’s going to dictate the price rather than the local production.” Cummings said this dynamic is why the Trump administration is considering a diesel export ban, even as some warn the See DIESEL, Page 9 Diesel price spike increases financial stress for farmers
Farm Bureau team seeks solutions in D.C. California Farm Bureau President Shannon Douglass, left, speaks with U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., last month in Washington, D.C. A delegation of more than a dozen Farm Bureau members, staff and executives traveled to the nation’s capital to advocate on issues that affect agriculture.
By Caleb Hampton A California Farm Bureau delegation that included more than a dozen of the organization’s members, staff and exec- utives traveled to Washington, D.C., last month to advocate on issues affecting farmers and ranchers. Among the group’s priorities were dis- cussions around passing a new farm bill
and policies related to endangered species and the farm workforce. “It makes all the difference when law- makers can hear directly from farmers and ranchers about the challenges they face and the real-world impacts of policy decisions,” California Farm Bureau Presi- dent Shannon Douglass said. “Our mem- bers were able to share specific examples of how they’ve been affected by rising
production costs, trade conflicts, labor shortages and other headwinds that have made the current farming environment one of the most difficult in decades.” The Sept. 21-24 trip included meetings with U.S. Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Pa- dilla, Reps. James Gallagher, Jimmy Panet- ta and Mike Thompson, all of whom are
See D.C., Page 14
n e w s p a p e r
Inside Farm Bureau....................2 From the Fields........................4-5 Vegetables........................... 10-11 Classifieds........................... 18-19 Inside
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Roadless Rule has kept forests from being managed By Shaun Crook
protection and recreation. Within this system, managers must navigate a rigid spec- trum of land-use rules that dictate exactly what activities are allowed on a given acre. This ranges from general forest zones where logging and grazing are permitted to strictly designated wilderness areas where motorized equipment is banned. Even most bicycles are prohibited. In the late 1990s, the Forest Service decided that the road system in our national forests was a major environ- mental and fiscal liability—a determination many of us in the forestry profession strongly dispute. By using that ra- tionale to pass the Roadless Rule, the federal government effectively created backdoor wilderness areas. It prohib- ited the active care and use of our public lands without undergoing the rigorous congressional process required to designate true wilderness. Access to our public lands remains one of the funda- mental tenets of being an American. Our forests have been supplying timber for the construction of this great nation for more than 250 years. From horses and trails to trains and log trucks, transportation systems have always been vital to the “use” of multiple-use lands. Today, this infrastructure is also key to our ability to battle fire, protect watersheds and create natural resource resiliency that is so important to our lives in California. While the environmental community has praised the Roadless Rule as being critical to the well-being of our na- tional forests, the numbers on the ground prove the exact contrary. The correlation between the implementation of the Roadless Rule and the catastrophic increase in acreage lost to wildfire in California and across the West is striking. From 2000 to 2011, nearly 10% of the forestland man- aged by the Forest Service was consumed by wildland fire. That number jumped to an astonishing 38% from 2012 to 2021. What this equates to is that fire has burned nearly 8 million acres of national forest in California during the past 25 years. Nearly half of our managed federal forest has burned since the application of this hands-off policy. With half our forest already lost to fire, we simply can- not afford to keep half of the remaining, unburned acres off-limits to proactive management. Roads and infra- structure have always been crucial for multiple use in our forests, and they will continue to be the primary tools for saving them. For too long, emotion has dictated the allowed activities on our national forests. It is past time for common sense, local expertise and active forestry to lead the way. Shaun Crook, who operates a family timber business in Tuolumne County, is first vice president of the California Farm Bureau. He can be reached at scrook@cfbf.com.
Inside Farm Bureau
The U.S. Forest Service has formally proposed rescind- ing the federal Roadless Area Conservation Rule, or Road- less Rule. As a California logger, I applaud this decision, as I believe it is an important step toward ending a rigid, one-size-fits-all approach and returning management decisions back to local forests. Social media has been abuzz with the announcement of this proposal. Some conservation groups are acting as if the sky is falling and that the last untouched areas are about to be paved over. This is simply not the case. If rescinded, active management, mechanical thinning, fuel reduction and all modern efforts to create fire resil- iency would once again be allowed on the 4 million acres of California land that have been off limits for a quarter of a century. Early in the Trump administration, Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz issued a directive to increase the pace and scale of logging and fuel reduction projects on all available lands. This order is meant to, as much as legally possible, streamline environmental review and other barriers to projects on national forests. Harvest levels and total treated acres on national for- estlands have declined or stagnated for nearly 30 years. However, the forest has kept growing, and there is more timber lost to death and disease—not including fire—than is harvested every year. To understand how we reached our current crisis—an unprecedented era of catastrophic, unmanaged wildfires that have scorched nearly 8 million acres of California’s na- tional forests during the past 25 years—it is worth exploring the origin of this bureaucratic barrier. Enacted during the Clinton administration, the Roadless Rule is an executive regulation that was never a law passed by Congress. It generally restricted road construction, com- mercial logging and active management activities across nearly 60 million acres of national forest nationwide. In California, more than 4 million acres, or about 20% of our national forestland, fall under what are known as in- ventoried roadless areas. These are lands situated outside of officially designated wilderness areas that would other- wise be open to multiple-use land management and fuel reduction activities. National forests in California with the most inventoried roadless areas are the Inyo, Los Padres, Sequoia, Shasta-Trinity and Klamath. Forestry and forest management are extremely import- ant to the success of California agriculture. Approximately 33% of the land in the state is forested, and about 60% of those acres sit on federal land. This is not just a matter of scenery; it is a matter of survival. Nearly 75% of our state’s
Shaun Crook First Vice President
water flows directly from our forests, and 60% of that crit- ical supply originates in the forests of the Sierra Nevada. Timber is, fundamentally, a crop. For this reason, Cali- fornia Farm Bureau has maintained a longstanding policy advocating for active forest management and limiting wil- derness areas where management is forbidden. Because timber is a crop, the Forest Service is appro- priately housed as an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In California, we have 18 national forests covering more than 20 million acres, with nearly 13 million of those acres considered “forested.” Our landscape is a checkerboard of different land man- agement designations across federal and private lands. This maze often creates management decisions that con- flict with one another and makes modern forest resiliency incredibly difficult to achieve. Federal land can be found as national parks, national monuments, national wildlife refuges, Bureau of Rec- lamation lands, Bureau of Land Management lands, military lands, tribal trust lands, designated wilderness areas and federal timberlands. These public woods are supposed to be multiple-use lands serving a variety of interests, including timber, grazing, mining, watershed
VOL. 53, NO. 19
October 7, 2026
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2 Ag Alert October 7, 2026
New date crop hits market as fruit goes ‘mainstream’
trajectory of dates,” said Kristy Kneiding, executive director of the California Date Commission. “A lot of people are looking for natural sugar substitutes, and dates fit perfectly into that category.” Dates contain fiber, vitamins and anti- oxidants. Despite being naturally sweet, they rank low on the glycemic index, meaning they provide an energy boost without spiking blood sugar levels. These traits have led dietitians to dub the fruit a “superfood” and made it a favored snack among athletes. In 2025, the value of the U.S. date crop
products have helped drive market growth, Kneiding said. “You’re definitely seeing a lot more date snacks in the marketplace,” she said, with California date companies selling products ranging from date brownies to peanut but- ter-stuffed dates. Amanda Sains, vice president of mar- keting at Coachella-based Joolies, said date-based candy had become “one of the category’s hottest snacking trends.” The company, which was co-founded by longtime date grower David Kohl, ex- perienced dramatic growth during the past few years as it leaned into playful branding and value-added products such as Date Pops and Date Sours, which are carried by Costco, Target and other major retailers. “Dates are officially going mainstream,” Sains said, adding that Joolies contracted more fruit from its partner growers this year to support the company’s expansion. Despite the increased demand, grow- ers said high production costs and price pressure from cheap imports mean the sector’s good fortunes have yet to improve their bottom line. “The costs have been so much more than we’ve been able to recapture,” Keck said. He added, “We’re optimistic because we see the rising popularity of the product, and we hope to capitalize on that.” Caleb Hampton is an editor at Ag Alert. He can be reached at champton@cfbf.com.
By Caleb Hampton Much of California’s medjool date crop was picked during the past several weeks after a spring heat wave sped fruit develop- ment, bringing harvest forward by as many as four weeks. “This was the earliest harvest we’ve ever had,” said Albert Keck, a Coachella Valley date grower and president of Ther- mal-based Hadley Date Gardens. Growers in Riverside County said they started harvesting medjool dates—the state’s top variety—in mid-August and wrapped up before the end of September. Yields were below average, Keck said, but markedly better than last year, when ill- timed rains in the Coachella Valley caused significant crop losses and left handlers with little to no carryover heading into this year’s harvest. With demand high for the fruit, date handlers said last week they were work- ing to get the new crop shipped to retailers across the country. “There’s a lot of pent-up demand,” said Keck, who supplies fresh dates to major re- tail chains. “We’re scrambling to fill orders.” Mark Tadros, owner of Thermal-based Aziz Farms, which supplies primarily specialty wholesalers that cater to Middle
Eastern consumers in the U.S., said his buyers wanted “to get their hands on prod- uct as quickly as humanly possible.” With dates playing an important role in the Islamic month of Ramadan, Tadros said he generally tries to ship most of his crop before the start of the lunar month, which moves forward about 10 days each year, be- ginning next year in early February. “When you’re
totaled $268 mil- lion, according to the U.S. Depart- ment of Agriculture. As of 2023, Cal-
dealing with the ethnic market- place, that’s a real- ly big component of it,” he said. “It’s always a rush be- fore Ramadan.” While date palms are native to the Middle East and North Africa, the fruit’s appeal among U.S. con-
“A lot of people are looking for natural sugar substitutes, and dates fit perfectly into that category.” —Kristy Kneiding, executive director of the California Date Commission
ifornia produced about 79% of U.S. dates from 12,300 acres, while Arizo- na grew the rest, ac- cording to the most recent data from USDA. The Golden State’s production is concentrated in Riverside County, which in 2023 harvested 9,600 acres of dates. Most California dates are sold fresh as whole fruit, though during the past decade the adoption of date paste as a base for ener- gy bars increased demand from processors. More recently, value-added date
sumers has broadened in recent years, driven in part by increased awareness of its nutritional benefits. During the past couple years, U.S. date sales increased more than a third, accord- ing to the market research firm SPINS. “Everybody is really excited about the
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October 7, 2026 Ag Alert 3
From the Fields ®
Ray Yeung Yolo County farmer
Joe Zanger San Benito County farmer It’s been an interesting year. I do not know if everyone recognized last spring an across-the-board, two-week-plus early harvest, but I certainly didn’t. Wondering if it’s global warming, climate change or simply cycles over time. My guess is the latter. In San Benito County, cherries, apricots, winegrapes and walnuts are the earliest I have experienced in over 50 years. Yields and quality have not necessarily been affected negatively. Of our three red grape varietals, only the cabernet is very light. Usually, even with the proper winter pruning, we need to drop some clusters in early summer and then sometimes again at veraison, when the grapes start to turn purple. But we had to do zero fruit drop work this year for the cabernet. For the other two, we had to drop fruit. The growing season for the transplant vegetables hasn’t been affected like the de- ciduous fruits and nuts. For example, fresh market tomatoes on our ranch have had about 90 days of growing season from June planting until September harvesting. Regarding markets, winegrape demand is dismal here, just like the rest of the state. Significant acreage is going unharvested. In the past, this phenomenon was cyclical, resulting from overplanting, creating oversupply. This time, though, it’s different. As grape growers have been experiencing for almost 24 months, consumption of wine has fallen 10% to 25%, which sends market equilibrium spiraling. This doesn’t appear to be cyclical in nature. Reasons why have been widely reported, and it’s not because we are not making great wines that people are drinking less wine. It hits home for us growers and winemakers when grapes go unharvested because tanks and barrels are full with prior year productions, and warehouses are full with bottled product. There is already an attrition of grape acreage and wineries in the state. Time will tell how far that will go.
We’re harvesting corn used to make tacos and tortillas. Yields are average to above average. We’re getting ready to harvest tomatoes. We grow fresh toma- toes, which we sell to lots of restaurants. We also do processing tomatoes, and the price is a bit down from last year, but it’s still profitable if you have a decent yield. Our yields are average to above average. We have safflower, and the price is a little better. Our yields were average to above average. The crops goes to Boswell, an oil maker. We also have alfalfa, and we’re on our sixth or seventh cutting. We’ve had favorable weather, so the crop is pretty good. The price is up a little from last year. We grew a little bit of zucchini squash, and there’s some kind of mosaic virus that affected them. It made the fruit unmarketable. With pistachios, we had hot weather at the wrong time of year. Yields are down on most of our fields, although we had one field where the yield was really good. Maybe it bloomed at the right time and avoided the heat. With the light crop, the pistachio price is really high right now. We also grew some watermelons for seed. We harvested that in July. With seed, you don’t know the percentage of germination and quality until you weigh it, dry it and the processor gives you your final numbers. They need to make sure there’s no disease and that the crop didn’t cross with another wild variety. We think we did OK, but we don’t know until we get the check, and sometimes we don’t get paid until the end of the year. We’re using a lot of diesel right now, and it’s pretty tough. We try to cut back on the number of people we use, cut down on the amount of overtime, which is a killer. They make all these laws to help the workers, but they hurt the workers because they can’t work as many hours.
Blake Wilbur Tulare County farmer Most of our harvest has wrapped up—between pistachios, almonds and corn silage. We’re going to be picking cotton in the next two weeks. We’re doing our fall tillage to prep the ground for next year. I almost wanted to delay it because it’s a heavy fuel consumer, but at a certain point in the season you have to just take the hit because soon the weather is not going to cooperate and you won’t have enough time in the day. The high diesel prices are hurting. Pistachio harvest was a big failure due to warm spring temperatures during pollination, which woke up the male trees while the female trees were still dormant. Pollen went out without females that were receptive. That’s the understanding of what happened. We’re seeing a massive loss in our older pistachio trees. We didn’t shake probably half our acres, and what we did shake produced only around 10% of the expected yield. That was a big disappointment. Our almond crop was average. The price was substantially better than last year. That’s a bright spot. We normally see a little bit of a dip in milk production in September and October, and we’re seeing that this year. Our cows have endured a long summer. Milk right now is barely making you break even. If it wasn’t for the high beef prices, we would probably be losing money. We’ll see what happens with the super El Niño. Farmers are preparing to take any water we might get from flood-control releases for groundwater recharge. That’s par for the course now. Some people are starting to construct recharge basins on their farms, and a lot of guys are just going to keep their ground open so they’re able to take water for recharge if the water does come down the canals when it’s too early to irrigate. I try not to let any water go by me without putting it somewhere.
4 Ag Alert October 7, 2026
Insights from farmers and ranchers across the Golden State, including members of the California Farm Bureau.
Paul Vermeulen Stanislaus County almond grower and huller
We are within a week or two of being finished with harvest. Harvest went well, though many are disappointed in the yields. They’re a bit lighter than people had hoped. It could have been the early spring heat. Finding larger-sized nuts is more difficult. Overall weight from the fields looks down. Quality of the crop has been good. We’ve had low amounts of insect damage. The in- creased price has helped a lot of people manage their ranches better. Prices are about a dollar more than they were this time last year. My perspective on pricing is that we are blessed to be where we are again. Farmers are finally able to pay off their line of credit, and it needs to go a bit more for them to replenish their savings accounts because everyone drained every penny they had to stay afloat. The big problem was created during COVID when it was not allowing proper agricultural exports. That created a carryover that we had to work through. Now that carryover is gone, and we are at a more balanced supply and demand. Everyone’s talking about $8 diesel. Our input prices have dramatically increased. We’re seeing it on the energy side. A lot of people have seen the cost of running their water pumps doubled because general energy prices have gone up. Input costs have risen even quicker than what would be typical inflation. Although pest pressure in the form of insects was lighter this year, we have some new dis- ease challenges. We saw the rise of red leaf blotch. Two years ago, nobody knew what red leaf blotch was, and this year, you can scarcely find an orchard that was not affected by it. I’ve been a pest control adviser for 15 years as well as a farmer and huller-sheller, and I had never even heard of it until two years ago. Last year, it was present but not a problem. This year, it’s a severe problem. We have some interesting issues with gumming in certain varieties. Notably, the Bennett had a lot of gumming issues this year.
To contribute to From the Fields, submit your name, county of membership and contact information to agalert@cfbf.com.
October 7, 2026 Ag Alert 5
A SPECIAL GROWERS’ REPORT OF AG ALERT ® CALIFORNIA Trees & Vines
®
Vineyards turn to UV-C light to fight powdery mildew By Vicky Boyd A Thorvald autonomous robot applies ultraviolet-C light to grapevines at night. Winegrape growers increasingly look to the nonchemical disinfection systems to manage powdery mildew in vineyards.
Silver Oak made an initial fungicide application in April because of a delay getting started with the robots. It then continued with UV-C applications every four days for three months through veraison, or when grapes begin to ripen, in July. In the sauvignon blanc block, Peters said he also tested the UV-C against botrytis bunch rot by continuing to apply it to half the vines after veraison until three to four days before harvest. In a high-pressure disease year such as 2026, Peters said he was impressed by the cleanliness of the fruit. “It’s nice when you try something and trial it and it does what it’s supposed to do,” he said. Silver Oak’s winemaker is fermenting the fruit and will determine whether the light treatments affected wine quality, and if so, how. Silver Oak normally sprays at night, so Peters said making the transition to robots didn’t affect scheduling. One supervisor at each site was trained on the technology and oversaw each robot pair. “Over the last 10 years with all of the technology, some crew members have been wary,” he said. “In this particular situation, you come in and train somebody how to use the iPad, and it was really empowering.” Calling powdery mildew one of their biggest pest concerns, Joseph Brinkley, senior direc- tor of regenerative organic farming for Bonterra Organic Estates in Hopland, said the farm is always looking for ways to continue innovating, and the UV-C technology fit the bill. The See UV-C, Page 7
Nonchemical, ultraviolet disinfection systems originally designed for industrial and medical uses have begun to take root in winegrape vineyards to manage powdery mildew. Norway-based Saga Robotics introduced its Thorvald autonomous ultraviolet-C light-application robot to Central Coast winegrapes three years ago. This season, the company expanded to the North Coast and treated about 2,600 acres statewide, said Caine Thompson, Saga’s general manager for U.S. operations based in Paso Robles. Applied twice a week at night by the robotic platform, the 254-nanometer low-dose UV-C light disrupts the powdery mildew’s DNA without damaging plant tissue. If the application is made during daylight, the fungal organism can harness blue light from the sun to make a damage-repairing enzyme. By applying the UV-C to grapevines and fruit at night and allowing three to four hours of post-treatment darkness, the organism can’t repair the damage and dies. Norm Peters, director of vineyard operations for Oakville-based Silver Oak, said he was attracted to the system because it met the company’s sustainability priorities of putting people first and producing quality vines and wines. Before using it this spring, Peters researched the Saga system and talked to Central Coast colleagues who had used it the past two seasons. In 2026, Silver Oak tested two Thorvald robots in a 10- to 11-acre pinot noir block near Philo and two in a similar sized block of sauvignon blanc near Oakville.
6 Ag Alert October 7, 2026
UV-C Continued from Page 6
grape disease pressure. On the other hand, Oregon’s Willamette Valley, where USDA and Oregon State University are conduct- ing trials, has more moderate tempera- tures and higher humidity that promote powdery mildew. Since 2020, Moyers and her WSU group have compared a typical chemical fungi- cide program to applying UV-C light every other week, once per week and twice per week. UV-C light is a contact treatment, leaving no residue. As such, good coverage and having a direct line of sight to the target are king, Moyers said. After the 2022 season, the WSU re- searchers added leaf removal to their tri- als based on their results. The researchers want to determine whether it aids control by enhancing light contact on fruit and leaves much like it does with conventional fungicide applications. Both Brinkley and Peters said they al- ready pull leaves to increase air flow and improve fungicide spray deposition, so they didn’t have to change for the UV-C light applications. For producers who want to try the Thor- vald system, Thompson recommended they start with a small block and one ro- bot “because you’re changing a lot. You’re moving away from a tractor driver and chemicals to light.” Vicky Boyd is a reporter in Modesto. She can be reached at agalert@cfbf.com.
Mendocino County certified organic wine- grape producer also seeks practices that mesh with its regenerative philosophies. This season, it tested six UV-C light ro- bots on about 200 acres of chardonnay by the Russian River because the grape is one of the most mildew-susceptible vari- eties, and the environment is conducive to mildew. Bonterra’s typical mildew program consists of oil applications every 10 to 14 days beginning a few days after budbreak in April. Depending on the season and mildew pressure, the vineyard may also rotate with wettable or dusting sulfur until the berries reach about 13 degrees brix, or sugar content, sometime in July. After that time, the fruit doesn’t appear susceptible to mildew. This year in the test blocks, the vineyard was sprayed early in the season because of delays getting the machines deployed. It then continued with twice-a-week UV-C applications until veraison. Brinkley said he was “pleasantly surprised” by the re- sults. The blocks treated with UV-C had as good as or better mildew control than the blocks in which oil and sulfur were used. “This was such a challenging year for mildew,” he said. “This was one of the hardest mildew years that I can recall.” After using UV-C light to successfully treat fungal diseases in United Kingdom
With ultraviolet-C arrays on the sides and top, the Thorvald robot envelops vines in light. The units are typically run at night.
strawberries, Saga Robotics partnered with Cornell University’s AgriTech branch in 2020 to develop a commercial autono- mous UV-C system for winegrapes. The battery-powered Thorvald robot consists of a horse-shoe-shaped array of UV-C lights, which envelop the sides and tops of vines with light. It can run all night on one charge. Using sub-inch accurate real-time kine- matic GPS, Saga first maps the vineyard, including vine posts, vine spacing and other obstacles, to create what Thomp- son described as a digital robot highway. The platform can handle rows from 3 to 10 feet wide and most trellis systems with
crossarms up to 30 inches. Over the years, researchers have gained an understanding of how UV-C works on grapevine powdery mildew, said Michelle Moyers, a Washington State University professor and viticulture specialist. What she and fellow researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Oregon State University hope to determine with current field trials is how to best use the technology under local growing conditions. For example, the Prosser Irrigated Ag- riculture Research and Extension Center where Moyers is based is on Washington’s hot, arid eastern side and has relatively low
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October 7, 2026 Ag Alert 7
State Affairs - Federal Policy - Legal Services Advocacy in Action
Diesel As California diesel prices climb to re- cord levels, California Farm Bureau raised the concerns of farmers and ranchers with state policymakers. It sent a letter to the chairs of the Assembly and Senate trans- portation committees urging immediate attention to the significant financial strain high diesel prices place on agricultural op- erations. (See related story, Page 1). Farm Bureau said it will continue provid- ing member data, testimony and technical expertiseaspolicymakersexaminepotential solutions to the state’s fuel-cost challenges. Legislation The governor finished acting on 27 bills that California Farm Bureau tracked this year. Twenty were signed, and seven were vetoed. Of the 16 bills Farm Bureau sup- ported, 12 became law. Of the nine Farm Bureau opposed, three were vetoed, and six were signed. The 12 bills that Farm Bureau supported and that became law were: • Assembly Bill 230, which extends the Pierce’s Disease Control Program indefi- nitely rather than letting it expire in 2031. But it makes the extension inoperative if the California Department of Food and Agricul- ture finds that a referendum on continuing
the Winegrape Pest and Disease Prevention Board did not receive a favorable vote. • Assembly Bill 706, which creates the Forest Organic Residue, Energy, and Safety Transformation program. Upon appropri- ation, it would use timber fund or Green- house Gas Reduction Fund monies to maintain and expand biomass power gen- eration and revitalize idle biomass facilities. • Assembly Bill 1663, which allows the agent of a property owner to submit a Josh- ua tree permit request and meet related requirements and removes the require- ment that the request includes a signed attestation or certification. • Assembly Bill 1711, which directs fair-related funds to capital outlay for Cali- fornia fairs, covering public health, fire and life safety, emergency services, regulato- ry-compliance and maintenance projects at fairgrounds. Money deposited after Nov. 1 each year must be allocated within 90 days. • Assembly Bill 1808, which authoriz- es the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to delegate to a city the authority to approve the taking of a western Joshua tree for commercial and industrial devel- opment projects. • Assembly Bill 1890, which directs the California Department of Housing and Community Development to award up
to $500,000 a year in matching funds to the Napa County Housing Authority to keep meeting the housing needs of mi- grant and other farmworkers, with the program operative once the Legislature appropriates funding. • Assembly Bill 2032, which exempts public or private water-supply operators that submit a control plan to the Califor- nia Department of Fish and Wildlife from the restricted-species permit requirement for invasive mussels when doing mainte- nance, operational and research work. • Assembly Bill 2156, which designates March 31 as Farmworkers Day and requires the governor to proclaim it each year. • Assembly Bill 2700, which requires the California Public Utilities Commission to report by Jan. 1, 2028, on verified restitu- tion shortfalls for victims of utility-caused wildfires that occurred before July 12, 2019, and to recommend ways utilities can close those shortfalls. • Senate Bill 881, which extends the state income tax credits for food bank do- nations to taxable years beginning before Jan. 1, 2032. • Senate Bill 1062, which requires CDFW to consider making Joshua tree fees propor- tionate to a project’s impact, including tiered fees by project type, size or other criteria.
• Senate Bill 1085, which requires a city or county that receives a qualifying hous- ing application to identify the public wa- ter systems involved and, within 15 days, ask each to confirm whether the project’s water demand was included in its urban water management plan. Wolf The governor also signed into law Sen- ate Bill 1135, which directs CDFW, upon appropriation, to create a Wildlife Coex- istence Program with a statewide wild- life incident reporting tool and rename the Wolf-Livestock Compensation Pilot Program as the California Wolf-Livestock Coexistence and Compensation Program. Farm Bureau took a neutral position. The law provides compensation for confirmed or probable livestock losses and indirect losses such as reduced weight gain or lower conception rates. It also ex- plicitly allows working livestock guardian dogs to pursue wolves while defending livestock. To qualify for loss payments in active wolf territory, ranchers must use nonlethal deterrents. At least half of the program’s overall funding must be directed toward providing producers with nonlethal tools and equip- ment, helping offset out-of-pocket costs.
Summer rates start June 1
Electric Rate Plan Options for Agricultural Customers For more information on electric rate plan options, visit pge.com/tariffs .
Time-of-Use Time-of-Use rate plans can help you save because they offer lower energy rates when energy demand is low. By shifting energy use to off-peak hours of the day, when rates are lower, you can reduce your business expenses. Customers who are eligible for default will transition annually each March . For more information, visit pge.com/agrateplans .
YEAR-ROUND PEAK HOURS 5–8 p.m. JAN–DEC
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Cost per kWh varies by season. Costs are higher in the summer than in the winter. Customers are billed on measured demand. Peak period applies for 365 days of the year. Max demand charge is now the same in summer and winter.
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“PG&E” refers to Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation. ©2026 Pacific Gas and Electric Company. All rights reserved. CCC-0426-6290 Message paid for by customers.
8 Ag Alert October 7, 2026
Diesel Continued from Page 1 policy could eventually push up prices at the pump. “That cuts off the competition for those barrels from the rest of the world,” he said. For farmers, the use of diesel is often unavoidable. Yolo County farmer Bill Cruickshank, who serves as chairman of the California Wheat Commission, said he and other wheat growers already felt the sting of ris- ing diesel prices when they harvested their crop earlier this year. With the recent price surge, he said wheat farmers are seeing their fuel costs increase by about 6% overall. Jeromy Geiger, a Glenn County farmer and co-owner of an agricultural trucking business, said diesel powers all his farm equipment—from tractors to pump en- gines. His trucking business is entirely de- pendent on diesel to keep its fleet running. He said he raised the seasonal rate this year on his trucking customers to account for higher diesel costs but is try- ing to avoid changing them again in the middle of the season. “We’d like to hope that we don’t ad- just immediately and that we’ve factored enough to where we can weather the storm and not hammer our customers, who are all farmers,” he said. “Our trucking busi- ness is built entirely on agriculture, so we feel the pain of the farmer as well.” Geiger said he considered adding elec- tric vehicles to his fleet to reduce his reli- ance on diesel. He contacted Pacific Gas & Electric Co. three or four years ago about installing a charging station in his truck yard. But he said the company told him it wasn’t feasible because the necessary en- ergy infrastructure wasn’t available in the rural area where he works and lives. As a result, he has continued to rely on diesel. “For some people, it makes total sense, and it’s totally doable,” Geiger said. “But it can’t work for everybody.” Colusa County farmer Chris Torres, who also owns an agricultural trucking busi- ness, said he faces similar challenges as diesel prices soar. He said fuel is a major expense across his 400 acres of rice, from powering harvesters and tractors to man- aging rice straw after harvest. Overall, he estimated his fuel costs have gone up by at least 50%. “It’s all expensive,” Torres said. With his trucking business, he said he has already had to increase the fuel sur- charge for customers. In the past, he ad- justed the surcharge seasonally, but rising prices may force him to update it weekly. He said he hopes to avoid daily adjust- ments but acknowledged the cost of fuel has increased considerably. Cummings, the Stanford economist, said an end to the war in Iran and a re- sumption of regular oil shipments would likely bring prices down. But without knowing when those conditions will re- turn, he said it’s hard to predict when die- sel prices will fall. He said global inventories of crude oil and refined products were well-stocked before the war but have steadily declined
since it began. The longer the conflict con- tinues, the greater the risk that fuel prices could reach levels that make the current in- crease seem mild in comparison, he added. Even if the war ended tomorrow, Cum- mings said, it would take time for fuel prices to ease, as refineries would need time to process crude oil and replenish depleted inventories. “If all of the inventories are gone, then there’s an acute physical scarcity, which
is going to take weeks to get sorted out,” he said. For growers, Cruickshank said the price of wheat has climbed due to reduced ex- ports from Russia and Ukraine amid their ongoing conflict. But he said farmers have few options for cutting costs in response to the higher diesel prices because many already operate on tight margins. He said he hopes disruptions to oil shipments end soon, particularly
because he doesn’t expect assistance from state officials. Torres said he hopes profits from last year’s crop will be enough to cover the loans needed to plant this year’s crop. Be- yond that, he said it’s hard to plan for what comes next. “Volatility is extremely challenging,” he said. “There’s not much we can do.” Manola Secaira is a staff writer for Ag Alert. She can be reached at msecaira@cfbf.com.
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October 7, 2026 Ag Alert 9
CALIFORNIA
Vegetables A SPECIAL GROWERS’ REPORT OF AG ALERT ®
TM
Pumpkin growers target trends, Halloween demand By Cecilia Parsons Alan Changala, left, who grows pumpkins in Tulare County, kneels next to a white specialty pumpkin called Porcelain Doll Improved, which he says he expects will be popular with customers of his pumpkin patch in Porterville. His farm grew 20 pumpkin varieties this year, including standard jack-o’-lantern types, right, with most of the crop going to wholesale markets.
From emergence to maturity, pumpkins typically require 90 to 120 days before they’re ready for harvest. As a result, farmers must carefully time their planting to ensure the crop is ready to meet demand during the fall holiday season. Growers targeting the autumn decorating and Halloween markets generally schedule plantings to maintain a steady supply through November. Perry said harvest continues through the end of October, with pumpkins going to retailers and wholesalers throughout the West. The farm also operates a farm stand near its headquarters. Danielle Ratto of Van Groningen and Sons in San Joaquin County said demand for California pumpkins may be up due to heat affecting other major pumpkin-producing states such as Illinois and Indiana. Anticipating strong demand, Van Groningen and Sons and its contract growers planted 1,650 acres of pumpkins this year, with yields expected to be about the same as last year, Ratto said. Harvest started just before Labor Day, a target date for when retailers like to have a good selection of pumpkins in their stores. Ratto said there has been increased demand during the past 10 years for “aesthetically pleasing” pumpkin varieties for decorating front porches. The farm plants new pumpkin varieties every year, she noted, and for the 2026 season, it has zebra stripe pumpkins, yellow mini pumpkins and a pumpkin variety that is almost black.
Colorful roadside pumpkin patches are a sure sign of fall’s arrival. Less visible from the road but significant in scale are the thousands of acres of commercial pumpkin fields that help make California one of the nation’s leading suppliers of fresh pumpkins. More than 5,000 acres of pumpkins are grown annually in California, with San Joaquin County remaining the center of the state’s commercial pumpkin production. The region sends an estimated 70% to 80% of the state’s pumpkin crop to market, where the pumpkins are sold for Halloween jack-o’-lanterns, fall décor and consumption. Favorable planting conditions and mild temperatures during bloom helped California pumpkin growers produce a quality crop with normal yields this year. As the pumpkins move to market, growers report few significant pest or disease issues. Art Perry of Manteca-based Perry and Sons, which began harvest Aug. 15, described his crop as “really nice,” with “gorgeous colors and strong, intact stems.” Intact stems are important, he said, not only because they serve as handles but also because they preserve the integrity of the pumpkin. “We only want them about four fingers tall,” he said. “Much more than that and they break off.” A woody, dried stem on a pumpkin is one sign of maturity. The multigenerational farm—one of the state’s largest growers and shippers of pump- kins—planted about 500 acres of the winter squash this year. Planting began in June and is staggered so that the crop can ripen at different times.
See PUMPKINS, Page 11
10 Ag Alert October 7, 2026
Pumpkins Continued from Page 10
Perry said ornamental pumpkin vari- eties, particularly those with autumn col- ors, are in demand by retailers. Most of his pumpkins are the jack-o’-lantern carving type, with Magic Wand and Sunrise being popular choices. He said the farm also aims for different sizes with its Cannonball or Soccer Ball pumpkins. Virtually all California pumpkins are destined for the fresh and ornamental market, which includes pumpkins sold for decorative purposes and for direct consumption, according to the U.S. De- partment of Agriculture. In contrast, Illi- nois—the nation’s top pumpkin produc- er—devotes most of its pumpkin acreage to processing with pumpkin varieties that are intended for canning and pureeing. At Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm in Wheat- land, which has been in operation for 54 years, acres of U-pick pumpkins remain a cornerstone of its business, with almonds and forage crops rounding out its produc- tion. During Halloween season, the work- ing farm transforms into an amusement park-like destination with myriad attrac- tions, including field trips and an educa- tional component that teaches visitors how pumpkins are grown. “That was one of the reasons we started this agritourism offering,” Wayne Bishop said. “My mom wanted to see kids come to the farm and learn about agriculture, and we believed the pumpkins would be a good draw.”
In addition to jack- o’-lantern carving pumpkins, other decorative pumpkin varieties have seen increasing popularity during the fall season, including warty pumpkins, left, and those with different colors, far left.
One economic trend Bishop said he has noticed in his pumpkin patch business in recent years is that people are taking fewer pumpkins home with them. “We continue to see higher numbers of visitors but with fewer sales,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons we switched to a flat price for three sizes of pumpkins and have a lot of $5 pumpkins.” Nearly all his pumpkins are sold directly to visitors who come to his fields to pick their own. That business runs through the second weekend of November. Since the start of harvest in August, Alan and Liz Changala, who operate Changa- la’s Pumpkin Patch in Porterville with their
daughter, Jamie, have been keeping work crews busy on their 60 acres of pumpkins. About 75% of the farm’s pumpkins are for wholesale markets, with the rest going to retail. In addition to wholesalers and re- tail stores, the farm sells to church groups and other pumpkin patches. The Changalas have been growing pumpkins since 1988 to complement their hay and grain farming. They planted 20 pumpkin varieties this year. Alan Changala said he consults with seed salespeople to gauge demand for specialty and standard jack-o’-lantern types. He said he expects Porcelain Doll Im- proved, a pearl-white specialty pumpkin
that’s new to his farm, to be popular with customers and that he will sell most of the colorful varieties. When the patch closes for the year and demand slows, all the left- over pumpkins are sold as feed for cattle, sheep, goats and chickens. Although favorable weather helped with crop quality and size, he said cucumber beetles that feed on pumpkin plant leaves and spread a virus that affects plant vigor remain a challenge. Gophers also invaded some of his pumpkin blocks, requiring ad- ditional pest control measures. Cecilia Parsons is a reporter in Tulare County. She can be reached at agalert@cfbf.com.
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October 7, 2026 Ag Alert 11
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