Ag Alert May 15, 2024

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.

Special issue Fog studied for benefits to farms and water supply

Farm Bureau in D.C. Delegation advocates on farm bill, state priorities

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

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www.cfbf.com • www.agalert.com MAY 15, 2024

Vegetables

special report

By Caleb Hampton California fleet owners are scrambling to comply with new rules designed to limit emissions from diesel-powered big rigs and other heavy-duty vehicles. These trucks and Tech lags behind as clean trucking mandates begin

buses, while a small fraction of the state’s vehicles, emit more than half the vehi- cle-related pollution in California, accord-

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

ing to regulators. But as new standards go into effect, operators report the technology and infrastructure they need for compli- ance is not yet available—and could still be years away. “We are not opposed to electrification,” said Steven Fenaroli, director of political affairs for the California Farm Bureau. “The reality is that the technology just isn’t there to meet the requirements.” The Mahrt family, which owns the Petaluma Egg Farm, has been stumped by a rule announced in 2022 that gave truck- ing firms until Jan. 1 of this year to convert at least 15% of refrigerated box truck fleets to zero-emission vehicles. The Sonoma County chicken farmers own 10 diesel-powered “reefer trucks” that they use to haul organic eggs from their farm to restaurants and grocery stores around the Bay Area. The new rule means they need to replace two of the trucks with zero-emission vehicles or install bat- tery-powered refrigerating units. “The problem is they do not exist,” said Jordan Mahrt, manager at Petaluma Egg Farm, referring to battery-powered units that are compatible with the family’s die- sel-powered trucks. He said that would be the most affordable solution, and there are industry talks of developing such a unit. But he added, “No one has even seen a prototype yet.” The other option is to purchase brand new zero-emission refrigerated trucks. The first models hit the market earlier this year.

Rice planting ramps up after slower start While planting a rice field in Yuba County, an agricultural aircraft operated by Sutter Butte Dusters in Live Oak flies back to the landing strip to refill with rice seed. Aided by summer-like temperatures last week, rice growers throughout the Sacramento Valley raced to get fields prepared and planted.

By Ching Lee After a storm dumped more than an inch of water on parts of Northern California earlier this month, effectively halting field- work, rice farmers have since been going full throttle. Throughout the Sacramento Valley, aeri- al applicators can be seen crisscrossing the skies raining rice seed onto flooded fields while tractors prepare neighboring plots

for planting. Strong winds grounded planes for a day last week, but farmers say the gusts and subsequent higher temperatures have helped to dry out fields to allow tractor work. With the region receiving full water allo- cations, most rice farmers say they intend to plant all their acreage, weather permit- ting. Knowing the final acreage count will influence market prices, which have fall- en after the 2023 harvest brought decent

yields from increased plantings, said Yuba County grower Charley Mathews Jr. “We’re going to have a reduction (in acreage) definitely, but you never know until everybody’s planted,” he said. Before the storm, California growers were projected to sow 497,000 acres of rice this year, according to the U.S. Department

See RICE, Page 14

n e w s p a p e r

Comment.......................................2 From the Fields........................4-5 Vegetables................................ 6-7 Classifieds........................... 22-23 Inside

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See TRUCKS, Page 11

Sensible pesticide policies needed for invasive pests By Renee Pinel

approval process of pesticides, particularly those designed to combat emerging pests and diseases. Legislative and regulatory efforts to impose bans on pesticides with- out thorough scientific evaluation and evi- dence must be rejected. Science, not polit- ical pressure, should guide our decisions. The pandemic taught us the importance of being prepared and adaptable to un- foreseen challenges. Banning pesticides or eliminating certain entire classes of pesticides could severely limit our ability to respond to new threats to agriculture. This could endanger our food supply and the well-being of our communities. As we face challenges of climate change and invasive species, a balanced and sci- entifically informed approach to regula- tion is essential. This means keeping all options on the table, including pesticides, when scientifically justified and necessary for public health. When used responsibly, pesticides are our best bet against these invasive threats for safeguarding our food supply and the precious biodiversity of regions such as California. If you take away tools to combat these harmful pests, we will see increased plant and tree diseases and dead vegeta- tion worsening wildfire dangers. Decisions on pesticide use must be based on scientific evidence, including careful consideration of our agricultural re- silience, food security and environmental health. By promoting a regulatory environ- ment rooted in scientific integrity, adapt- ability and sustainability, we can secure California’s agricultural future and protect our diverse ecological landscape, and the health and safety of all Californians. (Renee Pinel is president and CEO of Western Plant Health, a Sacramento-based trade association representing fertilizer and crop protection companies. She may be contacted at reneep@healthyplants.org.)

California is the agricultural heart of our nation’s food supply chain. It produces more than 400 commodities, more than one-third of the nation’s vegetables and nearly three-quarters of its fruits and nuts. Yet California

agriculture is un- der constant at- tack from invasive pests and diseases. These nonnative plants and insects pose a significant threat to California ecosystems and our food supply.

Food production relies on approval and availability of crop protection materials to manage destructive pests and diseases.

Renee Pinel

Some 84% of infestations result from in- sects that can attack crops, spread dis- eases from field to field and even sicken residents, according to the Center for Invasive Species Research at the University of California, Riverside. Invasive pests, such as the varroa de- structor mites from Asia, pose an ongo- ing threat. Then there’s the nonnative Mediterranean and oriental fruit fly and the glassy-winged sharpshooter, which have decimated crops and residential fruit trees. Dutch elm disease, spread by an in- vasive bark beetle, has led to the death of thousands of elms. These pests also en- danger pollinators and habitat. As we navigate challenges of environ- mental safety and community health, the conversation around pesticide use and regulation becomes increasingly relevant. Chemical formulas offer a solution. As with any tool, the key lies in its judicious use. With losses exceeding $3 billion annu- ally due to invasive species, California is at the forefront of this battle. Both federal and state regulatory agencies must fulfill their roles in shielding Californians from these threats. With much of it coming from

invasive insects, registration of insecticides should be of special focus to California’s pest control authority, the Department of Pesticide Regulation. Globally, the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in 2019 highlighted the economic impact of invasive species, with estimated damages of more than $423 billion annu- ally. These species also play a major role in plant and animal extinctions, emphasizing the critical need for effective pest manage- ment strategies to protect our food sources and maintain biodiversity. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization notes that up to 40% of global crop production is lost to plant pests and diseases. Before insec- ticides were used, 50% of the artichoke crop was lost due to damage from worms. Without the use of pesticides, there would be a 78% loss of fruit production and a 54% loss of vegetable production. Yet developing and approving new pes- ticides is time-consuming and expensive for registrants, often requiring more than a decade and hundreds of millions of dol- lars before a product can be brought to

market. This includes a five- to seven-year review process by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, with more than 300 health and environmental peer-reviewed studies, followed by duplicative California- specific evaluations, another set of studies and an extended timeline of another five or more years. Proposals to transition agriculture to “softer chemistries” is another complicat- ed aspect of pest control that must be eval- uated when replacing effective registered products with newer versions. The process often requires multiple product applica- tions, which can then lead to resistance and potentially increase the agricultural sector’s carbon footprint due to additional tractor passes and pesticide applications. While the efficacy of softer chemistries is promising, they cannot be viewed as simple one-to-one replacements. Most must be used in combination with tradi- tional tools or other new tools. As a result, California regulators must not restrict tra- ditional crop protection tools until a prov- en combination of tools—not just one new product—is available. There is a clear need to streamline the

VOL. 51, NO. 19

May 15, 2024

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Traveling to Washington, D.C. to advocate on the 2024 Farm Bill and other policy issues, a California Farm Bureau delegation, including the Leadership Farm Bureau class, meets with John Newton, center, chief economist for the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. Farm Bureau advocates for passage of 2024 Farm Bill

By Christine Souza Leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate agricul- ture committees released title-by-title frameworks of the 2024 Farm Bill, om- nibus legislation to support the nation’s farmers and ranchers through a variety of safety-net, farm-loan, conservation and disaster-assistance programs. The 2018 Farm Bill, originally set to ex- pire in 2023 but extended last year, comes up for renewal in September. The latest farm bill outlines were released May 1. The California Farm Bureau board of di- rectors, members of this year’s Leadership Farm Bureau class and the organization’s federal policy team were in Washington, D.C., early this month, meeting with law- makers and staff to advocate on issues, including the farm bill. Noting that farmers face a challenging economy with low commodity prices, high inflation and rising input costs, California Farm Bureau First Vice President Shaun Crook said passing a 2024 Farm Bill this year is critical. “It is important to increase baseline funding for all programs because we in agriculture are in a drastically different economic environment in 2024 than we were in 2016 when the last farm bill was ne- gotiated,” said Crook, a Tuolumne County forester and logger. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa.,

chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, released the committee’s out- line for the legislation, which guides U.S. farm and nutrition policies. The document includes investments in the farm safety net, conservation, research and forestry. “Each title of this farm bill reflects a commitment to the American farmer and viable pathways to funding those com- mitments and is equally responsive to the politics of the 118th Congress,” Thompson said in a statement. The House Committee on Agriculture is expected to release final language this week and consider amendments during a bill markup set for May 23. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., chair of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, released the com- mittee framework, the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act. It includes in- vestments in the farm safety net, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, climate-smart con- servation practices and addresses foreign ownership of farmland. “This is a serious proposal that reflects bipartisan priorities to keep farmers farming, families fed and rural communities strong,” Stabenow said in a statement. “The foundation of every successful farm bill is built on holding together the broad, bipartisan coalition of farmers, See BILL, Page 8

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May 15, 2024 Ag Alert 3

From the Fields ®

To contribute to From the Fields, submit your name, county of membership and contact information to agalert@cfbf.com.

Jake Samuel San Joaquin County cherry and walnut farmer

Mike Vereschagin Glenn County almond and prune grower

We’re going to be busy in the cherries for the next 30 days. Some of the earli- er districts are getting going. It is a slow start though, and a little later start than was anticipated. We’re picking a block that’s normally picked in middle to late May rather than early May. The fruit looks good. Two weekends ago, we got a little more than an inch of rain. There’s going to be a small percentage of loss but nothing like we expect- ed. The winds that followed helped to dry out the trees. Many did some applica- tions before and after the rain to bolster the cell walls of the fruit. From what I’m hearing, there’s very minimal loss. The market for fresh cherries is relatively stable. Some early varieties have been on the smaller side, but size should improve as we get into the mainstay varieties like Coral Champagne, Garnet and Brooks. For the Bings that come lat- er in the year, it’s going to be a very large crop. For our dried cherries, demand has been maintaining, and we’re exploring new markets. Our mainstays are wholesale ingredients, general confectionary, trail mixes and other ingredient mixes. We’re seeing the snacking area pick up a little bit. The no-added-sugar kick that we promote is a big driver. When the U.S. Department of Agriculture says we need to reduce school lunch program sugar intakes, that’s been a good driver for us as well. On our walnuts, we’re in it for the long game, not the short game. We have the good Chandler variety, and we have good-producing orchards. We’ve been monitoring the budget. With the rain we’ve had, we had to apply a light spray to protect the crop so we have something to market and sell at the end of the year. Last year, it was a record-setting walnut crop. We’ve got to take a couple punch- es on the chin and roll with it.

We’re on a full irrigation schedule this time of year, and thankfully, we’ve got 100% water supply in the north part of the state. With our water district, we did some more groundwater recharge this spring, but that has ended. Our almonds are a nice, good-sized crop. The state estimate just came out, and it’s a bigger crop statewide than last year. The negative thing is depressed prices. We sure hope they improve, but the economics is still not real bright on almonds. It keeps margins tighter. We lost at least 100 almond trees in various orchards with the storm that came through two weeks ago. It was just enough to be a hassle. We had to send a man out with a chainsaw to cut up the trees and get the brush hauled out of the orchard so equipment can get through. It was mostly on the older rootstocks. With the newer rootstocks, they’re anchored down much better, so not a single tree went down. Most of the (downed) trees are in older or- chards that are planned to be taken out in the next several years. Doing a replant this late in the game won’t do any good, so we just take the trees out and leave it empty. We’ve got a very nice prune crop in my area. We did a little thinning on the crop, but by and large, most of the trees have a heavy crop. The biggest thing is trying to get the fruit to size up. Disease pressure has been fairly low this year. I haven’t had to do much spraying for disease control. We’re doing a bit of mow- ing and cutting suckers off the trunks of younger trees. Between almonds and prunes, prune prices have been doing a little better. World production on prunes is in balance with world demand or consumption, so prices have strengthened from what had been in the past.

Tony Vaught Butte County aquaculture producer and consultant

Aquaculture is growing fast, not only in California but all over the U.S. This time of year, inland farms are especially busy hatching warm-water fish such as channel catfish, large-mouth bass, hybrid carp, sturgeon and many more. They’ll be hatch- ing fish and stocking them to tanks and in outdoor ponds for production of food and recreation. In addition to hatching the fish, farmers are busy harvesting, feeding and moving their fish in different areas for production. Fortunately, we’ve had a wet winter, so the supply of water is good for fish farms. That water is reused in many different ways, including to grow conventional crops like alfalfa and row crops. Some fish farms pro- vide water for wildlife refuges and other areas that need a consistent supply of water. Most of the fish in California are raised for live-fish markets and for recreation. Not much goes into processing plants. The market is really strong because consumers really want a good-quality, fresh fish that’s locally grown. California and the entire U.S. rely on imported fish. Locally grown fish that are fresh and able to be delivered on a regular basis are in demand. Prices have been high, although the cost has been really high lately too. The market for fish is going to continue to grow, primarily because imported fish that have been coming in at a lesser cost are now costing more. The consumer is asking for a locally grown U.S. fish that they can count on being healthy and nutritious.

4 Ag Alert May 15, 2024

Insights from farmers and ranchers across the Golden State, including members of the California Farm Bureau.

Larry Cox Imperial County farmer

We’re right in the middle of red and yellow bulb onion harvest on our ranch. Everybody got hit with mildew, probably from the middle of March to the middle of April, and it set size for most people back a little bit but not dramatically. We’ll be running onions through the 10th of June. The onion crop looks good. The pricing on red onions is exceptionally good and adequately good for yellow onions, so we’re optimistic. We are thrashing wheat. The acreage on wheat is up but not necessarily because the market is good but because of a lack of profitable alternatives. Sudan acres are down dramatically this year because of such poor pricing on exports last year. We cut our sudan acres in half. We are baling hay, and the price is cheap on it. The qual- ity has not been great as far as testing for protein, but things look a little bit better on the latest cutting compared to a month ago. On lettuce and some other crops, everything moved back to the Salinas area around April 10. The markets have been surprisingly good on iceberg and romaine due to reduced plantings because of heavy mildew pressure and some soil diseas- es, whether it is fusarium or rhizoctonia. There was a little bit of rain damage too. There’s a heavy dose of anthracnose in a lot of fields in Salinas and Santa Maria. We are harvesting at our Mexicali ranch. We’ve got chili peppers going full blast— serranos, jalapeños and Anaheim chilis. The markets are good. We started those around April 10, and we’ll go until early June. We’re also harvesting green beans. For our green onion production, those have a lot of mildew because of rains and light winds during February and March. We don’t grow corn, but the sweet corn harvest is going full bore down here in the Imperial Valley, and cantaloupe harvest is starting to get ready to go pretty quickly.

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May 15, 2024 Ag Alert 5

CALIFORNIA

Vegetables A SPECIAL GROWERS’ REPORT OF AG ALERT ®

Cabbage growers in Ventura County are partnering with researchers at the University of California to control populations of diamondback moths, right. Increased crop damage from diamondback larvae prompted a search for better pest management tools.

Cabbage growers wage war on diamondback moth By Rob McCarthy

according to county crop reports. Concerned about the continuing diamondback moth damage, growers approached Oleg Daugovish, University of California Cooperative Extension vegetable crops advisor in Ventura County. He established a monitoring program using pheromone-baited traps to catch adult males. The traps revealed accelerating levels of diamondback moths. Daugovish said pesticides that area growers had relied on to grow market-ready cabbage and Brussels sprouts were becoming ineffective in treating the moths compared to results in other coastal areas in the state. “It was just a matter of time,” Daugovish said. “The resistance was developed to just about every mode of action that we have.” The diamondback moth is found everywhere cabbage is growing in Ventura County, making it California’s hottest spot to study and collect data. As a result, Daugovish is in- vestigating potential integrated pest management steps that could complement new crop protection materials when they become available in the state. One material not yet registered in California was effective in Arizona trials and will be tested in Ventura County, said UCCE staff entomologist Hamutahl Cohen. The product name is Plinazolin, which has the active ingredient isocycloseram for disrupting the moth’s nervous system.

Despite having wings, a diamondback moth isn’t much of a flier. That hasn’t stopped it from spreading across Ventura County where cabbage is in the ground much of the year. California cabbage growers have dealt with the moth for two centuries, according to published research. However, a resurgence of the destructive pest is affecting farms along the Southern California coast, where cabbage production is highest and is ramping up ahead of the summer. California is the nation’s top producer of cabbage, with Ventura and Santa Barbara counties leading the state. The region is also ground zero for the diamondback, which is attracted to leafy plants in the brassica family. It can be cabbage or Brussels sprouts. A field of broccoli or a Chinese vegetable such as bok choy are welcome hosts. Yellow mustard, a weed that grows along roadways and near the Santa Monica Mountains in Ventura County, offers enough refuge and nutrition for diamondback moths to reproduce and restart the life cycle. Starting in 2021, growers in the Camarillo-Oxnard area began noticing holes chewed in the leaves and flowers of cabbage transplants. Some blocks of cabbage damaged by diamondback moth larvae had to be disked. Cabbage acreage in Ventura County dropped from 3,194 in 2020 to 2,851 in 2021, and the crop value fell from $37 million to $35 million. While cabbage plantings dropped further to 2,642 acres in 2022, rising prices lifted the crop value to $40 million,

See MOTH, Page 7

6 Ag Alert May 15, 2024

Moth Continued from Page 6

“We are going to trial this product against a couple of local standard prod- ucts to determine efficacy in controlling diamondback moth larvae,” Cohen wrote in an email. Meanwhile, one Camarillo farm with sizable cabbage acreage planted for the summer harvest window experimented with releasing biologicals and sterile adult male diamondback moths from drones to try to manage the pest. But the results were unsuccessful. “We got nothing from it,” said Rio Farms general manager Danny Pereira. Two years ago, the farm was a hotspot. Last year, Rio Farms adjusted its planting and harvest schedules, so cabbage was in the ground by midspring, Peirera said. Crews waited until fall to replant, and the results were promising. “It’s hit or miss,” Pereira said. Crop rotation is a best practice used elsewhere against the diamondback. Pereira said his farm managers and pest control advisors discussed potentially ro- tating out growing cabbage this summer to mitigate the threat. The farm team decided against it, mostly because of the presence of nearby fields of Brussels sprouts, anoth- er diamondback moth target. A monitoring program by Daugovish’s team showed that warming temperatures

Attracted to brassica plants, the diamondback moth feeds on cabbage,

left. Researchers at the University of

California Cooperative Extension in Ventura County are developing new integrated pest management strategies to control the pest.

in 2022 and 2023 appeared to trigger dia- mondback moth mating and new popu- lation growth. Rio Farms uses bait traps to keep tabs on the pest’s pressure. By mid- April, the number of male moths in the traps was rising, Pereira said. Diamondback moth researchers in Arizona, Hawaii, Georgia, North Carolina and Florida shared findings with Daugovish on successes controlling the row-crop pest as part of integrated pest management approaches. He is now exploring multiple approach- es for targeting the diamondback moth.

Daugovish said his research team al- ready knows of three species of parasitic wasps that can be deployed as biocontrol organisms to outcompete diamondback moth larvae in Ventura County. The next step is finding how to preserve the benefi- cial wasps on and nearby farms. Another technique that Daugovish said shows promise is to plant certain mustard species as “termination crops” on which diamondback moth females lay eggs that don’t develop into adults. In addition, testing is set for the fall for another potential remedy: pheromone-

based mating disruption. UCCE researchers have also applied for grants to test diamondback moth resis- tance to varied insecticide applications to prevent “useless sprays.” Because of the intensity of cole-crop production in Ventura County, what works in another part of the state won’t necessar- ily transfer across county lines—meaning that lots of field work and testing lie ahead, Daugovish said. (Rob McCarthy is a reporter in Ventura County. He may be contacted at robmccarthy10@yahoo.com.)

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May 15, 2024 Ag Alert 7

Bill Continued from Page 3

theory, if they haven’t passed the farm bill by November, they have a window of about a month and a half to get this done in the lame duck period.” In a statement, American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall said the House and Senate agriculture committee proposals acknowledge that programs used by farmers and ranchers require additional investment in the face of falling commodity prices and increased inflation.

“While there will inevitably be disagree- ments on specific provisions and funding levels of several programs, we encourage both chairs to hold a markup this month,” Duvall said. “We urge lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to work together in a bi- partisan manner to find consensus and pass a farm bill before the extension ex- pires this year.” Reflecting on his first trip to the na- tion’s capital, Honig said, “It was really

eye-opening to be in Washington, D.C., and see where everything gets done and just to talk to the politicians. “It was a really incredible experience,” he added. “I had several congressmen ask me specifically about my family operation. I think that they want to learn so that they can try to represent us better.” (Christine Souza is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at csouza@cfbf.com.)

rural communities, nutrition and hunger advocates, researchers, conservationists and the climate community.” In California Farm Bureau discussions with lawmakers in the nation’s capital, “members of our delegation reminded them that waiting another year to pass a farm bill is very much to our detriment,” said Matthew Viohl, Farm Bureau’s direc- tor of federal policy. “It may be easy to kick the can down the road with short-term extensions, but the consequences are real for farm- ers in California and across the coun- try,” Viohl added. Discussions with lawmakers, he said, reflected a general uncertainty about what could be accomplished during a presiden- tial election year. “Each office has its own different outlook on what they think might happen. Some are very hopeful and some not hopeful at all,” Viohl said. However, despite the uncertain polit- ical landscape, Viohl said, “it was a very productive advocacy trip,” adding that lawmakers appreciate hearing from farm- ers who provide a “boots-on-the-ground perspective” on federal policies. Sutter County rice grower Sy Honig of Robbins, a member of the Leadership Farm Bureau class, said the delegation emphasized that federal crop insurance needs to be expanded in the farm bill to include more specialty crops. “We grow more than 400 varieties of crops in California and only a frac- tion of those are covered,” Honig said. “Expansion of crop insurance for crops that are not typically covered could help (for example) those farming small grains and specialty rice.” Honig said politicians from both par- ties were receptive to suggestions brought by California farmers and acknowledged that they are trying to pass the farm bill this year. “They’re trying to work through their differences,” Honig said. Each framework, Viohl said, con- tains improvements for farmers and ranchers with expansion of crop insur- ance protections, particularly for spe- cialty crop producers, an expansion of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and more money for trade and market access programs. Other priorities for California farmers, he said, include expanded risk-manage- ment tools and programs, fixes to ad- justed gross income limits, an updated definition of rural, support for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and more ro- bust forestry programs. A key sticking point to negotiations, Viohl said, is nutrition program funding, which represents more than 80% of the total cost of the farm bill. The 2024 Farm Bill is estimated to cost $1.5 trillion for 10 years, Viohl said. “Changes to the nutrition title remain a key roadblock between both sides, with Democratic leaders suggesting the Republican proposals on adjusting the base food plan for SNAP recipients are a complete nonstarter,” Viohl said. “In

TWO FAMILIAR BRANDS.

ONE COMMON GOAL.

8 Ag Alert May 15, 2024

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Researchers study changes in Central Coast fog belt By Caitlin Fillmore

As fog rolls in on California’s Central Coast, it blankets farming regions from Sonoma to Monterey counties. The “fog belt” con-

ditions help nourish strawberry crops, reducing their de- mand for water and at times allowing farmers to cut irri-

With diminished fog along the Central Coast, researchers

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

gation by 25%, said Sara Baguskas, a San Francisco State University professor of geography and the environment. Baguskas, who has studied fog-plant interactions, including agricultural ben- efits, since 2008, is part of a research team from multiple institutions focusing on characteristics of coastal fog. The goal is to maximize fog as a resource for farming and water supplies. The researchers are also monitoring potential impacts of reduced fog due to climate change. “Fog is a fundamental phenomenon,” said Dan Fernandez, an environmental sci- ence professor and researcher who heads the Fernandez Fog Lab at California State University, Monterey Bay. “Fog could have precipitation benefits, but it’s part of the water cycle that is not often considered.” Anecdotal and scientific data suggest

from multiple California universities are studying fog pattern changes to address water scarcity and gauge potential climate impacts.

California’s coastal fog has diminished during the last 30 years, Baguskas said. “Research does not indicate that fog will disappear, but we are uncertain how coast- al fog may change in the future,” she said. “Increasing communication between agri- culturalists who observe local meteorology

on a daily basis and researchers who are trying to understand its patterns will enrich our understanding of how coastal fog may be impacted by climate change.” For the past 50 years, fog research has primarily focused on fog’s ecological im- pact. As temperatures across California are

predicted to steadily rise, fog’s relevance to water scarcity, including for agriculture, holds new relevance, researchers say. Fernandez and a fog study team— including students from Cal State

See FOG, Page 12

10 Ag Alert May 15, 2024

Trucks Continued from Page 1

out the 80,000-pound limit trucks in the U.S. can haul. Zero-emission truck batteries weigh up to 16,000 pounds, displacing up to a third of the truck’s carrying capacity. To haul the same wine, Antonini would need more trucks, drivers and hours. To stay in business, he would have to pass the extra cost on to the winery, “but I would not be able to,” he said, because the winery would just hire someone else to haul their wine. Zero-emission drayage trucks also lack the range to cover many of the routes the company runs. The average daily distance a drayage truck travels is 95 miles, within the 100-150 mile range of commercial- ly available battery-powered trucks. But Antonini’s trucks often travel routes of more than 400 miles in a day. “Our trucks don’t finish their trip right outside the port,” said Stefano Antonini, Modesto terminal supervisor for the

company. “They come all the way back to the valley,” sometimes going from Stockton to Madera to Oakland to Lodi and back to Stockton in a day. Last year, fleet owners were impacted by the final phase of a different rule, which prohibited heavy-duty vehicles made be- fore 2010 from operating in California after Jan. 1, 2023. The rule especially affected small trucking businesses and farmers that lacked the capital to invest in new trucks and were using older trucks on a seasonal or part-time basis. Keith Nilmeier, who farms 220 acres of oranges, peaches, apricots and grapes in Fresno County and runs a trucking busi- ness, said the rule slashed his fleet from 18 trucks to eight trucks during the past year. “We were trying to stay compliant, but it just kept going, and there was no relief,” Nilmeier said. “It takes a big bite

out of everything.” Nilmeier and other operators said they remain reluctant to invest in zero-emission trucks, which cost around $450,000, citing the high cost and deficiencies in the vehi- cles’ range and carrying capacity. California is spending billions on sub- sidies to make zero-emission trucks more affordable, but fleet owners said the cost to them is still double that of buying a diesel truck. They also voiced concerns that California lacks the charging infrastruc- ture to support electric truck fleets, and the state’s utility providers lack the grid capac- ity to support the infrastructure. “Those are all deal killers,” Joe Antonini said. (Caleb Hampton is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. He may be contacted at champton@cfbf.com.)

The Mahrts ordered one. But the manufac- turer has not told them how long it will take to build and deliver their truck. “I don’t know when it’s going to be made,” Mahrt said. The family had no choice but to seek an exemption from the rule. To do so, it needed to submit its truck purchase order, proof that it inquired with a utility provider about installing charging units, and other documents. “It’s a complicated process,” Mahrt said. Trucking firms also reported obsta- cles to integrating zero-emission drayage trucks into their fleets. Under California’s Advanced Clean Fleets rule, which was adopted last year by the California Air Resources Board, beginning this year any new drayage truck registered in the state must be a zero-emission vehicle. The rule requires the phaseout of all diesel-powered drayage trucks in California by 2035 and nearly all diesel trucks in the state by 2042. In December, the air resources board announced it would delay enforcement this year pending permission from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Drayage trucks haul agricultural prod- ucts and other cargo in shipping contain- ers between ports and processing or pack- ing facilities. CARB put them first in line for conversion to zero-emission vehicles because it said their emissions especially impact underserved communities adja- cent to ports and industrial zones, and be- cause their shorter routes are more likely to fall within the limited range of the bat- tery-powered heavy-duty vehicles already on the market. But operators, especially those serving rural agricultural regions, say technological limitations and market forces make using zero-emission drayage trucks a nonstarter. Joe Antonini, owner of Antonini Freight Express, has a fleet of more than 60 drayage trucks that haul bulk wine, tomato paste and other products between the Central Valley and the Port of Oakland. The wineries and canneries always max

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Fog

Continued from Page 10

meter can collect several gallons of water during a single foggy, windy day. “Fog is not like rain. It doesn’t fall; it tends to float,” Fernandez said. “When the wind blows, the fog moves, hits vertical structures and drips down.” Fernandez said his team can set up a standard fog collector in a farmer’s field to record measurements and determine the fog pattern of a specific location. He

years ago. He said his research remains fo- cused on how much water can be collected from farms in different places. His research team deploys square col- lection frames that stand vertically and reach 9 feet tall. The width of each frame is covered with mesh, providing a space for fog water droplets to collect into a trough about 6 feet aboveground. A collection frame measuring 1 square

has received some interest from farmers seeking to leverage fog as a water source, particularly in drought years. Water vapor in clouds and fog is the planet’s most abundant greenhouse gas, trapping about half the sun’s heat used to create a livable temperature on earth, ac- cording to NASA. Around the world, the use of fog collec- tion as a source of potable water is already in practice. Isolated villages in diverse places such as Kenya, Guatemala, Yemen and Spain capture fog for water supplies for people, crops and livestock. “The collection of fog water is a sim- ple and sustainable technology to ob- tain fresh water for human and animal consumption,” according to research published in 2012 from the National Institutes of Health. Baguskas aims to apply fog research to water-scarcity issues, including in agriculture. “Fog reduces heat and water stress across ecosystems, including farms, in central coastal California,” Baguskas said. “I see opportunities to integrate coastal fog in meaningful ways into farming decisions, such as water appli- cation and distribution.” While fog is considered a native envi- ronmental feature on the Central Coast, its presence is not reliable, and research- ers say the benefits of fog are not yet widely realized in coastal agricultural areas in the U.S. “I couldn’t tell you tonight there’s going to be fog for sure,” Fernandez said. “Even though we know it’s going to tend to occur, we can’t say exactly when or where. Part of what I’m trying to do is collect as long of a time series as possible to see what trends are happening.” (Caitlin Fillmore is a reporter based in Monterey County. She may be contacted at cslhfillmore@gmail.com.)

Monterey Bay, the University of California, Santa Cruz, Sacramento State University and UC Berkeley—maintain several fog collection sites along the Central Coast. The effort measures fog patterns at specific locations, including farms. “Even a few dozen meters away you can get a slightly different amount (of fog),” said Fernandez, who began researching fog 28

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12 Ag Alert May 15, 2024

Dairy producer to represent state in leadership program

Jennifer Beretta, herd manager for Beretta Family Organic Dairy and past president of the Sonoma County Farm Bureau, will join a select program as a member of the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Partners in Advocacy Leadership class.

Sonoma County organic dairy producer Jennifer Beretta of Santa Rosa will repre- sent California as an outstanding leader as a member of the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 12th Partners in Advocacy Leadership class. “I’m excited for the opportunity to repre- sent California in such a great program to

better my leadership and agriculture advo- cacy,” Beretta said. “I look forward to meet- ing the team at American Farm Bureau and my classmates. I appreciate the continued support from family, the county Farm Bureau and state Farm Bureau.” Beretta, a herd manager for Beretta

See BERETTA, Page 16

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May 15, 2024 Ag Alert 13

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