Ag Alert July 17, 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.

Agriculture ‘voice’ Farm Bureau podcast focuses on farm stories

Almond report Latest survey projects bigger 2024 harvest

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www.cfbf.com • www.agalert.com JULY 17, 2024

Trees & Vines

special report

By Ching Lee The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s proposed changes to how milk should be priced have been characterized as a mixed bag for dairy farmers, with some reforms impacting California producers more neg- atively than those in other states. Released earlier this month, USDA’s recommended decision came after the department considered 21 proposals that sought updates to pricing provisions and formulas in the nation’s 11 federal milk marketing orders, or FMMOs. The depart- ment heard testimony on the proposals during a 49-day public hearing in Carmel, Indiana, that started in August 2023 and ran until late January. FMMOs set minimum prices that pro- cessors must pay dairy farmers for raw milk and its components. The pricing system is based on four classifications of how milk is used, with Class 1 being fluid milk; Class 2, ice cream and yogurt; Class 3, cheese and whey; and Class 4, butter and powder. The department made recommenda- tions that address milk composition fac- tors; product surveys to determine the monthly average cheese price; manufac- turing cost allowances; formula factors for Class 3 and Class 4; and differential values for Class 1. The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on Monday, with a deadline to comment set for Sept. 13. USDA will then have 60 days to issue a final decision on which dairy farmers will vote to approve or reject. A two-thirds majority is needed to pass, with changes to take effect sometime in 2025. A “no” vote would end the FMMO altogether, resulting in deregulation. Groups representing dairy farmers, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, praised the decision for re- turning to a pricing formula for Class 1 milk that is based on the higher of either the Class 3 cheese value or the Class 4 butter and nonfat dry milk value. This had been See MILK, Page 8 Dairy community sees win, losses in pricing proposals

At her Merced County almond orchard, farmer Benina Montes examines soil that has benefited from cover crops. A new report says cover crops may increase water-holding capacity and help with efforts to comply with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act to balance groundwater supplies.

Cover crops offer water-holding benefits

By Christine Souza As farmers statewide prepare for antici- pated cutbacks to groundwater under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, or SGMA, they are trying to stretch ev- ery drop of water to stay in business. Merced County farmer Benina Montes, owner of Burroughs Family Farms, planted cover crops between rows of

almond, walnut and olive trees at her farm near Snelling to improve soil health and attract beneficial insects. She is now seeing water savings. “For every 1% increase in soil organic matter, you can hold another 20,000 to 25,000 gallons of water per acre,” Montes said of the water-holding capacity of soil planted with a cover crop. “By having the

ground covered, we’re getting much better water penetration.” Cover crops, any non-income generating crop planted to cover the soil and enrich soil diversity, hold great potential for water conservation such as improved water-holding capacity and infiltration, according to a report, “Cover

See WATER, Page 12

n e w s p a p e r

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Worsening trade deficit is challenge for agriculture

By Betty Resnick After decades of substantial U.S. agri- cultural trade surpluses, staggering agri- cultural trade deficits during the past two years have caught the nation’s attention. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service projects a

renewable diesel production. It does not help that the U.S. has not en- tered any new free trade agreements with new trading partners since 2012 as the rest of the world has continued to sign more FTAs. For example, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans- Pacific Partnership, formed by the oth- er partners in the aftermath of the U.S. abandoning the negotiated but unratified Trans-Pacific Partnership, is quickly slash- ing tariffs for other exporters in major U.S. export markets on the Pacific Rim. This is causing U.S. market shares to shrink for products ranging from frozen fries to blueberries to pet food. USDA Market Access and Foreign Market Development programs support agricultural exports by providing matching funds to industry groups that promote U.S. agricultural products abroad. But fund- ing has not been increased since 2006 and 2002, respectively. The farm bill passed in the House Committee on Agriculture seeks to double MAP and FMD funding. The expanding trade deficit reflects some serious challenges imposed on U.S. agriculture, including lower commodity prices, stress in domestic specialty crop production and less competitive access to many traditional U.S. export markets, among other factors. Policy changes to stem rapidly increas- ing farm labor costs, increase exports by negotiating lower tariffs and better market access and more international market pro- motion funding could help return the U.S. to agricultural trade surpluses. (Betty Resnick is an economist for the American Farm Bureau Federation. This article is condensed from her Market Intel report, “Record U.S. Agricultural Trade Deficit Forecasted to Keep Growing,” which may be found at fb.org/market-intel.)

record $32 billion agricultural trade deficit for the 2024 fiscal year. This fol- lows a record defi- cit of $16.7 billion in 2023 and would be only the fourth agricultural trade deficit in the past 50 years.

Betty Resnick

Cargo ships line up at the Port of Oakland, a key export gateway for California agricultural goods. The proposed farm bill seeks increased funding to promote U.S. farm products abroad.

Agricultural trade is essential to our na- tion’s food security and benefits farmers and consumers alike. Farmers find export markets eager to buy U.S. products that we grow in abundance, such as grains, oil- seeds, meat and more. American consum- ers have become used to eating fresh fruits and vegetables year-round, much of which would be impossible without imports from our southern trading partners. The category with the largest trade deficit is horticultural products—predominant- ly specialty crops, including fresh fruits and vegetables. Accounting for 49% of all imports by value, it has increased by $22 billion since fiscal year 2020. In part, the increase in horticultural products reflects a thriving U.S. economy, the strong U.S. dollar and America’s focus on healthy diets. However, rising imports are both a cause and effect of the reduction in U.S. fresh fruit and vegetable production. These sectors have declined in volume by 10% and 23%, respectively, since 2000. This is due to a multitude of factors, including land loss due to urban encroachment, diseases such

as citrus greening and, probably most im- portantly, a lack of affordable and available farm labor. For fruit and vegetable production, la- bor costs account for more than 38% and 28% of input costs, respectively. Increasing costs and decreasing revenues make for an unprofitable business and a further reduc- tion in U.S. fruit and vegetable production. The phenomenon is demonstrated in the U.S. table grape industry. More than 99% of all U.S. table grapes are grown in California and are available in stores from May to January. While only 2% of all table grape imports occurred between July and November in 2004, the share had grown to 13% in 2023. For the months of July, October and November, imports have grown an overwhelming 1,126%. Meanwhile, two major factors have contributed to the decline of the value of U.S. exports since 2021: falling commod- ity prices and the strong U.S. dollar. As corn and soy prices fell, the export value

naturally decreased. The strong U.S. dollar is also making U.S. products less competitive on curren- cy exchange alone. For instance, Japan is consistently a top-five market for U.S. agricultural products. The Japanese yen is the lowest it has been against the dollar since 1990. While this exchange rate is great for U.S. tourists visiting Japan, it is very difficult for Japanese consumers seeking to purchase quality U.S. products. U.S. grain and oilseed exports are seeing headwinds from rising competition from Brazil. Efforts by China to become less de- pendent on agricultural imports from the U.S. are also having an impact. In fact, fiscal year 2024 is forecasted to be the first year that Mexico is the top destination for U.S. agricultural exports. There is also a growing trade deficit in animal fats and vegetable oils spurred by rapid market—and policy-driven— growth demand for feedstocks for

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July 17, 2024

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New Farm Bureau podcast shares ‘Voice of Agriculture’

By Caleb Hampton A new podcast produced by the California Farm Bureau is giving a voice to the state’s farmers and ranchers. “Voice of California Agriculture,” host- ed by longtime Farm Bureau field rep- resentative Gary Sack, was launched in March to keep listeners informed about the latest news affecting Golden State agriculture. The weekly podcast is based on the reporting and news coverage of Ag Alert ® and is designed for farmers and ranchers who may not get time to sit down with a print newspaper. “Farming encompasses so much time,” Sack said, speaking about the inspiration for the podcast. “Either you’re in the pick- up or you’re on the tractor.” With Sack hosting, the program is in knowledgeable and experienced hands. In his primary role at the Farm Bureau, Sack works with farmers and ranchers in 15 counties on a daily basis, staying on top of the issues they encounter on the ground. He also brings to the news program more than a decade of radio experience, reclaiming a role he took on when he first joined the Farm Bureau 45 years ago. In the 1960s, California Farm Bureau began producing a radio program called

“Voice of Agriculture.” “It was a 15-minute daily farm radio show that we produced in-house locally, that then we would send out to radio sta- tions in the state,” said Sack, who produced and hosted the show from 1979 until 1990. In those days, major stories included the impact of currency exchange rates on agricultural exports and political wran- gling around California’s response to in- vasive pests. Sack recalled providing leading cover- age of a standoff between former California Gov. Jerry Brown and former President Ronald Reagan over whether to use ae- rial spraying to neutralize an invasion of Mediterranean fruit flies that threatened a variety of crops grown in the state. “We were getting calls from around the world,” Sack said. Issues covered so far on the “Voice of California Agriculture” podcast include Colorado River water conservation, farm labor union laws, the apricot harvest, men- tal health on farms, zero-emission trucking mandates and the impact of avian influen- za on farms. Sack typically devotes the beginning of the podcast to a roundup of state and fed- eral policy updates. The program, which

California Farm Bureau President Shannon Douglass is interviewed by field representative Gary Sack, host of the organization’s new weekly podcast,“Voice of California Agriculture.”

runs around 25 minutes, usually features an interview with a public figure or an ex- pert on a certain topic. “Then I try to wrap it up with some- thing more food-oriented or consum- er-oriented,” Sack said, adding the pro- gram “is still evolving.” Podcast guests have included California Farm Bureau President Shannon Douglass, Farm Employers Labor Service Chief Operating Officer Bryan Little and state Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil, D-Jackson. “I really get a lot of the inspiration for

the podcast from what we are doing at California Farm Bureau,” Sack said. “It lets them know what Farm Bureaus are doing—what we’re involved in and how we’re helping farmers and ranchers out there in their everyday lives.” One way that Farm Bureau’s work enters the news cycle is when its Government Affairs Division helps shape policy in Sacramento. “We’re there at the Capitol, and maybe a bad bill still passes and is signed into law,

See PODCAST, Page 4

July 17, 2024 Ag Alert 3

Podcast Continued from Page 3

our farms and our ag community.” “We need to explore every way we can to get the word out with all the good things that we’re doing,” Sack said, noting the podcast has already been listened to nearly 2,500 times, according to analytics he has viewed. Airola said he appreciates the “no fluff” approach Sack takes with the podcast. “It’s concise; it’s informative; it’s substantive,” he said. Plus, “Gary has the perfect voice for radio. Not only is the podcast interest- ing, but it’s easy to listen to.” Future episodes may include coverage of the Kings County Farm Bureau’s fight against state intervention on groundwater pumping and on damage caused by grass- hoppers to field crops, Sack said. The podcast can be found by search- ing “Voice of California Agriculture” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and oth- er podcast platforms or by visiting www.cfbf.com/podcast. New episodes are released on Thursdays. (Caleb Hampton is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. He may be contacted at champton@cfbf.com.) New CEO named to lead pistachio grower nonprofit American Pistachio Growers, a nonprof- it trade association promoting American- grown pistachios worldwide, has hired sports-marketing leader Zachary Fraser as its new president and CEO. Fraser joins APG after four years with LEARFIELD, a media and technology company where he managed intercol- legiate athletics media rights, broadcast platforms and sponsorship sales. Fraser was also founding general manager and managing partner at Pacific Baseball Ventures, an investment group that owns and operates summer collegiate baseball teams. During his career, Fraser gained an appreciation for agricultural marketing initiatives and brings experience in non- profit operations.

spends most of his time on the go, which can make it difficult to keep up with the lat- est developments he needs to know about as a YF&R State Committee member. “I’m putting in really long days, as we all are in farming, so I don’t always have time to sit down and read every email I get or read everything in Ag Alert,” he said. “The podcast is really nice because in my com- mute or when I’m at the ranch working, I can get caught up.” He said he was especially interested in Sack’s interview with Alvarado-Gil, who represents Airola’s home district in the state Senate. In the interview, featured in the June 13 episode, Alvarado-Gil spoke about legis- lation she has authored this year to help

farmers and rural communities. Senate Bill 945, which is sponsored by the Farm Bureau and has passed in the state Senate, would require state agencies to maintain a data platform tracking the impact of wildfire smoke on public health. “We’re very happy to be able to take some of the ideas that your members across the state identify as high-need, and this was at the top of the list,” Alvarado-Gil said on the podcast. The proposed law would implement a public health data gathering process “so that we can use that data to inform every- thing from resources to rural communi- ties to helping us to balance the insurance market,” Alvarado-Gil said. “This is going to help protect the lives of the families in

but it’s less bad because we’ve got some amendments in it, or maybe we’re able to stop bills altogether,” Sack said. Trevor Airola, who runs a beef cow-calf operation in Calaveras County, said he lis- tens to the “Voice of California Agriculture” while he’s on the ranch or commuting to and from his nonfarm job as an arborist for a utility company. “I can listen to the podcast and get an in-depth analysis of the important issues,” said Airola, who serves on the California Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers State Commitee. “It’s my weekly check-in of what’s going on.” Like many farmers and ranchers, Airola

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A SPECIAL GROWERS’ REPORT OF AG ALERT ® CALIFORNIA Trees & Vines

Natural enemies prove effective against citrus pest By Bob Johnson California citrus growers anxious about a potential outbreak of citrus greening can breathe a little easier. HLB arrived in Florida in 2005 and has since destroyed the state’s commercial citrus pro- duction. By 2009, Florida citrus growers had removed 60,000 acres of citrus trees because of the disease. By 2022, Florida citrus acreage had declined by 75%. During a 2010 trip to the University of Agriculture Faisalabad in Pakistan, Mark Hoddle, right, a biological control specialist with the University of California, Riverside, documents success of the Tamarixia radiata wasp, a predator of the Asian citrus psyllid, which spreads citrus greening, a disease that kills citrus trees. He introduced the wasps in California to protect the citrus crop.

In California, the psyllid was first detected in San Diego County in 2008. Four years later, a residential citrus tree in Los Angeles County was found to be infected with huanglongbing. Last September, the presence of an Asian citrus psyllid carrying HLB was confirmed in a residential tree in Ventura County, where about a dozen trees tested positive for the disease. The finding led to a 5-mile quarantine around the infected trees to restrict movement of citrus fruit, trees and plant material. In California, the disease has been limited to urban citrus trees and has not yet infected commercial citrus. Huanglongbing is a bacterium that can kill citrus trees within a few years after gaining entrance to the trees’ vascular system. It causes the fruit to drop prematurely when it is mostly green and not sweet. The Asian citrus psyllid picks up the bacterium by feeding on infected trees and passes it on to additional trees as it feeds. See CITRUS, Page 7

A combination of a parasitoid wasp imported from Pakistan and other natural enemies of the Asian citrus psyllid already present in California has proved effective in fighting the pest, which can spread the fatal and incurable citrus disease, also known as huanglong- bing, or HLB. “Our natural enemies have killed more Asian citrus psyllids than any other manage- ment program,” said Mark Hoddle, University of California, Riverside, biological control specialist who has studied the problem for 15 years. “The control the biocontrol agents are providing is very high, and it is free.” During a UC integrated pest management webinar, Hoddle said he is confident in the effectiveness of biological controls, adding that he believes “it is very unlikely California is going to succumb to the Asian citrus psyllid and huanglongbing problem in the manner Florida did.” “These intensive areawide programs based on insecticides may not be as necessary as we once believed,” he said.

6 Ag Alert July 17, 2024

Citrus Continued from Page 6

study sites, psyllid eggs and nymphs were three times greater,” Hoddle said. “The ants were protecting the psyllids from natural predators because the ants wanted the honeydew the psyllids produce.” Because the ants eat the honeydew secreted by the psyllid, they protect their food source by killing and eating natural enemies of the psyllid. One way to reduce the ants, Hoddle said, is to leave small beads of water laced with sugar and very small doses of insecticide at locations where the ants travel. Another way to manage the ants is to slow their travel along the irrigation lines that run throughout the orchard. “The ants use the smooth plastic irriga- tion lines as a superhighway,” Hoddle said. Growers can slow the ants by placing col- lars that serve as roadblocks at selective loca- tions on irrigation lines. It is also possible to cover the irrigation lines with compostable mulch, rendering the superhighway invisi- ble and useless to the ants, Hoddle added. Allowing natural enemies to attack the psyllid and taking action to reduce ant populations in the citrus groves have made a difference in controlling the prob- lem. Many California study sites have been free of Asian citrus psyllids for two years or more, Hoddle said. (Bob Johnson is a reporter in Monterey County. He may be contacted at bjohn11135@gmail.com.)

Early attempts to eradicate the psyllid with insecticides failed as the vector popula- tion continued to grow. In 2010, Hoddle and his team of researchers visited the University of Agriculture Faisalabad in Pakistan to bet- ter understand the impacts natural enemies have on controlling the psyllid. A wasp that is the Asian citrus psyllid parasitoid, Tamarixia radiata, was initially discovered in the 1930s in the region that is now Pakistan and may be where the psyllid and HLB evolved. “Within that huge area, we looked for localities with climate like Bakersfield and Central Valley citrus areas because we wanted parasitoids to be pre-adapted to the climatic conditions in California,” Hoddle said. “The Punjab region of Pakistan was a match.” When researchers arrived at ground zero for the Asian citrus psyllid and huan- glongbing in the country, they did not find devastation in the orchards. “The citrus trees were green, healthy and producing tons and tons of fruit,” Hoddle said. This was due to the parasitoid wasps protecting the trees by keeping psyllid pop- ulations under control, he added. The Tamarixia radiata is a voracious de- stroyer of the psyllid, which is underscored in research trials after its introduction in California as a beneficial insect for protect- ing citrus groves.

Introduction of the parasitic Tamarixia radiata wasp, left, into citrus orchards has helped control the Asian citrus psyllid, right, which can spread huanglongbing, a fatal disease in citrus.

In addition to killing hosts by parasitism, Tamarixia radiata females kill first through third instars by feeding on psyllids. The fe- male wasp punctures the psyllid nymph with her ovipositor and consumes the ex- uding body contents. “She lays eggs underneath psyllid nymphs,” Hoddle said. “The larvae feed on the underbelly of the nymph and leave the shell of the host.” After returning to California in 2011, Hoddle released Tamarixia radiata in Southern California. Researchers found the parasitoid could travel a distance of 5 to 8 miles from the release point. A three-year study at 28 sites, including all California

citrus regions, showed that Tamarixia radi- ata reduced the populations of Asian citrus psyllid eggs by 92%, nymphs by 81% to 94% and adults by 75%. Cameras set up to document the control showed that the wasp was aided by other predators. The cameras documented 647 kills, but only 29% were by Tamarixia radiata. Syrphid flies, also known as hover flies, were responsible for 59% of the psyllid kills, while lacewings took care of the remaining 12%. A challenge to the biological control was due to Argentine ants, which are common in California orchards. “Where Argentine ants were present at

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July 17, 2024 Ag Alert 7

Milk Continued from Page 8

Prevention Services Division. During the quarantine, crops that host the Oriental fruit fly—including more than 300 varieties of tree fruits, nuts, vegetables and berries—were not allowed to be moved from the properties where they were grown. Commercial crops were required to meet treatment or processing standards before being harvested or moved. Parts of San Bernardino and Riverside counties remain under quarantine for the Oriental fruit fly. Other current fruit fly quarantines include parts of Los Angeles County for the Mediterranean fruit fly and parts of Ventura and Los Angeles counties for the Queensland fruit fly. director of regulatory and economic affairs for Milk Producers Council, said “it’s very hard to make the argument” that manu- facturing costs haven’t gone up during the past 16 years and that processors should not be entitled to an increase. In its proposal, National Milk Producers Federation, which represents dairy-farmer cooperatives, asked for increases of about 55 to 60 cents per cwt. for Class 3 and Class 4 milk, while processors called for increas- es of about $1.35 to $1.55 per cwt. Vanden Heuvel said USDA’s proposed increases were bigger than he expected, but the decision spelled out how the de- partment arrived at its numbers, and “I cannot argue with their approach.” “It could have been worse,” he said. “(The increases) could have gone up much higher, and they didn’t.” In California, most of the butter and milk powder is made by producer-owned co- operatives. While raising the make allow- ance on these products lowers the price the cooperatives pay for the milk, they’re essentially buying their own milk, Vanden Heuvel said. “It really is just shifting the money from one pocket to the other,” he said, noting the cooperatives have been losing money on manufacturing butter and powder. For cheese manufacturers such as Leprino Foods and Hilmar Cheese Co., the increases to the make allowance would al- low them to buy their milk at a lower price, “and that’s going to hurt the people that sell them milk,” Vanden Heuvel said. Looking at USDA’s entire decision, Vanden Heuvel said he doesn’t think the proposed changes would necessarily result in “a huge negative” for California produc- ers, as “there’s some positives, too.” One of those positives is on the pricing survey, he said. USDA has proposed drop- ping the use of 500-pound barrel cheddar cheese prices in the formula and relying solely on the 40-pound block cheddar cheese price to determine the monthly av- erage cheese price. Vanden Heuvel noted barrel cheese prices during the past several years have at times been 30 to 40 cents a pound less than block cheese prices, re- sulting in “a huge discounted factor on the Class 3 price.”

In a letter to its members, Rob Vandenheuvel of California Dairies Inc., the state’s largest dairy cooperative, said member-owners of the co-op should view USDA’s decision “as a critical improvement to the FMMO system.” He noted CDI was “heavily involved” in the work done by National Milk Producers Federation, which submitted a proposal to USDA that initiated the hearing. That pro- cess involved cooperatives with and with- out significant manufacturing infrastruc- ture investment, he said, with CDI being the former. The federation’s proposal took a balanced approach, he added, and USDA “clearly saw value in” it, as many elements of NMPF’s proposal were reflected in the department’s recommended decision. Kings County dairy farmer Joaquin Contente, who serves as president of California Dairy Campaign, agreed that USDA’s decision tried to balance the con- cerns of producers and processors, though he stopped short of saying the department was “fair.” He characterized the draft decision to return to the “higher-of” formula as “the bone they threw back at the producers.” He said he was disappointed USDA re- jected CDC’s proposal to add mozzarella prices to the cheese-pricing formula, as doing so would more accurately reflect the value of the current cheese market. USDA said CDC’s proposal lacked data to sup- port adoption.

CDC’s Lynne McBride said such data would need to come from mozzarella cheese makers, and to get it, there would need to be a legislative mandate. Producer groups including AFBF and CDC have also called for mandatory, au- dited surveys of processors’ costs before make allowances are raised. Current cost surveys are voluntary and unaudited. In a statement, AFBF President Zippy Duvall said, “dairy farmers deserve fairness in their milk checks and transparency in the for- mula, but the milk marketing order system can’t deliver that unless make allowances are based on accurate and unbiased data.” Even with more reliable data, McBride said her group does not agree that farmers should be required to shoulder increased processing costs, because unlike proces- sors, farmers can’t pass on their costs. In its decision, USDA maintains that it’s inappropriate to consider producer income in determining make-allowance levels. The department said even though “many stakeholders look to the FMMO program to provide stability,” its formu- las are market-oriented and reflect sup- ply-and-demand conditions. “Time will tell how it works out, but the market will adjust,” Geoff Vanden Heuvel of Milk Producers Council said, “and I ex- pect it will be many years before we have another make-allowance hearing.” (Ching Lee is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at clee@cfbf.com.)

the formula historically, but it changed in 2018 to one that uses the average price of Class 3 and Class 4, plus 74 cents for every hundred pounds of milk. Producers say the current formula caused them to miss out on an estimated $1 billion of revenue in recent years, es- pecially during the pandemic, when the price of milk used to make cheese soared but milk used to make butter and nonfat dry milk did not. Restoration of the so-called “higher-of” formula should raise producer prices on fluid milk, analysts say. But the gains are offset by USDA’s proposal to raise make allowances, or what dairy farmers pay manufacturers to process their milk into the various dairy products. The proposed increases are particular- ly concerning to California dairy farmers because only about 20% of their milk is bottled, with nearly 74% of it used to make cheese, butter and powder. Under the proposal, producers would see the make allowance for cheese go up by nearly 90 cents per hundredweight and about 75 cents per cwt. for butter and powder. “For California, it’s pretty clear that the losses are greater,” said Lynne McBride, executive director of California Dairy Campaign, pointing to USDA’s economic impact analysis on the proposed changes. Under the proposal, the pricing formula for Class 1 milk used to make shelf-stable milk and other extended shelf-life prod- ucts won’t be based on the “higher-off” for- mula, however. Instead, USDA proposed a 24-month rolling adjuster that incorpo- rates the “averaging” method. Groups such as Wisconsin-based American Dairy Coalition questioned the approach, say- ing it’s unclear how the split pricing within Class 1 would affect competition. McBride said even though her group supported returning to the “higher-of” formula, there was not enough benefit “to merit opening up this whole process and seeing these unprecedented increases in the make allowance,” which would dent California dairy farmer milk checks. Noting that USDA last adjusted make allowances in 2008, Geoff Vanden Heuvel,

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State lifts more quarantines Contra Costa County has ended its quar- antine for the Oriental fruit fly, marking the third one the state has lifted this month, the California Department of Food and Agriculture announced last week.

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Growers who incorporate an integrated pest management approach are more likely to use beneficial control. Aphytis is selec- tively used, mainly in the organic and IPM- friendly urban areas. In a desert setting such as the Coachella Valley, the Aphytis doesn’t work as well be- cause of the wind, heat and dust. The ben- eficial insects work better in coastal regions where temperatures are moderate and there are fewer generations of red scale. The male is a microscopic bug that flies in the canopies to mate with the females. Pheromone disruption is another option that is registered for organic growers. Pheromone disruptors are placed in the tree, and they bombard the grove with the red scale pheromone that confuses males so they are less able to find females for mating. Resistance is always a concern, but there are at least three to five effective materials available for growers to rotate and reduce the risk of building resistance.

The female red scale lives on the internal wood of the citrus tree. During the April to October growing season, it produces a generation of crawlers. The eggs hatch, the crawlers move onto the new fruit and cause blemishes. Red scale can cover the fruit, stems and leaves. If heavily infested, the leaves will defoliate, leaving woody stems covered in scale. This can result in sunburn and re- duced production. Red scale is more pronounced on lem- ons because of the contrast between the yellow color of the fruit and the insect. Scale damage results in a reduced pack- out of fruit for the fresh market. Damaged fruit then goes to processing for juice or other byproducts. There are conventional, organic and bio- logical treatments for red scale. They include insect-growth regulators, organic-based oil treatments that suffocate the pest and a parasitic wasp, Aphytis melinus, that will reduce populations over time.

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10 Ag Alert July 17, 2024

Crop survey signals larger state almond crop in 2024

For this year’s crop, there was mostly favorable weather during bloom. Flight time for honeybees to pollinate the crop was significantly higher than last year. Wet and warm weather in April in- creased pest and disease pressure, but dry conditions and mild temperatures in May helped the developing crop. June and July heat waves forced growers to increase irrigation. The average nut set per tree is 4,072, up 3% from 2023, the report said. The nonpareil average nut set of 4,137 is 3% higher than last year. The average kernel

weight for all varieties was down slightly from the 2023 average weight. The USDA crop survey took place in May to June. There were 1,904 trees sampled in 952 orchards. The Almond Board of California said the carryout is projected to drop to levels not seen in years, as almond shipments set a record of 10 months straight of at least 212 million pounds shipped. “Never before has the industry shipped even 200 million pounds 10 months in a row in the same crop year,” said Almond Board President and CEO Clarice Turner.

California growers are expected to har- vest 2.8 billion meat pounds of almonds this year, according to new projections from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service. Released last week, the 2024 California Almond Objective Measurement report es- timated the crop to be 13% larger than last

year’s crop of 2.47 meat pounds and down 7% from the subjective forecast in May. The new report is based on 1.38 million bearing acres. Production for the nonpareil variety, which represents 39% of the state’s total almond production, is forecast at 1.1 billion meat pounds and 17% more than last year’s deliveries of 941 million meat pounds.

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July 17, 2024 Ag Alert 11

Water Continued from Page 1

Cropping in the SGMA Era,” published in May by a group of more than 30 authors. The document highlights the water-sav- ing benefits of planting cover crops and offers recommendations to bridge knowl- edge gaps and reduce policy barriers that disincentivize wider cover crop adoption. Report authors suggested that manage- ment actions by local groundwater sus- tainability agencies, or GSAs, may have unintended consequences, such as dis- couraging planting of cover crops, a farm- ing practice known for boosting soil health and other benefits. Noting that farms account for up to 40% of California’s water use annually and that only 5% of the state’s arable land uses prac- tices such as cover cropping, the report said planting cover crops at scale would be impactful and save more water. Citing research results conducted in California and the Mediterranean, the report said cover cropping has led to increased infiltration of water into the soil and reduction of runoff, each by 40% or more. Though the report found that water use of cover crops is variable and can de- pend on many factors, it said cover crop evapotranspiration can be negligible compared to bare ground in perennial and annual systems. Montes said she has always had some cover crops growing at her farm, but last year she planted the soil-boosting plants between all rows of commercial trees, leav- ing no bare ground. Keeping the ground planted to a cover crop, Montes said, lowers the soil tempera- ture by between 20 to 40 degrees. Citing other advantages, she said the orchards have increased soil diversity and improved crop nutrition. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re organ- ic, regenerative, conventional, whatever— the principles of healthy soil are universal,” she said. Montes partnered with Madera-based California Ag Solutions, a company that helps farmers with production practices such as cover cropping. “Managing a cover crop correctly by not using excessive water really helps keep more water inside the boundaries of the GSA,” said Silas Rossow, president and co-owner of California Ag Solutions. He suggested the only way to improve wa- ter-use efficiency is with healthy soil. Leaving ground bare and not planting a cover crop, Rossow said, is a lost oppor- tunity to maximize on-farm water use. The farming services business began ex- perimenting with different ratios of cover crop seed mixes in commercial almond orchards in fall 2015. “In 2015, SGMA had just been passed, but it wasn’t on our radar,” Rossow said. “We soon realized that cover crops are ex- tremely beneficial and can be plugged into resource-stricken areas.” To irrigate her tree crops, Montes relies on groundwater and receives some surface water from Merced Irrigation District. She

Silas Rossow, president of Madera-based California Ag Solutions, samples soil at Burroughs Family Farms near Snelling. He says planting cover crops is “extremely beneficial” to nourish soil and improve water-holding capacity.

said farmers are worried about the impacts of SGMA on land values and the economy. In Kern County, Josh Polich of Anthony Vineyards, a grower, packer and shipper of organic and conventional table grapes based in Bakersfield, said the farm’s approach to cover crops is “planting with a purpose.” For the past 15 years, the farm has plant- ed cover crops, including grasses, grains and legumes to increase crop nutrients, activate the soil, support pest management and reduce inputs. “The cover crop suppresses our weeds and builds the organic matter, which is what holds the water,” Polich said, adding the farm’s cover crops are dryland farmed and do not rely on irrigation district water or groundwater. “In the SGMA era, we’re not using any more water by having a cover crop. We’re basically taking rainwater that would be evaporated.”

Polich said GSAs should consider cover crops and “understand the science, be- cause those with cover crops are putting more water into that (groundwater) basin.” To support sustainable groundwater management, the report authors rec- ommended integrating cover crops into policies and incentive programs and bol- stering data infrastructure. They said pro- posals should be developed to establish conditions to help growers adopt cover cropping within SGMA. Discussing whether more farmers will plant more cover crops, Rossow said, “It’s peer-to-peer networking that is re- ally going to move the needle with cover crop adoption.” Glenda Humiston, vice president of the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, said the UC col- laborated with state agencies and pri- vate-sector partners to include different perspectives and the use of best science

and viable policy options. “By taking a comprehensive view, we can advance recommendations for cover crop policies that help us meet multiple goals, manage our natural resources more effectively and avoid unintended conse- quences,” Humiston said. The report on cover cropping in the era of SGMA, assembled by Sustainable Conservation, emerged from a pro- cess developed by the California Association of Resource Conservation Districts, California Department of Food and Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service of California and UC ANR. To view the report, visit https://suscon. org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/SC- Cover-Crop-SGMA-Report.pdf. (Christine Souza is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at csouza@cfbf.com.)

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12 Ag Alert July 17, 2024

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