Ag Alert. February 22, 2023

Lettuce Continued from Page 10

happening, that we cannot spray our way out of this problem,” Mason said. “We need varieties; we need management practices; we need pesticides. It just seems like it’s going to take everything to get a crop.” An all-hands-on-deck approach helped control thrips-harboring weeds last win- ter. With fields drying out from January storms, Smith said communities must get back to weed management, with a focus on prominent weed hosts for INSV and neglected areas adjacent to farms. Hot spots of infection last year were traced to industrial lots that were overlooked during the weeding process. “People can’t lose sight of the fact that we still need to be controlling the weeds in key areas, because that’s the reservoir of the virus during the winter,” Smith said. “We have to stay on task with that.” Despite the diligent weed abatement, crop damage from INSV and Pythium was widespread in 2022, and Smith said it’s “very possible” that high heat during the summer was a contributing factor to espe- cially prevalent disease in the fall. Thrips populations tend to thrive in warmer weather, Smith said, but more research needs to be done to understand the basic biology of the insect, including how they acquire the virus and how they spread it. Pearsons cited the work of Daniel Hasegawa, a research entomologist with the

This Salinas Valley lettuce field was ravaged by im- patiens necrotic spot virus in November. University of California Cooperative Extension farm advisors say they are working to curb future outbreaks. But they say they are worried about weeds haboring pests that spread the disease to crops.

U.S. Department of Agriculture who leads teams in monitoring thrips populations in several locations across the Salinas Valley. Currently, the counting of thrips on sticky card traps is done manually, but Pearsons and Mason mentioned the possibility of using artificial intelligence and machine learning to expedite that process. Mason said the grower community is excited about the new technologies and ideas that Pearsons and Wang are bringing to the region. As a participant in the search for candidates to fill the advisor positions, Mason said “they were, in my opinion, by

far the best fit for what we were looking for.” “I hope they stay here for 30 years,” he added. The new advisors both noted the pal- pable energy and cooperative spirit in the Salinas Valley to proactively meet the challenge. “Looking to the past, there have been other outbreaks and diseases that they’ve managed to overcome,” Pearsons said. “These farmers are resilient and creative, and I fully believe that lettuce will still be growing here for years to come. It might look a little different, and it might take a little bit of a painful period to get to that

point, but I think that we’re going to be able to come up with some solutions.” While there are concerns that some lettuce growers might decide to leave the region, Wang said she also believes in the industry’s strong roots and rich history. “Salinas Valley has had a beautiful cli- mate for lettuce for so many years; there are some undeniable advantages here,” she said. “This is still the best place in the United States—and maybe the world—to grow lettuce.” (Adapted from an article published this month by the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources.)

Agricultural Market Review

Quotations are the latest available for the week ending February 17, 2023 Year Ago Week Ago Latest Week Livestock Slaughter Steers – 5-Area Average Select & Choice, 1150–1460 lbs., $ per cwt. 137 159-161 No Quote Hogs – Average hog, 51-52% lean, Iowa-Minn. market, $ per cwt. 81.12 73.43 74.84 Slaughter Lambs – $ per cwt. 125–175 lbs. National weekly live sales 224.79-237.50 114-202 110-190 Field crops – basis prompt shipment Barley – U.S. No. 2, $ per cwt. Truck, Stockton-Modesto-Oakdale-Turlock No Quote No Quote No Quote Cotton – ¢ per lb., Middling 1 3/32” Fresno spot market 90.86 84.77 82.23 Corn – U.S. No. 2 yellow $ per bu. trucked 7.82 9 8.73 Alfalfa Hay – $ per ton, quality*, FOB Region 1, Northern Inter-mountain No Quote (F) No Quote Region 2, Sacramento Valley No Quote No Quote No Quote Region 3, Northern San Joaquin Valley 325 (S) No Quote No Quote Region 4, Central San Joaquin Valley No Quote 29 (P, per bale) No Quote Region 5, Southern California 325 (P) 23 (P, per bale) 23 (P, per bale) Region 6, Southeast Interior 260-310 (P/S) 360 (P/S) No Quote Oat Hay – $ per ton, quality*, FOB Northern California, dairy No Quote No Quote No Quote Oats – U.S. No. 2 white, $ per cwt. Statewide, trucked price No Quote No Quote No Quote

Dry Beans – Grower FOB prices Baby Limas, $ per cwt, (sacked) Large Limas, $ per cwt. (sacked) Blackeye, $ per cwt. (sacked)

No Quote No Quote No Quote

Rice – Milled No. 1 Head, FOB No. Calif. mills Medium grain, $ per cwt. Wheat – U.S. No. 2 or better, winter, $ per cwt. 13% protein, Los Angeles, trucked price

48-51

70-72

No Quote

No Quote No Quote Provided by the California Farm Bureau as a service to Farm Bureau members. Information supplied by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Market News Branch. * ADF=Acid detergent fiber; (S) = Supreme/<27%ADF; (P) = Premium/27-29; (G) = Good/29-32; (F) = Fair/32-35. No Quote

18 Ag Alert February 22, 2023