Almonds Continued from Page 3
trees and reduce their growth. They can then make the transition to organic the next three years and be certified by their fifth or sixth year when the trees begin to reach peak production. “You’re not going to have a crop your first two years anyway, so I’d concentrate on growing that tree,”Holtz said. Historically, very little investment has gone intoorganicagriculturecompared to conventional, saidHoustonWilson, direc- tor of the University of California Organic
Agriculture Institute, which was formed last year. Because of the lackof research in thisarea, hesaid, growersneedhelpacross the board, though their top two priorities are crop nutrition andweed control. Wilson said he thinks lower yields and higher costsarenot inherent inorganicag- riculture per se. But that may be the case now due to historic underinvestment in the sector. “Organic production in its current form definitely has not had a chance to be opti-
mized,” Wilson said. “If you measure the amount of effort and investment that has gone into the development of these con- ventional systems compared to organic, it’swayoutof syncbyordersofmagnitude.” Establishment of the institute, he said, represents an effort to address organic growers’ needs—so that theyhavea“more reliable set of technical practices inplace” for their cropping systems. (ChingLeeisanassistanteditorofAgAlert. Shemaybe contactedat clee@cfbf.com.)
challenges, organic may not be the right choice for every farmer. “At the end of the day, the price really makes the decision,” Koretoff said. “Until weget thewater situation inCalifornia fig- uredout, I thinkwe’regoing toactually see a decrease in acreage.” Some progress has been made to help farmers groworganic almonds, saidBrent Holtz,UniversityofCaliforniaCooperative Extension farm advisor in San Joaquin County, who authored a cost study on or- ganic almond production. For example, mating disruption tools now represent a viable pest control option to combat the destructivenavel orangeworm(seerelated story, Page 15), with a couple of products available fororganicproduction.But farm- ers still needbetterandmorecost-effective ways to control weeds and address crop nutrition, he added. His general advicehas been for growers to start their orchard conventionally for the first two to three years so they cancon- trol weeds, soil-borne diseases and other problems that can severely stress young Industrial hemp board seeking to fill 5 vacant seats TheCaliforniaDepartment of Foodand Agriculture Pest Exclusion Branch has fivemid-termvacancies on the Industrial HempAdvisory Board. The boards seats to be filled include two openings for registered cultivators of industrial hemp. In addition, the panel is seekingone representative frombusiness- es that sell industrial hemp products, one from the Hemp Industries Association or a successor groupandone from anestab- lished agricultural research institution. The successful candidates will be ap- pointed to serve the remainder of terms that expireMay 31, 2023. Applicants for board appointments should send a letter of interest and a brief résumé to Juan Koponen by Sept. 30, by email to industrialhemp@cdfa.ca.gov or bymail to: CaliforniaDepartment of Food and Agriculture, Pest Exclusion Branch, 1220NSt., Sacramento, CA 95814. Establishedby theCalifornia Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2013, the board is composed of 13 members. Termof office for boardmembers is three years. The board advises CDFA and makes recommendations on matters including industrial hemp law and regulations, en- forcement, annual budgets and setting an assessment rate. Members meet at least onceayearbutmaymeetmorefrequentlyif needed.Theyreceivenocompensationbut areentitledtosometravel reimbursements. For additional information, visit www. cdfa.ca.gov/plant/industrialhemp/, contact the Nursery, Seed and Cotton Programat 916-654-0435or sendanemail to industrialhemp@cdfa.ca.gov.
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September 8, 2021 Ag Alert 5
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