Ag Alert Aug 4, 2021

Ag Alert is the weekly 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.

Lemon outlook Growers assess market demand and drought impacts on crop

Biodegradablemulch Research looks to improve the agricultural plastic material

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www.cfbf.com • www.agalert.com AUGUST 4, 2021

Vegetables ®

s p e c i a l r e p o r t

ByChristine Souza The California State Water Resources Control Board is working on emergency curtailments andreporting regulations for the Sacramento-San JoaquinDeltawater- shed due to severe drought conditions. The board was due to vote on potential actionsthisweek,whichcouldaffectalmost all appropriative and riparianwater rights holders in theDeltawatershed. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recent emergency drought dec- laration triggered theboard’s involvement. DianeRiddle, of the board’sDivisionof Water Rights, said proposed actions are aimed at establishing “water right pri- ority looking at available supplies and available demands.” During a workshop on the matter last week, Riddle said, “The purpose of this regulation is very simply anattempt to im- plement the water right priority system, inform users when water is not available at their priority of right and doing that in a conservativeway tonot to over-curtail us- ers or identify whenwater is not available andwhen itmay be.” However, she said, the board isn’t look- ing toestablish“minimumwater levels for fishery flows.” California FarmBureau led a coalition of agricultural andwater groups thaturged cautiononthematter. Ina letter tothestate water board, the coalition imploredboard members to “act in a deliberate andmea- sured manner that does the least regula- tory harm to water users who are already operatingunder circumstancesof reduced water allocations and overlapping con- straints onwater.” In a particularly difficult year, some farmers are receiving little to no surface water supply. “Acouplemillionacres of farmlandhave beenimpactedbecauseofwatersupplycut- backstothestateandfederalwaterprojects,” saidJustinFredrickson,environmentalpol- icy analyst for the California FarmBureau. “In terms of these curtailments of themore See WATER, Page 9 State water board decides on delta curtailments

Alex Toth of Delhi, holding son Grayson, 2, with son Jackson, 6, and daughter Allison, 3, chooses sunflowers at RAM Farms’ U-pick flower field in Turlock. U-picks have been a popular outdoor activity for families during the pandemic, and the trend is expected to continue this year.

Farm country gears up for tourism return

ByChing Lee Pandemic cabin fever continues to drive people out to the country, and farmers who welcome agritourism ac- tivities say they expect the trendwill hold, with farms becoming a go-todestination. Last year saw the cancellation of many farm festivals, tours and workshops, some of which went virtual or were

greatly scaled back. More of these events have returned this year with some mod- ifications. Wineries, which shuttered tasting rooms last year, have reopened. U-pick farms and farm stands have be- come “very popular,” even in pandemic months of 2020, said Rachael Callahan, agritourismcoordinator at theUniversity of California, Davis.

“This year, with the return of larger on- farm gatherings and other agritourism, people are eager to get outside, engage with their community and connect with their local farmers and ranchers,” she said. Though farms are still not givingmany school tours, agritourism operators say business has been on the rise, especially

See TOURISM, Page 10

n e w s p a p e r

Comment.......................................2 From the Fields........................ 4-5 Vegetables....................................7 Classifieds........................... 14-15 Inside

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A sigh of relief amid the fires Farmers gain coverage under SB 11

It’s hard to ignore anall-too-common scene looking east to the Sierra, or by stepping outside ontomy Butte County farm and intoaneerily familiar aromatic smoke. It’swildfireseason, again, and I cannot avoid askingmyself whether California is any better prepared. Staring at themassive plume emanating fromthe250,000-plus acreDixieFire fails to instill confidence. Nordoes the recent investigative reporting fromCapital Public Radioprovideany reassurance formy familyandothers living in or near wildfire-prone areas of California. Who’s toblame for thewildfire crisis? Is it anyof California’s investor-ownedutilities, or the federal government—asmost of the firesoccuronfederal lands?Or is it thestate,whichargu- ably has misled the public in overstating the amount of land treated for wildfire? Or is it the environmental community, which helped create an immovable regulatory structure? Or is it local government planners or private homeowners dan- gerously overbuilding in wildfire-prone communities? The absurdity is, we’re running out of fingers to point the blame, and in the echo chamber of wildfire-mitigation rhetoric, po- litical posturing and immovable ideologies, Californians are left to suffer. As frustrationsmount, uncertaintiespresent new unforeseen challenges. The reality is, California’s wildfire situation is a massive, multi-dimensional crisis that creates many compounding challenges. Thewildfires have not only fundamentally altered landscapes, but also the risk-level assessments anddetermina- tionsthatcreateotherchallengesforcommunities.FarmBureau membershaveexpressedtheirfrustrationwithincreasingcostsof insurancepremiumsandthefrequencyofnonrenewalsforfarms and ranches inareas vulnerable towildfires. Thesewildfires are unfortunatelybecoming largerandmore frequent. Devastating our communities, these fires have left home- owners and businesses behind to deal with the aftermath, which often includes the inability to find available and af- fordable insurance coverage in the admittedmarket. Created by statute, the FAIR Plan is an association comprising all insurance companies authorized to transact basic property insurance in California. Established as the state’s “insurer of last resort,” the FAIR Plan provides access to fire coverage for California homeowners and commercial businesses unable to obtain it froma traditional insurance carrier. Whenthevoluntary insurancemarket isunableorunwilling toprovidebasicproperty insurancecoverage topropertyown- ers, they shouldbeable to turn to theFAIRPlan. Yet, California law explicitly prohibited the FAIR Plan fromproviding insur-

ance coverage for “farmrisks.” This languagewas interpreted toexcludenot just cropsand livestockbut all real andpersonal property—thebrick-and-mortar infrastructureof commercial agriculture. As a result, numerous property ownerswhowere beingdeniedbasicproperty insurancecoverage in theprivate marketwerealsounable toobtainsuchcoverage fromtheFAIR Plan for their agricultural enterprise. Commercial agriculturewasabout toexperienceanunmiti- gateddisaster. Thepandemicwascreatingsignificant commu- nication hardships. But, by soliciting the assistance of Senate ProTemToni Atkins andSen. BenHueso, abreakthroughwas made. There wasn’t any question that agriculture was inad- vertently prevented fromaccessing FAIR Plan insurance, but a solutionwas needed immediately. FarmBureau created a multi-stakeholder coalition of our agricultural allies and California’s insurance associations to bring forward a solution to solve our availability crisis. Sen. Susan Rubio agreed to champion Senate Bill 11 on behalf of the state’s agricultural community. FarmBureauelevated the crisis to a national audience, bringing attention to a largely unknownproblemfacingour communityaspart of thegreater wildfire crisis. Indoing so, we gained another significant ally in these con- versations—CaliforniaInsuranceCommissionerRicardoLara. I appreciateCommissioner Lara’swillingness to travel around ourstateandlistentothechallengesandfrustrationsourmem- bers face. The conversations weren’t always comfortable, but our commitment to find solutions only grewat each stop. Just aweekago,Gov.GavinNewsomsignedSB11 (see relat- ed story, Page 6). California agriculture now has access to an insurer of last resort. But thiswill require furtherduediligence fromour community tomake certain farmers, ranchers and vintners are not underinsured. FAIRPlan insurance is themost basicof insurancecoverag- es. It is not designed to be a carbon-copy replacement of lost coverage, andweneed tobeawareof potential coveragegaps. As an organization, we intend to provide the opportunities necessary to ensure that our membership is fully informed and adequately prepared. The signing of this legislation is a welcome relief. As California’swildfirecrisiscontinues,wehope that state leaders move quickly tomitigate the threat but also further examine existing frameworks thatmaybe impacted. It’snot justmitiga- tion and suppression; it’s about anticipation and uncovering those gaps before another unforeseen crisis occurs.

President’s Message

Jamie Johansson

VOL. 48, NO. 28

August 4, 2021

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2 Ag Alert August 4, 2021

Lemon farmers hopeful for rebound despite drought

ground wet,” he added. “When you’re irrigating, you’re just targeting the root zone”—in which case a farmer might get water to 25%of the soil. “Any time you can reach...those root zones and get those roots to reach out further, you’re just creating more pos- sibility for water uptake in the tree,” Mauritson said. Without the rain, lemon growers say, the fruit won’t grow as big. “Generally speaking, when you have to try to replace Mother Nature, you’re

going to lose a size to a size and a half,” Teague said. “That’s certainly what’s oc- curring now.” Teagueconsiders size140 tobe thepeak of thebell curve, noting that sizes this year are trending smaller, toward 165 and 200. The numbers refer to the amount of lem- ons needed to fill a standard carton. Somegrowershavehad to resort todefi- cit irrigation, inwhich the object is simply tokeep the treealive through the summer. Mauritson said he’s seen some of this in

ByKevinHecteman Lemons are emerging from a devastat- ing 2020 to find aworld of contradictions. The return of food service, decimated last year by shelter-in-place orders stem- ming from the COVID-19 pandemic, is giving lemon farmers and packing hous- es cause for optimism. But the shortage of water in a state suffering from extreme drought is resulting in smaller lemons, and coastal Santa Ana winds have led to cosmetic issues. “Our season this year is certainly bet- ter than last year, because some things are starting to come back online—food service and restaurants,” said Glenn Miller, president of the Saticoy Lemon Association in Ventura. “We’re seeing some improvement over last year, proba- bly comparable to a couple of years ago— whichwerenot thebest yearsweeverhad, but not too bad.” He estimated food service demand at about 85%to 90%of normal, compared to last year’s range of 30% to 35%of normal. Inaddition,headded, competitionfrom imports—especially from Argentina—is depressing prices. Alex Teague, senior vice president and chief operating officer at Limoneira in Santa Paula, described the beginning of the year as “very depressed, not nec- essarily from production, but from the market standpoint.” “However, as we got to March and ev- erything startedopening, the food service business ricocheted back much quicker than anticipated, which is a nice change after having almost two years of not such good news,” Teague said. “As that came back, the business picked up quite a bit, luckily on our medium and small fruit, whichwas a godsend.” In the absence of rain, many farmers turn to irrigation, but that only goes so far. “Because of the lack of rain, our most recent pick was probably 10 or 15 truck- loads short of what we thought it should be,” said Russell Doty, who grows lemons and avocados with his family in Goleta, west of Santa Barbara. “You can irrigate all you want, but the actual rainstorms, andgetting that into the soil, is going toget your lemons togrowmuchmore than just irrigation.” Rainfall in his area was down about 8 to 10 inches fromaverage. “Even thoughwehada lot of fruit on the tree, the size wasn’t there,” Doty said. He’ll normally have a winter pick in February, a second pick inMay and June, andonemore in September andOctober. “We didn’t get a lot of storms later in the year that would have blown up that second pick for us,” Doty said. Blake Mauritson, who grows lemons near Lemon Cove in Tulare County, said he’s been trying to play catch-up since January onwater. “It has been a very warm spring and summer thus far, which increased de- mands for water that is stretched thin as it is,”Mauritson said.

Mauritson compared the effects of rain vs. irrigation to a sponge. “If you just filled up a part of a sponge, that water doesn’t last as long, but if you fill up the whole sponge, the water travels and it sinks deeper, and it moves laterally more,”Mauritson said. With rainfall, “you get 100% of the

See LEMONS, Page 11

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August 4, 2021 Ag Alert 3

John Pierson SolanoCounty cattle rancher

The price of hay is up. What we normally would pay is probably $90 to $110 in hay; it will be $180 a ton this year. I bought it early, and the

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same oat hay, same quality is now up to $260, so that’s considerably more than what we normally pay for our hay. The price of water continues to rise. Our usage has gone up this year. The month of June on our small farm, it cost $900, $1,000 for water on 18 acres. It is really expensive this year. It’s expensive be- cause the ground has taken more water. Our pasture is in decent shape. It’s dead pasture, dry land, but we’ve got pas- ture. We have irrigated pasture as well, so it’s in decent shape that way. It’s just our expense to raise the grass is a lot more than it’s been in the past. We did reduce our herd to about half its size, but it was more due to loss of pasture than the drought. We lost a lease. That’s just the way things go. I don’t follow the market that closely. When I need to sell, I sell. We sell pure- bred, and those prices have not been af- fected a great deal. Naturally, people have cut down (on cattle purchases), so (sales of purebred) will slow down. We can weather that; we’re not large scale. The beef industry in the long run looks bright. Prices are coming up a little bit. If you listen to all the reports, they say it’s going to be a brighter future. We’ll see. George Tibbitts ColusaCounty rice grower Much of the rice in the Sacramento Valley is now in

the heading stage, right on schedule. In a few weeks, growers will begin closely monitoring

their fields in order to decide when to drain them. Once drained, a field typically takes about three weeks to dry out enough for harvest equipment to be able to move in without getting stuck in the mud. Ideally, if a grower has timed it right, the grain has dried down to a proper moisture content right about the same time as the field is ready to support the harvest equipment. Although we unfortunately had no rain in March or April, it did make it easy to get in the fields and get them all planted earlier than usual. I was all done by early May. I remember a few wet years when we didn’t even start field work until then.

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4 Ag Alert August 4, 2021

George Hollister MendocinoCounty forester

Getting the crop in early was nice, but most memorable for me this spring was all the wind we had during and after planting, which made good stand establishment quite a challenge. We did get through it, however, and I think all the rice in my area looks pretty good. I’m optimistic that yields will be above average, but I say that almost every year, and thus, I’m wrong half the time. The general consensus is that there are about 400,000 acres of rice in California this year, which is down quite a bit from the 515,000 acres we had last year—all due to the drought, of course. I see many rice fields in my water district that are sitting fallow right now, because those growers elected to transfer the water to growers of other crops, mostly tree crops. With the reduction of rice acres in 2021, growers are expecting a good price for this year’s rice harvest due to the dimin- ished supply that is expected. Grant Chaffin RiversideCounty farmer We’ve had an unusual start to

The cotton market offered a short win- dow of opportunity to sell cotton at over 80 cents, which is great. However, because we had such hot, humid weather in May and June, which is typically when we set the bottom of our cotton crop, it was so humid and hot that lots of fruit got aborted. So I’m holding back on our marketing. I think our valley average is going to be 30% below historical levels now because of hot, humid weather in May and June, which we typi- cally don’t have. We’ve got nighttime low temperatures above 85 degrees. It triggers a response in the plant that starts to auto- matically abort fruit, and that bottom set on a cotton crop is really the foundation of our total production. In alfalfa, it means your yields go from one and a quarter tons per acre down to half a ton to three-quarters of a ton per acre. We’re in our fifth cutting of alfalfa and the alfalfa market has been holding relatively strong. We do have strong water rights in our valley to Colorado River water. We’re the first in line to receive Colorado River water in the state of California. We have chosen to help the crisis situation on the Colorado River, voluntarily fallowing 20% to 28% of the valley, so that is saved water that will go to Lake Mead to try to prop up those lake levels. Lake Mead in particular is in a state of crisis right now. The important message is that farmers have voluntarily decided to fallow some ground to create surplus water that bene- fits the entire system.

adjustments back down to the pre-COVID lumber prices that existed. The log mar- ket doesn’t reflect that. There’s just an oversupply of logs. The mills don’t need to go out of their way to buy logs because there’s way more than they can handle. There is demand for lumber, but there is no extra demand for logs. It’s the log mar- ket that is depressed because there’s an oversupply of logs from the fires. Most of it is probably going to go to waste. I just hope we can go through this year without more fires from lightning like we had last year and have all these ignitions all at once. If we have the same thing happen again, we’re going to have an oversupply of burnt timber on the market. Yes, there’s going to be fires and they’re going to be human caused and they’re going to be big. We had a million acres on Mendocino National Forest and surrounding areas that burned last year here in Mendocino County and neighboring counties. We had a huge fire in Sonoma County and they’re still logging that right now. Those logs are going into the mills here, and the mills can’t take any more of that doug fir; they’re just loaded up with it. To our readers: I f you wou l d l i ke t o be a contributor to From the Fields , please submi t your name, county and contact information in an email to agalert@cfbf.com.

I’m currently logging on our tree farm, and I’m working in an area where I need to improve what is called a fire-control ridge. I’ve put a lot of

energy into upgrading all of my ridges that potentially could be used if there’s a fire. I think a lot of people are doing that. It’s just really dry, like it is for every- body, so it’s dusty. We’ve just had to be extra careful to make sure we don’t have any ignitions. I’m also hoping that we don’t get any dry lightning that will start fires like we had last year. One of the problems with that was all those big fires put all kinds of burnt timber on the log market, and that kept the log market depressed, because there was an over- supply of burned logs. The sawmills were inundated with way more logs than they could mill, so the price for logs was de- pressed as a result of that. I’m just hop- ing we can get through this year without any lightning fires. I’m focusing right now in an area that’s mostly redwood. The price of redwood is OK, but there is some doug fir that goes with it, and I’m not getting very much for that doug fir, because people just don’t want it. Lumber prices are still pretty good, even though there’ve been

summer. Typically, May and June are hot and dry, and this season we had heat and lots of humidity. Our monsoon season

usually comes during the later part of July, August and September, and this year our monsoon weather arrived May 1.

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Recipients win a $4,000 cash prize and the opportunity to represent California at the national contest. APPLICATIONS DUE BY AUGUST 31 Go to yfr.cfbf.com to submit your application today! Excellence in Agriculture Award Recognizes members involved in supporting industries or agribusiness. Achievement Award Recognizes members who are full-time farmers or ranchers who make a living from production agriculture.

August 4, 2021 Ag Alert 5

$8.5 billion disaster bill heads to the House floor ByChristine Souza

fires occurring in calendar year 2020. “Fromextreme fires tohistoricdrought, our district and our nation have seen dev- astating disasters this year and last year,” said Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, whose district continues to recover from the LNU Lightning Complex and Glass fires. “The federal government must pro- vide every tool and resource possible as we rebuild. That includes supporting fam- ily farmers and producers who had their crops ruinedbysmokedamage inthe2020 fires in our district.” Thompson first introduced theWHIP+ Reauthorization Act in November 2020

and reintroduced it in January 2021. The bill hasbeenamended toprovide relief for a broad range of events, including wild- fires, hurricanes, drought, high winds, freeze and excessive heat. Amendments also changed the eligi- bility requirements. Previously, drought had to be classified as U.S. Drought Monitor category “extreme” (D3) or “exceptional” (D4) for a USDA disaster declaration for farmers in that area to qualify for assistance. Now, a county under “severe” (D2) drought for eight consecutive weeks may qualify. “I’m glad that we were able to come impossible. The bill cleared the Assembly andSenateunanimouslyonthewaytoGov. GavinNewsom,whosignedthebill July23. CaliforniaFarmBureauPresident Jamie Johanssonwelcomed the bill’s signing. “As California continues to endure an- other significant wildfire season, we ap- preciate Gov. Newsom’s quick action to ensure that production agriculture has access toCalifornia’s insurer of last resort,” Johansson said. The bill allows farmers and ranchers to insure their farmbuildings andequipment undertheCaliforniaFAIRPlan,whichwrites policies for property owners otherwise un- able to obtain insurance. Previously, only privateresidenceswereeligible.FAIRstands for FairAccess to InsuranceRequirements. The FAIR Plan has 90 days fromwhen the bill was signed to submit insur- ance forms, guidelines and rates to the After three years of limited hiring due to budget constraints, the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources has announced it will re- cruit candidates for 10 UC Cooperative Extension positions. UC ANR is home to the county-based UCCE, Integrated Pest Management, MasterGardener, 4-HYouthDevelopment and other programs. ThenewUCpositions include: plant pa- thology area advisor, Santa Cruz County; soils and irrigation advisor, Kern County; urban agriculture/small farms area advi- sor , San Bernardino County; community nutritionand innovative technologies spe- cialist, UCDavis; forest and fuelsmanage- ment specialist, UC Berkeley; subtropical crops pathology specialist, UC Riverside; diversified agricultural systems area advi- sor, Lake County; forestry and natural re- sourcesareaadvisor, Sutter-Yubacounties; 4-H youth development, SanMateo-San Francisco counties; and integrated vine- yard systems area advisor, at Hopland Research and ExtensionCenter. Thecounty listedbeside theadvisor title iswhere theoffice for theemployeewill be located. All UCCE advisor positions will

together in a bipartisan way to pass this bill that, once enacted, will provide the frameworkforgettingmuch-neededdisas- ter assistance to our agricultural produc- ers,” said House Agriculture Committee Chairman David Scott, D-Ga. “As we can see, through the ravaging fires through so many of our Western agriculture states in our country, our unanimous, bipartisan bill ismost timelyandverymuchneeded.” The bill is set to be folded into a supple- mental appropriations bill.

The U. S. Hous e Commi t t ee on Agriculture advanced an $8.5 billion re- authorization bill that expands the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus, knownasWHIP+, toprovidedisaster pay- ments for farmers and ranchers who suf- fered losses fromnatural disasters in2020. “Under the legislation, itwouldbeeasier for farmersandranchers toqualify for loss- es due to drought and wildfire,” said Sara Arsenault, California FarmBureau direc- tor of federal policy. “Disaster aid is a top priority for us andwill continue to be so.” The bill, which passed out of theHouse Committee on Agriculture last week, “contains many provisions important to California farmers, ranchers and rural res- idents,” Arsenault added. Under current law, the program pro- vides disaster payments to agricultur- al producers who suffered crop, tree, bush and vine losses resulting from hurricanes, wildfires and other quali- fying natural disasters that occurred in the 2018 and 2019 calendar years. The legislation, H.R. 267, expands disaster coverage for losses of crops, including smoke-tainted winegrapes, due to wild-

(Chr i s t ine Souza i s an ass i s tant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at csouza@cfbf.com.) FarmBureau-backed insurance bill signed ByKevinHecteman

California Department of Insurance for approval. Coverage may be available by the end of the year. Fa r m B u r e a u a n d I n s u r a n c e Commissioner Ricardo Lara held a series of roundtables inMay and June in Napa, SanLuisObispoandButtecounties tohear from farmers and ranchers whose insur- ancecarrierscanceledordeclinedtorenew their policies onaccount of wildfire risk. SB11wasauthoredbySen. SusanRubio, D-BaldwinPark.

SO MANY OPTIONS. VERSATILITY NEVER HAD SO MANY OPTIONS. VERSATILITY NEVER HAD California farmers and rancherswill be able to use the state’s insurer of last resort for their operations under a bill signed last month. Senate Bi l l 11, sponsored by the California Farm Bureau, is a response to thechallenges facedbyfarmerswholost in- surance coverage because of the state’s re- cord-settingwildfiresand foundobtaining newcoveragedifficult andexpensive, ifnot

“We would like to thank Sen. Susan Rubio forher leadershipandcommitment to California’s agricultural community during this time of crisis, and Insurance Commissioner Lara’s partnership to ad- dress this critical issue,” Johansson said. (Kevin Hecteman i s an ass i stant editor of Ag Alert. He may be contacted at khecteman@cfbf.com.) UC to recruit candidates for Cooperative Extension

servemultiple counties. In July, the state restored UC ANR’s budget to pre-COVID levels of fiscal year 2019-20 and provided a 5% increase, plus anadditional $32million inongoing fund- ing, bringing total state support to $107.9 million for thedivision.During thepast 20 years, it has seen its budget decrease by almost 50%when adjusted for inflation. “Thisbudget increase is transformation- al,” said Glenda Humiston, UC vice presi- dent for agricultureandnatural resources. “It will allowus to rebuildUCCooperative Extension’s boots on the ground to help Californians cope with wildfire, drought, climate adaptation and economic devel- opment, among other issues.” TwentyUCCEpositions have beendes- ignated as critically urgent to fill. To avoid overwhelmingUCANR’shumanresources staff, another 10 positions will be opened for applicants in late September as UC ramps up hiring for future recruitment. “We look forward to releasing addition- al positions for recruitment—both aca- demic and program support members— throughout the next several months,” Humiston said.

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6 Ag Alert August 4, 2021

C A L I F O R N I A

Vegetables A SPECIAL GROWERS’ REPORT OF AG ALERT ®

A work crew lays biodegradable plastic in a strawberry field. Research on the material shows economic advantages to using the biodegradable plastic mulch, which can be incorporated into the soil at the end of the year.

Strawberry fields test biodegradable plastic mulch ByKathyCoatney Soil-biodegradableplasticmulchhas real potential, according toresearchersevaluating thematerial.

In tests of some of the older products, the plastic just broke apart, but never actually broke down all theway, Bolda said. Thesewere not true biodegradablemulches because they did notmeet the standards for biodegradability, he said. The BDMs Bolda is workingwithnowactually break down all theway. “It’s composedof different things, so it’snot just plasticsbreakingdown intosmaller and smaller pieces. They actually get decomposed once they are incorporated in the soil,” he said, and they’re consumed bymicroorganisms. Working with four to five strawberry growers, Bolda is testing two different kinds of BDMswith three different thicknesses. TheBDMswere placed in the ground in the fall of 2020 alongside regular plastic. “We’ve beenmonitoring it through the year,” Bolda said, adding the results so far are encouraging. But researchers are keeping closewatch. Krone said, “The second hurdle is when they till it in. We know that it will biodegrade eventually, but we don’t know inCalifornia climate how long that will be.” She said that’s because there tends tobemoremicrobial activitywhen it’swarm, but alsowhen it’smoist. “Sobothwarmth and soilmoisturewouldplay a part in the speedof biodegradation in the soil,” Krone said.

Mark Bolda, a University of California Cooperative Extension farm advisor for Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties, said there are economic advantages to biode- gradablemulch, or BDM. It can be incorporated into the soil at the end of the year rather than sending crews out to pull it up and gather pieces of plastic, which is labor intensive. “Biodegradablemulch has been around for awhile,” Bolda said. Bolda is doing a collaborative project with Lisa DeVetter, associate professor at Washington State University, and PamKrone, agriculture water quality coordinator for CaliforniaMarine Sanctuary Foundation. The research looks at ways to improve plastic mulch so that it sustains itself long enough to support plant growth, but then efficiently degrades into the soil to prevent plastic pollution. Krone has also beenworkingwithBolda on the research. “I knowit’s kindof a strangeconnection,” she said. “But agricultural plastic cannot only end up polluting rivers and streams but also the ocean.” However, sheadded, “There’sacoupleof big finds that thegrowersare interested in:One is that theydon’twant it tobiodegrade toosoon, because theydon’twant their strawberries to be resting on the dirt.”

See MULCH, Page 8

August 4, 2021 Ag Alert 7

Mulch Continued from Page 7

infiltration, the capacityof soil for nutrient exchange, crop growth, and contribute to terrestrial andmarinepollution. But these concerns are really for non-degradable plasticmulches growers currentlyuse, not BDMs, given their biodegradable nature. Optimal selection of BDM and man- aging it, so that it doesn’t degrade too fast or too slowly, is an important part of DeVetter’s research. “That’s one area where a lot of the re- search is: What’s the optimal BDM for

given production system?”DeVetter said. Another consideration is climate and soils.Washingtonandsomeareasalongthe California coast have cooler soils, so bio- degradation occurs at amuch slower rate than states withwarmer soil conditions. DeVetter is looking at ways to promote biodegradation faster in colder soils. “Use of cover cropping or application of amendments likecompostororganicacids might stimulatemicroorganisms to break

down theBDMmuch faster,” she said. “The other nut we have to crack is this problem with the organic,” Bolda said, adding that organic growers, in particular, are most interested in BDMs because their customers are very envi- ronmentally conscious. The National Organics Standard Board has several concernsabout thebiodegrad- able mulches, one being biobased con- tent. Biodegradablemulchhas tobe 100% biobased, andrightnowthebiobasedcon- tent ranges from20%to60%,DeVetter said. Manufacturers can’t make it 100% biobased without driving up the cost that is already considerably more expensive andpossibly changing the filmproperties, DeVetter said. The national standards board is also concerned with how BDM is made and whether it really will biodegrade. “That’s where more research needs to bedone, and that’swhatweandother col- laborating labs are working on,” DeVetter said. “What we really want is biodegrada- tion where a microorganism consumes it, and then it becomes either part of their biomass or is released as CO2.” Even though theBDMdoes costmore— almost double compared to other plastic mulch—the time savings of not having to removeitandhaul it tothedumpmorethan makesup for the initial cost, Krone said. Some economic studies have shown substantial labor savings with BDMs, but that varies on the production systemand the state. For instance, in some states, la- bor is less expensive andmulch disposal is much easier compared to California, where labor and the disposal of film is muchmore expensive, DeVetter said. Some areas also recycle the plastic, but it’s challenging. DeVetter is working with experts on waste management because she said in the long run the more tools growers have, the better. DeVetter said she also has concerns with contamination. “When you remove a plastic, it’s em- bossed, and it holds a lot of soil particles, andarecycling facilityhasahardtimehan- dling that waste,” she said, so it has to be decontaminated. The other concern she said she has is when the plastic mulch is removed from the field. “When I lookat the amount of soil that’s removed and you think about year after year of plastic mulch removal, is that sig- nificant?” she said, adding she doesn’t know, but she wants to domore research on that, too. DeVetterhasappliedforaresearchgrant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and if she receives it, shewould be collab- orating with other researchers across the U.S. to work on improving management options for agriculture plastic mulch in strawberry systemswitha focusonmulch. Boldasaidhisgoal over thenext 10years is tohaveabout half the industryusing this biodegradablemulch. (Kathy Coatne y i s a repor t e r in Bend, Oregon. She may be contacted at kacoatney@gmail.com.)

What farmers need is once the BDM is incorporated into the soil, that it breaks downrapidly, because fields in theCentral Coast turn over really quickly, Bolda said. Another concern are the little pieces of plastic left behind after it is removed. That could affect seeding, the quality of the soil andtheabilitytopreparethesoil,Boldasaid. DeVetteragreedthataccumulatingpiec- es of plastic in the soil could affect water

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2021_FD_FB_CA_Ad_7.25x10_Q1.indd 1 8 Ag Alert August 4, 2021

1/5/21 3:12 PM

Water Continued from Page 1

porting, Association of California Water Agencies Regulatory Relations Manager Chelsey Haines told the board, “I want to make sure thatwearebalancing this addi- tional information request with informa- tion that is going tobeuseful and is neces- sary tomanaging conditions, recognizing that thiswill placeanadditional burdenon water right holders.” Haines also asked that there be in- creased clarification on enforcement. San Joaquin Farm Bureau Federation Executive Director Bruce Blodgett said he anticipated that the state water board wouldapprove thedraft orderwithcurtail- ment orders sent to affected water rights holders soon after. As this is happening, he said, harvest of some crops still need tohappen inSan JoaquinCounty, adding, “Farmers are trying to finish out crops as quick as possible.” Blodgett added, “We’vehadtwohorrible

droughtshere inashort periodof timeand we have to realize they are unprecedent- ed, and we need projects to help address groundwater, but we also need projects to help address surfacewater. We’ve done none of that.” Steve Koretoff, a farmer of organic al- monds in Kerman, speaking on behalf of theAlmondAllianceof California, told the board that curtailments will dramatically impact agriculture. “AgricultureisthelifebloodofCalifornia’s Central Valley and the base of the econ- omy, providing significant employment. The California almond community deliv- ers economic value to the state supporting 110,000 jobs and contributing $9.2 billion toCalifornia’sGDP,” Koretoff said. Koretoff added that the state’s almond growershavereducedtheamount ofwater used to grow the crop by one-third since the 1990s, with improved production practices andmicro-irrigation technology andmonitoring. “The San Joaquin Valley is one of the most efficient places to grow food any- where in the world. We can grow more food with less water than anywhere else on the planet,” Koretoff said in his public comments. “Theboardmustbecarefulnot tomakeanydecisionsor curtailments that cancause irrefutableharmto family farms anddisadvantagedrural communities that dependon agriculture for jobs andwater.”

The move to adopt emergency curtail- mentandreportingregulationsfortheDelta comes as the state board has increased restrictions on water use in recent weeks, issuing stop-diversion notices in June to junior water rights holders in the Delta, Russian River and Scott River watersheds and expanding curtailments in the Scott andShasta riverwatersheds inmid-July. Montague rancher RyanWalker, presi- dent of the SiskiyouCounty FarmBureau, said farmers have banded together in re- cent weeks to voluntarily curtail water. “Whenweheard these rightswerecom- ing out, we got a pretty big group togeth- er to put some voluntary curtailments in place. Quite a fewalfalfa guyswerewilling tocommit toshuttingoff Aug. 15or at least Aug. 31, and pasture guys were willing to commit to a Sept. 15 cutoff instead of go- ingall theway toOct. 1,”Walker said. “A lot of irrigators have already been shut down because of the drought.” The water board asks that Delta water users subscribe to the Delta Drought list or to frequently visit the board’s Delta Watershed Drought Information page at www.waterboards.ca.gov/drought/delta/. (Chr i s t ine Souza i s an ass i s tant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at csouza@cfbf.com.)

seniordiverters,giventhetiming,most folks will likelysqueakby toharvest thisyear, but aswemoveintonextyear, thingsaregoingto change.Andif it’sadryyear, theimplications couldbeunprecedented.” The state water board’s emergency reg- ulation for theDelta, if adopted,wouldau- thorize orders to cease diversions. It could requirethatusersdivertingmorethan1,000 acre-feet anddiverters requestingminimi- umhealth and safety exemptions furnish additional information to the board. Unless the state’s drought declaration is lifted, the regulations would remain in place into the next water year, which be- gins Oct. 1. After that, ongoing supply-de- mand projections could again require curtailments next summer in order of se- niority, in the event there is again insuffi- cientwater supply, Fredricksonexplained. As part of the draft water diversion re-

USDA invests $15 million in Klamath Basin relief

U.S. Department of Agriculture will contract wi th the Klamath Project Drought Response Agency to provide nearly $15million toKlamathBasin farm- ers who have been affected by successive years of water shortages, compounded by COVID pressures on production and markets, USDA said. The block grant to the Klamath River Drought Response Agency will provide payments to farmers to reduce irrigation demand. This will assist in allowing the limited supply of water tobe used for oth- er practices that are vital to the region’s food supply and to reduce adverse im- pacts to farmers in the region and supply and distribution chains, USDA said. Klamath Water Users Association ex- pressed strong support and appreciation for the agency’s announcement of finan- cial relief for Klamath Project irrigators who have been deprived of Klamath Project water this year. “We are very grateful to Secretary (Tom) Vilsack and his team at USDA,” said Marc Staunton, president of the Klamath Project Drought Response Agency. “The agency has been commit- ted from the top down to address the drastic harm that is being experienced in the Project agricultural community.” The details as to how the funds will be deployed are still being worked out, Staunton said, adding that one possibility is that paymentswill beoffered to farmers on all eligible land in the Project, on an equal, per-acre basis. “All producers have dealt with their own unique problems, losses and costs, and the KPDRA board is in- clined to spread the assistance to all,” Staunton said. However, some areas of the Project would not qualify. “Unfortunately, the same as for our

non-irrigation program, land will not be eligible in districts that the Bureau of Reclamation believes is not in compli- ance with the 2021 Project operations plan,” Staunton said. KWUA Execut i ve Di rec tor Pau l Simmons said that KWUAhas beenwork- ing with USDA officials since January to identify relief opportunities. “They have really listened andworked to establish a program that will provide a boost to producers and the region- al economy that agriculture supports,” Simmons said. Theprogramreplaces a$10millionpro- gramannounced by USDA inmid-April. “What they have arrived at is a much better fit, and it should be very efficient on the ground,” Simmons said. Though the KWUA said it welcomes the financial relief, Simmons said it is not the organization’s top priority. “Ourmost important priority is to have water for irrigation so producers can produce,” Simmons said. “But we have to play the cards we were dealt this year anddo the best we can for producerswho are under duress.” USDA said it will evaluate the out- comes to help inform future program design and continue to monitor basins and drought conditions to determine ar- eas of immediate economic support and relief to farmers. The pilot is part of a broader suite of programs available to farmers to help recover losses from drought. Disaster assistance programs and loans are available to help farmers offset losses and get financing to help with recovery. Farmers should visit farmers.gov, where they can use the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool or Disaster-at-a-Glance fact sheet to learn more about program or loan options.

For updates to the story, go to agalert.com.

The Produce Safety Rule is Here; ARE YOU READY?

Farm Employers Labor Service (FELS), an aliated company of the California Farm Bureau (CAFB), has partnered with the Safe Food Alliance through a California Department of Food and Agriculture grant contract, as their designated training provider for Central and Southern California, to conduct the required Produce Safety training for growers. Presented in a free two-day remote delivery webinar format! What sets Safe Food Alliance, FELS, and Farm Bureau apart is their total of over 100 years of experience and our dedication to providing technical guidance and leadership to the California agriculture community. Most farms are required to have at least one designated supervisor who has been trained in accordance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety rule. Upon completion of the course, attendees will receive an ocial certicate from the Association of Food & Drug Ocials.

The Food Safety Training Partnership is offering these training courses throughout California. You can find more information and register at foodsafetytrainingpartnership.com, or call 916-561-5672. Supported by California Department of Food and Agriculture

August 4, 2021 Ag Alert 9

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