Ag Alert March 24, 2021

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.

‘An absolute nightmare’ Shortage of shipping containers slows California farm exports

Ag Alert returns April 7 Ag Alert® publishes 46 times a year and will be on hiatus next week (March 31) . Our next issue will be published April 7. Check the Ag Alert website at www.agalert.com or the California Farm Bureau Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds for coverage of the Farm Bureau Capitol Ag Day program.

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www.cfbf.com • www.agalert.com MARCH 24, 2021

Trees & Vines ® Dairy & Livestock ®

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

ByKevinHecteman A bill seeking to stabilize the U.S. farm workforce and revise an agricultural visa system now heads for the Senate after clearing theHouse of Representatives. The Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2021 passed the House 247-174 last week. The California congressional delegation voted 44-8 in favor, withmost representatives of agricultural districts supporting the bill. CaliforniaFarmBureauPresident Jamie Johanssonwelcomed the bill’s passage. “We’ re pl eased to see the Farm Workforce Modernization Act advance,” Johansson said. “We thank Reps. Lofgren and Newhouse for championing the bill, and the many California representatives who advocated and voted for it.” Senate receives farmworkforce bill fromHouse

ByChing Lee Thousandsof elementary students from California learnedabout thestate’s10most valuable farm commodities during a vir- tual event that brought farmers and other agricultural representatives to computer screens in classrooms. An estimated 200 teachers and 5,000 students in third to sixth grades registered for the two-hour event, California Farm Day, which was streamed live last week fromSiltWineCo. inClarksburg, according to Judy Culbertson, executive director of the California Foundation for Agriculture in theClassroom, whichhosted the event. The program, moderated by California Bountiful TV host Tracy Sellers, featured the commodities during talks by farmers and commodity group representatives. CFAITC hosted two previous Farm Days—in 2018 and 2019—in which stu- dentsgatheredoutside theCaliforniaFarm Bureaubuilding inSacramento. Noting that the2020FarmDaywas can- celed due to the pandemic, Culbertson said CFAITC decided to produce a virtual event this year because the organization “didn’t want to go another year without this important outreach.” “The advantage of going virtual is that we could accommodate more than 5,000 students rather than limiting it to 1,000,” she said. Culbertson said CFAITC developed a downloadableworkbooksostudentscould follow along during the webcast as they learned about commodities. CFAITC sent See STUDENTS, Page 23 Virtual FarmDay brings agriculture to state’s students

See WORKFORCE, Page 12

ByKevinHecteman A California regulation allowing union organizers to recruit farmemployees on a farmer’spropertycamebeforetheSupreme Court of theUnited StatesMonday. The regulation inquestion—adoptedby theCaliforniaAgricultural LaborRelations Board on an emergency basis in 1975— allows union organizers to enter a farm property and speak with employees for three hours a day, 120 days a year. Two agricultural employers—Cedar Point Nursery of Dorris and Fowler Packing Co. of Fresno—sued over the reg- ulation in2016ongrounds it is anuncom- pensated easement: an unconstitutional taking of private property by the govern- ment. District and appeals courts ruled against the plaintiffs; the Supreme Court Supreme Court hears challenge to ‘access rule’

Rebecca Bailey from the Almond Board of California, above, makes her presentation during California Farm Day, which was streamed live to thousands of elementary stu- dents across the state. At right, stu- dents from Fairmont Elementary in Sanger watch the online program, which was focused on California’s top 10 agricultural products.

Photo/Christine Torosian-Klistoff

n e w s p a p e r

Comment.......................................2 Trees & Vines............................. 7 Dairy & Livestock..................... 13 Classifieds........................... 20-23 Inside

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See COURT, Page 23

What would a ‘resilient’ water system look like?

By JustinFredrickson In the California water world, “resil- ient” is the newbuzzword and everybody is trying to be it. But what is a “resilient” water system and how do we get one? T h e s t a t e o f

for the inevitable dry ones. It will include newways to capture and store flood flows andmove that watermore efficiently un- derground—whenever possible, creating “multi-benefit” results such as flood risk reduction and enhanced ecological func- tion, both aquatic and terrestrial. Building a just and equitable, resil- ient, 21st century water system that strives to serve all of California’s im- portant needs cannot mean indiffer- ently writing off, shutting down and phasing out vast sectors of existing de- mand. It cannot mean glibly ushering out what’s considered to be the “old” and showing in the “new,” and it can- not mean turning our backs on hard-hit and vulnerable regional economies and communities. Rather, it must secure a vibrant future for all of California. Our vision of a resilient California wa- ter system can also accommodate the image of the majestic salmon fighting its way up a stream—but, to fulfill that vision as best it can, it must address the true complexity of challenges. It must recognize this same California as a state of 40million ormore people, and a place uniquely suited to be an engine of do- mestic and world food production. As we brace for what’s likely to be a long, hot, dry summer, it’s not a bad time to ask ourselves what it would look like to have a resilient, 21st cen- tury water system that can work for all. Answering that question will take cre- ativity, good will, discipline and sus- tained common purpose. Happily, we are Californians: We’ve got this. Now, let’s get going! (Justin Fredrickson is an environ- mental policy analyst for the California Farm Bureau. He may be reached at jef@cfbf.com.)

Cal i fornia com- pleted an elabo- rate process last yea r t o answe r t ha t qu e s t i o n . Thinking inspir- i n g t h o u g h t s on a supremely impor t ant t op- ic—“visioning,” as it’s called—is not a

Justin Fredrickson

bad way to work up some resolve to ac- tually do something, and that’s half the battle. But the other, much bigger half is actually doing those things, and that is kind of where we are with the California Water Resiliency Portfolio. As was well known to the giants who built the 20th century systemwe’ve been relying on for many years, to solve big, you have to dream big. California faces daunting water challenges—so another question we might ask is whether we are actually dreaming big enough. What, though, if we come at this an- other way and ask, “What is a resilient, 21st century California water system not?” Maybe by describing what it is not, we can arrive closer at knowing what it might be. Let’s start with the thought that a re- silient, 21st century system necessarily builds on the once glorious, now aging 20th century one we have, but also may look quite different than that old system. Much of that has to do with a lot that has changed—and will likely continue

The 21st century California water system will build on the existing 20th century system but may also look very different.

to change. What has changed? Pretty much everything. For example, things are much more complex and expensive, and there also seems to be a lot less money available, not to mention political will and unity of purpose. That means, in part, the 21st century, resilient systemwe are going to build needs to be smarter, leaner, more pragmatic, more incremental, integra- tive and modular, and more tailored to the unique needs of each very different part of the state, while at the same time ultimately fitting together as one. Other big changes: Society and soci- etal attitudes have changed, population has grown, the economy has changed, ecosystems have declined and laws have evolved, bringing significant new, for- merly overlooked demands to the table.

Accordingly, as we figure out how to con- tinue meeting the essential needs of cit- ies and farms, we need also to figure out how we effectively balance those needs with the needs of rivers and fish and of the communities that have historically lacked access to water. Moreover, for a huge swath of agri- culture in particular, the passage of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act in 2014 shook the world to its foun- dations, charting a 20-year path for a phased but monumental ratcheting down of reliance on groundwater. Faced with all this, more people are arriving at the same conclusion: In large part, a resilient water systemwill involve better stewarding of our forests and wa- tersheds, figuring out how to take better advantage of wet times in preparation

VOL. 48, NO. 12

March 24, 2021

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2 Ag Alert March 24, 2021

Bottlenecks at California ports delay farm exports

$10,000 for a container shipped from China to the U.S., whereas export cargo of U.S. agricultural commodities such as cotton fetches roughly $200 to $600. “Right now, it’s just an absolute night- mare,” said Jim Zion, managing partner of Meridian Growers in Fresno, which exports tree nuts. In addition to a shortage of contain- ers and equipment to move products onto ships, Zion said some freight rates have doubled. Even if he can get a booking, he said, ships will either be delayed or the carrier

will outright deny a container, with some ships bypassing ports with no notifica- tion. The product then sits at the port in- curring detention and demurrage fees, “adding insult to injury,” he added. Because of thedelays, Zion said, inland trucking charges to and from ports have soared. He said the company has been absorbing the increased costs, because they were not originally factored into contracts with buyers. Some exporters say they’ve heard

ByChing Lee Despite mounting calls for federal maritime regulators to address conges- tion, delays and shipping challenges at U.S. ports, California agricultural export- ers say they have yet to see any relief. Since last fall, the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association has reported a surge in cargo volumes that has kept shipping containers sitting longer at California ports. With a reduced port workforce due to the pandemic and relat- ed slowdowns, exporters say bottlenecks have heldupCalifornia agricultural ship- ments—leading to canceled bookings, increased costs and concerns about lost export business. Becauseunloading and reloading ships takesmuch longer and export companies USDA extends disaster program Citing clarifications to program rules and winter storms in some parts of the country, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is extending the deadline for agricultural producers to apply for the Quality Loss Adjustment Program. The programassists producers, includ- ing those in California, who suffered crop quality losses due to qualifying 2018 and 2019 natural disasters. The USDA said the new deadline will be April 9; the previous deadline had beenMarch 5. USDA identified eligible crops as those for which federal crop insurance or Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Programcoverage is available, except for grazed crops and value-loss crops such as honey, maple sap, aquaculture, flori- culture, mushrooms, ginseng root, orna- mental nursery crops, Christmas trees and turfgrass sod. Additionally, crops that were sold or fed to livestock or that are in storage may be eligible. Assistance is available in counties that received a presidential emergency disaster declaration or secretarial disas- ter designation; for drought, assistance is available in counties rated by the U.S. DroughtMonitor as having aD3 (extreme drought) designationor higher. Producers in counties that did not receive a qualify- ing declaration or designation may still apply, USDA said, but must also provide supporting documentation. The USDA Farm Service Agency will issuepayments once the applicationperi- od ends. If the total amount of calculated QLApayments exceeds availableprogram funding, payments will be prorated, the agency said. To apply, contact a local USDA Service Center. Additional information is also available at farmers.gov/quality-loss. USDA said farmers and ranchersmay ob- tainone-on-onesupportwithapplications by calling 877-508-8364.

in Asia urgently need containers to ship moregoods to theU.S., shipping lineshave reportedly been leaving U.S. ports more often without refilling empty containers with American products, including de- clining to take agricultural exports. Peter Schneider, president of Fresno- based TGS Logistics, said this is because ocean carriers can now be paid up to

See CONTAINERS, Page 16

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March 24, 2021 Ag Alert 3

Klamath farmers confront dry year, legal challenge ByChristine Souza

In a brief submitted to the U.S. District Court of Appeal, the California Farm Bureau, Oregon Farm Bureau, Modoc County Farm Bureau, Siskiyou County FarmBureau and Klamath-Lake County Farm Bureau advocated on behalf of Klamath Basin farmers. “We want to protect their right to farm according to rules that the federal gov- ernment originally developed for those leases,” Scheuring said, adding that Farm Bureaumembers in the region “could be materially affected if agriculture is mod- ified or terminated on lease lands within the refuge complex.” Farmer Marc Staunton of Tulelake, who leases refuge ground to farm grain and row crops, said, “There’s not a lot more limiting you can do before you are just not farming, which I think is the goal of some of those groups.” Staunton noted the area that became the lease lands was originally to be sec- tioned off to be homesteaded. “Then waterfowl groups recognized that there was a need to keep a refuge, and that led to the creation of lease- land farming,” he said, adding that the Kuchel Act provided an alternative path “that was sustainable for the refuge and for farming.” With provisions that lease-land ag- riculture feature a cropping pattern of

two-thirds cereal grains and one-third row crops, Staunton said, “We’ve always felt that we have an important role to play in the success of the Pacific Flyway.” Farmer John Crawford, president of the Tulelake Irrigation District board of directors, farms on the refuge and saidhe is proud of local farmers’ contribution to the waterfowl population. “We leave a tremendous amount of grain standing there for ducks and geese every year. Right now, there’s thousands of geese utilizing that standing grain that was left last fall,” Crawford said. Outside of the ongoing legal battles, Klamath Basin farmers are bracing for what they fear will be another severe drought year. With record-low inflows into Upper Klamath Lake, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said it anticipates it will not have enough water this summer to meet minimum requirements for endangered fish, let alone to fulfill irrigationdemands. Crawford said 2021 has been “a hor- rible water year” in the Klamath Basin. “There’s some talk now that we might not be able to start irrigating until June 1st,” he said. “In the project, there’s a lot of garlic right now that was planted in the fall and it’s terribly dry and it could use water today. If it doesn’t get water till

June 1, it probably won’t survive.” Delays in water deliveries until June 1 could also “completely eliminate the on- ion industry from the Klamath Project,” Crawford said. In his case, Staunton said, “We’re just like everyone else: We’re in kind of plan B, C and Dmode, but trying to make the best decisions with the very limited re- sources with some groundwater and a very limited allocation.” He said he’s “trying to decide which crops take the most water and are the longest season, and are having to make really tough calls.” The Bureau of Reclamation, with the Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service, operates the Klamath Project under an interimman- agement plan through 2023, which pri- oritizes water for shortnose suckers in Upper Klamath Lake and salmon in the Klamath River. In a March 12 letter to Klamath Basin irrigation districts, the bureau said water “is currently unavailable from Upper Klamath Lake and the Klamath River for irrigation purposes within the Klamath Project.” (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.)

In the latest challenges to farming in the Klamath Basin, farmers have learned that the Klamath Water Project may not be able to divert water from Upper Klamath Lake and the Klamath River until April 15, at the earliest. At the same time, a court case could affect farmers’ ability to grow crops in federally man- aged lease lands in the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex. The legal case stems from a 2017 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service management plan for the refuges. It continues to allow the service to lease land for private agri- culture, but also imposes new require- ments on leaseholders. Environmental groups challenged the plan’s continuedallowance of leasing ref- uge lands for agriculture as inconsistent with the refuges’ purpose of waterfowl management. Conversely, the Tulelake IrrigationDistrict challenged the new re- strictions as inconsistent with the Kuchel Act, which identifies agriculture as a key purpose of the refuges. Ca l i f orni a Farm Bureau Seni or Counsel Chris Scheuring said the Kuchel Act, passed in 1964, established the ref- uge and “stated that farmers would be able to coexist and lease the federal lands within the refuge for onging farm- ing purposes.”

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4 Ag Alert March 24, 2021

Volunteer work to combat hunger earns recognition

January. In addition to raising food and money for the initiative, farmers and ranchers reported22,570 volunteer hours assisting local hunger groups in 2020. Now in its 19th year, Harvest for All is spearheaded by members of the Farm Bureau YF&R program, but members of all ages fromacross the nation contribute to the effort. Since Harvest for All was launched, Farm Bureau families nationwide have gathered 376 million pounds of food, loggedmore than215,000volunteerhours and raised $9.8million in donations.

“Hunger remains a concern for peo- ple from all walks of life, including many rural Americans and residents of farming communities,” said Jon Iverson of Oregon, chair of the AFBF YF&R Committee. “Farm Bureau’s longstand- ing commitment to helping put food on the tables of those in need through Harvest for All outreach is more im- portant than ever as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue.” (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.)

ByChristine Souza Work donating food, funds and volun- teer hours to people in need during 2020 has earned recognition for California Farm Bureau Young Farmer s and Ranchers members. TheAmericanFarmBureauFederation honored California YF&R members for devoting themost volunteer hours during 2020—8,319—to its national Harvest for All campaign to feed hungry people. LeahGroves, who chairs the California YF&R Contest Subcommittee that over- sees Harvest for All activities in the state, saidmembers across California dedicat- ed hours, funds and resources to support the communities where they live. “Especially in the time of COVID, our members stepped up and gave back to others that have lost so much and are struggling daily,” Groves said. “We are all proudof howhard they haveworkedover this past year.” CaliforniaYF&Rmembers volunteered time during 2020 requesting donations, serving meals, gleaning fields and help- ing at food banks and school gardens, she said, adding that YF&R members “got creative by partnering with school systems, churches, blood drives, food banks, FFA livestock sales and county FarmBureaus.” In recognizing California YF&Rmem- bers for leading the nation in volunteer hours, AFBF noted the myriad tasks involved, such as preparing donated food, loading it into trailers and deliv- ering it to distribution sites. Members also volunteered time to create fund- raising appeals on social media, shop for Christmas presents for children at homeless shelters and package take- home meals for at-risk students. California YF&Rmembers also donat- ed1,205,240pounds of foodand$216,718 during 2020. Dur ing the AFBF 2021 FUSION Reimagined Conference, held virtual- ly earlier this month, the Florida Farm Bureau took tophonors for donating food and raising money in 2020: 43 million pounds and $413,000. With the support of Nationwide, state organizations received a $500 grant for each type of contribution, for donation to a local food bank or for another Harvest for All project. Second-place winners were: New York FarmBureau for donating 8 million pounds of food; Michigan Farm Bureau for $313,972 of donated funds ; and Florida Farm Bureau for 7,182 volunteer hours. Each of the second-place winners received a $250 grant fromNationwide to donate to a local food bank. In addition, the Illinois Farm Bureau YF&R Committee received a $250 grant from Nationwide for “most innovative” program: a Facebook fundraiser to help fight food insecurityduring thepandemic. Nationally, Farm Bureau farm and ranch fami l ies donated 53 mi l l ion

pounds of food and raised nearly $1.5 million to assist hungry Americans in 2020. Combined, themonetary and food donations totaled the equivalent of 53 millionmeals. The YF&R donation program comple- mented Farm Bureau donations to sup- port COVID-19 relief of $5.4 million and 1.4millionpounds of food, announced in

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March 24, 2021 Ag Alert 5

Board discusses potential winery wastewater fees ByChristine Souza

to fund 16 positions associated with the statewide wastewater program will be $3.2 million, with $2.5 million of that to be funded through winery fees and the rest fromwineries that will continue to be governedby individual regulatory orders. California Farm Bureau Director of Water Resources DannyMerkley, who at- tended themeeting, said costs to operate the program represent an initial estimate andcouldbeadjustedinsubsequent years.

“At the stakeholder meetings, staff tries to come up with various options to fund the program but also get a read on whether it will work or if it won’t, based on feedback that they have received,” Merkley said. The state water board developed the statewide order to be consistent from re- gion to region, he said, “but that’s hard to do, because it’s different in Napa than it is in Lodi.”

More than2,000Californiawineries that apply winery process water to land for ir- rigation and soil amendment uses will be affected by the new regulation, which the stateboardadopted in January. Theboard saidtheorderwouldsafeguardgroundwa- ter andsurfacewater throughapermitting process for water discharge. The regulationwill be implemented by regional water boards soon after the fee schedule is adopted, whichcouldhappen in June or July. Merkley said the California Farm Bureau has beenworking since 2015with theWine Institute, county FarmBureaus, the California Association of Winegrape Growers, FamilyWinemakersofCalifornia and others to advocate for a regulation that works for winery operators and wa- ter quality. The order classifies wineries into reg- ulatory tiers based on the total volume of processed water discharged annually prior to treatment, with different applica- tion requirements, fees, and monitoring and reporting requirements. Wineries discharging less than 10,000 gallons of wastewater per year would be exempted, unless they are determined to be in an area of highwinery density. Noelle Cremers, director of environ- mental and regulatory affairs for theWine Institute,whichrepresentsCaliforniawin- eries, said there may be some added ad- justments to proposed fees. “Wewere pleased to see fees split with- in tiers. That split will better target fees to the economic reality facing wineries,” Cremers said. However, she warned, fees for the larg- est, Tier 4,winerieswouldbe “a significant increase” for thosecurrentlyoperatingun- der regional general orders. “Under the proposal, one of our mem- bers will see a winery go frompaying ap- proximately $1,500 annually to $19,000 under the new winery order,” Cremers said, noting that the water board would continue to meet with winery represen- tatives before finalizing the fees. Winery ownerswho commentedabout the program in January suggested amore workable program that would involve identifying any problem at individual sitesandaddressing that specificproblem, rather than a blanket regulation. Merkley said the Fee Branch staff has offered an option for fees driven by the perceived threat to water quality and the complexity of the problem. The statewide order allows the largest wineries toparticipate inregional ground- water monitoring rather than individual monitoring. In addition, wineries sub- ject to the effluent limits for subsurface systems may instead install groundwater monitoring wells that must be approved by a regional board. If the monitoring shows the groundwater is above the ap- proved limit, wineries have one year to prepare a nitrogen control plan andmeet the effluent limits. (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.)

As the State Water Resources Control Board moves forward with new regu- lations on wastewater discharge from California wineries, its Fee Branch has begun to develop a fee structure to sup- port the program. FeeBranch staffmetwithwinery repre- sentatives last week to discuss fee-sched- ule options. The water board estimates total cost

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6 Ag Alert March 24, 2021

A SPECIAL GROWERS’ REPORT OF AG ALERT ® C A L I F O R N I A Trees & Vines ®

Grapevines are vulnerable to two viral diseases, leafroll and red blotch, that can be carried into vineyards by insects. Both diseases can reduce yields and brix, and affect the quality of wine made from the grapes.

Advisors describe ways to manage vine diseases ByBob Johnson

vineyard is infected, and remove the block if it is more. “If the disease is above 30%, we recommend removing the block,” Fuchs said. “I do not recommendmanaging populations of the three-cornered alfalfa hopper.” University of CaliforniaCooperative Extension integratedpestmanagement special- ist Kent Daane told the seminar control of the vine mealybug is extremely important inmanaging leafroll virus. Daane said there has been “an explosion” of vine mealybugs since 2008, and it has become “the most important insect pest in California vineyards.” “Except as a vector, these mealybugs would just be nuisances,” he said. “But they havemore eggs andmore generations than othermealybugs. You can have six or seven generations in the Central Valley and three to five near the coast, and they only lose the ability to carry the leafroll pathogen when they molt.” It takes the vine mealybug only an hour of feeding on an infected vine to pick up leafroll virus, and then an hour of feeding to transmit it to a clean vine. Daane has led in the development of an areawide program for controlling vine mealybugs through a combination of pheromone mating disruption and insecticide applications in hot spots.

Winegrape researchers are piecing together strategies for identifying andmanaging two major viral diseases—leafroll and red blotch—that can look a lot alike but have different insect vectors and preferred control strategies. Both leafroll and red blotch significantly reduce yields and brix, and damage color and other quality measurements of wine. Specialists say the more recently discovered red blotch appears to have inefficient insect vectors, which means it spreads less aggressively than leafroll within a block or to nearby vineyards. “The three-cornered alfalfa hopper is the vector,” said Marc Fuchs, professor of plant pathology at Cornell University. “Unlike themealybug that transmits leafroll, the three-cornered alfalfa hopper is not a pest of grapes and is not capable of reproducing on grapes.” Fuchs made his remarks during the Virtual Sustainable Ag Expo and International Sustainable Winegrowing Summit. “There is only one known vector for red blotch,” he said. “There are other candidates, but none of them are grape pests. Grapes are not the preferred host of the three-cor- nered alfalfa hopper; legumes are the preferred hosts. Watch your cover crop varieties.” With red blotch, the management recommendation is to rogue if 30% or less of the

See VINES, Page 8

March 24, 2021 Ag Alert 7

Vines Continued from Page 7

diseasewill quickly spread fromdiseased plants throughout the vineyard. “We have to be careful and vigilant when we select planting material ,” Fuchs said. One of the problems in managing the diseases, he said, is it is not always obvi- ous which is present. “We get a lot of questions about symp- tom and vector ID for leafroll and red blotch,” Fuchs said. “Blotch and leafroll symptoms are frequently confused with each other and (with) other vine diseases and conditions.” On red grape varieties, he said, lea- froll can redden leaves, except for the veins; on white varieties, the symptoms “are less conspicuous.” Red blotch caus- es blotchy patches that eventually co- alesce, he said; on white varieties, the patches are chlorotic. “Red blotch diagnosis is a challenge,” Fuchs said, “because this is a newdisease forwhichwe don’t have the level of famil- iarity that we have with leafroll.” For diagnostic help, UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Monica Cooper is working with a group to develop a smartphone app that will let a grower photograph stressed vines and learn if the disease is leafroll or red blotch. ( Bo b J o hn s o n i s a r e p o r t e r i n Sacramento. He may be contacted at bjohn11135@gmail.com.)

A UC Riverside researcher identified and synthesizedmealybug pheromones, he said, and Sutera has released a spray- able formulation researchers used to achieve 50% to 60% reductions in leafroll virus crop damage. “We got i t to work,” Daane said. “Mating disruptionworks best when you keep the pressure on. You do it year after year, along with insecticides.” He said mating disruption works best with low populations. “The hope is once you get the popula- tiondown in the thirdand fourthyear, you can back off on the insecticides,” he said. Daane is working on a f ive-year, areawide vine mealybug control proj- ect in 150 acres of neighboring Napa County vineyards. “You might have one grower who is applying all the controls and has no mealybugs or leafroll virus, but he has neighbors who do,” he said. “Can we come up with a program that gives con- trol for everyone?” The approach that looks promising, he said, is for all the vineyards in the area to use pheromones, then develop addi- tional controlmeasures formealybug hot spots within the area. “When we were using pheromones to identify growers about hot spots,

To protect winegrapes and vineyards from the insect that carries leafroll virus, a University of California specialist has undertaken a five-year, areawide control project in Napa County.

bug population has to be reduced.” Hesaidtheapproachhasbeenusedsuc- cessfully inSouthAfricaandNewZealand. Fuchs also recommended thinking on the landscape level with both viruses, because they are widely hosted by wild grapes, especially near riparian areas. “There is little doubt in my mind that wild grapes in Northern California are reservoirs of the redblotch virus,” he said. “Wild grapes in Northern California are also heavily infected with leafroll virus.” Management for both diseases begins with planting clean stock, he said, or the

they were applying pesticides and re- ducing the populations,” Daane said. “When we stopped notifying them, the applications went down and the popu- lations increased.” Because the vine mealybug is such an efficient vector, Fuchs said a leafrollman- agement programmust include control of the pest. “Spread management for leafroll in- volves both the virus supply and vector abundance,” he said. “If either the virus or the vector is low, the rate of spreadwill be low. We have to diminish the number of infectedvines, and similarly themealy-

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8 Ag Alert March 24, 2021

Winegrape growers prepare vines for rising temperatures

“Sun-exposedberriesarewarmberries,” Keller said. Leaves, he said, are designed to max- imize photosynthesis. Water loss has an adverse consequence, but evaporative cooling provides a beneficial side effect. Berries, meanwhile, are designed to minimize transpiration. They must ac- cumulate water to grow. Sunburn has ad- verse consequences, but water loss facili- tates sugar imports and ripening. Kellersaidgrapeberrieshavenostomatal control after veraison. Ripening berries are vulnerabletoheat injury.Hesaidpost-verai-

son irrigationmayprevent, but not reverse, berry shrinkage fromdehydration. Yield and berry size are determined before veraison, and compensation after veraison is not possible. Before veraison, Keller said, less irriga- tion will help minimize berry size. After veraison, a farmer should irrigate enough to limitberryshrinkageandfavor ripening. Keller said heat waves are a recur- ring issue in grape production and “very hot days” are on the rise. That

ByDennis Pollock Temperatures on the rise worldwide have turned up the heat on vineyards. Different varieties of grapes respond differently—some more tolerant than others—but all face consequences, and growers are taking steps to mitigate the harmthat can come to them. Those steps were discussed in a semi- nar at Fresno State University presented by Markus Keller, professor of viticulture atWashingtonStateUniversity. The semi- narwas part of a series of classes stagedby theFresnoStateDepartment ofViticulture and Enology. Keller discussed the adverse effects of heat and drought and talked of ways to combat them, includingan innovativeuse of water-saving canopy misters that rely on sensors. He started his talk by pointing out Vitis viniferaevolved inwarm, arid regions and grapes are, in fact, heat- and drought-tol- erant. But he saiddifferences among some 5,000 varieties “are poorly understood; some may be better adapted to heat and drought than others.” Keller forecast “more heat ahead.” “That’skindof alarming,”hesaid, “and it getsworsewhenyou lookat the futureand the greater number of hot days in the late 21st century.” He said he is especially concerned about forecasts there will be more hot days—warmer than 95 degrees—during the grape-growing season and the ripen- ing period. He noted that a vine planted in 2020 would face a different climate by the end of its useful lifetime 30 years later. Keller said some varietieswill no longer besuitableand, over time,will bereplaced. He displayed a chart that showed how a wide variety of grapes are better able to copewith various temperature ranges. The cool end of the spectrum included pinot gris. Chardonnay was among those in an intermediate range. Cabernet sau- vignonwas among those able to handle a warm climate; at the hot end of the scale were raisin and table grapes. “Interactionbetweenvarietyandclimate determines fruit quality and wine style,” Kellersaid,addingthat it’s important tolook at theenvironment inwhichgivenvarieties alreadyarethriving, tohelpdeterminetheir suitability for cultivation inother regions. Keller said grape varieties cope with stress through such processes as transpi- ration or evaporative cooling, which pre- vents leaves fromoverheating. Stomata close under water stress. Heat stress bringsmorewater loss, dehydration with lowsoilmoistureand leafwiltingand canopy collapse. Drought stress compromises yield. As stomata close, photosynthesis declines, meaning less sugar is available and there is less carbon in the fruit. Drought stress before veraison results in smaller berries. Keller said, whereas drought stress after veraisonresults inberryshrinkageand less total soluble solids. “Heat stress can also have an effect on

yield, just likewater stress,”he said, noting that as heat rises, results can include poor bud fruitfulness and poor fertilization. Keller said the combination of heat stress and drought stress brings a worse response thanwhen dealingwith just one of the two. A water deficit results in small berries and low shoot vigor.

See HEAT, Page 10

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March 24, 2021 Ag Alert 9

Heat Continued from Page 9

Overhead sprinklers meanmore water use, which may compromise deficit-irri- gation goals and result inhigh vigor, berry splitting and bunch rot, Keller said. Coming up with heat-tolerant variet- ies requires field grafting, replanting and breeding. Vineyard relocation requires vineyard removal and redevelopment. Keller said mitigating heat stress will require better knowledge of existing va- rietal diversity and responses to heat and drought stress. It also will require vari-

ety-specific, cost-effective irrigation and heatmitigation strategies. Oneof themore innovativeways ofmit- igating heat stress, he said, involves cool- ing the canopy using a misting evapora- tive-cooling system. Misting nozzles are attached to drip lines strung to foliage wire on the vine’s west side. Feedback controls maintain temperature and avoid leaf wetness and water runoff. Keller said the system pro- videsmore than a 90% reduction inwater

use, comparedwith overhead sprinklers. “Canopy temperature is maintained around32 to35degreesCelsius (89.6 to95 Fahrenheit) during heat waves,” he said. One goal of the system, he said, is that “none of the water droplets ever hit the vineyard floor.” The cooling systemhasnoeffect ondis- ease incidence, yield, berry weight, total soluble solids and titratable acidity, Keller said, but it does lower pH. He said researchers harvested fruit for winemaking using the system last autumn and are eager to see “the actual effects on wine.” (Denni s Pol lock i s a repor t er in F r e s no . He ma y b e c on t a c t e d a t agcompollock@yahoo.com.) Insecticides earn DPR registration Two new insecticides have gained reg- istration from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. SummitAgroUSAannounced lastweek that DPR had approved registration of its products Harvanta and Verdepryn. Both contain the active ingredient Cyclapryn. The company said Harvanta is labeled for leafy, fruiting and Brassica vegeta- bles, plus cucurbits and strawberries. Verdeprynis labeledfor treeandfruit crops including pome fruit, stone fruit, grapes, berries, citrus and tree nuts. Eric Tedford of Summit Agro said the productsprovidebroad-spectrumcontrol of chewing and sucking insects. “They are diamide insecticides that of- fer a control spectrum that is competitive with, or better than, most other diamide insecticides,” Tedford said. “For some pests, Harvanta and Verdepryn provide adulticidal and larvicidal activity. In ad- dition, Harvanta and Verdepryn are fast actingwith long residual control.” More information about the products is available on the company website, summitagro-usa.com.

brings a conflict between goals of wa- ter conservation and quality enhance- ment through deficit irrigation. “Stomata close and the canopy heats up,” he said. Heat mitigation with shade netting is expensive, costing about $30,000 for 2.5 acres. It also brings less light and lower photosynthesis, andhesaid it isnot known how it affects yield and quality.

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10 Ag Alert March 24, 2021

Breeders develop peach varieties for early season

also reduce thepit splitsor stains that have affected early canning peaches. “In some cases, we’re seeing fruit stay firmas long as three weeks after it is ripe,” Gradziel said. “Wehave a largenumber of advanced selections.” Early 6 is a second new early variety still in the grower review process that he said ripens five days after harvest but stays ripe until the Andross time period; resists brown rot, fire blight and bruising; isproductive; andearns goodscoresonpit splitting and red pit stains. TheKader variety, alreadypatentedand released, ripens two days after Carson, holds until the Andross slot, is productive and has lowpit splits, Gradziel said. “We’ve been able to develop varieties that fit the rightmaturity timewithout the problems of previous varieties,” he said. “Wehave a lot of goodgeneticmaterial we can put into the California background.” One of the priorities for future peach breeding will be developing varieties suited to using labor-savingmachines for harvesting, pruningandother operations. Employment costs remain an issue in the canning peach business : In a recent decade, California acreage and production declined around 25% as lower-cost Chinese canned peaches flooded the market. Another challenge farmers could face is setting good volumes of fruit in seasons after a warmer-than-ideal winter.

“We have had very good chill this year, better than we have seen the last few years,” said Roger Duncan, UCCE farm advisor based inModesto. Although last winter provided enough cold weather for the trees, some recent winters have not, andGradziel pointed to evidence that chill time could be an issue in the future. “We want to see uniform flowering un- der changingclimates,”he said. “Youwant concentrated blooms with a high density of flowers. Ross has relatively low chill re- quirements, and we have selections that flower even earlier.” Vilmos is a recently patented and re- leasedUCvariety that ripenswithAndross but holds until the Ross time slot, has low pit splits, resists brown rot and canbloom uniformly even after low-chill winters. Because canning peaches stay in the ground a long time, even after a variety is released, growers participate in on-farm trials to learn if the variety will continue to produce well as it ages. “You need long-term testing for pro- cessingpeaches, becauseprofitability de- pendson the last 10yearsout of 20yearsof production,”Gradziel said. “Fresh-market varieties can be turned over quicker. The selections growers would try depend on the time, the growing conditions and the qualities you’re looking for.” ( Bo b J o hn s on i s a r e p o r t e r i n Sacramento. He may be contacted at bjohn11135@gmail.com.)

ByBob Johnson The addition of an expanded range of genetic material from around the world has improved the ability of University of California researchers to develop new peach varieties that suit the changing needs of the state’s farmers. Peach types from Brazil and South Africa are contributing germplasm that fruit breeders said should enable them to develop varieties that yield better, resist diseases, avoid browning or have other desired horticultural characteristics. “Wehad to introducenewgermplasm,” said Tom Gradziel, UC Davis geneticist with a specialty on the genetics and breeding of peaches and almonds. “We have a lot ofmaterials in the pipelinewith good quality.” The peach breeding program’s most recent efforts have been trainedondevel- opingnewvarieties that avoid fruit quality issues for theearlier slots in the succession of harvests for canners. “In the last several years, we have em- phasized early and very early varieties,” Gradziel said, as he discussed the new Kader, Vilmos, Early 6 and Ogawa vari- eties, and pointed toward efforts to meet future needs. Hemadehis remarksonadvances inthe

breeding program during the California Cling Peach Day webinar, sponsored by UC Cooperative Extension and the California Cling Peach Board. Cling peach growers need numerous, high-quality varieties that ripen in se- quence, to keep harvest crews and can- neries occupied at a steady pace. UC Davis has released or is in the pro- cess of releasing four new canning peach varieties with an emphasis on the ear- ly-season harvest slots, which Gradziel said has been a weak period. “Ogawa ripens early and has brown rot resistance that might make it a candidate for organic production,” he said. This new, brown rot-resistant variety, which is still in grower trials, ripens three daysbefore theearly-seasonCeresCarson variety, but Gradziel said it holds well on the tree and lasts until the Loadel slot. In addition to superior brown-rot scores, he said Ogawa, with genetic ori- gins in Brazil, has also shown good yield and brix in trials. It is oneof the recentUCclingpeachva- rieties that feature the ability to hold well on the trees after first ripening, which al- lows better flexibility for single-pass har- vesting and maintaining a steady flow to the cannery. Many of the early varieties

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March 24, 2021 Ag Alert 11

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