Drones Continued from Page 6
its goals, he said. Increased public interest in prescribed fire has also helped boost the department’s resources, he said, as private landowners form their own prescribed burn associations, get trained to become burn bosses and secure grant funding to conduct their own burn projects “with very little assistance from Cal Fire.” But Nielson acknowledged that sched- uling prescribed burns remains tricky. Cal Fire must still write the prescription, which predicts flame lengths, what direction the smoke will go and how much of the mate- rial vegetation will burn. Air temperature, wind speeds, relative humidity and fuel moisture must also be right. “When all of those are in alignment in our favor, then we can light the match,” he said. Vegetation Continued from Page 3 The researchers concluded in their report that precision sprays “minimize the material used, reduce material cost and reduce off-target movement.” In a separate project, they are now studying the use of widespread damage to lettuce crops. Pest control results were repeated in a second organic trial as the camera-based system of applying the four materials again killed more thrips and cut the rate at which the pests infected lettuce.
With everything still “super wet” in higher elevations of the state, Tom Getts, University of California Cooperative Extension weed ecology and cropping systems advisor for Lassen, Modoc and Plumas-Sierra counties, said there’s “plen- ty of time” to reduce fuels, particularly in high-risk areas such as roadsides. He noted many annual grasses in the in- termountain region haven’t even started to head. Young plants can be treated with herbicide. Plants that are flowering can be mowed. But the best time to control annu- al grasses is in the fall before it rains and before weeds germinate, he said, noting there are pre-emergent herbicides that are safe on perennial species. Grazing can help manage weeds such as cheatgrass, which is widespread in drones in releasing beneficial insects. This year, California State University, Fullerton, started the first public drone ap- prenticeship program in the country with exacting requirements. Students begin with 11 units of courses to satisfy Federal Aviation Administration and Occupational Safety and Health Administration require- ments. Apprentices must also complete 600 hours of on-the-job training. Stehly said AB 1016 would allow the
California. The invasive annual grass can be good forage for cattle early in the year when it’s coming out of the ground, but once it starts to head, animals don’t like to eat it, Getts said. Some grazing can also help control medusahead, but it’s another weed that’s not very palatable for animals. Gett said this would be a good year for land managers to keep all weedy species from going to seed and becoming more prolific, especially in areas that have been impacted by wildfire. “Weeds really have the ability to take ad- vantage of that disturbance,” he said. “In the open landscape, there’s potential, especially in a year like this, for them to produce a lot of seeds and really gain more of a foothold.” (Ching Lee is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at clee@cfbf.com.) DPR to craft requirements more suitable for farmers who want to add drones to their pest-control toolbox. “I truly believe that drone-spray tech- nology will make pesticide and fungicide applications safer for the workers and more effective than the ground-based ap- plication,” he said. (Bob Johnson is a reporter in Monterey County. He may be contacted at bjohn11135@gmail.com.)
tools for precise pesticide applications. UC Cooperative Extension entomology specialist Ian Grettenberger and USDA entomologist Daniel Hasegawa supervised trials using the same camera-based system as auto weeder-thinners widely used in California and Arizona lettuce production. Cameras mounted on tractors identified plant doubles and weeds in seed lines, and a spray rig eliminated them by precisely applying herbicide on unwanted plants. Although Hasegawa and Grettenberger used weeder-thinner tractor rigs in which cameras distinguish the crop from plants to be removed, cameras are already used on drones to map vegetation and vigor dif- ferences within large fields and vineyards. Grettenberger and Hasegawa reported promising results from their trials during the California Leafy Greens Research Board’s annual research conference in March. They said the camera-based pre- cision applications of four organic insec- ticides were all significantly superior to broadcast applications in knocking down thrips populations. The improved thrips control with the more precise application cut the rate of deadly impatiens necrotic spot virus in half or more, they said. Managing the pests is particularly important in the Salinas Valley, where thrips have spread the deadly virus in recent years, causing
The Produce Safety Rule is Here; ARE YOU READY?
Farm Employers Labor Service (FELS), an a liated company of the California Farm Bureau (CAFB), has partnered with the Safe Food Alliance through a California Department of Food and Agriculture grant contract. 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 o cial certi cate from the Association of Food & Drug O cials.
2023 Retirement Plan
California’s state retirement plan mandate expanded on January 1 to include those employers with one or more employees. Ensure you are prepared to comply with the new California retirement plan mandate. Join us at one of our webinars presented by Nationwide. For a list of class dates and to register, visit cfbf.com/FBE or call (800) 698-FARM for assistance. You will receive a Zoom link and details two days prior to your selected webinar date. Members, enjoy access to free classes! Register for the upcoming webinars.
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
10 Ag Alert May 3, 2023
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