Ag Alert July 24, 2024

REAL ESTATE

Brennan, Jewett & Associates www.landmba.org DRE. 0194463

Almond, Walnut & Prune Orchard 150 Acres M/L Glenn County, CA 100 +/- acres Almonds 23 +/- acres Walnuts 20 +/- acres Prunes Excellent soils with dual source water. Two deep wells & Glenn, Colusa Irrigation District . Great location, access via 2 county roads !! Priced to sell $2,900,000.00 Stromer Realty Company Buzz Gill C: (530) 682-8485 O: (530) 671-2770 buzz@stromerrealty.com DRE 01050665

YOLO COUNTY 346 acres Almonds,

planted in 2019, Dual water source, Williamson Act, 6 miles NW Davis NEW PRICE: $9.45MM or $27,306/Ac 160 acres, Almond & Pecans, planted between 2015 and 2018, Dual water source, Williamson Act, 7 miles NW Woodland NEW PRICE: $2.975MM or $18,507/Ac COLUSA COUNTY 3,147 acres, Winter Rangeland, w/ Highway 20 frontage, Williamson Act, 18 miles west Williams Price: $1,250/Ac CALL/TEXT NOW FOR MORE INFORMATION John Brennan (530) 870-6625 Markus Hackett (530) 301-0329

Soil-moisture sensors are deployed in a Ventura County vegetable field. Researchers and farmers say the technology can help prevent overwatering and inform growers when roots are drying up, delivering savings on water use and cost.

Sensors Continued from Page 1

The ranch normally makes occasional tweaks for winter and spring rainfall, she said. Now, she and her crews rely on the readings from the irrigation aid to avoid needlessly applying water to trees that don’t need it. “This tool has been great because we get digital re- ports that show how much water is being held at the different depths of the soil,” she said. “It has shown me and our crew that we have been overwatering.” Manufacturers of the digital sensors emphasize the cost savings on water. Wireless moisture sensors can be connected to one another in a field or orchard and relay data back to an office or a mobile device. The sensors, which run on solar-powered batteries, report data in real time. They don’t have to be checked manu- ally, though Tate makes it a practice periodically to dig into the soil just to be sure it’s wet enough. Yields and healthy trees are reliant on good ir- rigation management. Ben Faber, UCCE avocado and subtropical crops advisor in Ventura County, calls that “learning when to turn on the water and when to turn it off.” Conservation scientist Whiteford said overwa- tering, other than when a small amount of extra water is applied to flush salt buildup in the soil, rep- resents money wasted. When trees and row crops are overwatered, he noted, costly fertilizer inputs don’t stay in the root zone long enough to be taken up. “They’re all connected,” he said. Another device that researchers say has worked well in irrigation-management programs is called an atmometer. The device, typically mounted on posts near irrigated fields of low-lying crops, measures the amount of evaporation taking place on farmland. An atmometer is a low-cost alternative to an on-site weather station. According to a UC Agriculture and Nature Resources report, use of soil-moisture sensors in guiding irrigation decisions can result in improved yields by 9% for strawberries and 10% for celery, depending on a grower’s practices. The report said using sensors can produce water savings of 10% to 16% for strawberries and almonds. In Ventura County, avocado grower Tate is now bracing for drier conditions as California’s climate has moved from a wetter El Niño weather pattern to a La Niña pattern, which the National Weather Service announced in June. That means growers and irrigation districts can expect warm temperatures and less rain. Tate said her replanted blocks of avocados with soil sensors will be ready when rains return. “The tricky part is knowing when to begin irrigat- ing after rain,” she said. “The Irrometer (sensor) is useful in guiding that decision.” (Rob McCarthy is a reporter in Ventura County. He may be contacted at robmccarthy10@yahoo.com.)

REAL ESTATE

216 ACRES planted to almonds north of Chico. 100 acres of almonds planted in the fall of 2023. The tree spacing is 21’ x 14’, and the rootstock is Krymsk. The varieties are 75% Nonpareil; 16.5% Aldrich; and 8% Butte. 106 acres of mature almonds. There are four deep wells and a solid set sprinkler system. In addition, there is a 155.9 KW solar array. $4,750,000 Bill Chance Realty (530) 343-7085 DRE 01215913 40 ACRES planted to Howard walnuts in Chico County. There is an 18KW solar array to help offset P.G. & E. Irrigation is by a deep well distributed by solid set sprinklers. $796,000 Bill Chance Realty (530) 343-7085 DRE 01215913 46.6 IRRIGATED AC LINCOLN PLACER COUNTY 4 parcels, possibly 5. NID water, 1bed/1 ba small home Numerous out buildings. Pond. Thermalands area. Possible uses, residential, vineyard, pasture, livestock Parcels may be sold separately. Zoning F-B-X Asking $1,795,000.00 Chico Ginter Brown DRE 01258906 530-624- 2395 www.wesellagland.com

79 ACRES planted to mature almonds in Chico. There is a beautiful custom 3 bd. 2ba. home built in 2007 with 1927 sq. ft., plus multiple appropriate out buildings. Irrigation is by a deep well distributed by solid sprinklers. $2,300,000 Bill Chance Realty (530) 343-7085 DRE 01215913

Tate obtained her soil-moisture sensor through a grant from the Ventura County Resource Conservation District, which received state funding to make the technology available for regional avocado, strawberry and vegetable growers. The value of a soil sensor is twofold, according to Jamie Whiteford, a conservation scientist who man- ages grants for the Ventura district. It can prevent overwatering of tree crops or indicate that the root zone is drying up and in need of irrigation to avoid stressing the tree. The local moisture-sensor giveaway is in its sixth year. Tate was one of some 10 growers to accept the offer this year. Even though the sensor didn’t cost her a dime, she said the equipment in the $1,000-$1,500 range would definitely have been worth the cost. “It paid for itself that first day,” she said. She now plans to purchase several more soil-moisture sensors, manufactured by Irrometer, a Riverside soil water management firm. She will have them installed around her property. The early models of soil sensors designed for commercial agricultural use were made from wood and metal pins. They picked up electrical waves emitting from any water held in a plant’s root zone. Nowadays, ground probes are made of durable plas- tic material and operate digitally, taking readings that convert into numbers displayed on a screen. The soil probes are inserted into the root zone to measure either the volume of water held in the soil or what’s known as the tension. In the latter, the sen- sor is called a tensiometer. This is the type of sensor the Resource Conservation District gave away earlier this year. A tensiometer is particularly good in changing weather conditions, said Andre Biscaro, a UCCE irrigation and water resources advisor in Ventura County. He said the devices can record and display soil data electronically and indicate trends that an ir- rigation manager needs to know on a real-time basis. “Those include rising or falling soil moisture between irrigation events and how quickly they change,” Biscaro told avocado growers in a presen- tation last month. Historically, Tate’s orchard crews would start ir- rigating the mature avocado trees near the end of April. But this year, the property received more than 21 inches of rainfall between February and April, according to Ventura County rainfall totals. Storms moved in frequently and kept the ground wet much later than normal. “In the past, we would base our irrigation schedul- ing on an every-two-week schedule,” Tate said. “We would adjust it during rain, but for the most, part we kept to the schedule.”

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA Win ter Grazing Ranch for sale 11,701+/- acres visit www.pentacolaranch.com

TRACY 100.79 AC . Young Walnuts, 4 parcels with good water, $3,931,000. Tracy 61.38 AC Two houses, good soil and water with Old River frontage, $2,650,00. Tracy 81.76 AC Young Wal- nuts, BCID water. reduced $3,270,000. Tracy 3.22 AC in City Limits, zoned commercial, reduced $2,225,000. Tracy 40.15 AC, good water and soils, $1,525,000. Tracy 62.30 AC, near town, large ag pole barn, good water and soil, 2 parcels, $2,648,000. Tracy 28.61 AC excellent soils, abundant water, re- duced $1,116,000. Stockton 267 AC In- dustrial near BNSF Train Terminal, $53,510,000 - PENDING. Gary Reeve. Broker, #00875626 Reeve-Associates 209-484-7012 garyreeve@sbcglobal. net

REAL ESTATE

38.96 AC Haley Ranch Pistachios, 2 water sources, Madera........................................$623,360 40 AC Ave 11 Pistachios, good yields, Madera.............................................................$640,000 40 AC Chowchilla Pistachios, good yields, 2 water sources............ SOLD ............$1,400,000 40 AC Lemoore Open Land, Lemoore Canal Stock................... SOLD ..................$17,500/AC 57.47 AC River Ranch, Laguna WD, 2 wells & 2 lift pumps, Laton...... REDUCED ......$1,585,000 77 AC Open Land, Kings Co. WD, Ag Well, 2 homes & 3 mobile homes, Hanford..$26,000/AC 104.84 AC Kimberlina Pistachios, Cawelo WD and 1 well, great yields.. REDUCED ..$3,100,000 158.69 AC Elmo Pistachios, good yields, SSJMUD and well water .......................... $36,500/AC 183.96 AC Almonds & Pistachios, Cawelo WD & Riparian Poso Creek, Solar, Bakersfield .$4,876,000 330 AC Maciel Dairy, 2 water sources, 870 cow permit, Hanford... REDUCED ....$9,250,000 375.21 AC Pistachios & Almonds, Tulare ID and wells.............. REDUCED ..............$12,000,000 518 AC Open Land, Laguna ID & wells, Excelsior Ave, Riverdale....... REDUCED ....... $18,000/AC 685 AC Almonds & Alfalfa, LTRID & 6 wells, great yields, Tipton ......... REDUCED ..$24,500,000 844.29 AC Little Creek Pistachios, Cawelo WD & wells with solar project..............$32,850,000 957 AC Petrissans Dairy, Kern Delta WD, 7 wells, 1400 cow permit, Bakersfield...... $22,000,000 Need help with a 1031 Exchange or looking for something specific – Call us! We can help you sell your farm and trade into commercial NNN property, utilizing a 1031 Tax Deferred Exchange, that will provide you with monthly passive income. CHECK OUR WEBSITE FOR DETAILS AGRICULTURAL REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONALS HOEKSTRA & ASSOCIATES, INC. @hoekstra.associates @hoekstra_associates Sean Barajas • 559-805-0179 • Russ Waymire • 559-977-6000 www.hoekstra.land Dan Hoekstra • 805-839-8292 CalBRE 02023290

18 Ag Alert July 24, 2024