OPTIMAL CROP NUTRITION DOESN’T GET ANY EASIER THAN THIS Harvest More ® Urea Mate is the simplified pathway to advanced crop nutrition all season long.
Vast plantings near almond orchards at Woolf Farming help sustain bee populations. The opera- tion grows over 350 acres of bee habitat and cover crops, seeking to protect native pollinators.
Bees Continued from Page 10
Both ranches participate in Blue Diamond’s Water for Bees program. Buckets of water are placed close to hives so that bees do not have to forage for wa- ter at a distance. He said necessity prompted his in- terest in cover cropping because of a struggling orchard. His orchardmanag- er advised him to foster “life in the soil.” He began to research YouTube videos to learn what cover crops could do for soil health. “I jumped down the big rabbit hole of soil health at that time and looked into regenerative agriculture and how cover crops can improve the health of the soil, and the trees should be healthy as well,” Rishwain said. He beganby planting inhalf of both or- chards. He then scaled up to full planting of all the rows. He believes challenges from navel or- angeworm are reduced with cover crops, evenifhecan’t confirmadirect correlation. Rishwain recently switched some of his cover crops toearlier-bloomingplants that include mustard and radish. He de- scribed it all as a learning experience, saying he is fascinated by the environ- ment he is nurturing. “You can just walk through the or- chard,” he said, “andyoucan see andhear all the life inside that cover cropwhen it is at full bloom and bees are active.” (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.)
bees were plagued by colony collapse and beekeepers were struggling to bring in healthy colonies. “I wanted to make sure I had a good relationship with my beekeeper and that I was at the top of his list every year,” she said. “I knew I needed to pro- vide something other people may not have. I need to provide a healthy and safe environment.” She started by planting the cover out- side the orchard, around its periphery and on the canal that went through it. She then put the cover through the orchard af ter real izing i ts blooms would not compete with those of her almond trees. She has experiment- ed with when and what to plant. She plants mustard, an ear ly bloomer, in every other row so she can move equipment through the orchard. She said covers have helped with soil penetration from rains, cutting down on standing water. Earthworm activity has picked up, the cover suppresses weeds and the soil holds moisture better. “It’s like a livingmulch,” she said. There is less evaporative loss of water. She said it takes patience to see the benefits that come over time. Chris Rishwain is an orchard manag- er for J&R Ranches and French Camp Ranch near Manteca. He manages 150 acres of almonds in San Joaquin County, 80 of whichhave beenplantedwith cover crops over the past four years.
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