Fuel Continued from Page 3
due to changes in the state overtime rules. Ifheraiseshisprices toomuch,hesaid, “I won’tgetanyorders,”andfarmerswhogrow hisplantswill just switch toadifferent crop. RiversideCounty farmer Grant Chaffin echoed the same concerns. In addition to growing his own crops, he runs cus- tom-farming operations for other farm- ers. Though he can charge more for his services, including adding a fuel sur- charge, he said he “can’t get too aggres- sive in increasing our prices, because
then people won’t use us.” Chaffin said he also can’t pass on any increased costs to crops he’s growing on contract, including his onions, garlic and potatoes, because those contracts are al- ready set. He said he does look for efficiencies on the farm, such as by reducing the number of tripshis tractormakes through the field. This could be done with a multi-task im- plement. But that would require a bigger, more expensive tractor that burns more
fuel, he added. With the price of fertilizer continu- ing to climb, Chaffin said he was able to hedge some of those costs last fall by pre- buying enough supply to get himthrough the season. “If we get close to the end of 2022 and therehasn’tbeensomerelief inthese fertil- izerprices, thenI’mgoing tobe inapinch,” he said. (ChingLeeisanassistanteditorofAgAlert. Shemaybe contactedat clee@cfbf.com.)
With water shortages this year, he said he thinks there won’t be as many planted acres, which will mean farmers won’t be using asmuch fuel. Del Norte County nursery operator RobMiller said there is “very little” he can do inhis greenhouse and fieldoperations to change his fuel consumption. He spe- cializes in production of Easter lily bulbs and hydrangeas. “Theproblemis youalsohavenoability toalterpricingorput onsome sort of a fuel surchargeon theproduct that yousell, and so you eat it,” he said. He notedhow rates to truck lily bulbs to theEastCoast have jumped from$7,000 to $17,000, and “there’s nothing you can do about it.” He said he could raise his prices “aminimal amount,” but they don’t begin to cover the increased costs tohis produc- tion, abigchunkofwhichhasbeeninlabor Dairy conference on management set for this month The Golden State Dairy Management Conference will be held in Modesto on March 23. Hosted by the University of California, the meeting opens with a conversa- tion with California Dairy Research Foundation’s Denise Mullinax and the Almond Board of California’s Josette Lewis. They will highlight their organi- zations’ research outlook for the next five years and howproducers’ dollars are be- ing put to work to reach environmental stewardship and production goals. Breakout sessions include topics on nutrition and manure management. Researchers will talk about almond hull usage on dairies; almond hulls for lac- tating cows, feeding amounts and com- position; rumen-protected amino acids and effect on milk yield and mastitis risk; manure technologies and pre- and post-greenhouse gas emissions; where to get Alternative Manure Management Program resources; and nutrient man- agement with digester effluent. Other sessions will cover water con- servation benefits and environmental concerns of managed agricultural aqui- fer recharge; health outcomes for calves housed in a small-group system; pro- ducer perspectives of automatic milking systems; effects of the “slick”mutation to reduce the negative impact of heat stress inHolstein cattle; feeding andmanaging dairy cattle genetics for beef ; and im- proved cattle through genomic selection, assisted reproductive technologies and gene editing; and protecting herd health by mitigating heat stress. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 12:40 p.m., at 3800 Cornucopia Way, Modesto. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. To register, visit https://ucanr.edu/sites/ CAdairyconference/Register/.
®
California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom L e a r n A b o u t A g . o r g • 1 - 8 0 0 - 7 0 0 - A I T C
planting seeds for the future of agriculture
March 9, 2022 Ag Alert 21
Powered by FlippingBook