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.
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www.cfbf.com • www.agalert.com MARCH 22, 2023
Trees & Vines ® Dairy & Livestock ®
special reports
By Caleb Hampton The Imperial Valley, a vast grid of greens, browns and yellows, produces dozens of crops. But two visual features define the valley: open channels carrying water from the Colorado River and blocks of hay that tower above the irrigation channels. Forage crops such as alfalfa, sudangrass and bermudagrass cover more than half the Imperial Valley’s farmland. “From the grow- ers’ perspective, alfalfa is their best crop,” said Ali Montazar, University of California Cooperative Extension irrigation and water management advisor for Imperial, Riverside and San Diego counties. But as the Colorado River dwindles, en- vironmentalists and competing water users scorn farmers for growing the thirsty crop in a drought-stricken region. “It’s simple math,” High Country News reported last year. “Growing less hay is the only way to keep the river’s water system from collapsing.” Much of the criticism of California’s al- falfa production focuses on the crop’s ex- port to countries such as China, Japan and Saudi Arabia. In recent years, California has exported around 30% of its hay, with sever- al estimates showing a higher proportion from the Imperial Valley is sold abroad. Some critics liken it to shipping “virtual water” out of a drought zone and overseas. It is true that alfalfa needs lots of water— more than almost any crop in California. However, growers say criticism of its cul- tivation in the desert region overlooks important context around the nuances of crop planning, the globalized food system and alfalfa’s role in nutrition and food se- curity. The crop is also a key contributor to the Imperial Valley’s economy. The region’s geography is ideal for alfalfa production. Because the Imperial Valley gets Desert farmers defend maligned alfalfa production SPECIAL REPORT IMPERIAL VALLEY FARMING This is the second in a series of stories on Imperial Valley water challenges.
manager, said responding to flooding has been a countywide effort to plug holes in streambanks, remove debris and monitor for any emerging problems. “We rounded up as many dump trucks as we could, and as many guys with dozers and excavators,andweworked24hoursstraight,” Stuller said. “We got permission and put Yokohl Creek back together ourselves.” Farms statewide hit by storms and floods greens and berries. The storm impact- ed livestock and feed crops in northern California counties, such as Humboldt. Farmers in Tulare County said they worked in shifts to address flooding in communities downstream of the Tule River, which feeds into Lake Success near Porterville, and downstream of the Kaweah River, which feeds into Lake Kaweah near Lemon Cove. Zack Stuller, a Tulare County farm By Christine Souza and Ching Lee Warm atmospheric river storms wreaked havoc on California last week, causing widespread flooding from rain and snowmelt, which overfilled rivers and creeks, displaced residents, washed out roads and damaged agriculture. In Tulare County, flooding forced farmers to evacuate cows and the current carried silt and debris into citrus groves. In Monterey County, water flooded leafy See STORMS, Page 14 Relentless storms brought destructive flooding to many California communities, such as in Tulare County near Exeter, where floodwater in citrus groves brought several feet of mud and debris. Farmers say recovery will be costly and it will take months before they can return to farming.
n e w s p a p e r
Comment.......................................2 Trees & Vines...........................7-8 Dairy & Livestock...............11-12 Classifieds........................... 17-19 Inside
Published by
See ALFALFA, Page 4
Here’s why farm water use reports are exaggerated By Amrith Gunasekara
In that case, the environment receives 80% of all the state water, while agriculture re- ceives 15%. The unprecedented allocation of water to the environment over food pro- duction highlights how California’s leader- ship designated basic food and economic security as a secondary priority. Many other developed and developing nations have a strong focus on agriculture and water allocations because they know that locally produced food is more afford- able. It is better for the environment be- cause less transportation of food means less greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel use. Local food production also means more local employment. It is disappointing that California, the fifth-largest economy in the world, does not prioritize its agricultural food produc- ers, ensuring that our farmers and ranch- ers have the water they need to sustain California’s population. Our state and federal agencies can un- doubtedly do a better job of capturing more water. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s execu- tive order to expand the state’s capacity to capture storm runoff in wet years by facil- itating groundwater recharge projects is a positive step. And California needs to build long-overdue water storage infrastructure approved by voters. Meanwhile, the next time you read an article that says agriculture uses 80% of the water in California, remember how wildly out of context that figure is. Once more, ag- riculture gets 15% of average annual water that reaches California. And farmers are conserving water, producing even more with less while providing for all of us. (Amrith Gunasekara, Ph.D., is director of science and research for the California Bountiful Foundation, an affiliate 501(c)(3) of the California Farm Bureau. He may be reached at agunasekara@cfbf.com.)
Where does California’s water go?
You may have heard it repeatedly through local and national news outlets
50% - uncaptured water in environment 15% - agriculture share of captured water 4.5% - urban share of captured water 30.5% - environmental share of captured water
or from organi- zations critical of California’s agri- cultural water use. At the height of a historic drought in 2015, for example, The Washington Post published a report titled “Agriculture is 80% of water use in
80.5% total environmental water
Amrith Gunasekara
Source: Public Policy Institute of California and California Department of Water Resources.
California.” And a 2022 report by Food and Water Watch, titled “These industries are sucking up California’s water and worsening drought,” again noted that, “in California, 80% of our water goes toward agriculture.” Really? Before we explain just how much that 80% figure is taken out of context, this fact is worth noting: Water for farmers in California produces by far America’s larg- est food supply, including staples that are affordable, safe, nutritious and essential for our daily lives. Now back to percentages. An internet search with the keywords “agriculture wa- ter use in California” provides information from universities and research organiza- tions, which highlight that agriculture uses 40% to 50% of water in California. But those numbers are derived from the state’s “cap- tured” water, which varies widely. For exaple, 2006 was a wet year when the state received more than it could capture and hold, and 2014 was a dry year when it got a fraction of normal moisture. Wet and dry years are expected to get more unpredictable—and extreme—as climate change intensifies. Regardless of wet or dry years, academia
Farming in California produces the largest share of America’s food supply. And despite descrip- tions of agriculture as a major water user, the majority of California water stays in the environment.
and leading water organizations recog- nize that agriculture uses about 30 million acre-feet of water to irrigate some 9 million acres of California food production, with groundwater used in combination with surface water. Our farmers lead in adoption of low volume irrigation methods, such as drip, subsurface drip, and microirrigation sys- tems on more than 50% of irrigated acres. While 30 million acre-feet may seem like a lot, we must consider the total amount of water the state gets in precipitation. That number is 200 million acre-feet. Therefore, agriculture uses 12% of that water in a wet year and 29% in a dry year. The environment—streams and rivers— gets 26% in a wet year, more than double that of agriculture, and 21% in a dry year, 8% less than farming. In a wet year with above-average precipi- tation, about half of the total water the state receives is captured in its reservoirs. With around 104 million acre-feet captured in a wet year, agriculture’s share is about 30%.
In a dry year, that share could increase to 40% to 50%, an amount often referenced by academia and research organizations for agricultural use. According to the 2013 California Water Plan, a large amount of uncaptured water is due to evaporation, evapotranspiration (evaporation from agricultural and non- agricultural native vegetation), ground- water subsurface outflows, natural and incidental runoff, and precipitation that is added to the soil. Realistically, this should be considered “environmental” water as well, since this water is being released into the environment. This water includes high flows during storm events that are not captured in the state, as California experienced in January. It is unclear why this water is neither con- sidered “environmental” in the water plan and state reports nor included in alloca- tions for water distribution among agri- culture, the environment and urban use. Suppose uncaptured water were to be considered in the environmental portfolio.
VOL. 50, NO. 12
March 22, 2023
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2 Ag Alert March 22, 2023
Storms boost water supply, but drought impacts linger
State and federal water officials have been vocal that the drought is not over, emphasizing that groundwater basins still need to recover. Groundwater accounts for 60% of the state’s water supply in dry years, the state reports. Despite March storms boosting water capacity at Lake Shasta, the largest reser- voir in the federal Central Valley Project, the facility remains below average. As of Monday, the reservoir stood at 75% of ca- pacity and 98% of its historic average. After storm events in December and
January added to reservoirs and snow- pack, in early February, federal officials an- nounced water allocations for CVP contrac- tors that were much improved from 2022. The Department of Water Resources, which operates the State Water Project, increased 2023 water allocations from that project from 30% to 35%. Any increases in allocations are de- pendent on improvements in hydrol- ogy. California water officials say they plan to update the SWP allocation by
By Christine Souza Severe winter storms that caused wide- spread flooding and damage to California communities also contributed to im- proving the state’s water-supply picture, increasing reservoir levels and boosting the Sierra Nevada snowpack to 222% of average last week. The sudden water abundance comes af- ter the state endured three years of drought and water cutbacks. “What we’re seeing here is just an extend- ed period of storm after storm after storm, so you do begin to build some accumulat- ed impacts through the system as well as one of the largest all-time snowpacks,” said State Climatologist Michael Anderson of the California Department of Water Resources. Fresno County farmer Nick Rocca, who grows raisin grapes and almonds, said “farmers have prayed for rain for the last decade.” Yet he said the deluge is creating new challenges. “Well, we got it and now what do we do with it?” Rocca said. “This is just shining a light on all the infrastructure issues we have as a state even more so. We can’t manage it when there’s none, and we can’t manage it when there’s too much, so what are we going to do?” A partial response to Rocca’s question may be found in a March 10 executive or- der by Gov. Gavin Newsom that tempo- rarily lifts permit restrictions so that water users can divert floodwaters to farmland for groundwater recharge. Newsom’s order allows the State Water Project to conserve 237,000 acre-feet of water and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to divert more than 600,000 acre-feet of floodwaters for wildlife refuges, under- ground storage and recharge. “The executive order will hopefully help reduce some of the effects of the flooding,” said Fresno County farmer Don Cameron, who is known as a pioneer in on-farm groundwater recharge. “It was wise for the governor to have the executive order to at least get as much water off these riv- ers during flood periods and put it in the ground banked for future use, because we know we’ll have more droughts.” By capturing floodwaters for recharge, Cameron said, he and other growers ran into issues of debris. He said there were as- sociated costs of “getting the water off the waterway and onto land, either in equip- ment rental or diesel costs, and possible loss of income from flooded fields.” Cameron, president of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture, said many critically overdrafted regions do not have infrastructure in place to accept and use a lot of the floodwater. “We need additional infrastructure in areas that typically don’t have surface wa- ter supplies, so that in the future when we have events like this, we can capture more of the floodwater and get it banked in the aquifer,” he said. “We will be more resilient in the future if we can do that.” Rocca said he relies on water from the
Fresno Irrigation District, which is part of a groundwater sustainability agency work- ing to balance aquifer supplies hrough the state’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. He said growers who took advantage of a delivery of water in March did so “because they wanted to get the recharge credit from the irrigation district.”
See WATER, Page 14
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March 22, 2023 Ag Alert 3
ALFALFA, Continued from Page 1
SPECIAL REPORT | IMPERIAL VALLEY FARMING
year-round sun, farmers can harvest alfal- fa up to 10 times per year, yielding twice as much hay as many other growing regions. “We probably have the highest yield and highest quality alfalfa in the world,” said Larry Cox, who farms in the Imperial Valley. Other factors, such as the crop’s toler- ance of the Colorado River’s high-saline water, the ability to store hay in the open without fear of weather damage and proximity to dairies and cattle ranches that purchase it, are additional benefits. “Nowhere can compete with here,” said Montazar, who is based in Holtville and has researched alfalfa for more than a decade. Harvested year-round, alfalfa serves as a reliable cash crop for Imperial Valley farmers while they rotate various specialty crops, including most of the nation’s win- ter vegetables. “It’s very helpful for them,” Montazar said. If the region’s base crop were taken away, researchers say, the frag- ile balance that makes the farms financially viable could collapse, jeopardizing not only alfalfa production but everything else. To operate as a sustainable business, each farm must consider factors such as supply and demand, soil health, labor needs, water use and input costs when choosing what to plant. Ultimately, the acreage is a mirror of consumers’ needs and desires, with each commodity planted proportionate to demand. Imperial Valley farmer Andrew Leimgruber mused that he would swap alfalfa out for quinoa if people preferred it
Bales of alfalfa hay sit under the sun by an Imperial Valley road- side near Calipatria. The high-protein forage crop covers roughly a third of the valley’s farmland and is harvested in the region year-round.
to pizza, hamburgers and ice cream. “We only grow what consumers want to eat,” he said. For now, alfalfa—essential to dairy and beef products—has seen growing demand, with prices at an all-time high. “Agriculture is all of us,” said Chris Scheuring, senior counsel for the California Farm Bureau, who farms in Yolo County. “There’s a disconnect between the way people behave in the grocery store and the way certain people talk about farming in general and alfalfa in particular.”
Naturally high in protein, alfalfa is a choice feed for dairy cows. Dairies con- vert it into high-protein foods such as milk, cheese and baby formula, which are consumed around the world. In the U.S., these products play an important part in food assistance programs, such as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, or WIC, which serves millions of people each year including nearly half of all infants. “It’s not like it’s being fed to animals
and then it’s just gone,” said Imperial Valley farmer Mark Osterkamp. Globally, California’s sizable presence in the alfalfa market is driven by a fluke in international trade patterns as container ships bringing goods and materials from Asia offer cheap rates to pick up hay rather than return empty across the Pacific. Growers and farm advocates argue that blaming virtual water exports on alfalfa
Continues on Page 5
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4 Ag Alert March 22, 2023
SPECIAL REPORT | IMPERIAL VALLEY FARMING
is a narrow and arbitrary view of a much bigger picture. Despite drought concerns, studies have found that California actually imports more virtual water than it exports. When it comes to agricultural products, several commodities account for more water used for export than alfalfa. “We’re an urbanized, consumptive state of 40 million people,” Scheuring said. “If you were to calculate how much water is imported into California through all the manufacturing processes associ- ated with mining, manufacturing and bending steel, all the way up to creating a beautiful new Prius, that’s a lot of water.” Researchers also raise another ques- tion. “If we eliminate alfalfa here,” Montazar asked, “where do we take it?” Over the past two decades, alfalfa acreage in other parts of California has declined, largely due to water challenges throughout the state. Worldwide, Spain, the second-largest producer, is in the midst of its own severe drought. “It needs to be grown somewhere,” Montazar said, “because there is a need for it.” Farmers in the Imperial Valley argue they can grow alfalfa better than anywhere else, not only in terms of yield and quality but also with respect to the environment. “Other countries do not have regulatory structures protecting species, water quali- ty and labor standards in the same way that California does,” Scheuring said. “We need
to have a lot of alfalfa somewhere. And if we care at all about those things—the en- vironment and labor impacts—we should be farming here.” That doesn’t mean it will be easy. For the past two decades, Imperial Valley farm- ers have shipped up to 18% of their water supply each year to cities in Southern California. Now, as part of California’s plan to address the Colorado River crisis, they are set to forfeit additional supplies. Continuing to farm in the Imperial Valley may mean phasing in crops that use less water or fallowing some alfalfa fields. It will alsorequirefarmerstobecomemorewater efficientwhengrowingalfalfa.Farmershave already responded in each of these ways. But for the most part, they are sticking with alfalfa—its acreage in the region increased last year—and are investing in the infra- structure to conserve water while growing it. Since 2003, the farmers, with funding from the Imperial Irrigation District, have invested half a billion dollars to install wa- ter-conservation infrastructure such as drip irrigation, sprinklers, precision-lev- eling and tailwater return systems, which enable them to save water when irrigat- ing alfalfa and other crops. Last year, the federal government approved $4 billion in funding to address the Colorado River crisis, some of which could be used to ex- pand the Imperial Valley’s water-efficient irrigation systems.
Larry Cox, who grows alfalfa in the Imperial Valley, stands with his dog, Brody, on his farm near Brawley. Cox and other farmers are using water-efficient irrigation to grow the crop.
“We need to listen to the growers,” Montazar said. “The solution is not to eliminate alfalfa. The solution is to help them grow it more efficiently.” By cultivating alfalfa in the Imperial Valley, the growers say, they are maintain- ing an important link in global nutrition and protecting the valley’s economy.
“We firmly believe that we’ll use technol- ogy and economics to save as much water as we possibly can,” Osterkamp said. “And we’ll continue to grow the same crops and employ the same number of people.” (Caleb Hampton is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. He may be contacted at champton@cfbf.com.)
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A SPECIAL GROWERS’ REPORT OF AG ALERT ® CALIFORNIA Trees & Vines ®
Wet conditions, such as at this vineyard near Stockton, slows the emergence of weeds but limits opportunities for farmers to eradicate them with herbicides or grazing sheep due to soil compaction concerns. University of California Cooperative Extension researchers suggest pre-emergent herbicides that kill weeds before they become a problem.
Winter rains complicate weed control for vineyards By Vicky Boyd
The vineyard owner receives vegetation management and nutrient recycling while the flock owner has pasture for the animals. But Roncoroni said running sheep through some vineyards this winter may cause soil compaction because of unusually wet conditions. In addition, sheep like to graze on tender grapevine vegetation. With bud break im- minent, a “180-pound ewe could wipe out this year’s harvest,” he said. Mechanical cultivation, which involves running a modified plow, flexible fingers or sets of blades in the soil around grapevine trunks, also carries compaction concerns. “The last thing you want to do is get in with a cultivator when the soil is wet,” Roncoroni said. “Not only does it mess up the soil structure, but it doesn’t do a very good job on the weeds.” His comments came as part of the San Joaquin Valley Winegrowers Association’s 2023 grower education series. If growers opt for chemical weed control, Roncoroni recommended always reading herbicide labels beforehand since some have application restrictions after bud break. Others may allow use only on bearing or nonbearing vines or require hooded sprayers after bud break. See WEEDS, Page 8
While winter rains have delivered much-needed drought relief, they have also brought challenges for grape vineyard weed control by creating wet conditions and reducing management options. Bud break—where vines awaken from dormancy and leaves emerge—is beginning across the state, further limiting weed management choices, said John Roncoroni, University of California Cooperative Extension weed science advisor emeritus for Napa County. Joe Valente, a vineyard manager in the Lodi area, said he felt fortunate because he was able to apply herbicides to most of the vineyard ground between storm breaks. “We put ours on in mid-February after all of that rain in January,” he said. “We pretty much got it in. But this year, for whatever reason, it just seems like the weeds are slower growing because of the rain and the cold weather. On one ranch that was flooded, there’s virtually no weeds on the berms.” Vineyard weed management is typically focused on a band under vines to reduce competition, potential pest habitat and interference with air movement and harvest. Meanwhile, growers frequently plant cover crops or allow native vegetation to grow in the middle of rows during the winter and spring. A popular weed-management trend is to graze sheep in vineyards during the winter.
March 22, 2023 Ag Alert 7
Weeds Continued from Page 7
Mick Canevari, a UCCE farm advisor emeritus, said ideally he’d like to see growers apply pre-emergent herbicides in November or early December so they can take advantage of rains to incorpo- rate products into the soil. Pre-emergent herbicides kill weed seeds before they germinate or seedling weeds just after germination. The late fall timing also allows growers to apply prod- ucts before leaf fall. “When the plants start defoliating, that barrier helps because it prevents sunlight and germination for a month and helps extend the weed control,” said Canevari, who conducts weed control trials in San Joaquin County. A properly timed fall pre-emerge pro- gram may provide weed control through most of the winter, he said. Growers may follow up in late winter or early spring with post-emergent herbicides to manage already germinated weeds or a tankmix of pre- and post-emergent products. As mostly contact materials, post-emer- gent herbicides work best on small weeds,
Spring is a good time to apply post-emergent herbicides to address weeds in vineyards, at left. John Roncoroni, University of California Cooperative Extension weed science advisor emeritus in Napa County, right, says standing water may lead to more weed problems this year.
Canevari said. That may be a challenge this season, because rains provided am- ple moisture and weeds grew “pretty much uncontested” for months, he said. Standing water in some vineyards also has prevented growers from making timely herbicide applications. “If you think an herbicide is going to
control weeds that are 2 to 3 feet tall, it’s not going to happen,” Canevari said. What some growers may end up doing is making several post-emergent her- bicide applications this season to try to knock down overgrown weeds, he said. Among the weeds Roncoroni sees as potentially more troublesome this year are cheeseweed, also known as malva; ryegrass; nutsedge and horseweed. “Cheeseweed can be a problem every year, but it could be a bigger problem this year,” Roncoroni said. “It’s one of the first weeds to germinate during the fall, and we’ve had good growing condi- tions. By the time you’re getting out into your vineyards, these things are going to be huge.” If cheeseweed becomes too large,
Roncoroni said growers may have to incur additional expenses to hire hand crews to hoe out the tough, woody- stemmed plants. Italian ryegrass is a “huge” problem in North Coast vineyards, particularly those biotypes resistant to multiple herbicide modes of action. That includes glypho- sate, which at one time was the go-to her- bicide for ryegrass. Horseweed, also known as marestail, germinates in the fall as well as in the spring, he said. As with most other weeds, growers obtain the best control when they target small plants. “In light soil, when it’s given a chance, it can grow to be 6, 7 or 8 feet tall, which is a problem,” Roncoroni said. Many populations of horseweed and the related hairy fleabane are resistant to both glyphosate and paraquat herbicides. Yellow nutsedge flourishes in well-watered fields and vineyards. With standing water a problem in many areas this year, Roncoroni said he expected the weed to be a larger problem for some growers. Nozzle selection also is important to help herbicides hit weed targets, Roncoroni said. Some labels specify nozzle types or droplet sizes. Aside from those, he said, flat fan or other low-pres- sure nozzles that produce larger, cours- er droplet sizes help reduce drift and minimize potential off-target damage to young, tender plant tissue. With the possibility of larger weeds this season, Roncoroni said additional surfactants, which enhance herbicidal activity, may be needed. Ammonium sulfate, a common plant nutrient, also can boost glyphosate activity. In hard water, it ties up positively charged cal- cium, sodium and iron atoms and pre- vents them from binding with glypho- sate molecules. In addition, he said growers should check product labels for optimum wa- ter pH. Most herbicides work best when water is somewhat acidic in the 4-6 pH range. If water pH is above 7, or neutral, Roncoroni recommended adding a buf- fer to acidify it unless otherwise specified on the label. (Vicky Boyd is a reporter in Modesto. She may be contacted at vlboyd@att.net.)
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8:30 p.m.
KHSL/12 Chico/Redding Sat.
7:00 p.m. Sun. 6:00 a.m. Sun. 11:30 a.m.
OR Low-rate financing 2
KVPT/18 Fresno/Visalia
KCAL/9 7:30 p.m. KCBA/35 Monterey/Salinas Fri. 12:00 p.m. KMIR/36 Palm Springs Sat. 3:30 p.m. KSBY/6 Santa Barbara/San Luis Obispo Sun. 5:00 p.m. KMAX/31 Sacramento Sat. 7:30 p.m. KUSI/51 San Diego Sun. 11:30 a.m. KRON/4 SF Bay Area Sat. 6:30 p.m. Los Angeles Sat. SATELLITE TV RFD-TV: Dish Ch. 231, DirectTV Ch. 345
Hurry, offers end soon. Stop in today or visit nhoffers.com.
TULARE GARTON TRACTOR INC. 559-686-0054 www.gartontractor.com TURLOCK GARTON TRACTOR INC. 209-632-3931 www.gartontractor.com UKIAH GARTON TRACTOR INC. 707-468-5880 www.gartontractor.com WOODLAND GARTON TRACTOR INC. 530-615-2828 www.gartontractor.com
NEWMAN GARTON TRACTOR INC. 209-862-3760 www.gartontractor.com SANTA ROSA GARTON TRACTOR INC. 707-586-1790 www.gartontractor.com STOCKTON GARTON TRACTOR INC. 209-948-5401 www.gartontractor.com
FAIRFIELD GARTON TRACTOR INC. 707-425-9545 www.gartontractor.com FRESNO GARTON TRACTOR INC. 559-485-9090 www.gartontractor.com MADERA GARTON TRACTOR INC. 559-674-2496 www.gartontractor.com MODESTO GARTON TRACTOR INC. 209-538-0911 www.gartontractor.com
Sun. 8:00 a.m.*
*Times listed are Pacific Time SIMULCAST/STREAM KRON-ON
Sun. 6:30 p.m.
1 Cash back amounts vary and are applied at time of sale. Cash back offers are only available when financing purchase with CNH Industrial Capital America LLC or CNH Industrial Capital Canada Ltd. 2 For Commercial use only. Customer participation subject to credit qualification and approval by CNH Industrial Capital America LLC or CNH Industrial Capital Canada Ltd. See your participating New Holland dealer for details and eligibility requirements. Down payment may be required. Not all customers or applicants may qualify for this rate or term. CNH Industrial Capital America LLC and CNH Industrial Capital Canada Ltd. standard terms and conditions apply. Canada Example: The interest rate will be 0.00% for 36 months. Total contract term is 36 months. Based on a retail contract date of January 1, 2023, with a suggested retail price on a new WORKMASTER 25S and loader of C$26,486 customer provides down payment of C$5,297.12 and finances the balance of C$21,188.88 at 0.00% per annum for 36 months. There will be 36 equal monthly payments of C$588.58. The total amount payable will be C$26,486, which includes finance charges of C$0.00. Taxes, freight, setup, delivery, additional options or attachments not included in suggested retail price. Offer is nontransferable. Offers end March 31, 2023; subject to change or cancellation without notice. ©2023 CNH Industrial America LLC. All rights reserved. CNH Industrial Capital and New Holland are trademarks registered in the United States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or affiliates.
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8 Ag Alert March 22, 2023
NATIONWIDE NEWS
‘Attractive farm nuisances’ can create liability concerns
The following information is provided by Nationwide®, the #1 farm and ranch insurer in the U.S.* Some farmland is more than just work- ing land. Natural features such as ponds may detract from the overall crop poten- tial of a piece of farmland. These “attrac- tive farm nuisances” can also add to the farmland owner’s liability. When that’s the case, it is important for the landown- er to work with a specialist who can best identify the risks and put a protection plan in place. An attractive nuisance is a potentially hazardous feature or condition on a piece of land that may attract children or adults who could incur injury. Attractive farm nuisances open up a new liability to the landowner. It is normal practice to require an invitation for any visitors to a piece of farmland. But tres- passing is common, especially with minors. There is separate legal precedent for any injuries incurred by someone on your land depending on whether that person was in- vited or trespassed. But if your land features an attractive nuisance like a pond or sharp change in elevation—or a man-made fea- ture like equipment storage—you may bear the burden of protecting yourself from the liability it creates. Federal, state and local laws often re- quire landowners to “take reasonable pre- cautions” to help ensure the safety of any- one stepping onto their land. For farmland, that includes posting highly visible signs laying out requirements for entry onto your land. But the laws are often far from crystal clear. Sometimes exploring any attractive
nuisances on your land may create more questions than answers. “An attractive nuisance can be pres- ent anywhere and may not always be readily identified,” said Nationwide Risk Management Consultant Derek Hommer. “And those exposures of the attractive farm nuisances are rarely accounted for in a standard homeowner’s insurance policy.” This makes it critically important to con- nect with a farm insurance agent or risk man- agement specialist who understands your land and any potential attractive nuisances on it. Also consider consulting an attorney who can address legal concerns about the specific attractive nuisances on your land. “There are so many variables with at- tractive farm nuisances. An attorney can help you determine your level of liability,” Hommer said. “And don’t rely on a standard homeowner’s insurance policy to protect you from that liability. Have a conversation with an informed, experienced insurance agent who can show you the most effective policy options. Having the right insurance in place can help you mitigate the risk you face from attractive farm nuisances.” Visit aginsightcenter.com/farm- landownership to download our free Farmland Ownership Protection Guide and to watch our on-demand webinar, Managing Farmland Leases. *A.M. Best Market Share Report 2021. Nationwide, the Nationwide N and Eagle, and Nationwide is on your side are service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. © 2022 Nationwide.
Senate considering bill to freeze H-2A minimum wage
times the number of farmworkers in the state on temporary visas a decade ago. “The 2023 AEWR rule missed the mark by such a wide margin that farmers in some states experienced required wage increases of more than 10% after smaller increases last year,” the American Farm Bureau Federation said in a statement. “The AEWR has signifi- cantly outpaced increases in the national average wage for most workers in America.” California’s AEWR rose from $17.51 per hour to $18.65 per hour Jan. 1. The Senate legislation would bump it back to the 2022 rate and freeze it until the end of this year. “Farmers are committed to paying their employees a fair wage, but the new AEWR rule used flawed data to reach a flawed conclusion,” AFBF President Zippy Duvall said. “Requiring farmers to pay their work- ers far more than the average domestic worker is earning just makes no sense, especially in the face of high supply costs, inflation and a global food shortage.”
The U.S. Senate is considering biparti- san legislation that could bring financial relief to farms that hire foreign workers on temporary visas. The Farm Operations Support Act, in- troduced this month by Sens. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., would freeze the minimum wage paid to farm- workers on H-2A visas for one year, revert- ing to the rate that was in effect on Dec. 1, 2022, and keeping it until Dec. 31, 2023. The wage rate for foreign H-2A workers, called the Adverse Effect Wage Rate, or AEWR, is higher than the standard mini- mum wage paid to domestic workers. The AEWR, which varies by state, was designed to keep foreign workers from displacing domestic ones. But it places an econom- ic burden on agricultural employers who have increasingly relied on H-2A workers in recent years amid labor shortages. Last year, there were roughly 35,000 H-2A workers in California, more than ten
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A SPECIAL PRODUCERS’ REPORT OF AG ALERT ® CALIFORNIA Dairy & Livestock ®
Cattle roam on a Northern California coastal rangeland. University of California researchers published a report that states cattle grazing helps remove billions of pounds of highly flammable fuels across the state.
Cattle grazing seen as strategic fire prevention tool By Bob Johnson
As cows graze, helping remove grass before it fuels wildfires, researchers are studying ways to manage that grazing to maximize fire prevention. One factor to consider is that cattle do not eat grass down to the bare ground. “I’m not sure how much time ranchers who graze on private lands spend thinking about how to strategically graze for the maximum fire safety benefit,” Rao said. “That would be a really interesting survey to do, if it hasn’t already been done.” Researchers say there are two key standards to consider for wildfire management. The first is how much cattle must graze to keep potential flames below 8 feet, which could allow firefighters to use equipment on the ground. A more ambitious goal is to keep the flames below 4 feet, which would allow them to use hand tools. The amount of fuel removal needed varies by region and the results may be impacted by temperature, wind speed and humidity during fires. For grazing to be a systematic fire-reduction tool, it is important to determine how much fuel must be removed in a particular area. That is because the rate at which grasslands grow fuel varies with the micro-climates in different regions of the state, researchers say. In analyzing cattle grazing patterns in 2017, researchers noted that grazing helped See GRAZING, Page 12
They may not wear firefighter helmets or flameproof gear, but cows can play a vital role in managing fuels to reduce wildfires that have become more widespread and intense in the state. A team of University of California rangeland researchers is studying how cattle graz- ing can strategically reduce wildfire fuel. “Ranchers of course have many goals for the grazing, including natural resources management,” said Devii Rao, a UC Cooperative Extension livestock and natural re- sources advisor in San Benito County. “I think ranchers are also keenly aware that grazing is a benefit in terms of wildfire behavior.” Rao, who has done extensive research in rangeland ecology, co-authored a UC Agriculture and Natural Resources report that examined the role cattle play in wildfire mitigation by grazing on state rangelands. According to that report, published last September, cattle grazing in 2017 alone ac- counted for 11.6 billion pounds of total fuel reduction. “Overall, this is probably a conservative estimate of fuels reduced on rangelands since it does not take into consideration fine fuels trampled by cattle and incorporated into mineral soil,” the report stated.
March 22, 2023 Ag Alert 11
Agricultural Market Review
Quotations are the latest available for the week ending March 17, 2023 Year Ago Week Ago Latest Week Livestock Slaughter Steers – 5-Area Average Select & Choice, 1150–1460 lbs., $ per cwt. 137-138 165 163-164 Hogs – Average hog, 51-52% lean, Iowa-Minn. market, $ per cwt. 99.62 78.43 76.92 Slaughter Lambs – $ per cwt. 125–175 lbs. National weekly live sales 182-250 124-145 117-145 Field crops – basis prompt shipment Barley – U.S. No. 2, $ per cwt. Truck, Stockton-Modesto-Oakdale-Turlock No Quote No Quote No Quote Cotton – ¢ per lb., Middling 1 3/32” Fresno spot market 88.58 78.17 77.02 Corn – U.S. No. 2 yellow $ per bu. trucked 9.20 8.31 8.38 Alfalfa Hay – $ per ton, quality*, FOB Region 1, Northern Inter-mountain 16.50-19 (per bale) 17 (G/P, per bale) 300 (P/S) Region 2, Sacramento Valley No Quote No Quote No Quote Region 3, Northern San Joaquin Valley No Quote 23 (G/P, per bale) No Quote Region 4, Central San Joaquin Valley 325-405 (G/S) No Quote 410 (P/S) Region 5, Southern California 355 (S) 25 (P, per bale) 24 (per bale) Region 6, Southeast Interior 322.50-347 (S) 318 (S) 425 (P/S) Oat Hay – $ per ton, quality*, FOB Northern California, dairy No Quote No Quote No Quote Oats – U.S. No. 2 white, $ per cwt. Statewide, trucked price No Quote No Quote No Quote
A study by University of California researchers states that cattle grazing is a cost-effective method to reduce the state’s fuel load to reduce wildfires. The study reports 1.8 million beef cows grazed on 19.4 million acres of rangeland in the state in 2017.
Grazing Continued from Page 11
Dry Beans – Grower FOB prices Baby Limas, $ per cwt, (sacked) Large Limas, $ per cwt. (sacked) Blackeye, $ per cwt. (sacked)
management practices, such as cattle grazing along with other natural re- source objectives and management practices, including prescribed fire,” the UC researchers wrote. They noted that “our findings suggest that land managers can help balance out these dangers in grasslands by using livestock grazing to reduce fuel loads.” As wildfires become more common, cattle grazing must be targeted to help manage the severity of the fires. As cli- mate change increases fire danger, the UC researchers noted in their report, “this is occurring against the backdrop of the decline of the number of beef cows grazing in California.” Much of the grazing in the state is on public land, where policymakers could make fire prevention a high priority. “I think it’s public land managers that are thinking more about targeted grazing for fuel reduction,” Rao said. She said developing effective strate- gies is important, “especially where pub- lic lands are adjacent to or near to hous- ing developments.” (Bob Johnson is a reporter in Monterey County.He may be contacted at bjohn11135@gmail.com.)
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manage over 19.4 million acres of range- land statewide. That year, an estimated 1.8 million beef cattle grazed rangelands in California. Researchers say grazing provided a cost-effective method of reducing fuel loads. They noted, cattle grazing is so re- lied upon for reducing wildfire risk that it is a common feature in regional, state, county and agency management plans. “Since livestock grazing is already in widespread use for wildfire fuel man- agement in California, it is import- ant to understand in greater detail to what extent livestock reduce fuel loads across the state, including how this varies spatially,” the UC researchers wrote, adding that continued research is needed. They also noted that more studies have been done on grazing for fuel reduction for sheep and goats than cattle. Cattle grazing must be coordinated with other fuel management tools to optimize fire management, research- ers say. “To effectively reduce wildfire haz- ards, rangeland managers and plan- ners must strategically coordinate fuel
Rice – Milled No. 1 Head, FOB No. Calif. mills Medium grain, $ per cwt. Wheat – U.S. No. 2 or better, winter, $ per cwt. 13% protein, Los Angeles, trucked price
49-52
70-72
70-72
No Quote No Quote Provided by the California Farm Bureau as a service to Farm Bureau members. Information supplied by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Market News Branch. * ADF=Acid detergent fiber; (S) = Supreme/<27%ADF; (P) = Premium/27-29; (G) = Good/29-32; (F) = Fair/32-35. No Quote
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.
All sizes + fittings · Durable · Easy to install · Corrosion, impact, + chemical resistant · Made in America Delivery throughout CA + the West. HDPE PIPE
The Food Safety Training Partnership is offering these training courses throughout California. You can find more information and register at
Brentwood, CA . office@westernpolypipe.com 925.240.3643 . www.westernpolypipe.com
foodsafetytrainingpartnership.com, or call 916-561-5672. Supported by California Department of Food and Agriculture
12 Ag Alert March 22, 2023
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