Ag Alert. August 2, 2023

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.

Farm heritage Agricultural businesses honored for longevity

Tomato study Analysis shows rise in production costs

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www.cfbf.com • www.agalert.com AUGUST 2, 2023

Trees & Vines ® Dairy & Livestock ®

special reports

By Christine Souza Winegrape growers in Mendocino and Sonoma counties say a proposed water-quality regulation that establishes general waste discharge requirements for vineyards are burdensome, costly and often duplicate work by growers participating in sustainability certifica- tion programs. Rather than regulating all agricultur- al crops under one order—an approach taken by some other regions—Kari Fisher, senior counsel for the California Farm Bureau, said the North Coast regional board created a separate irrigated lands permit for all commercial vineyards re- gardless of size. “The projections that the regional board put in their draft order underestimate the regulatory cost for growers,” Fisher said. “The requirements, such as those for tur- bidity monitoring, are going to be very costly given the many discharge points that growers have to monitor.” Another issue, she said, is even growers with just a few acres fall under the defi- nition of a commercial vineyard. “Vastly small growers are included under these regulations,” she said. The North Coast is the last of the state’s nine regions to develop general waste dis- charge requirements as part of the state’s Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program. The purpose is to regulate runoff from irrigated agriculture to prevent discharges and pro- tect surface water and groundwater. In its June 30 proposed draft, the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board creates new monitoring and report- ing requirements for nitrogen applications and removals and lays out paths to compli- ance for individuals or use of third-party programs to help farmers achieve the or- der’s objectives. Fisher said the state’s 2018 adoption of an order revising agricultural require- ments for the East San Joaquin River water- shed was precedential and required other See ORDER, Page 10 Water order takes shape for North Coast vineyards

Beef, dairy cattle highlight conservation Cattle graze pastures belonging to Gamble Family Farm in Napa County. Concerned about wildfires, the Gamble family leases the land surrounding its vineyard, two houses and nearby wineries to a local farmer and rancher for grazing to manage vegetation.

By Ching Lee In a region dominated by vineyards, those who raise cattle for beef or milk pro- duction have looked to innovations and solutions outside the box to help keep their businesses viable. A Napa County cattle operation and a Sonoma County organic dairy shared how they do just that while also helping to

preserve the land and natural resources around them. They offered an on-the-ground glimpse of their operations last week as part of an educational tour hosted by the California Farm Bureau and California Bountiful Foundation, with funding from the California Cattle Council. Tour par- ticipants included state legislative and

committee staffers. “These educational tours of cattle and dairy operations are critical in showing how our farmers and ranchers are con- tributing to food security, the local econ- omy and its communities,” said Amrith Gunasekara, director of science and re- search at the California Farm Bureau. “The

See CATTLE, Page 6

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Why alfalfa is ideal for California and the Southwest

By Ayman Mostafa The Southwest continues to endure a megadrought, signifying drought con-

water and air pollution. Alfalfa improves soil characteristics with its deep roots; as a legume, it fixes atmospheric nitrogen through bacteria in the root nodules. Alfalfa is a rich habitat for wildlife and preserves many endangered species from different animal families. Alfalfa fields are important contributors to the biodiver- sity of agricultural systems by function- ing as insectaries for beneficial insects, many of which are pollinators or natural enemies that play important roles in the low-desert agroecosystem. Western alfalfa production is quite different from production in other areas where nondormant, irrigated varieties provide a year-round habitat for insects. This allows alfalfa to play an important role in insecticide-resistance manage- ment by acting as a refuge, especially for aphids and whiteflies. If alfalfa fields are eliminated or signifi- cantly reduced, it is highly likely that most of the original acreage will be converted to residential and commercial uses. This situation will likely decrease farmland and increase population in those areas. As a result, the Southwest may experience shortages of certain food products, thereby relying on food from nonlocal sources, in- cluding those imported from abroad. This will likely increase food prices and extend the supply chain. With the increase in population comes environmental im- pacts, alteration of ecosystems and pol- lution of air, water and soil, all of which impacts our carbon footprint. Alfalfa pro- duction can make that footprint smaller. (Ayman Mostafa, Ph.D., is a field crops and entomology specialist and director of the Urban Agriculture Production, Small- Scale and Beginning Farmer Program at the University of Arizona. He may be contacted at ayman@cals.arizona.edu.)

ditions lasting at least two decades. Historic water-sup- ply challenges, par- ticularly from the depleted Colorado River, have focused attention on a key agricultural com- modity: alfalfa. The crop is sec-

Ayman Mostafa

ond to almonds in terms of acreage and wa- ter use in California. The share of water go- ing toward alfalfa hay production supports dairy and livestock industries in southwest- ern states including California, Arizona and New Mexico. Alfalfa is the leading crop in terms of gross value in California’s Imperial County and comprises the largest acreage among all crops in Arizona. Increased demand for high-protein- source dairy products and meat has been reflected in soaring prices of alfalfa hay in recent years. Still, some believe the amount of water used to irrigate alfalfa is a major contributor to the region’s water shortage. They fail to recognize alfalfa’s economic efficiencies, environmental impacts and agronomic benefits to our ecosystem. Alfalfa is an ideal crop to have in California and the Southwest when it comes to irrigation water usage and ef- ficiency. The crop has one of the highest water-use efficiencies when calculated as yield per water unit. Alfalfa has a unique deep-root system that can help absorb groundwater that is not viable to other crops and can allow the plant to stay alive during long periods of lacking irrigation. While suspected of higher total applied irrigation water than many other crops,

Alfalfa grows on a farm in the Imperial Valley. Despite criticisms about its water use, alfalfa can thrive with less than optimal irrigation. The crop also provides various environmental benefits.

alfalfa actually has greater water-use ef- ficiency. Additionally, the entire above- ground portion of the plant is harvested as many as 12 times per year in the south- western region. When compared to other crops harvested less frequently, alfalfa’s ratio of harvestable biomass to water ap- plied shows it is far more water efficient. Furthermore, the majority of irrigation water used in alfalfa is recycled back into the environment. Many studies have proved alfalfa’s ability to sustain different levels of deficit irriga- tion, meaning that it can be grown with less than optimal water use. Research at the University of California, Davis, demon- strated the viability of different levels of regulated deficit irrigation in alfalfa and approaches to improve water manage- ment by adopting more efficient irrigation methods and scheduling. These options can help California growers make optimal decisions for producing alfalfa with limit- ed water supplies, as we experience in the Colorado River Basin. Growing alfalfa provides numerous

environmental benefits. While the crop remains economically important, al- falfa also may help reduce impacts of climate change. Because it covers the soil for a longer time than any other crop, alfalfa is envi- sioned as a leading option for soil-carbon sequestration, also known as regenerative agriculture. Incorporating a perennial le- gume such as alfalfa can help to stabilize soils nutritionally depleted by row-crop or specialty-crop production, as has occurred in many agricultural areas in the western U.S. Alfalfa was introduced into crop rota- tion in Europe and encouraged globally to reduce the impacts of agriculture intensi- fication on the environment. Switching from annual forage crop pro- duction for dairy animals and livestock feed to perennial alfalfa can help restore depleted soils, minimize inputs and de- crease the footprint of agricultural produc- tion. Because of its nature as a perennial plant that stays in the field for three to five years, alfalfa helps in trapping sediments and takes up nitrate pollutants. It mitigates

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August 2, 2023

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2 Ag Alert August 2, 2023

Heritage club honors farms for tradition and resilience

to honor the state’s agricultural pioneers. “It’s important to get our story out,” said Christine Birdsong, undersecretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture. “I don’t think it’s an overstate- ment to say that the families and ranches that are here today and have been honored in the past have done the most for the lon- gest to make sure that family farms remain a vibrant part of California’s story.” The farms and ranches inducted into the club have shown what it takes to stay in business. Now records of their endur- ance—across generations and centuries—

are preserved by the California State Fair. “We’ve never been without challenges,” Birdsong said, “but somehow, farmers and ranchers have incredible resourcefulness that carries us through.” This year, two businesses were in- ducted into the California Agricultural Heritage Club, while six farms, including Hulsman Ranch, were honored for reach- ing milestones of 125 or 150 years or more of continuous operation. Diamond B Ranch in San Diego County,

By Caleb Hampton In 2020, historic Hulsman Ranch was no match for the Sheep Fire, as flames destroyed most of the Lassen County cattle and timber operation. Undeterred, Hannah Tangeman, who runs the ranch with her sister Susan, slept on a cot in the meadow and kept watch for the sheep and cattle. “In case the fire encroached,” she re- called, “I was going to cut more fences to get them into the neighbors.’” The animals went unharmed, but the fire burned 90% of the trees, wiping out the timber business and leaving hillsides bare and vulnerable to floods that further devastated the land a year later. More than a century and a half into busi- ness, Hulsman Ranch, which was estab- lished in 1862 and has been run by women since 1914, had to start over. Earlier this year, the ranch replanted 100,000 trees. “I didn’t think my golden years would be covered in ash,” Tangeman said, “but they have been. My hope is that the trees will grow, that we’ll be able to sustain our irrigation system, that we’ll be able to sus- tain our ranching operation and move into the future.” Last week, the resilience of the Tangemans and other California farm- ing and ranching families who have operated continuously for 100 years or longer was celebrated at the California Agricultural Heritage Club’s annual breakfast and awards ceremony at the California State Fair. The club, which comprises descen- dants of some of California’s earliest agricultural businesses, was “created to acknowledge the families, business- es and special ag interests that have maintained a financial responsibility in California for more than a century,” said Judy Culbertson, chair of the California Agricultural Heritage Club and executive

director of the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom. In 1948, a hundred years after James Marshall discovered gold in California, the state created the “100 Year Club” to honor the discovery’s anniversary. In 2001, the 100 Year Club became the California Agricultural Heritage Club, with a mission

See HERITAGE, Page 9

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August 2, 2023 Ag Alert 3

Study: Costs surge for growing processing tomatoes By Bob Johnson

for processing tomato growers has gone up by 85% in six years. While Sacramento Valley growers have been able to find water even before this year’s rains, the price to access that water remains elevated. The study noted water costs at $120 per acre-foot. It said growers use a combination of district canal water at $65 per acre-foot and groundwater at a cost of $150 per acre-foot to pump. Aegerter was one of the authors of the study on the sample costs to produce processing tomatoes in the Sacramento Valley and northern delta. She is joined in the work by Patricia Lazicki, UCCE farm advisor for Yolo, Solano and Sacramento counties; Donald Stewart, a staff research associate at the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics; and Gene Miyao, emeritus UCCE farm advisor. Since the cost study was last conducted, growers have also seen a 72% hike in fertil- izer costs, a 66% increase in diesel fuel and a 52% to 63% jump in farm labor expenses, the study noted. Brittney Goodrich, UCCE specialist and assistant professor at UC Davis, said, “Labor costs have increased substantially, partially due to new overtime regulations, and I was surprised at just how much it amounts to.” Goodrich added that labor costs, not

Costs to produce processing toma- toes increased substantially in the past six years, according to a study released in July by researchers at the University of California and UC Cooperative Extension farm advisors. Based on the 2023 cost analysis for growing processing tomatoes in the Sacramento Valley and northern delta, researchers found that growers face surg- ing input costs for expenses such as water, labor, fuel and fertilizer. Rising production expenses translate to costs of close to $6,000 per acre to plant, grow and harvest processing tomatoes, study authors at the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics found. This is a 76% increase from 2017, the last time the UC conducted a cost anal- ysis on farming processing tomatoes. The survey noted that the $6,000 per acre production costs for processing to- matoes include a calculation of more than $1,000 an acre just to establish the plants. Irrigation costs approach $500 an acre, ac- cording to the study, while it costs $1,000 an acre for mechanical harvesting and for custom transplanting. The analysis is based upon a well-man- aged farming operation of 3,500 leased acres using subsurface drip irrigation. For the study, processing tomatoes are

Costs, including for water, labor and fertilizer, have increased for processing tomato growers, according to an analysis by researchers at the University of California. The study said growers could offset the costs this year because they have negotiated a better price with processors.

grown on 1,000 acres, and the remaining 2,500 acres are planted to other rotation- al crops, including alfalfa hay, field corn, safflower, sunflower, vine seed and wheat. The yield of 46 tons per acre is used to re- flect typical yields.

While researchers said multiple factors contribute to the rising costs, nothing has increased more in six years than the price of water used to grow processing tomatoes. Brenna Aegerter, UCCE farm advisor for San Joaquin County, said the cost of water

See TOMATOES, Page 16

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Cattle Continued from Page 1

tours further highlight how farmers and ranchers help take care of the land and en- vironment. We need to tell their story more so their voice can be heard.” At Gamble Family Farm in Napa County, cattle graze the property’s nearby pastures and hillsides to reduce fire dangers on land that otherwise could turn into a tinderbox as grasses dry. With the region’s catastrophic wildfires in recent years, “the concern has been managing our fuel loads,” said sixth-gen- eration farmer Johnnie White, owner of the cattle. He and his wife Kendall started the cattle operation in 2021. The Gamble family decided to fence off the hill so the land could be grazed to pro- tect not just the family’s vineyard but also two houses on the property and two near- by wineries, White said. He leases the land, running about 11 head of cattle around the vineyard year-round. White sells beef directly to a restaurant and chef in St. Helena. His beef is also fea- tured in local farm-to-table dinners that sell for $375 a ticket. “That kind of shows you the desire for people to get back to where their food comes from,” White said. His cattle are mostly Angus crossed with shorthorn, Charolais and, more re- cently, Akaushi, a type of Wagyu breed

Sonoma County dairy farmer Doug Beretta, right, shows visitors to his farm compost used as animal bedding and soil amendment. The product is made using an automatic scraping system that manages the dairy’s cow manure by separating the liquid from the solids, which are then composted.

known for its marbling. “We’re going for that ultra-premium product,” he said. Because Akaushi cattle are slow grow- ing and take longer to raise, White crosses them with Angus to get “hybrid vigor,” pro- ducing meat qualities of Wagyu but with the growth of Angus. He uses shorthorn bulls in the mix as they are a “little heartier

of an animal” and does “a good job of graz- ing and utilization of the forage,” he said. He then finishes the cattle on grain, some of which is brewer’s grain—a by- product of making beer—from Mad Fritz, a brewery and malthouse in St. Helena. As a vineyard manager who also oper- ates a custom farming business removing vineyards, White said he works with cli- ents whose land will be out of production for a year and uses their properties to grow hay crops. “It’s a very cheap source of feed for us,” he said. “But it’s also pretty sustainable because we’re using this fallow piece of ground, getting a crop off of it to make a nutritious protein source.” Launce Gamble, whose grandfather ac- quired the ranch in the 1950s, said fencing the property so that it could be grazed by White’s cattle is less costly than renting sheep and goats annually for the same service. With permanent fencing, the cat- tle can graze the land year-round, he said. Gamble said state and federal lands also could benefit from a “well-intentioned and managed grazing program.” When done properly, he said, grazing can benefit the earth by increasing carbon sequestration, water retention and biodiversity. In Sonoma County, an organic dairy run by the Beretta family earned the 2022 Leopold Conservation Award, which rec- ognizes farmers and ranchers who employ sustainable practices to maintain natural resources. The dairy has been certified or- ganic since 2006 and milks about 300 cows. To reduce the farm’s methane emis- sions, the family added a system that auto- matically scrapes up the cow’s manure and separates the liquid from the solids, which are then composted. The compost is used in the barn for cow bedding and applied to pastures to improve the soil, dairy farmer Doug Beretta said. Using the compost for animal bedding has been “a big savings,” he said, because the dairy no longer purchases beach or riv- er sand, which costs about $700 a truck- and-trailer load. During the summer, with the cows being

on pasture, the dairy used to go through about two loads a month. In the winter, the loads increased to five or six loads a month. Beretta said he’s also noticed an increase in cow comfort and cleanliness with the compost bedding. The $600,000 system, installed with help from a grant through the California Department of Food and Agriculture, has also made handling the manure easier without the need of an excavator, Beretta said. Instead of scraping all the manure into a pond, the liquid is separated and applied to fields as fertilizer. “We were hauling wet, sloppy loads,” he said. “Now about 70% of all the manure is being reused. We haul more liquid loads than normal, but we’re getting a lot better benefit out of that liquid, and it’s not quite as thick.” The farm has also reduced its labor and use of diesel fuel from trucks that haul the manure, Beretta said. The number of loads has been cut in half because they’re not having to haul the solids, he noted. Being able to use the leftover manure liquid in the field has allowed the dairy to save on irrigation water, said Jennifer Beretta, Doug’s daughter. The farm already partners with the city of Santa Rosa to use its reclaimed wastewater for irrigation to grow feed crops. Using the treated waste- water means the farm doesn’t have to pull about 80 million gallons of groundwater from the aquifer, she said. “We’ve been one of the biggest, in my eyes, water savers for the last 40 years by utilizing that (reclaimed) water,” Doug Beretta said. Now, with addition of the recycled ma- nure water, the farm can grow a second and third cutting of silage crop without using the city water, Jennifer Beretta said. “This project benefited us not only by having less thickness of manure, but we were able to push that water into our irri- gation set and still continue to grow crops even through drought,” she said. “That was really beneficial for us.” (Ching Lee is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at clee@cfbf.com.)

6 Ag Alert August 2, 2023

A SPECIAL GROWERS’ REPORT OF AG ALERT ® CALIFORNIA Trees & Vines ®

Mike Neuharth, left, and his father Tim represent the fifth and sixth generations of farming at Steamboat Acres in Sacramento County. The farm dates back to 1848. Some productive pear trees are 135 years old.

Delta pear farm continues to thrive after 175 years By Kevin Hecteman 1848 was quite the year in California history. Along the way, one of the generations made a decision that’s still bearing fruit—literally and figuratively—for Neuharth today.

“I don’t remember who decided it would be a good idea to plant pear trees, but they did,” Neuharth said. “Our pear orchards have been what’s been carrying our business. They’re what’s providing our bread and butter.” Keeping them through farming’s ups and downs, he added, “was the smart decision.” Also paying off is a decision his father, Tim, made about 20 years ago: converting the farm to organic production. “Getting that fresh market value out of the crop rather than the cannery crop has been quintessential in keeping our heads above water,” Neuharth said. Some of those pear trees have seen a day or two. Among Neuharth’s pear trees are some that were planted in about 1888. Yes, 1888. As in 135 years ago. “Lots of water, good pruning and just really paying attention, keeping after it all the time, keeping your pest problems down,” is how Neuharth described the work needed to keep these arboreal centenarians in production. And here’s the kicker: He may retire before the trees do. A while back, he said, he asked a

James Marshall found gold near a sawmill in Coloma, setting off the Gold Rush. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the Mexican-American War, transferred Alta California from Mexico to the U.S. And along the Sacramento River, south of the town that became the state capital six years later, the Peck and Bates families settled down to farm the rich, fertile soil. “They came out here for the Gold Rush,” said Mike Neuharth, the sixth generation to farm at Steamboat Acres, “and were like, ‘Well, guess what? There’s no gold out here, but we’re farmers where we’ve been from historically. Let’s just keep that going.’” Benjamin Bates and his wife, Jane, helped establish the farm along with their daughter, Mary Emma Bates Peck, and her husband, Archibald Jackson Peck. It lives on today, and the enduring pear farm was honored last year by the California Agricultural Heritage Club for its historic contributions to agriculture. (See related story on Page 3 on this year’s honorees.) The Sacramento River delta was a very different place 175 years ago. “When they first got here, there was nothing here,” Neuharth said. As to what the Pecks and their neighbors raised in the soil, “everyone was growing asparagus and sugar beets, and did that for a long, long time.”

See FARM, Page 8

August 2, 2023 Ag Alert 7

Farm Continued from Page 7

Pear orchards grow at Steamboat Acres, left, along the Sacramento River. Below, Mike Neuharth holds a crate honoring his step-great- grandfather LeRoy Campbell Peck, who died in 1958.

neighbor about a pear tree’s life expectan- cy and was told about 160 years. “The joke among pear farmers is, you don’t plant pear trees for you—you plant pear trees for your kids,” Neuharth said. As with the family itself, the next gener- ation of trees is already growing. Neuharth said the 135-year-old trees are spaced about 20 feet apart, and he’s planted newer trees among the elders. “When those really old trees die,” Neuharth said, “at least there’s a tree there that’s taking up some of that slack.” Steamboat Acres sits on 300 acres near Steamboat Slough, just down and across the river from the delta towns of Courtland and Paintersville, the latter of which no longer exists. Courtland is at the heart of Sacramento River delta pear country. The county produced more than 5,000 acres of pears in 2021, according to the Sacramento County crop report. The oblong fruit is celebrated annually with the Pear Fair, which has taken place in Courtland the last Sunday of July since 1972, although the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a two-year hiatus. The fair features, among other things, a breakfast with pear mimosas, pear pie-eating con- tests, live music, historical exhibits and, of course, pears for sale. Neuharth said he’s been taking a break

from the fair in recent times but is thinking of getting back into it. “People come from all over for the fair,” he said. “People are really, really happy and excited to know that there’s a certified (or- ganic) grower out here doing it that way.” So excited that he goes home with laryngitis. “(I) pretty much don’t have a voice

after the Pear Fair because I’ve educated so many people about how long it takes to grow pears and where they come from, and where they originated, and what we’re doing,” Neuharth said. The fair coincides with the harvest of Bartlett pears, the variety most prevalent at Steamboat Acres. Neuharth says har- vest generally begins the second or third week of July and runs two to three weeks. To ensure they reach market in ideal con- dition, Neuharth picks pears while they’re still green. “Everybody thinks you pick them yel- low,” Neuharth said, which is a bad idea because they’ll go bad before they get to the store. “Over the course of time, going from our farm to the packinghouse and then from the packinghouse to the cold storages, and then from the cold storages to the stores, they start to ripen a little bit over time.” Pears aren’t Neuharth’s only game. He also grows wheat, safflower and alfalfa, along with cherries. His farm once ran a pumpkin patch and grew organic vegetables. Even while looking to the future, Neuharth is mindful of those who came before and, to borrow a sports saying, left it all on the field. “They put their blood, sweat and tears

into our farm here and these pears, and everything else we’ve done here,” Neuharth said. “There’s a huge, huge sense of responsibility.” He looks to his children—son Raylan, 6, and his 4-year-old twins (she’s River, he’s Reed)—as being the up-and-coming sev- enth generation. “I think it’s important that we continue to maintain what we have here—not only just for us, me personally, and the previous generations, but for the next generation,” Neuharth said. With that, he added, comes the responsibility of teaching his successors everything they need to know to uphold what Neuharth calls “our family heritage.” “I couldn’t be prouder,” he said. “It’s a huge sense of pride, and there’s humility in that, too. We’re really blessed with what we have here. It’s just myself and my dad and my wife. We’re just trying to be good stewards of our lands and trying to contin- ue this on and feed the world.” (Kevin Hecteman is a contributing writer for California Bountiful ® magazine, where this article was first published in the July/August 2023 issue.)

Grants boost organic goals The California Department of Food and Agriculture Office of Environmental Farming and Innovation is accepting ap- plications for its new Organic Transition Pilot Program. The program will accept applications through Sept. 15.

Minimum awards for block grants are set at $500,000, with a maximum award of up to $2 million per applicant organi- zation. Grant terms may not exceed three years. Lead applicants are encouraged to collaborate and network with organiza- tions supporting socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. Application materials and addi- tional information may be found at www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/otp/.

The program will award grants to orga- nizations that support farmers and ranch- ers managing acres they intend to transi- tion to organic operations. Awardees are to assist farmers and ranchers with services such as organic management consulta- tion, translation, business planning and organic certification applications.

8 Ag Alert August 2, 2023

Heritage Continued from Page 3

system,” Culbertson said. In addition to the two first-time induct- ees and the six club members recognized for reaching new milestones, two induct- ees from 2022 who were unable to receive their awards last year were recognized. Meissonier Ranch in Merced County, es- tablished in 1899, was founded by French immigrants who came to America in 1893. It is run by the family’s third generation. Steamboat Acres in Sacramento County, established in 1848, was one of the first farms in the delta. (See related story on Page 7.) It is run by the fifth and sixth generations. The farm grows three varieties of pears as well as cherries, winegrapes and alfalfa. In saluting the honorees, Birdsong emphasized the role the businesses have played in elevating California agriculture to a $50 billion industry with almost all of the country’s top-producing counties. “We would not be here today but for our farm families and the traditions that you all started many generations ago, and those traditions that you hold dear, and those traditions that you continue to innovate on, so that we can continue to be that No. 1 ag-producing state,” she said. “On behalf of a grateful state and a very proud industry, I want to thank you all and congratulate you on no small milestone.” (Caleb Hampton is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. He may be contacted at champton@cfbf.com.)

established in 1922, is in its sixth genera- tion of ownership and continues to raise cattle using traditional ranching methods. The ranch also produces whole processed chickens, Thanksgiving turkeys and vari- ous direct-to-consumer meats. “Today, the ranch is still just as busy as it was in previous generations and continues to evolve as time goes on,” Culbertson said. Mape’s Ranch in Stanislaus County, established in 1923, has expanded over the past century into a 10,000-acre farm- ing and ranching operation that includes farmland, orchards, grazing land, cattle and wildlife habitat. The ranch grows a mix of almonds, tomatoes, alfalfa, corn, grapes, oats, barley, forage crops and melons. Cabezut Cattle Co., established in 1889, was founded in Mariposa County and expanded over the years into Merced County. “Current owner and proprietor Delores Cabezut-Ortiz has continued the family tradition of providing the finest cattle to Mariposa and beyond,” Culbertson said. Rancho Mission Viejo in Orange County, established in 1882, was founded by Irish immigrants and has remained “an authen- tic ranch with pastures, cattle and cowboys riding the range while maintaining its rich history,” Culbertson said. R. Emigh Livestock in Solano County, established in 1877, raised sheep for more

Lassen County cattle rancher Hannah Tangeman received a plaque on behalf of Hulsman Ranch, which was honored by the California Agricultural Heritage Club for 150 years or more of continuous operation. The ranch, which has been run by women since 1914, was established in 1862.

into Calaveras and Tuolumne counties. California State Grange in Sacramento County, established in 1873, “maintains a commitment to grassroots advocacy, supporting farmland preservation, farm development, community service, sustain- able and regenerative agriculture, and the consumer’s role in the food production

than a century before expanding to include irrigated pasture, a commercial feedlot and a cow-calf herd. The business employs more than 20 people. Moran Ranch, established in 1870, was founded by three brothers who came to California during the Gold Rush. The ranch started in Stanislaus County and expanded

August 2, 2023 Ag Alert 9

Order Continued from Page 1 regional boards to update their irrigated lands programs. Mendocino County winegrape grower Frost Pauli said, “The biggest single issue is the individual grower monitoring and reporting requirements.” “Under the draft, every grower must do individual monitoring of surface turbidity and of groundwater for nitrates and chem- icals,” he said. “If you have four or five do- mestic wells on a vineyard, you have to test every single one of them for nitrates, and you have to test for 20 chemicals.” Pauli’s vineyards in Napa County fall under the irrigated lands program adopt- ed by the regional water quality control board overseeing region 2 and the Napa River watershed. For vineyards in region 2, he said there are no individual grower monitoring requirements. “(In region 2), it’s all representative monitoring done in a few locations to make sure that there’s not a problem, and if there is a problem, the result is to go upstream to find where the point source of that issue is,” Pauli said. “We’re saying, ‘Why can’t we be like region 2? It’s the same crop.’” Other aspects of the North Coast re- gion’s draft regulation that growers said are unreasonable include an annual “winteri- zation” period Nov. 15 to April 1, when any ground-disturbing activity is prohibited. In addition, during this time growers are

Winegrapes grow in Anderson Valley in Mendocino County. Vineyard growers in Mendocino and Sonoma counties say proposed water- quality regulations are costly and duplicate efforts by growers who participate in sustainability certification programs.

not allowed to drive into vineyards unless traveling on “all-weather” roads. Pauli called that “nonsense,” saying it means growers may not access vineyards to do routine cultural practices for almost half the year, including during a critical time when vines go dormant. “This is going to be a huge problem,” he said. The regulation includes a setback re- quirement alongside creeks.

Growers must have a natural barrier, and depending on the type of stream and where it is, the barrier determines what the setback is, Pauli said. “The setback can be anywhere from 25 feet to 50 feet, depending on the condi- tion of the stream, size and when it flows,” he added. Pauli knows a small winegrape grower in Mendocino County who has an 11-acre vineyard that borders a creek. Because of the setback requirement, Pauli said, the grower estimates he would have to remove three or four vines at the end of every row to comply, losing one of his 11 acres. Noelle Cremers, director of environ- mental and regulatory affairs for The Wine Institute, which represents California win- eries, said many North Coast winegrape growers realize there is a need to adopt an order but suggested regulations be based on risk. Cremers said growers who are low risk should have a simple process for com- pliance, while those who are higher risk should have higher standards. “Then you’re putting costs on people that will have a real impact on the environ- ment and not on those who are just doing all this reporting and it’s not really going to have any benefit,” she added. People are having a difficult time understanding why all the nitrogen re- quirements apply to them, Cremers said, because nitrogen application rates are lower for winegrapes than other crops. She said the risk of contamination “is pretty much nil.” The Russian River watershed, where just 10% of land is farmed in grapes, has been designated by the state as an impaired wa- ter related to sediment. Cremers noted that the regional board has not yet developed a Total Maximum Daily Load program plan, which involves studies that identify sourc- es of sediment discharge in the watershed. “Because the Russian River doesn’t have a TMDL, it feels like the regional board is asking vineyards to take on the role of monitoring for sediment for the entire wa- tershed,” Cremers said. “Why are we being asked to undertake all of that monitoring?

That should have been done through a TMDL process.” Sonoma County Farm Bureau Deputy Executive Director Robin Bartholow said, “Many growers are already enrolled in sus- tainable farming programs and are engag- ing in best management practices that are required to be certified, so it does get a little bit frustrating when they’re asked to do ad- ditional reporting.” Many winegrape growers in Mendocino and Sonoma counties are sustainably cer- tified through the Fish Friendly Farming Certification program, recognized as a method of compliance for the irrigated lands regulatory program. Through the Fish Friendly Farming pro- gram, Laurel Marcus, author of the pro- gram and science director at the California Land Stewardship Institute, said scientif- ic staff work with farmers to evaluate all sources and potential sources of sediment and to inventory chemical use. She said the program “provides the grower a blueprint for what they need to do to maintain water quality and not contrib- ute pollutants to waterways.” In Sonoma County, 54,600 total acres are enrolled in the program, and 40,000 total acres are en- rolled in Mendocino County. Winegrape growers affected by the draft order are hopeful they can work with the regional board to meet the regulatory mandate and improve the order to make it more reasonable, Bartholow said. In addition to the vineyard require- ments, in January 2021, the state adopted new wastewater discharge regulations af- fecting wineries that apply winery process water to land for irrigation and soil amend- ment uses. “We’re getting hit by all sides,” Pauli said of the regulations. The North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board scheduled a pub- lic workshop about the order this Friday. Public comments on the draft are due Aug. 14. The board could adopt the order in December. (Christine Souza is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at csouza@cfbf.com.)

10 Ag Alert August 2, 2023

A SPECIAL PRODUCERS’ REPORT OF AG ALERT ® CALIFORNIA Dairy & Livestock ®

Beef cattle belonging to Corral de Tierra Cattle Co. in Monterey County are managed using a rotational grazing program designed to promote the natural diversity of the mountainous landscape.

Central Coast ranchers promote sustainable grazing By Caitlin Fillmore

landscape. The grasses also add more protein to the landscape, Mundell said. “We can use animals to enhance the ecosystem, to enhance this landscape and California as a whole,” Mundell said. Regenerative agriculture, whether applied to farming, forestry or ranching, contains a few basic components: soil health, biodiversity, water management and overall farm resil- ience, said Wendell Gilgert, director emeritus of the Working Lands Program at Petaluma- based Point Blue Conservation Science. With cattle ranchers in his family since 1851, Gilgert said California suffers today by not mimicking the ecological processes that occurred “for millennia.” “It’s not necessarily shifting the mindset away from a myopia of production, production, production,” Gilgert said. “It’s widening goals to embrace an ecological goal. When you apply ecological principles along with production goals, you come to a different mindset.” Gilgert said viewing animals as part of the solution is similar to when creatures such as elk and bison helped manage and sustain the landscape. “There has to be a broader recognition that cows are not the problem,” he said. “They are surrogates for herbivores that used to roam California’s landscape. We need them.” But amid heavy atmospheric storms this year, the regional landscape and microclimate

Jeff Mundell, ranch manager at Gabilan Cattle Co., juggles diverse microclimates and geography across 11,500 acres of the mountainous Gabilan Range on the Central Coast. The grassland plateau straddles Monterey and San Benito counties and includes the nearly 3,200-foot Fremont Peak. The Gabilan Cattle Co., with its 350 head cows-calf op- eration, serves as the headwaters for Gabilan Creek and Bird Creek, which respectively empty into the Salinas and Pajaro rivers. The cattle company and some Central Coast livestock operations have embraced regen- erative agricultural practices that seek to improve soil and animal health, with the goal of sustaining the environment in which they operate. Mundell uses strategies such as intensive grazing in which cattle graze in selected areas and then are moved to allow regrowth for at least a year. Regrowth took off after heavy rains this spring, as dormant seed profiles underground sprang back to life. Native plants such as purple needlegrass, giant creeping rye, California oatgrass and blue-eyed grass established new footholds. “Some of the plants we haven’t seen for 50 years can start to express as the soil changes with herd impact,” Mundell said. “The relationship between (grazing) impact and rest can push back a lot of invasive plants and allow native plants ability to express themselves.” Perennial grasses have tripled on the ranch, adding deep-rooted plants into the

See GRAZING, Page 12

August 2, 2023 Ag Alert 11

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