Ag Alert May 5, 2021

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.

Essential or expendable? Actions on water will show how California regards farm jobs

TrackingCaliforniacrops In From the Fields, updates on citrus, grapes, nuts, dairy, more

Comment, Page 2

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www.cfbf.com • www.agalert.com MAY 5, 2021

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s p e c i a l r e p o r t

ByKevinHecteman Solano County farmer Joe Martinez invited his employees, their families and some neighbors to his place Saturday morning. The occasion? A health clinic— his second in a month—where second doses, andsome first doses, of aCOVID-19 vaccinewere administered. “It was really gratifying tome to be able to do this,” saidMartinez, who grows tree crops and serves on the California Farm BureauBoard of Directors. Tohim, itwas easier to inviteemployees to the farmon a Saturday than send them to a clinic farther away. “It’s going to really increase their com- fort level,” Martinez said, adding that he hoped the clinic would “just give them some peace of mind that they are vacci- nated, and they can work and not have to Farmers maintain vaccine efforts for employees

See VACCINES, Page 17

Biologists say predators eat half of salmon FISHBIO fisheries biologists Tara Lamb and Chrissy Sonke examine fish collected as part of a predation study along a stretch of the lower Stanislaus River near Riverbank. Predator fish such as striped bass, FISHBIO has found, consume more than 50% of salmon in the tributary, which means salmon are unable to reach the delta.

ByKevinHecteman After suffering a severe shock during theearlydays of theCOVID-19pandemic, California flower growers say they’reexpe- riencing unprecedented demand for the upcomingMother’s Day holiday. “This is going to be a very strong Mother’sDay for the flower industry,” said Robert Kitayama, whose family grows flowers in Watsonville. “Demand is just crazy right now.” SteveDionne, executive director of the CaliforniaAssociation of Flower Growers and Shippers, said demand is “histori- cally high,” on top of a stronger-than-ex- pected 2020. “Althoughwe don’t have the same sup- ply-disruption issues that were in place Flower growers report demand as ‘historically high’

ByChristine Souza Boosting flows on San Joaquin River tributariesmay not bring the desiredben- efits topopulations of protectedsalmon— becausepredatorybass intheriversappar- ently eat half or more of juvenile salmon, regardless of river flow, according to stud- ies by a fisheries consulting firm. The work on the lower Stanislaus River

by the firmFISHBIO ties into a long-run- ning debate about whether more water must be retained in the rivers, and there- fore unavailable for humanuse, to benefit protected fish. In late2018, theStateWater Resources Control Board adopted a plan that would require water users to leave “unimpaired flows” of 30%to50% in three San Joaquin tributaries: the Stanislaus, Tuolumne andMerced rivers.

That plan became the subject of nu- merous lawsuits, whilewater districts and government agencies continue efforts to negotiate voluntary flow agreements in- tended toachieve the same fisheries goals with less-significantwater-supply impacts. Andrea Fuller, senior biologist and principal of FISHBIO, said she and other

See FISH, Page 12

n e w s p a p e r

Comment.......................................2 From the Fields........................ 4-5 Vegetables....................................7 Classifieds........................... 18-19 Inside

Published by

See FLOWERS, Page 14

Water investments would help to assure essential farming jobs

One thing that’s been re-emphasized, time and again, during thepandemic travailsof thepast 14months: Farming is essential. During the coming fewmonths, asCalifornia strug- gles throughanother drought,we’ll learnwhether our elected and appointed public officials feel the sameway. As farms and ranches continue tooperate through thepan- demic, there’s been a lot of focus—understandably so—on the men and women who have worked to harvest, pack and process California food and farm products: Are they being sufficientlyprotected fromCOVID-19?Are theygainingaccess to vaccines? Farm Bureau has advocated tirelessly, in every available forum, for supplies, equipment, vaccines and information to help farmers and their employees through the pandemic.We havealsopointed to long-term, structural problems that need tobeaddressed, for example inprovidingaffordablehousing. But an overarching, long-termproblemneeds to be solved tomake sure farmemployees cannot justwork safely, but can have jobs, period: water supplies. I hope I’mprovenwrong, but I fear many of the same peo- plewho have expressed concern for farmemployees’ welfare during the pandemic will fail to translate the same urgency to farmwater shortages, and will take no notice when jobs begin to evaporate in farming and ranching communities throughout California. Make nomistake: That is already happening. Farmers and ranchers are making hard choices about howmuch land to leave idle, howmany animals they can feed—and howmany people they can hire or retain. The drought is only one reason for this. In California, we know there will be droughts as part of the natural rainfall cy- cle. We’re told that climate change may already be making droughts deeper andmore frequent. But although droughts may be inevitable, water shortages aren’t. That’s one reason the sharp reductions in water sup- plies this year are so frustrating. California voters saw this coming in 2014, when they passed the Proposition 1 water bond. They voted over- whelmingly for new water storage. Here we are, six and a half years after the bond passed, and we’re still mired in process, waiting for construction. As part of preparing for future droughts, Farm Bureau will continue to press state agencies to expedite bond funding to fulfill the measure’s promise of additional water storage.

We’re alsoworking with legislators whowant to use part of the state government’s sudden and unexpected budget sur- plus topay for short-termprojects that couldaddress drought impacts, to ensure those dollars bring true relief. At the federal level, we have an opportunity in the infra- structurepackagebeingdebated inCongress. FarmBureau is seeking substantial improvements to the package that would beef up its support for water supply infrastructure. The California Farm Bureau helped organize a coalition of Western agricultural groups and water agencies—some 200 strong—that has taken the lead in advocating for water infrastructure as Congress works on the Biden administra- tion proposal. To avoid water shortages during future droughts, California and the West must adapt by building more stor- age, aboveground and underground, to take advantage of rain and snowwhen it does fall. Just think about howmuch better shape we could be in now, had we been able to cap- ture and store more of the precipitation that dropped on us during the flood winter of 2017. BuildingmoreWesternwater infrastructurewouldhelpen- sure theregion’swater futureandwouldgenerate thousandsof jobs. Beyondthat, itwouldsecure the futureof threatened jobs that existnow—suchas thoseonCalifornia farmsandranches. It’s time for state and federal policymakers to make clear they consider farming and ranching essential by providing what’s essential for farming and ranching: water. As thedroughtwearson, thosepolicymakersaregoing tobe hearing fromwell-funded and influential activist groups that see farming not as essential, but as expendable. The groups will demand that water be directed away fromfarms, ranches and rural economies. Theywill complainabout farmers’ crop choices. They will insist that California canmake do with the water it now has, if only people would stop farming certain crops, or in certain regions—or both. That’s what happens when a resource becomes short : People begin grasping for a bigger share of the pie. What we need, of course, is a bigger pie. That’s what FarmBureau has advocated, consistently,whilealsoencouragingmoreefficient water use in agricultural, urban and environmental settings. By their actions, elected and appointed government offi- cials are going to showuswhat they trulybelieve. IsCalifornia farming essential, or is it expendable?

President’s Message

Jamie Johansson

VOL. 48, NO. 17

May 5, 2021

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2 Ag Alert May 5, 2021

Aerial applicator wins case involving sulfur application

Haley Flying Service applied sulfur dust to a San Joaquin County vineyard that abuts a pasture. The pasture spans about half a mile before reaching a residence. Concerned that some of the sulfur drifted onto her property, the pasture’s owner notified local authorities, who tested samples fromthe pasture and con- cluded the aerial applicator caused some sulfur to drift on the pasture, though no person or animal was harmed. Thecountynotified thecompany in July 2019 that itwould impose fines inconnec- tionwith the sulfur application, saying the

aerial applicator violated state law by not using the pesticide according to the label because it failed to establish a buffer zone to prevent drift onto nontarget areas. The county argued that the label’s “such as” language was a “suggestive statement.” The aerial applicator challenged the decision—first in a hearing, then in an appeal to the DPR, contending the pas- ture was not the type of “sensitive area” that the label sought to protect. Though evidence established that no

ByChing Lee Farmers who apply sulfur to pro- tect crops against a range of pests and diseases may gain some clarity from a Sacramento County Superior Court de- cision about whether buffer-zone pro- tections provided to populated areas also extend to open pastureland. The short answer: No. In a ruling last month, the court re- jected a determination by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation that Haley Flying Service of Tracy applied sul- fur in conflict with the product’s label. At issue is the department’s interpre- tation of language on the pesticide label that instructs the applicator to “establish a buffer zone of enough distance to pre- vent drift onto non-target areas such as hospitals, clinics, schools, residential ar- eas and any other area designated by the county agricultural commissioner.” DPR determined the agricultural avia- tion company violated state law because it failed to provide a buffer zone to pre- Extra WIC benefits aim to boost use of fruits, vegetables To encourage people receiving food aid to purchase more fruits and vegetables, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has enacted a temporary increase in benefits under theSpecial SupplementalNutrition ProgramforWomen, InfantsandChildren. In California, the extra benefits will be- comeavailablenextmonth toparticipants in theWICprogram. The Amer i can Rescue Plan, the COVID-19 stimulus package that became law in March, includes $490 million that USDAsaidithadofferedtostates, tribalna- tions and territories. Themoney provides states the option to boost the cash-value voucher benefit “bymore than three times the current amount for up to four months toprovide additional relief during this dif- ficult time,” USDA said last week. The cash-value voucher allows partic- ipants to purchase fruits and vegetables as part of their WIC food package. The programprovides supplemental foodand other services towomen, infants andchil- drenuptoage5,whoareatnutritional risk. Under normal circumstances, USDA said, the monthly cash-value voucher totals $9 per child and $11 for pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women. The new lawallows state agencies to tem- porarily provide up to $35 per child and adult, permonth. “These additional funds will increase the purchasing power of WIC partici- pants so they can buy and consumemore healthy fruits and vegetables,” USDA said. The agency said California will dis- tribute the additional benefits from June through September.

vent drift to a nearby pasture. The company argued that the phrase “such as” limits the buffer-zone re- quirement to locations similar to those listed on the label—hospitals, schools, clinics and residential areas—unless expressly designated by a county agri- cultural commissioner. The case stems from April 2018, when

See CASE, Page 16

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May 5, 2021 Ag Alert 3

Chris Lange TulareCountybeef, oliveandcitrusgrower The big con-

cern is, where do we stand as far as water resources are concerned? We’ve tied up a lot of water, so I am feeling pretty confident for this

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coming year. If this drought should contin- ue, all of agriculture in California is going to be in big trouble. We have wells we’ve been monitoring and have made a number of pump improvements, upgrades and replacements to make sure that we have enough water to support the or- chards and the crops they are producing. With our citrus crops, we had a very heavy bloom and anticipate that we will have an above-normal crop coming into next year. Scorching temperatures could change things, but it looks good current- ly. We are still harvesting navel oranges, Minneola tangelos and lemons, and are starting Valencia oranges. We’re probably going to harvest citrus to July 1. Labor is not so bad where we are. Specific to navels, last year we started putting out pheromone cards to disrupt the mating process for red scale. In addition, we are doing our traditional scale spray, which we are incorporating with fertilizer spray right now. Olives had a heavy bloom. They are al- ternate bearing and this should be an “on” year, so we should have a big olive crop. Obviously, we want to have good sizing and quantity. For olives and citrus, we’ve had com- fortable night temperatures and not scorching temperatures during the day, so that’s good news. For the cattle, our hillsides are pretty dry. We expect to see our foothill ground drying out substantially by the middle of May. Our hay crop is excellent. When native grasses are in short supply, we’ll supplement with hay. Plus, we purchased additional hay just to make sure that we can make it through this season. At this point, we have 75% of our beef cattle herd. We reduced it by about 25%. It sounds like beef sales on the nation- al level are slow right now, and prices have come down. Joe Valente San JoaquinCountywinegrape andal- mond grower On the grape side, back in February, they seem to be push- ing, growing a

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little bit on the ear- lier side. Then, for whatever reason, with the weath-

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er, they got delayed. I would say they’re probably normal to maybe a little bit on the later side, as far as bloom. It all depends on what happens with the weather. Of course, everything’s been really dry this year. We’re about half of our normal rainfall for the season. But overall, I think they’re looking good. A lot of them got removed this year, so I think as far as the market, it’s starting to look a little bit more into balance. The mildew is our biggest concern this time of year, and the main thing is staying on a good fungicide program; don’t get behind on it. The weather’s been dry, which is a good thing, although we need rain. You always want dry weather, but you always want rain, too. As far as the almonds, what I’ve been hearing is, some of the crop is a good crop—maybe a little bit lighter, just spotty here and there. It sounds like the fields that had a lot of almonds last year may be a little bit on the lighter side this year, where the almond orchards that were a little on the lighter side last year may tend to be a little bit on the heavier side. As far as labor, it seems to be OK right now as far as the grapes. We’re trying to get suckering done prior to the cherry season, because once cherries start, it pulls away some of the labor force on the vineyard side of the operation. We do grow a few cherries. The crop there looks like a good crop of cherries, and they may be a few days later than normal. We rely a lot on the well water, but we’re all concerned about SGMA. There hasn’t been, as of now, any restrictions, but some

of those restrictions come out at a later date. We’re anticipating that the supply of water, as far as surface water, is going to be pretty tight. Like anyone, we’re all trying to keep up with all the requirements for government regulations as far as filling out paperwork. It seems like there’s never an end to it, and trying to learn all the acronyms. Matthew Efird FresnoCounty tree crop farmer We are in full swing with

angeworm populations to overwinter. Another result of the dry winter is a poor outlook for district water deliveries. With current snowpack levels at 35% of average, Fresno Irrigation District has announced that water deliveries will not begin until June and may only consist of a 30-day water run. Consolidated Irrigation District discussed not having a water run at all, as their alloca- tion of water from the Kings River is below a manageable threshold to charge and de- liver water throughout their system. This is extremely unfortunate, as I had hoped that it was going to be a better water year. Domenic Carinalli SonomaCountywinegrape grower and dairy farmer We’ve had a

ing and taking care of them just like we normally do and hope for a normal summer. Hopefully, it isn’t real hot. I think demand for grapes seems to be pretty good, compared to what it’s been the last couple of years. The market seems to be better, because last year was such a light year that most of the bulk wine got used up. With the fires and everything, that crop was pretty light going into the wineries because a lot of grapes didn’t get picked last year. On the organic dairy side, we’re doing fine. The milk is being picked up and the creameries are doing good. I think the con- ventional side has got some surplus, and I think there’s quite a bit of dairy products floating around. Organic seems to be going pretty decent recently. Where I’m sending my milk, the demand is good. The only problem is, looking into the future or the year, it looks like our costs are going to be up quite a bit with corn and soy- beans. Looks like hay is going to be sub- stantially higher than it’s been in the past, so that’s a little concern. The pasture where the cows are is not irrigated. I do irrigate some for hay and stuff, but not for pasture. With no rain, you’ve got to buy hay and grain to keep them going. Organic (feed) is very, very expensive. Right now, we’re still in springtime here and we’ve got some pretty nice grass. We could use another rain or two. Pasture con- ditions have been pretty decent, but now you are starting to get warmer days and the grass is not going to be coming much lon- ger if we don’t get some rain.

spring activities on our ranches. Irrigations are becoming more frequent as Et numbers climb due to increasing

really short year on water. Here in the Russian River, we’ve gotten about 12, 14 inch- es of rain and our normal is about 30, so we’re really

temperatures. Walnuts are just finishing bloom, and we were to finish our spring al- mond plantings by the end of April. The mild spring has not only been great for planting, but also for the early development and nut set in our almonds following such a large 2020 crop. We will begin bloom sprays on our raisin grapes within the next 10 days, and were to apply the first peach twig borer spray on our young almonds. Unfortunately, we have experienced a spike in our navel orange- worm trap counts, and I am concerned that it may be shaping up to be a bad year. The mild and dry winter, combined with the lack of quality “mummy” removal throughout the valley, has led to conditions for navel or-

behind on water. The grapes are, in my estimation, about two weeks late coming out. They’re looking good. They’re coming out good, but we’re going to have to do a lot of irrigation on them to keep them going. We had to run the wind machines several mornings last month because of frost. There wasn’t real heavy frost, but there was some, and we’ve had to run the wind machines to keep the frost off. That seemed to work all right. We’re spray-

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May 5, 2021 Ag Alert 5

Californian Moffitt to join USDA as undersecretary A walnut farmer and state agricultur- al official from California will be nomi- nated as an undersecretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. and Agriculture, and previously served as deputy secretary for the agency.

committed to putting the perspective of our producers at the heart of what we do.” “As a farmer andpolicymaker, Jennyhas engagedwithagricultural stakeholderson thecritically important balanceof sustain- ing our environment, strengthening our rural economies, and building healthy communities,” Vilsack said. California FarmBureau Administrator JimHouston,whoalsoservedasCDFAun- dersecretary before joining FarmBureau, said of the nomination, “With Jenny

Lester Moffitt’s on-farm knowledge and diverse experience in a number of policy areas suchaswater, pests and theenviron- ment, we are confident she will represent California farmers and ranchers well.” If Moffitt is confirmed, Vilsack said she would join a mission area focused on fa- cilitating the domestic and international marketing of U.S. agricultural products, ensuring the health and care of animals andplants, and settingnational and inter- national standards. “With her guidance and leadership, USDA will help to buildmore robust and resilient local and regional food systems that support new, fairer market opportu- nities for American producers and food companies,” Vilsack said. Mo f f i t t i s a g radua t e o f Brown University and theCaliforniaAgricultural Leadership Program. Site offers mental health information In recognitionofMay asMental Health Month, the American Farm Bureau Federation has launched a comprehen- sive online directory of resources for farmers, ranchers and their families who may be experiencing stress and mental health challenges. Thedirectorymaybe foundontheFarm StateofMindwebsite at farmstateofmind. org. It listscrisishotlinesandsupport lines, counseling services, training opportuni- ties, podcasts, videos, published articles andother resources ineveryU.S. stateand Puerto Rico. It also includes listings for crisis sup- port, counseling and behavioral health resources that are available nationwide. The Farm State of Mind directory lists resources specificallygeared toward farm- ers, ranchers and rural communities, with additional listings forcountyandstatewide mental health and other support services in every state.

She spent 10 years as managing direc- tor at her family’s walnut farm and pro- cessing operation in Winters, served on the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board from 2012-15 and worked forAmericanFarmlandTrust from2002-05. In announcing President Biden’s in- tent to nominate Moffitt last week, U.S. AgricultureSecretaryTomVilsack said the nomination “demonstrates that USDA is

Jenny Lester Moffitt would become USDA undersecretary of marketing and regulatory programs, overseeing agen- cies including the Agricultural Marketing Service and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Moffitt currently serves as undersecre- tary for theCaliforniaDepartment of Food

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6 Ag Alert May 5, 2021

C A L I F O R N I A

Vegetables A SPECIAL GROWERS’ REPORT OF AG ALERT ®

Tomato spotted wilt virus, shown in file photo above, has begun to cause new problems in San Joaquin Valley fields. A University of California Cooperative Extension farm advisor says a new strain of the disease appears to have overcome resistance bred into certain tomato varieties.

Integrated tactics may limit new tomato virus strain ByBob Johnson

during the last decade. “The resistance-breaking strain has not been reported north of Merced,” Turini said. “It has not been found in Yolo County or further north.” Resistant varieties have given tomato growers a 10-year respite fromthis challenging virus, which can live in awide range of common crops andweeds, fromwhich it is easily carried to tomatoes by western flower thrips. Turini indicated it may have only been a matter of time before the virus evolved to overcome the protection provided by resistant varieties that are widely planted. “Inmost of California, we’ve been using single-gene resistance to TSWV and in 2016, a resistance-breaking strainwas detected,” Turini said. “Within the areas we’re testing, we see this resistance-breaking strain. We have been selecting for it by using plants with the SW5 gene.” The first sign of trouble came in the spring of 2016, when a fresh-market tomato grower in the Cantua Creek area of Fresno County suffered a 50% infection rate in a field planted with a TSWV-resistant variety. The resistance-breaking strainhas since spread to areas of Fresno,Merced, Kings and Kern counties, and has been detected in a range of weeds and crops, including lettuce.

A new strain of tomato spotted wilt virus is challenging Central Valley farmers, who find their crops are suffering significant damagewith varieties that until a fewyears ago were resistant to the disease. University of California researchers advise tomato growers in the San JoaquinValley to adopt integrated pest management programs to control tomato spotted wilt virus. Known by the shorthand termTSWV, the virus causes fruit distortions and bronzed, spotted or yellow leaves. “Tomanage TSWV, in some areas you need to try several tactics, including sanitation andmaybe thripsmanagement,” saidTomTurini, UCCooperative Extension vegetable crops farm advisor in Fresno County. Turini has been monitoring the advance of the new strain of TSWV from Fresno to nearby counties, in cooperation with specialists on the UC Davis campus. He made his remarks on the challenge this new development creates as UC and UC Cooperative Extension researchers presented their latest work during the 2021 California Processing Tomato Production virtual workshop. Fortunately, he said, Sacramento Valley tomato growers can, at least for now, still control the disease using resistant varieties that have become the standard

See VIRUS, Page 8

May 5, 2021 Ag Alert 7

American spinach consumption hits 60-year high Spinach consumption in the United States has reached its highest level since 1960, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. U.S. spinach crop (fresh and processing) averaged $490 million per year during 2018-20, with the fresh-market account- ing for 97% of the value.

China leads the world in spinach pro- duction, according to theUnitedNations Food andAgricultureOrganization, with 76%of the global crop. TheU.S. ranks sec- ond, with 4% of world output. Imports accounted for just 4% of the fresh spinach consumed in the U.S. during 2015-19, the report said, but imports of frozen spinach have trended “sharply higher” during the past two decades. “During 2015-19,” USDA said, “the im- port share of processing spinach aver- aged 52%—up from less than 4% during 1995-99, with import volumes trending higher over the past 20 years.” Most imported frozen spinach comes fromChina, at 55%, withMexico supply- ing one-third. Exports of U.S. spinach have not changed greatly as a share of supply during the past few decades, USDA said, withalmost 12%of fresh spinach supplies being exported and 2% of processing spinach heading to foreignmarkets. is not possible prior to tomato plant- ing, consider treating the weeds with insecticide before tilling or applying herbicide. If possible, avoid planting near a known virus source that cannot be addressed otherwise.” Although resistant varieties may no longer provide complete protection, he said they remain a key part of an overall IPM program to manage the virus. “SW5 resistance remains an import- ant component of a management strat- egy,” Turini said. “Because the wild-type strain is also present with the SW5 resis- tance-breaking strain, higher disease in- cidence would be expected in varieties lacking SW5.” Plus, he said, “in many production areas, there is no evidence of the resis- tance-breaking strain. However, avoid- ance of total reliance on SW5 for man- agement of TSWV is prudent.” San Joaquin Val ley tomato grow- ers contending with this new strain of TSWV—and Sacramento Valley growers hoping they do not have to—can watch and wait as researchers work to discover new sources of variety resistance and to fine-tune new strategies for managing the disease. “Research is currently underway to better understand this strain and our management options,” Turini said. ( Bo b J o hn s o n i s a r e p o r t e r i n Sacramento. He may be contacted at bjohn11135@gmail.com.)

TheUSDA reported per capita spinach availability—a stand-in for consump- tion—at 3.2 pounds in 2019. “Driven by fresh-market use, consum- er interest in spinach rose in the United States during the past few decades due to new products (e.g., baby bagged spin- ach), rising disposable incomes, and shifts in U.S. consumers’ tastes and pref- erences,” the USDA report said. Trends in how Americans consume spinach have varied during the decades, but USDA noted the vegetable “has long enjoyed a reputation as a functional food packed with vitamins andminerals ben- eficial to human health.” Total per capita spinach availability has trended upward since bottoming out in the late 1980s, the report said. As now, fresh spinachwas the primary driving force in themarket prior toWorld War II, with availabilty of fresh spinach peaking at 2.9 pounds per person in1939. In the 1940s and for years thereafter, USDA said, “the convenience of canned spinachwas joined by the surging popu- larity of frozen spinach (frozenvegetables were viewed as upscale) to whittle away at fresh availability.” Spinach and green peas were the first frozen vegetables to be test-marketed in retail stores in 1930, “jump-starting a new retail food sector,” the report said. Fresh-market spinach availability fell to its lowest levels in the early 1970s. Since then, USDA said, fresh sales have trended upward, peaking at a record 729 million pounds in 2015-19—about 12 times greater than in 1970-74. What the report described as “a tem- porary trough in this upward trend” oc- curred following a 2006 food safety out- break traced toE. coli bacteria in spinach, “requiring several years for consumer trust to be restored.” Fresh spinach accounted for 70% of American spinach availability during 2015-19, the report said, up from 49% 20 years earlier.

Once primarily consumed canned or frozen, spinach is now eaten mostly fresh. California farms grow more than two-thirds of the spinach produced in the United States.

“At the same time, availability of pro- cessed spinach, although unaffected by the food safety incident, did not change great ly over the past few decades,” USDA reported, noting that although per capita availability of canned spin- ach trended sharply lower, “availability of frozen spinach steadied since peak- ing in 2004 and now accounts for about

85% of processing spinach.” About one-third of domestic spinach acreage in 2019 was produced following organic standards, the report said, sec- ond only to potatoes among commodi- ties grown organically. California farms account for 68% of U.S. spinach output, with Arizona No. 2 at 23%. USDA said the farm value of the

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Fresno County lettuce, which he said “provides evidence that it is likely to re- main a challenge to producers.” The wide host range for TSWV in- cludes lettuce, common bean, celery, peppers and potatoes, as well as weeds such as sow thistle, prickly lettuce, mal- low, mustards, wild radish, London rocket, shepherd’s purse, pineapple weed and many others. Newsources of variety resistance could eventually be themost effective and eco- nomical answer to the challenge, Turini said, but that takes time. “We have been screening many va- rieties for damage from this strain,” he said. “The pear tomatoes have been showing cons i stent ly higher inci - dence of the disease. Some varieties had much lower levels of TSWV, but nothing had zero.” Turini has spent the last three years studying more than 40 widely grown to- mato varieties, to learn the differences in how readily they host the virus, the extent to which they suffer canopy die- back, and to determine losses in yield and crop quality. There are differences among varieties, but there are no silver bullets to replace the one that has been lost inan important growing area. “The most effective TSWV control strategy is an integrated management program,” Turini advised. “Reduce weed dens i t ies and t i l l susceptible crops immediately after harvest,” he continued. “If sanitation

Specialists describe lettuce as a poten- tially important bridge host, capable of harboring the virus in the wintermonths when there are no field-grown tomatoes in the San Joaquin Valley. The v i rus present in the af fect- ed p l ant s was s imi l a r t o a re s i s - tance-breaking st rain repor ted in Europe, according to UC Davis plant virologist Bob Gilbertson. “This strain increased in distribution over the past two years,” Turini said, “and was detected in processing and fresh-market tomatoes as well as in cel- ery, lettuce, pepper and sow thistle.” In Ma rch 2018 , t he SW5 re s i s - tance-breaking strain was detected in

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8 Ag Alert May 5, 2021

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New lettuce aphid biotype causes concern for farmers ByBob Johnson

at 21 locations in the Salinas Valley, from Castroville toKing City. “We still need to confirm that this new aphidbiotype ishere, but itwas first report- edin2018that therewereinfestationsof let- tuce aphids on varieties that are supposed to be resistant,” said Daniel Hasegawa, a U.S. Department of Agriculture research entomologist based inSalinas. Hasegawa made his remarks during theCalifornia LeafyGreens BoardAnnual Research Conference, as researchers dis-

cussed their efforts todevisemanagement strategies for this newest aphid problem. “We are monitoring the population of this new biotype on the Central Coast,” Hasegawa said. “We have sticky cards out therethatweswitchweekly,andpost there- sultsontheUCCooperativeExtensionweb- site for aphidand thripsmonitoringdata.” Genetic resistance is particularly im- portantwith the lettuce aphid, because its preferredresidencedeepintheheartof the plant contaminates the crop andmakes it

difficult to reachwith insecticides. A group of USDA researchers in Salinas has already begun the process of trying to identify sources of genetic resistance to this newest version of the aphid, should it be confirmed inMonterey County. “With the likely emergence of a new biotype of the lettuce aphid in the Salinas Valley, we are trying to establish this new biotype 1 in the greenhouse,” said Jim McCreight, a USDA crop improvement research leader at the Salinas station. Because there are extensive collections of lettuce-typematerial at both the USDA Salinas facility and at the University of California, Davis, researchers said they shouldhaveaheadstart infindingeffective genetic resistance to the newaphid pest. “This could affect variety resistance, al- thoughwemayalreadyhavematerialwith resistance toboththebiotype0and1of the lettuce aphid,”McCreight said. According to Hasegawa, the first let- tuce varieties with resistance to the let- tuce aphid were introduced in 1997, after farmers had spent a few years living with unmanageable crop damage. A decade later, a resistance-breaking biotypeof the lettuceaphidwasdiscovered in Europe; a decade after that, the resis- tance-breaker was reported inAustralia. Then, threeyearsago,someSalinasValley farmers began reporting that the aphid re- sistanceof their lettucewasno longer effec- tive,andresearchersbegantryingtoconfirm theirsuspicionthat theresistance-breaking biotypehadreachedCalifornia. Resistant varieties are particularly im- portant for organic growers. Those farmers have the added problem that one of their most widely used insecticides, spinosad, canmake lettuce aphid infestations worse becauseit ishardonbeneficial syrphidflies. Organic farmers generally relyonplant- ing flowering varieties that attract the syr- phid flies, which in turncontrol the aphid. One silver lining is that although the let- tuceaphidwas a tremendous challenge to control when in first appeared in Salinas Valley fields three decades ago, the pest does not carry viral diseases to the crop. ( Bo b J o hn s o n i s a r e p o r t e r i n Sacramento. He may be contacted at bjohn11135@gmail.com.) State Apiary Board seeks newmember Avacancyhasoccurredontheboardthat advises theCaliforniaDepartment of Food and Agriculture onmatters pertaining to beekeeping. CDFA said it is accepting ap- plications for theCaliforniaApiaryBoard. Boardmembers serve a four-year term. CDFA said individuals interested in being considered for the board appointment should email a brief resume byMay 21 to Patricia.Bohls@cdfa.ca.gov with “Apiary Board” in the subject line. For more informat ion about the board, see www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/ pollinators/apiaryboard.html or contact Patricia Bohls of the Bee Safe Programat the email address above.

Ahandful of SalinasValley lettucegrow- ershave reportedcropdamage tovarieties that had previously been resistant to the lettuce aphid, which takes up residence in theheart of theplant, shielded frominsec- ticide applications. Researchers are closely monitoring aphid infestations, to confirm whether a new pest has arrived. They use sticky cards that are swappedoutweekly in traps

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10 Ag Alert May 5, 2021

Alliance suggests pilot projects for carbon bank

build a “durable foundation” for a carbon bank with long-term, bipartisan congres- sional support, andhelpUSDAbuildconfi- dence inhowtoverify the climatebenefits delivered by specific practices and man- agement approaches. “This approach will lay essential build- ingblocks for avoluntarycarbonbank that createsopportunities for all producersand landowners toparticipate inrapidlydevel- opingvoluntaryprivatemarketsand lever- agesprivate investment inagricultural and forestry climate solutions,” FACA said in releasing its recommendationsMonday.

As USDA develops a carbon bank, the alliance said, “it must protect all existing funding for farmbill conservation and in- suranceprograms, and itmust ensure that a USDA-led carbon bank doesn’t under- mine voluntary privatemarkets.” FACAsaid it isalsoworkingonaddition- al, in-depthtaxcreditpolicyrecommenda- tions tohelpensure farmers, ranchers and forest ownershave the tools and resources needed to contribute to climate solutions, and to benefit fromdoing so. Toreadthealliance’sfullcarbonbankrec- ommendations,seeagclimatealliance.com.

Calling forpolicies thatachieve thehigh- est adoptionof appropriate, climate-smart practices on the greatest number of acres to sequester carbon, reduce greenhouse gasemissionsandbuildclimate resilience, a coalition of agricultural and environ- mental organizations recommends that theU.S. Department of Agriculture lay the foundation for a potential carbonbank by first developing a series of pilot projects. The Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance submitted a proposal to USDA for how the agencymight leada voluntary carbon bank in ways that would help re- duce barriers to participation by farmers and landowners. AndrewWalmsley, a congressional re- lations director for the American Farm Bureau Federation, said the carbon bank idea “has gotten the most attention and has a lot of conversation across (Capitol) Hill and across the countryside.” Walmsley said he hoped the FACA pro- posal addresses “some of the questions that folksmight be having.” “We hope this is an opportunity to start continuingtodriveprogress inthisspacefor allowingUSDA to start identifying some of thesebarrierstoparticipationinprivatemar- kets,andidentifyandtrytoaddressanychal- lengesthatareoutthereforfarmers,”hesaid. AFBF is one of four founding FACA members, along with the Environmental DefenseFund,NationalCouncil of Farmer CooperativesandNationalFarmersUnion. TheCaliforniaFarmBureau is alsoamong alliancemembers. The pilot projects FACA recommended would focus on: • Increasing adoption of climate-smart practices that reduce, directly capture or sequester greenhousegas emissions, and/ or increase climate resilience. FACA said projects should employ “critical climate infrastructure” to increase the capacity of farmers, ranchers and forest owners to adapt to climate change, while ensuring food and economic security. •Removingbarriersandmaking it easier for farmers, ranchers and landowners to adopt these practices. • Developing “consistent and credible State acts to stop emerald ash borer To prevent introduction of the em- erald ash borer into California, the state Department of Food and Agriculture has imposed a state quarantine. First detected inMichigan in 2002, the emerald ash borer has now spread to 35 states.CDFAsaid theEAB“isnot yet estab- lished inCalifornia.” An exotic beetle native to Asia, the EAB cankillashtrees.CDFAsaiditalsothreatens olives,becausethepest “hasbeenshownin experimental settings to infest olive trees.” The quarantine prohibits entry into California of the emerald ash borer and host plants originating from any area where an EAB infestation exists.

criteria” toaccount for the carbonseques- tration and greenhouse gas reduction benefits of climate-smart agriculture and forestry projects and practices. • Providing equitable opportunities for minority, socially disadvantaged and small-scale producers. The alliance said information gained from the pilot projects would help USDA

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May 5, 2021 Ag Alert 11

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