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.
Highdemand for queens Breeders provide queen bees to replenish beekeepers’ colonies
Livestock guardiandogs UC specialists describe how to train dogs to protect livestock
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www.cfbf.com • www.agalert.com APRIL 28, 2021
Trees & Vines ® Dairy & Livestock ®
s p e c i a l r e p o r t s
ByChristine Souza Thieves are now reportedly using drones to scout farms and ranches, look- ing for their next big score. “We were having a series of crimes occur, including some quads that were taken from a very remote locat ion at a ranch,” Solano County Sheriff ’s Department Sgt. Jim Currie said. “We couldn’t figure out why anyone would even know they were there.” Ultimately, investigators determined the alleged thieves had used drones, also calledunmanned aerial vehicles orUAVs, to look for equipment to steal. “What’s unique about it to us, and what caught our attention, was the use of the drones. This is all new to us, and I don’t think this is going to go away,” Currie said. Two people were arrested last month and chargedwith grand theft, trespassing and burglary for allegedly stealing in ex- cess of $100,000 in tools, farmequipment and other property from several rural lo- cations. Solano County cat t le and sheep rancher RyanMahoney said his agricul- tural equipment, which was later recov- ered by law enforcement, was part of the crime spree. “The criminals that we’re dealing with are professional petty thieves,”Mahoney said. “They have made a career out of this. They know the values of what to take and what not to take. “I’d much rather have them just come up and askme for a hundred bucks, rath- er than cause damage and create that feeling of violation,” he said. Currie said he has heard reports that deputies in other counties are seeing more use of drones and other technolo- gy by thieves, and added that he will be discussing the issuewith fellowmembers of the California Rural Crime Prevention Task Force. Drones now help thieves to survey rural properties
Driver shortage worries ag trucking firms Joe Antonini, president of his family’s trucking company, checks one of his new liquid-natural-gas rigs at the yard in Stockton. Antonini says he has recently begun recruiting for the upcoming agricultural-hauling season, but has had a hard time finding drivers. The shortage, ongoing for a decade, has been made worse by the pandemic.
ByKevinHecteman The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is drivingevenmore truckdriversout of their cabs, prompting worries among haulers and food processors that there won’t be enough people available to transport the harvest as summer wears on. John Larrea, director of governmental affairs at the California League of Food
Producers, saidduring the carrot and on- ion harvests in the Southern California desert, “the trucking companies are tell- ing us that they’re already seeing any- where between 25 and 30% fewer drivers than they had before.” That trackswith the experience so far of Joe Antonini, who runs a Stockton-based trucking company that’s heavily engaged
in seasonal agricultural hauling. Antonini saidhe’s been able tohire 35% fewer driv- ers than at the same time last year. “It’s becoming more and more diffi- cult,” he said, adding that the pandemic and resulting federal actions contribute to the problem. “Many of the drivers are telling us
See DRIVERS, Page 18
n e w s p a p e r
Comment.......................................2 Trees & Vines...............................7 Dairy & Livestock..................... 13 Classifieds........................... 21-23 Inside
Published by
See CRIME, Page 23
Americans retain positive views of farmers, ranchers
ByDaveKranz Markets, weather, demanding custom- ers, and a seemingly endless stream of new regulations: Farmers and ranchers
ticesor their crops. That’sone reasonFarm Bureau policy advocates do thework they do—to make sure the positive attributes of farming and ranching remain in front of decision-makers. In the public-opinion sphere, main- taining a positive image can’t be taken for granted. In times of crisis, such as the pandem- ic or a drought, people want to know that farmersandranchers careabout their cus- tomers and their employees. Theywant to knowfarmers andranchers careabout the animals and crops they tend, and about the water, soil and air they depend on to raise those animals and crops. Having worked with farmers and ranchers for a long time, I believe all those things to be true, and that farmers and ranchers serve themselves best in the public eyewhen they show that they care about others’ needs asmuch as they care about their own. When things go badly—as they have at times during the pandemic or as they may during the coming dry summer— peoplewill want toknowthat farmers and ranchers are doing the best they can in a difficult situation. They will want to know that farmers and ranchers work constant- ly to improve the way they produce crops and commodities, and that theywill learn lessons from the current crises that will ultimately benefit their customers, their employees and the environment. By focusing on those points, farm- ers and ranchers can reinforce their al- ready-strong image among the American public. As difficult as it may be to believe at times, remember: Americans respect and trust farmers and ranchers, andwant them to succeed. (DaveKranz is editor of AgAlert.Hemay be contacted at dkranz@cfbf.com.)
cansometimes feel under siege from all sides. But pub- lic-opinion polling shows one consis- tent ray of light. Americans hold farmersandranch- ers in high esteem, and trust them. Farming and ag-
Dave Kranz
riculture has consistently been one of the top-ranked economic sectors in annual Galluppolls thatmeasure the imagesof 25 U.S. businessesandindustries.And, for the first time, farming and agriculture ranked No. 1 among American economic sectors inGallup’smost recent survey, conducted last year. More than two-thirds of survey respon- dents—69%—expressed positive opin- ions about farming and only 11% were negative; the rest described themselves as neutral. The positive views of agricul- ture rose 11 percentage points from the previous year’s poll, Gallup said, noting the increasedpositive rating came “about evenly across U.S. subgroups.” Alongwith farming, twoother sectors— health care and pharmaceuticals—be- camemorepositively rated in2020, which Gallup attributed to their roles in “deliver- ing vital goods and services to Americans during the pandemic.” But there’s a key difference: Neither the health care nor pharmaceutical industries are very high- ly rated overall. Health care ranks in the middle of the pack, and pharmaceuticals leapfrogged the federal government to rank next to last in the annual survey.
By large margins, Americans express respect and trust in farmers and ranchers. One recent survey placed farming and agriculture No. 1 among the nation’s economic sectors.
Later in the year, the American Farm Bureau contracted with the polling firm Morning Consult tomeasure Americans’ attitudesabout farmingandsustainability. Whenaskedhowmuch they trust farm- ers, more than half the respondents in the MorningConsult survey said, “a lot.” Inall, 88% of the survey participants expressed trust in farmers. More than half ranked farmers’ sustainability practices as either excellent (17%) or good (41%). That’s important information tokeep in mindasweenterwhat figures tobeanoth- er long, hot summer in California. As we sawin themost recent drought of 2012-16, people are going tobegin criticizing farm- ers for theirwater use andcropchoices. In fact, it has already started. It’seasy,maybeevennatural, tobecome defensive when presented with some of these arguments and accusations—es-
pecially when they come from well-fi- nanced advocacy organizations who have frequently used the editorial boards of Californianewspapers asmegaphones. But here’s the thing to remember, as the public-opinion surveys remind us: Most Americans, and most Californians, have a positive opinion of farming and ranching, and those positive opinions mayhave evenbeenenhancedby theway farmers, ranchers and their employees havemaintained foodproductionduring the pandemic. Yes, there’s a small groupof peoplewho hold negative opinions of farmers and ranchers—11% in the Gallup survey, 4% in the Morning Consult/AFBF poll—but they’re just that, a smallminority. Someof them, perhaps, work for interest groups or regulatory agencies that want farmers or ranchers tochange their productionprac-
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April 28, 2021
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2 Ag Alert April 28, 2021
Queen-bee breeders say lack of rain may intensify demand
“We’re kindof the backbone of keeping the bees alive,” said Matt Stayer, a queen bee producer in Shasta County. “We can take one queen andmake thousands out of her.” This time of year, Stayer’s Quality Queens—which Stayer runs with his wife Sara and which raises queen bees in 36 locations in Northern California— typically catches and ships about 1,000 queens a day. As withmost California queen breed- ers, the Stayers join other commercial beekeepers in almond orchards earlier in the year, renting their bees to polli- nate the crop. But in April and May,
they focus on queen production, selling queens to beekeepers throughout the U.S. and Canada. “The demand is so high, we have to turn people down. We can’t produce enoughof them,”Matt Stayer said, adding that his queens are typically presold and he’s “booked tight.” Beekeepers need queens when they divide hives into multiple colonies that have been swelling since February, when the insects collect their first big meal of the winter by pollinating California’s 1.3 million acres of almond trees.
ByChing Lee Warm, sunny spring days have been ideal for beekeepers who produce queen bees, but those beekeepers warn that lack of rain this season will make for a difficult year for the polli- nators to find enough forage to sustain their colonies. If colonies fail due to lack of nutri- tion, more queens will be needed to produce more bees, keeping queen Greenhouse gas inventory shows industries’ roles The latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report from the U.S. Environmental Protect ion Agency of fers what the American Farm Bureau Federation de- scribes as good news for agriculture. The annua l repor t of fers a sec- tor-by-sector emissions inventory. AFBF Economist Shelby Myers said emissions attributed to agriculture re- mained “relatively neutral,” compared to last year. “U.S. agriculture greenhouse gas emissions contribute just 10.2% over- all,” Myers said, noting that that pro- portion compares favorably to other economic sectors, such as transporta- tion (29%), electricity (25%), industry (23%), and commercial and residen- tial (13%). Myer s sa i d the f ind ings re f l ec t cons e r va t i on e f f o r t s by f a rme r s and ranchers. “We’re actively trying to make our footpr int even smal ler,” she said, “converting waste into energy, apply- ing conservation and working-lands programs into our everyday cropping system, and really utilizing the tools at hand to work on things like carbon sequestration.” During the last 70 years, “U.S. farms have nearly tr ipled in product ion, but the amount of resources we put into that—like land, energy and fer- tilizer—have remained nearly stable,” Myers said. As Congress debates climate pol- icy, she said farmers and ranchers should make sure others know about their success. “We’ve been doing such great work over the last 100-plus years in our abil- ity to conserve resources and produce food,” she said, encouraging farmers and ranchers to “talk about the im- provements that we’ve made through innovation and technology, and how it’s contributed to reducing our emis- sions and reducing our overall environ- mental footprint.” AFBFhas collected informationonline about climate-smart farmingpractices, at fb.org/sustainability.
breeders as busy as the bees they work with. Demand for queen bees soars in the spring. April and May represent the highest production months for queen producers, as this is when other com- mercial beekeepers need new queens to replace old ones, try to increase colonies by splitting them and make up for losses they experienced during the winter.
See BEES, Page 16
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April 28, 2021 Ag Alert 3
At halfway point, water year ranks among driest ByDaveKranz
imal water supplies for critical purposes.” Newsom also directed the board to consider curtailing water diversions if needed to protect releases of stored water. In addition, the regional emer- gency allows state agencies to ease certain regulatory requirements in order to address drought impacts. In the San Joaquin Valley—where al- locations of surface water stand at 5% or less for many farmers—elected officials have urged the governor to declare a statewide drought emergency. Newsom has declined, so far, saying he believes the state has adequate ability to respond without the declaration. In another water-short region, the Klamath Basin, water users asked a fed- eral court to reopen a 2019 legal case. The KlamathWater Users Association cont ends that the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation is illegally regulating wa- ter deliveries for the Klamath Project. Earlier this month, farmers learned the project would deliver a record-low sup- ply, due to drought and Endangered Species Act requirements on behalf of protected fish. KWUAExecutiveDirector andCounsel Paul Simmons said even if successful, the new legal action would not change the project’s “terrible situation” this year. But he said the legal actioncouldhelp control
future project operations “in amore rea- sonable way.” In one of i t s cour t mot ions, the KWUA said it believes that, under the current interpretation of the ESA, the Bureau of Reclamation “does not have an obligation or authority to curtail ir- rigation deliveries.” For their part, Klamath tribes have filed a separate suit that charges the bureau with “ongoing violations of the Endangered Species Act in its operation of the Klamath Project.” Simmons acknowledged litigation won’t resolve the complex issues affect- ing the project. “Asmuchasweneed toclarify the rules, wealsoneed toworkwithother parties for solutions and stability,” he said. In Washington, D.C., the Biden ad- ministration said it had formed an in- teragency working group “to address worsening drought conditions in the West and support farmers, tribes and communities impacted by ongoing wa- ter shortages.” To be co-chaired by the Interior and Agriculture departments, the working group has been assigned to coordinate federal resources in partnership with state, local and tribal governments. The work i ng g roup sa i d v i a an Agriculture Department news release
that it would identify “immediate finan- cial and technical assistance” for affect- ed irrigators and tribes, and prioritize development of longer-term measures to respond to climate change, build more resilient communities and protect the environment. In its blog post, the California DWR said the ability to forecast dry conditions at longer lead times has become increas- ingly important, “to provide more time for implementing state and local agen- cy response actions.” A key recommen- dation following the 2012-16 drought, DWR said, was that response to dry con- ditions should begin sooner. “Using new technologies such as aircraft or satellite-based observation of mountain snowpack can improve streamflow forecasts, providing better information on expected water supply conditions,” the agency said. DWR said dry conditions “are becom- ing increasingly familiar in California,” with two multi-year droughts in the 21st century so far, not including the dry years of 2020 and ’21. During the first twodecades of the cen- tury,DWRsaid, “13of thewater year types intheSacramentoandSanJoaquinvalleys have been belownormal, dry or critical.” (Dave Kranz is editor of Ag Alert. He may be contacted at dkranz@cfbf.com.)
The first half of the 2021 water year neared its end with the declaration of a limited drought emergency, a legal challenge to operation of a federal water project, the creation of a drought relief working group by federal agencies—and a projection that the current water year could be among the driest in California’s recorded history. In a blog post, the state Department of Water Resources said the 2020-21 water year, which began Oct. 1, had al- most reached the halfway point, and that the first six months of the water year “rank as the fourth driest of re- cord based on statewide precipita- tion.” Noting that the previous water year was dry in the northern two-thirds of the state, DWR said the cumulative impact has left storage in the largest Northern California reservoirs “well below average.” Gov. Gavin Newsom visited one of those low reservoirs, Lake Mendocino near Ukiah, as he proclaimed a region- al drought emergency last week for the Russian River watershed in Mendocino and Sonoma counties. The proclamation directs the State Water Resources Control Board to con- sider modifying requirements for reser- voir releases or diversion limitations in thewatershed, to ensure “adequate,min-
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4 Ag Alert April 28, 2021
Federal agency finalizes yellow-billed cuckoo habitat
restrict activities suchas farmingor ranch- ing.” She saidprivate landowners need to consider critical habitat only if their activ- ities involve federal fundingor permitting, “and ongoing farming or ranching activi- ties would rarely fall into this category.” Snow said the number of California acres declined based on updated infor- mation fromthe public that “provided the scientific evidence needed to remove or exclude the lands based on existing con- servation activities, lack of suitable habi- tat, or interferencewith the operationand maintenance of critical infrastructure.”
Habitat designated for the species nationally totals 298,845 acres, and also includes land in portions of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Texas and Utah. The rule takes effect 30 days after the publicationdate, whichwasApril 21. FWS said links to the legal boundaries and GIS shape files for the critical habitat will be available at www.fws.gov/sacramento. (Chr i s t ine Souza i s an ass i s tant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at csouza@cfbf.com.)
ByChristine Souza Fewer acres inCaliforniahavebeendes- ignated as critical habitat for the threat- ened yellow-billed cuckoo. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service re- leased its final critical-habitat designation for theWestern distinct population of the bird, which is protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. The final designation for California in- cludes36,580acresof critical habitat along the Sacramento and Kern rivers in Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Kern and Tehama coun- ties. Thedesignations couldaffect farmers along rivers and streambanks where the birds breed and raise young. Initially, theFishandWildlifeServicepro- posednearly twiceasmanyacres: 71,290. According to the FWS, the yellow-billed cuckoo has suffered population declines fromlossofriparianhabitatandhabitat frag- mentationdue toconversionof land for ag- riculture, impacts fromdams and river flow management, streambank erosion, over- grazingandcompetitionfromexoticplants. TheCaliforniaFarmBureau joinedother agriculturalorganizationsandwaterdistricts incommentstotheFWSabouttheproposal. Justin Fredrickson, environmental pol- icy analyst for the California FarmBureau, said formerly proposed critical habitat for the cuckoo had been reduced “by tens of thousands of acres in the southern part of the state,”with some acreage alsobeing re- movedalongtheSacramentoRiver, specifi- cally inButteCounty. Fredricksonsaidthehabitatdesignation could potentially affect dam operations, water diversions, levee work and other activities, adding that “layers of regulato- ry requirements and permitting hurdles” could make projects and activities “far more costly and time-consuming.” “Generally, any impacts onprivate agri- cultural landownersandwateruserswould
be indirect, where there is consultation on anactivity requiringa federal approval that affects their lands or general area,” he said. Noting that some private lands are in- cluded in the final designation, Meghan Snow, publ ic af fairs of f icer for the Sacramento FWS office, said, “A critical habitat designation does not necessarily
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April 28, 2021 Ag Alert 5
Vilsack describes new USDA climate initiatives ByChristine Souza
stimulus package he said relates to food-supply resilience and emissions, and the proposed American Jobs Plan, an infrastructure package Vilsack said would invest in climate-smart agricultur- al practices and offer farmers tax credits. “There are a variety of opportunities within those two pieces of legislation that complement the budget the pres- ident has put forward,” Vilsack said. “Whatever is done, it has to be struc- tured and implemented in a way that is beneficial to producers.” In addressing the administration’s goal of agriculture having net zero emissions by 2050, Vilsack said, “I think agricul- ture is ready for this. If we are thoughtful about it, and if we reassure folks this isn’t going to jeopardize or compromise our ability to domany of the thingswe’re cur- rently doing that farmers and ranchers rely on, they will see that there’s signifi- cant financial benefit to agriculture.” USDAalso announced $21.7million in research funding to improve soil health, climate-smart agriculture and forestry. Regarding expansion of the CRP, Vilsack said the programwill have high- er payment rates, new incentives and a more targeted focus on its role in cli- mate-change mitigation. “We are looking forward to adding 4 million acres to that program,” he said. “There’s an opportunity for us to also
expand significantly wildlife habitat, which also encourages additional eco- nomic opportunities.” “Any discussion about conservation must begin with the recognition that farmers and ranchers are leaders in this space and have been for decades.”
lation to his goal to conserve 30% of the nation’s land and water by 2030. In the letter, AFBF President Zippy Duvall askedtheadministrationtoprovide clarity on the 30-by-30 initiative, to recog- nizevoluntaryconservationeffortsalready underway, and for the administration to seek input from farmers and ranchers. Noting that American farmers and ranchers have already enrolled more than 140million acres of private land into federal andother conservationprograms, Duvall said, “Any discussion about con- servationmust beginwith the recognition that farmers and ranchers are leaders in this space and have been for decades.” Pointing out that about 28% of the na- tion’s land is held in federal ownership, andanother 8%is ownedby states, Duvall said farmers and ranchers want to be as- sured “that multiple-usemanagement of federal lands as well as actively managed andworking lands instateor privateown- ershipwill be recognized for their conser- vation and open space benefits.” The letter concluded by urging the administration to swiftly clarify the 30- by-30 goals and, when that happens, to invitepublic comment, “because farmers and ranchers are leaders in conservation and deserve to have their voices heard.” (Chr i s t ine Souza i s an ass i s tant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at csouza@cfbf.com.)
As part of the Biden administration’s focus on climate policy, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced millions of dollars in investments related to rural water, energy and infrastructure, research intended to improve soil health, climate-smart agriculture and forestry, and also announced the expansionof the Conservation Reserve Program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture character ized the investments an- nounced last week as part of a govern- ment-wide approach to address the cli- mate crisis and conserve and protect the nation’s lands, biodiversity and natural resources, including soil, air and water. “There is a concerted effort to address the importance of climate change, to in- vest in climate-smart agricultural prac- tices, to create new opportunities for biofuels, to look at ways in which we can innovatively sequester captured carbon, ways in which we can invest significant resources in better forest management, reducing the risk of catastrophic wild- fire—all designed to aid in agriculture and forestry’s contribution to the overall goal of reducing emissions,” Vilsack said. During a call with reporters, Vilsack mentioned two pieces of legislation as possible avenues for accomplishing President Joe Biden’s climate goals: the American Rescue Plan, the COVID-19
— Zippy Duvall AFBF President
Coinciding with the secretary’s news conference,USDAannouncedinvestments in partnerships to increase climate-smart agriculture, including $330 million in 85 Regional Conservation Partnership Programprojects and $25 million for on- farmconservation innovation trials. Vilsack said more climate-related ef- forts will be announced in the coming weeks andmonths. Ina relateddevelopment, theAmerican FarmBureauFederationcalledon the ad- ministration to act responsibly in conser- vation efforts. AFBF wrote to President Biden in re-
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6 Ag Alert April 28, 2021
A SPECIAL GROWERS’ REPORT OF AG ALERT ® C A L I F O R N I A Trees & Vines ®
In looking at alternative ways to harvest almonds, University of California specialists say they have identified three potential methods that could provide cost savings and other benefits to farmers who employ them. Specialists evaluate off-ground almond harvesting
ByDennis Pollock Alternative harvesting techniques that keep almonds off the orchard floor also may reduce hull rot and help farmers fight navel orangewormdamage, according to speakers at anAlmondBoard of California program. The speakers talkedof thebenefits, challenges andcosts of trucking in-hull almonds to bemechanicallydried. Thereappeared tobea consensus that almondsharvestedmostly via off-ground practices showed no negative impact on kernel quality. Thevirtualworkshopopenedwithadiscussionof theeconomicsof alternativeharvest- ing by Chris Simmons of theUniversity of California, Davis, Department of Food Science and Technology. He compared costs of alternativemethodswith conventional harvest techniques, which involvemechanicalshakingof trees,blowingandsweepingofnutsintowindrowsandpickup. One alternative would be mechanically shaking and catching almonds, then placing themon the orchard floor to passively dry. Another would be to shake, catch and transfer the almonds to a dedicateddrying lot adjacent to the orchard. A third ismechanical shake andcatch, followedby transfer toa third-party facilitysuchasahuller-sheller thathasdrying capacityonsite. Simmonssaidall threealternativeshavethedesirableeconomic impactofavoidingblow- ingandsweeping;pickingupthealmondswouldbeavoidedintwoof thescenarios, aswell. “By avoiding the need tohave almonds on the floor of the orchard in certain scenarios,
we are also potentially adjusting the cultural practices in the orchard, decreasing the amount of pest control needed,” Simmons said. “Less pest control, less stringent weed control, no ant control needed, and so that would be a predicted benefit to the grower in terms of inflating profit per acre.” On the downside, because there are not blowing and sweeping steps, there are losses due towindfall,whichmaybeaffectedbydifferences invariety, the regionand theharvest schedule, he said. Thenthereare thecurrentunknownsonthecapital costs for shake-and-catchharvesters and the costs tomaintain and repair them. Simmons said there is a small cost benefit to putting almonds on the orchard floor, but the need to stabilize the soil in the orchard puts a large dent in profitability. There arepredictedbenefits tohavingdrying lots, he said. Thebenefitswouldbe great- er if a farmer can carve out marginal land for the drying lot, but if the farmer has to lease new land, that would increase costs and reduce profitability. Farmerswould also need to consider viability of their yield as it relates to lot sizes. With the third scenario, Simmons said, there is an increased cost to hauling almonds that havenot beendried. Ifmoisture isabove24%, hesaid, thecost forhaulingwouldoffset all the cost reductions on the pest-management side and from the decreased blowing, sweeping and pickup. See HARVEST, Page 8
April 28, 2021 Ag Alert 7
Harvest Continued from Page 7
“We can start thinking about soil health andnot having thealmost desert-likecon- ditionwe need to have for current harvest practices,” he said. Windfall is one concern. Brown said that amounts to less than 1% of the nuts in an orchard in the “vast majority of cases, but can infrequently be up to 20%, predominantly in late-harvested, over-dry cultivars.” He said early-harvested nuts have high moisture content and will need drying,
and added that tree health benefits of avoiding dust during early harvest have not been determined. Brown said two of the three alterna- tive harvesting scenarios address food safety issues by eliminating orchard floor contact, and that the earlier harvest also reduces aflatoxin infestation. Zhongli Panof theUCDavisDepartment of Biological andAgricultural Engineering said prompt mechanical drying stops in- festation of in-hull nuts and shows no im-
pact onquality. He saidmany commercial dryers canbe used for drying fresh, in-hull almonds. Research was conducted using tunnel dryingatCamposBrothers, stadiumdrying at EmeraldFarmand trailer drying atWest ValleyCo., using varying temperatures. Some almondswere dried at a constant temperature of 60 degrees Celsius. Others usedwhathecalleda“stepwise”approach, inwhich theywere first driedat 90degrees and followed by 60 degrees C. There was great variability in drying time, from 5.8 hours to 74.4 hours. Using columndryers cut drying time tobetween 2.5 and 5.3 hours. Pan said the energy cost averaged just over 1 cent per pound. The cost for trailer drying ranged from0.17 cents to 3.2 cents per pound. He saidhigh temperatures reduceddry- ing time but increased energy cost, and that effective stepwise high-temperature drying can further reduce drying time. Almonds from the off-ground harvest had less insect damage and were cleaner, comparedtoconventionalharvest,hesaid. Irwin Donis-Gonzalez of the UC Davis Department of Biological andAgricultural Engineering discussed aeration of stock- piled almonds. Hesaidopenstockpileswillnot circulate airunless it is forcedwithadistributor, and that usinganA-framechannel through the stockpile does not provide a pathway for natural air tocirculate.Hesaidhe isswitch- ing to covered stockpiles that will force a central exit. “Alternatively, better air distribution methods can potentially be developed,” Donis-Gonzalez said, adding that he and a team of fellow U.S. researchers are working with researchers in Australia on drying stockpiles. (Denni s Pol lock i s a repor t er in F r e s no . He ma y b e c on t a c t e d a t agcompollock@yahoo.com.) Almond Board sets grower visits Traveling in a colorful van nicknamed “Fritz,” members of the Almond Board of California outreach and education team will visit almond-growing regions start- ing next week, to distribute resource and promotionalmaterials toalmondgrowers. The board said it would provide its 2020 Research Update and several new pieces, including brochures on nitrogen best management practices; application “quicktips” inEnglishandSpanish; aguide to whole-orchard recycling; and Almond ProductionResource Cards. The “industry roadshow” begins May 4 with stops in Corning, Orland and Durham. In subsequent days, the van will visit Williams, Woodland, Arbuckle, Waterford, Atwater, Merced, Escalon, Patterson, Lodi, Madera, Firebaugh, Fresno, Lemoore and Shafter. Specificsaboutdates, timesandlocations maybe foundatAlmonds.com/Events.
Earlyharvest—twoorthreeweekspriorto thecurrentharvesttime—hasnonegativeef- fectonyieldorquality, saidPatrickBrownof theUCDavisDepartmentofPlantSciences. It also holds promise for reducing pest damage, he said, and may allow the in- creasedability touseorganicamendments and reduce herbicides. Brown said off-ground harvest also can help improve orchard floormanagement.
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8 Ag Alert April 28, 2021
the leaves show one stage or another of the pest. The guidelines are available on- line atwww2.ipm.ucanr.edu/agriculture/ avocado/Persea-mite. “You look at new leaves in areas of the orchard that had persea mites or thrips last year,” Headrick said, “but for the av- ocadobrownmites, theplace to look is on the tips of the leaves.” For the omnivorous leafroller, look for leaves that are flat and tied together, he advised. “As you get into June, look for six-spot- ted spider mites on the underside of the leaves,” Headrick said. “Mites defoliate. There’s not really a threshold—it’s what’s worked for you in the past.” The question of what to do once action is warranted depends on a farmer’s pest control philosophy, he said. “You have to decide where you are in terms of a biological or chemical ap- proach,”Headrick said. “Natural enemies do their best workwhen the pest popula- tions are low.” Even growers who lean toward letting biology handle the pest question may soon look at usingnew technology touni- formly distribute biocontrols throughout the orchard, he said. “We might someday look at drones to get good coverage with predatorymites,” Headrick said. “Almond growers are al- ready using them.” ( 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.)
Avocado growers can slow pests by monitoring them A biological-control expert says weekly monitoring of pests in avocado groves can provide farmers with the information they need to make informed decisions on control options.
ByBob Johnson Because there are few established thresholds for applications to control avocado pests, the issue can involve remembering the point at which expe- rience shows populations threaten the bottom line in a grove. Even the decision of how much time to devote to monitoring, and where, comes down to experience, advises a university entomologist. “You balance accuracy and time,” said DavidHeadrick, aprofessor of entomolo- gy at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. “We know that time ismoney, but youwant to know what’s out there. Monitoring saves you money.” Headrickwrote “TheBiologicalControl Companion: AGuide toEnvironmentally Appropriate Pest Management.” He made his remarks about monitor- ing and managing avocado pests during the Zooming to Healthier Trees and Soils webinar, cosponsored inmid-April by the CaliforniaAvocadoSociety, theCalifornia Avocado Commission and University of California Cooperative Extension. “The key things are not being sur- prised, knowing what’s out there and making informed decisions,” Headrick said. “If you can see howmany pests you can have without affecting the bottom line, that’s your threshold.” The place to start looking for mites, thrips and other pests is in areas of the orchard where they have caused trouble in recent years. “Start with areas that had pests in the past, and then you’re going to want to add a few trees,” Headrick advised. “For the persea mite and avocado thrips, al- ways look first on a dirt roadside on the upwind sides; the pests and natural ene- mies come in on the wind.” By monitoring these pests weekly, a farmer can learn not just whether they arepresent, but whether they are increas- ing in numbers or decreasing because beneficial insects are at work. “You’re looking at population trends,
because that’s what’s going to drive your decisions,” Headrick said. “For persea mites, look for spotting on the underside of the leaves that becomes yellowing on the top side.” If mite populations become extreme, they can cause defoliation that exposes the fruit to direct sun. UC Pest Management Guidelines ad- vise monitoring persea mites regularly and releasing predatorymites when half
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‘Garbage’ pest can cause problems for grape growers ByDennis Pollock
Trap rates are hard to relate to infesta- tion, he said. Daane opened his Zoom address to the San Joaquin Valley Winegrowers Associat ion wi th a look at damage caused by the moth and talk of re- search into the variability in the extent of its damage. He described the raisin moth as a “garbage” pest of rotted fruit and stored products. It has a wide host range that
includes grapes, figs, mulberries, peach- es, nectarines, almonds, pomegranates and dried beans. For that reason, the pest can migrate from neighboring or- chards and fields. The moth overwinters under bark or in the soil as a late-stage larva instar or pre-pupa or pupa. ByMarch or April, the larvae pupate and emerge as adults in April or May. Old grapes on the ground can hold
populations over, Daane said. Raisinmoth feeding is associatedwith bunch rot, akin to that caused by omniv- orous leafroller feeding, he said. The extent of damage was studied in raisin grapes by UCCE Fresno County farmadvisor Stephen Vasquez, now a vi- ticulturist with Sun-Maid Growers. In studies from2009 to 2011, he found that dried-on-the vine harvesting expos- es drying fruit to raisin moths for a lon- ger period and in a more shaded area, resulting in higher raisin moth damage than conventional vineyard trellis sys- tems, in which grapes were dried on paper trays. Daane said themoth dies out in raisins placed on the ground. Vasquez also looked at cluster devel- opment, sanitation and location of vine- yards, and whether they were in proxim- ity to other hosts for the raisinmoth. Daane andGlennYokota, staff research associate at UC Berkeley, built on the Vasquez research starting in 2013, look- ing at pest movement and at organic and conventional farming. At that time, theyasked threequestions: Where are the moths coming from? How do conventional and organic practices compare?When are grapes susceptible? They found that grapes are most susceptible starting in June and con- tinuing into August. Of the three moth flights in a harvest season, treatment timing for the second flight and pop- ulation size in the third flight are most critical . Greatest damage to grapes came after veraison, during second and third flights. All the researchers found winegrapes and dried-on-the vine raisins may have a longer period when fruit are exposed to the raisinmoth. Daane and Yokota found the “gar- bage pest” in many crops with a wide seasonal variation. They were unable to connect bunch rot to raisin moth trap counts. Tightening bunches posed a problem in applying treatments that need contact with the pest, Daane said. “With cluster tightening, it’s hard to get insecticide to where the pests are feed- ing,” he said. Daane also discussed the vine mealy- bug and the damage it causes because it has more eggs and annual generations. He said it is important to look for bio- logical cues in the field, including ants early in the season. Other cues include honeydew and a wet appearance, along with dropped leaves. Pheromone traps can also help. He said synthetic sex pheromone, however, “pulls in” males from nearby vineyards. He reviewed seasonal changes in mealybug location. In the winter and early spr ing, they reside pr imar i ly on the trunk, canes and roots. In the spring, they are on the canes. In early summer, they move onto the leaves. In See PESTS, Page 11
Pheromone traps play a role in man- aging both vine mealybugs and raisin moths in vineyards, but trap data should be considered chiefly as “a historical re- cord of counts and damage.” That’s the advice of Kent Daane, a University of California Cooperative Extension specialist at the Kearney Agricultural Research and Education Center in Parlier.
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10 Ag Alert April 28, 2021
Studies may find new uses for grape skins, seeds, pulp
wine production and finding a second life for winegrapes. “Up to this point,” Barile said, “char- donnay marc has been regarded as a byproduct of winemaking with little or no value. Early results are encour- aging that marc could be a valuable source for oligosaccharides and oth- er compounds that support heal th and nutrition.” Although more research remains to be done, she said, “early results are promising that chardonnay marc can become a source for developing sup-
plements and other food products to support health.” The chardonnay pomace used in the study was provided by Jackson Family Wines and Sonomaceuticals, a company with the objective of finding new uses for viticultural byproducts. Winegrape marc comprises about 30% of the original winegrape material , and much of it is left to decompose in the sun. The s tudy i s ava i l ab l e a t www. sciencedirect.com by searching for its title, “A second life for wine grapes.”
Food scientists at the University of California, Davis, report they may have foundnewways to repurpose some of the byproducts of the winemaking process. California wineries crush around 4 million tons of winegrapes annual- ly, and with that comes thousands of tons of grape skins, seeds, stems and pulp. The UC Davis researchers stud- ied chardonnay winegrape pomace and found potentially health-enhanc- ing compounds and sugar molecules cal led ol igosaccharides, which are found in many plant and animal tis- sues, including human breast milk. “We were surprised by the diversity of the oligosaccharides in the chardonnay winegrapes, including the presence of structural elements found in mother’s milk,” Amanda Sinrod, lead author, said in a statement. Oligosaccharides appeared to be espe- cially abundant in the winegrape skins, UC Davis said. In earlier research, sci- entists detected oligosaccharides in the finishedwine, but not in large concentra- tions; researchers didnot include bottled wine in this study. The samples of chardonnay pom- ace, or marc, were also rich in flavo- noids, which the university described as healthy compounds found in many fruits and vegetables. Researchers said they are exploring whether the oligosac- charides work independently or syner- gistically with the flavonoids to support intestinal health. The team is also studying how grow- ing conditions, vintages and processing might affect the health potential of viti- culture waste.
“We observed significant differences in the relative abundance and type of oligosaccharides in different parts of the marc, so further research is needed to maximize their potential in food product design,” Sinrod said. UC Davis professor Daniela Barile said the research supports sustainable
HIT ME ALYBUG WITH YOUR BEST SHOT
Pests Continued from Page 10
the summer and fall, they move onto leaves and fruit. Vine mealybugs underground on root s or under bark on the t runk, cordon and canes remain a problem that creates a “refuge” from controls, Daane said. “Ants add another kind of biotic (or living) refuge by attacking enemies and creating a better ‘habitat’ under bark and underground,” he said. He ment ioned Givira, a genus of moths in the Cossidae family that is a wood borer that has been found in some older vineyards in Fresno County. He said nearly 100% of the vines with Givira had vine mealybugs with no parasitism. Ways of controlling the mealybug in- clude use of a systemic in May or June, followed by contact treatments. (Denni s Pol lock i s a repor t er in Fr e s no. He ma y b e c on t a c t e d a t agcompollock@yahoo.com.)
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April 28, 2021 Ag Alert 11
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