Ag Alert April 28, 2021

Using aerial imagery, study evaluates drip irrigation California farmers’ adoptionof drip irri- gation systems has contributed to greater farming efficiency, according to a recent report preparedby aerial imagery andan- alytics provider Ceres Imaging. The study says early detection of clogs and leaks in drip systems would improve efficiency still further. irrigationmaintenancemustaddressprob- lemswith sediment clogging drip tape and emitters, chemical buildup fromfertilizers, andother damage and related leaks. There canalsobepressureissuesandunderwater- ingonuneven terrain, the study says. In drip-irrigated specialty crops, Ceres Imaging said it identified 27 acute irriga- tion issues per 1,000 unique acres during the course of a season, and said an irriga- tion issue affectedmore than 10 acres for every 170 acres. support and knowledge-sharing to help “facilitate thenext phaseof improvements in agricultural water use efficiency.” The report recommends that farmers check for irrigation issues more often, and that field staff should be trained and incentivized to identify and act on irri- gation issues.

“Our data show that drip irrigation is- sues such as clogs, leaks, and pressure issues are widespread in California spe- cialtyagriculture,” thereport says,noting“a surprising lackof research” toquantify the statewide impact of drip-irrigation issues onwater use or crop yield. Further research and investment in techniques and technologies that help farmers detect and correct common drip irrigation issues more quickly is import- ant, the report says. It calls for incentives, pre-emergence suppression of grasses andyellownutsedge, aswell as postemer- gence activity on target weeds at the time of application. Cathy Fleming-Wimer, product man- ager for Nichino America, said Craze also controlsbroadleafweeds resistant or toler- ant to postemergence herbicides. “The strength of Craze is its activity on fleabane andmarestail,” Fleming-Wimer said. “That important benefit, along with providingbroad-spectrumcontrol of other susceptibleweedspecies,makesCrazean excellent choice when considering herbi- cides in pre-emergence spray programs.”

“Growers, especially those managing large farms, rely on a combination of wa- ter flowmeters, soil moisture probes, and periodicdistributionuniformity testing to supplement fieldscouting—but these tac- ticsmay be too localizedor too infrequent to detect common drip irrigation issues before they negatively affect crop health,” the report states. “Finding and correcting drip irrigation issues more quickly there- fore represents an opportunity to prevent water waste and protect yields.” A pre-emergent herbicide has gained Californiaregistrationforuse ingrapesand nut crops, aswell asnonbearingstone fruit. Nichino America Inc. announced its Craze herbicide had earned the new regis- tration. The company said Craze provides pre-emergencecontrolofweedsthatplague nut and vine crops, including cheeseweed (little mallow), filaree, fleabane, henbit, lambsquarters andmarestail. Themanufacturer saidCraze alsooffers

The study evaluated a dataset of 9,401 likely issues flagged in customer data from CaliforniaspecialtycropsbetweenMarch1 andSept.30,2020.Afterreviewingdatafrom more than 700,000 acres of drip-irrigated farmlandacross thestate, thestudypointed out that “quickly detecting and correcting commonirrigationissuesrepresentsafarm- er-friendly opportunity to conservewater, reducecosts, and improveyields.” InCalifornia,where farming conditions vary widely, drip systems are highly cus- tomizable and can be tailored to suit dif- ferent field shapes, crop spacing, soil con- ditions and topography, the report says. A review of 31 studies of 15 different crops byUniversity of California research- ers found that, on average, drip-irrigated fields produced 16% higher yields com- pared to flood-irrigated fields, with half of the reviewed studies reporting no statisti- cally significant difference inyieldandhalf reportingpositiveeffects ranging from12% to 66%, according to theCeres report. Despite its advantages, drip irrigation can be costly to install and labor-intensive tomaintain, thereportsays,notingthatdrip

Policymakers should become familiar with irrigation technology advances, the report says, and should consider possible incentives for irrigation-systemevaluation, monitoring and testing.

Of the state’s approximately 8.5million acres of irrigated farmland, a USDA cen- sus in 2017 found 46% irrigated by drip, 43%by flood systems and11%with sprin- kler systems. Herbicide earns registration in grapes, nuts

Themanufacturer described the active ingredient in Craze, orthosulfamuron, as anHRACGroup2herbicide that works by inhibiting the plant enzyme acetolactate synthase (ALS). Fleming-Wimer saidCrazemay be used any time during the pre-emergence appli- cationperiod. She said it shouldbeapplied at 5.7 to8.6ouncesperacre incombination with another effective pre-emergence her- bicide, toenhanceperformanceof thetank- mix and increaseweed control in vine and nut crops. The Craze label allows amaxi- mumyearly dosage of 8.6 ounces per acre, withamaximumofoneapplicationperyear.

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Agricultural Market Review Quotations are the latest available for the week ending April 23, 2021 Year Ago Week Ago Latest Week Livestock Slaughter Steers – 5-Area Average Select & Choice, 1050–1150 lbs., $ per cwt. 105 118-123 120-121 Hogs – Average hog, 51-52% lean, Iowa-Minn. market, $ per cwt. 51.21 101.96 105.46 Slaughter Lambs – $ per cwt. 125–175 lbs. National weekly live sales No Quote 175-191 165-200 Field crops – basis prompt shipment Barley – U.S. No. 2, $ per cwt. Truck, Stockton-Modesto-Oakdale-Turlock 9 (Kings-Fresno) 11.50-11.75 No Quote Cotton – ¢ per lb., Middling 1 3/32” Fresno spot market 57.77 77.99 79.81 Corn – U.S. No. 2 yellow $ per cwt. trucked 8.29 7.39 8.04 Alfalfa Hay – $ per ton, quality*, FOB Region 1, Northern Inter-mountain 160-190 (P) 180 (brome grass) 300 (P) Region 2, Sacramento Valley 250 (P) 250-260 (S) 230-260 (G/S) Region 3, Northern San Joaquin Valley 240-285 (P/S) 260-285 (P/S) 220-300 (G/S) Region 4, Central San Joaquin Valley No Quote No Quote No Quote Region 5, Southern California 279 (P) 259 (P) 259 (P) Region 6, Southeast Interior 200-210 (P/S) 215-225 (P/S) 215-235 (P/S) Oat Hay – $ per ton, quality*, FOB Northern California, dairy No Quote No Quote No Quote Oats – U.S. No. 2 white, $ per cwt. Statewide, trucked price No Quote No Quote No Quote

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Dry Beans – Grower FOB prices Baby Limas, $ per cwt, (sacked) Large Limas, $ per cwt. (sacked) Blackeye, $ per cwt. (sacked)

No Quote No Quote No Quote

Rice – Milled No. 1 Head, FOB No. Calif. mills Medium grain, $ per cwt. Wheat – U.S. No. 2 or better, winter, $ per cwt. 13% protein, Los Angeles, trucked price

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No Quote 13.25 Provided by the California Farm Bureau as a service to Farm Bureau members. Information supplied by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Market News Branch. * ADF=Acid detergent fiber; (S) = Supreme/<27%ADF; (P) = Premium/27-29; (G) = Good/29-32; (F) = Fair/32-35. 11.75 (No. 1)

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20 Ag Alert April 28, 2021