Nematodes are are pests of a host of crops, but what are the options for controlling them in vineyards? Watch this brief video interview with UC Cooperative Extension Viticulture Advisor Karl Lund as he shares both pre and post-planting options for managing nematodes. Some of these options are even compatible for organic growers, so check it out, and read more about it in American Vineyard Magazine.
American Farmland Trust, the organization behind the national movement No Farms No Food®, was recently awarded a Professional Development Program grant from the Western Region Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Administrative Council. The grant will support AFT in expanding its existing work scaling up the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices among farmers by demonstrating the economic and environmental benefits realized from successful soil health management practices in wine grapes, wheat and other crops. The project, entitled “From Classroom to the Field: Soil Health Bottom Line: Expanding Adoption of Healthy Soils Practices by Quantifying the Economic and Environmental Benefits to Growers,” will focus in AFT’s California and Pacific Northwest regions.
The dual strategies of keeping land in farming and managing it with good stewardship practices offers a viable and encouraging solution to climate change. No other approach to combat climate change yields the vital combination of abundant food, clean water and sustainable landscapes.
“Healthy soils offer many benefits, including resiliency to extreme weather, nutrient and water storage and carbon sequestration,” says Hannah Clark, AFT’s Pacific Northwest regional director. “Growers want to improve soil health, but lack of information on the economic outcomes can be a barrier. Through this grant, we aim to help arm growers with the knowledge they need to make decisions around soil health based on economic and environmental impacts.”
AFT’s scope of work entails delivering ten train the trainer workshops in ten major agricultural regions throughout Washington, Oregon and California. The workshops will provide agricultural service providers as well as staff from conservation districts, NGOs and land trusts with training on technical tools to assess and communicate the economic and environmental benefits of soil health practices in wine grapes, wheat and other crops. Following the workshops, select participants will create case studies featuring the economic and environmental benefits regional farmers realized from the implementation of these practices. The case studies will serve as a critical tool in providing motivation to other growers to adopt soil health practices on their own farms.
Through these resources and trainings, AFT aims to grow a network of professionals with an enhanced understanding of the multiple benefits of healthy soils and a capacity to apply relevant technical tools. This network will support the expansion of soil health management systems in the west.
“Climate-smart agriculture is fundamental in the fight against climate change,” says Kara Heckert, AFT’s California state director. “Realizing a sustainable future means investing in a strong foundation of service providers and farmers that can build the health of our soil, making it more productive and capable of absorbing vast amounts of carbon from the atmosphere.”
Looking for instant pest, disease and nutritional recommendations in the palm of your hand? Download the new Vineyard Advisor app, free and applicable to grape growers nationwide. The app was developed by viticulture experts at Texas Tech University, as represented by Ed Hellman in this video interview. Watch the brief interview as professor Hellman as he shares more details about this new app.
A new governor, a new year, and lots of rain and snow! It’s going to be an interesting year for California farmers and what kind of support they may or may not receive on the water front. Check out this brief interview with Mike Wade from the California Farm Water Coalition for his insights and read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.
As growers have experienced a wet winter and early spring, it may be a little more difficult to determine exactly when to start irrigating their young pistachio trees. In some cases, they might also notice what appears to be a boron deficiency as the young trees start leafing out, which might actually just be a symptom of too much water in the soil. Watch this interview with UCCE Farm Advisor Emeritus Bob Beede as he explains, and read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.
Not only in California, but the entire US dairy industry has been in an economic slump for a while, and it’s time for a change. Lynn McBride, Executive Director of the California Dairy Campaign is rallying with other dairy organizations across the country to look to the prosperity of the Canadian dairy industry all these years, and begin to model US dairy policy after the Canadian system. Watch her brief interview, and read more about it in California Dairy Magazine.
Springtime is an important time for replenishing your vineyard with the essential nutrients lost from the last harvest. Nitrogen-fixing cover crops are a great source for this. But what types of cover crops are best and how do you tell when it’s time to disk them under? Watch this brief interview with Madera County raisin grower and PCA Manuel Marin to find out. Read more in American Vineyard Magazine.