The Almond Alliance of California appreciates the efforts by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish the procedures required to provide direct payments to almond growers to help offset some of the damage being incurred due to the retaliatory tariffs imposed by China and Turkey. As announced today by Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, growers of California almonds are now eligible to apply for direct payments of $.03 per pound as part of the $12 billion mitigation package announced earlier this month. The damage assessment figure assigned to almonds is $63.3 million.
The announcement is a result of the industry coming together and advocating through the Almond Alliance of California (AAC). Elaine Trevino, President/CEO of AAC said “Industry members should be proud that through a unified effort they were able to have their voices heard and be acknowledged for their contribution to the national economy, along with the significant role they play in the international market place.”
The almond industry has been significantly impacted by retaliatory tariffs and the inclusion of the commodity in the USDA trade mitigation package is a result of a vocal industry and the support and hard work of California’s congressional delegation. Trevino noted, “The direct payment program reflects the hard work of Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Chairman Jeff Denham who led the congressional effort including Congressmen Costa, Valadao, Nunes, LaMalfa, Pannetta and Senators Harris and Feinstein. Their combined efforts and leadership helped ensure that the California almond industry received direct payments within the specific program guidelines. We are thankful that our congressional delegation worked hard for our industry and acknowledged the importance of almonds to the California and U.S. economy.”
Producers of almonds can sign up for the Market Facilitation Program (MFP), which is a direct payment program for eligible almond growers who have been directly impacted by retaliatory tariffs, resulting in significant export losses. The MFP is established under the statutory authority of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) Charter Act and is under the administration of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA). There are specific eligibility requirements that must be met by an applicant and the maximum payment per applicant is $125,000. Eligible almond growers may apply for MFP September 24, 2018 through January 15, 2019.
Almonds are one of California’s top three valued commodities and the leading agricultural export. The California almond industry exports 67% of what it produces. With exports of nearly $4.5 billion in 2017, the California almond industry contributes significantly to the longstanding trade surplus generated by American agriculture. While the mitigation initiatives are helpful, they will not begin to approach the anticipated economic losses and long-term impact these retaliatory tariffs will have on the industry’s trade relationships and the considerable investments made over the years to create market demand in China and Turkey. Trevino pointed out, “We remain hopeful for a quick resolution to the broader trade disputes with these trading partners to ensure open and fair trade so consumers around the globe can continue to enjoy California almonds.”
For more Information:
For more information about the MFP program, visit www.farmers.gov/MFP or contact your local FSA office. To find your local FSA office, visit www.farmers.gov.
About the Almond Alliance of California
The Almond Alliance of California (AAC) is a trusted non-profit organization with a mission of advocating on behalf of the Almond industry in California. AAC actively advocates for the positions of almond growers, hullers, shellers, handers and processors, while educating the industry about upcoming and existing regulatory changes. Through workshops, newsletters, conferences and meetings, AAC serves as a clearing house of information that informs the almond industry and continues to position the industry as an agricultural leader in the state.
Irrigating grapevines just got much easier for Gustavo Avina at Pine Ridge Vineyards in Napa Valley. Utilizing new weather stations and tracking vine evapotranspiration rates has helped to simplify his job as vineyard manager and cover more ground. Watch this brief video with Gustavo as he shares his experience, and read more about it in the coming issue of American Vineyard Magazine.
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Temperatures are finally cooling down a bit, but it’s important to remember that as temperatures rise above 80 degrees Fahrenheit (day or night), there are laws and regulations growers and farm labor contractors must abide by as farm employees labor out in the vineyard. This was shared by Jack Passarella from The Zenith at a recent Sun-Maid grower grower meeting in Selma. Watch this brief video with Jack, and read more about heat illness prevention Here.
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By Anna Genasci, QAL, Assistant Director of Education, AgSafe
Don’t be fooled by end of the summer cooler temperatures. Harvest is still underway for many ag commodities, and heat stress is still a major concern for our farm employees. It is important to understand not only the precautions to take to keep employees safe while working in the heat, but also the elements of compliance.
According to the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, Cal/OSHA, their most frequently cited violations in agriculture under the Heat Illness Prevention Standard are failure to have a heat illness prevention plan in the field, a lack of heat illness prevention training, and a failure to provide adequate shade and water. If that’s the case, it begs the question of what exactly does the standard require?
#1 Heat Illness Prevention Plan:
A company needs to have a written Heat Illness Prevention Plan with the following elements, and include specific details as to how you will ensure that the provisions are met:
The designated person(s) that have the authority and responsibility for implementing the plan in the field
Procedures for providing sufficient water
Procedures for providing access to shade
High-heat procedures
Emergency response procedures
Don’t forget your lone workers (g.irrigators)
Acclimatization methods and procedures
When drafting your plan, it is important to consider the size of your crew, the length of the work day, the ambient temperatures, and any additional personal protective equipment (PPE) that contributes as an additional source of heat. The plan needs to be in English and also the language understood by the majority of the employees and must be located at the worksite and accessible to employees.
#2 Heat Illness Prevention Training Topics:
Employee training needs to be done before an employee begins work, which could result in the risk of heat illness. Training should cover the following information:
The environmental and personal risk factors for heat illness, as well as the added burden of heat load on the body caused by exertion, clothing, and personal protective equipment.
The employer’s procedures for complying with the requirements including the employer’s responsibility to provide water, shade, cool-down rests, and access to first aid as well as the employees’ right to exercise their rights.
The importance of frequent consumption of small quantities of water throughout the workday.
The concept, importance and methods of acclimatization.
The different types of heat illness, the common signs and symptoms of heat illness, and appropriate first aid and emergency responses to the different types of heat illness, and that heat illness may progress quickly from mild symptoms to serious and life-threatening illness.
The importance to employees of immediately reporting to the employer, directly or through the employee’s supervisor, signs or symptoms of heat illness experienced by themselves or their co-workers.
The employer’s procedures for responding to signs or symptoms of possible heat illness, including how emergency medical services will be provided should they become necessary.
The employer’s procedures for contacting emergency medical services, and when necessary transporting employees to a point where they can be reached by an emergency medical service provider.
The employer’s procedures for ensuring that, in the event of an emergency, clear and precise directions to the work site can and will be provided as needed to emergency responders. These procedures shall include designating a person to be available to ensure that emergency procedures are initiated when appropriate.
Training must include the different types of heat illness, the common signs and symptoms of heat illness, and appropriate first aid and emergency responses to the different types of heat illness, and that heat illness may progress quickly from mild symptoms to serious and life threatening illness.
Supervisor training needs to be completed prior to supervising employees and include the following topics:
All of the topics covered during employee training.
The procedures the supervisor is to follow to implement the heat illness prevention plan procedures.
The protocol a supervisor is to follow when an employee exhibits signs or reports symptoms consistent with possible heat illness, including emergency response procedures.
How to monitor weather reports and how to respond to hot weather advisories.
#3 Adequate Shade and Water:
The amount of shade present shall be at least enough to accommodate the number of employees on recovery or rest periods, so that they can sit in a normal posture fully in the shade without having to be in physical contact with each other.
Shade
Adequate shade means blockage of direct sunlight. One indicator that blockage is sufficient is when objects do not cast a shadow in the area of blocked sunlight. Shade is not adequate when heat in the area of shade defeats the purpose of shade, which is to allow the body to cool. For example, a car sitting in the sun does not provide acceptable shade to a person inside it, unless the car is running with air conditioning. Shade may be provided by any natural or artificial means that does not expose employees to unsafe or unhealthy conditions and that does not deter or discourage access or use.
Shade needs to available when the temperature exceeds 80-degrees Fahrenheit. How do you know when temperatures hit 80 degrees? Cal/OSHA urges employers to not rely on your cell phone because it does not reflect the site-specific temperatures. The best practice is to invest in and daily use an outdoor thermometer.
The amount of shade present shall be at least enough to accommodate the number of employees on recovery or rest periods, so that they can sit in a normal posture fully in the shade without having to be in physical contact with each other. The shade shall be located as close as practicable to the areas where employees are working. Shade also needs to be available, even when the temperature does not exceed 80-degrees Fahrenheit, upon employee request.
Water
Employees shall have access to potable drinking water. It must be fresh, pure, suitably cool, and provided to employees free of charge. The water shall be located as close as practicable to the areas where employees are working. Where drinking water is not plumbed or otherwise continuously supplied, it shall be provided in a sufficient quantity at the beginning of the work shift to provide one quart per employee per hour for drinking for the entire shift. Employers may begin the shift with smaller quantities of water if they have effective procedures for replenishment during the shift as needed to allow employees to drink one quart or more per hour.
Indoor Heat Illness Prevention Standard on the Horizon
In 2016 the legislature passed and Governor Brown signed into Senate Bill 1167 which directed Cal/OSHA to propose a heat illness and injury prevention standard applicable to employees working in indoor places of employment. The agency has until January 1, 2019 to develop the proposed standard to be sent to the Cal/OSHA Standards Board for regulatory review and possible adoption. As is its practice, in February 2017 Cal/OSHA assembled an Advisory Committee to allow all impacted stakeholders to provide input into the crafting of the proposed standard.
The Advisory Committee has met multiple times since its formation, allowing Cal/OSHA staff to produce draft text of the standard. On May 16, 2018 the most current version of the proposed language was made available for public comment, which closed on June 7, 2018. The agency anticipates releasing the next draft version in late summer/early fall, reflecting the latest round of feedback.
In summary, the most current version of the draft language addresses the issue of mitigating heat illness in indoor places of employment, including agriculture as follows:
Applies to all indoor work areas regardless of industry when workers wear clothing that restricts heat removal and the temperatures equal or exceed 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Applies to all other indoor work areas not previously mentioned where temperatures equal or exceed 85-degrees Fahrenheit when employees are present.
Similar to the outdoor heat illness prevention standard:
Provide fresh, pure, suitably cool water at no cost, located as close as practicable to employees
Maintain at least 1 cool-down area at all times with enough space to accommodate all employees on break, sitting in normal posture without touching one another
Provide appropriate first aid/emergency response if employee exhibits signs or symptoms of heat illness
Implement temperature assessment, documentation and control measures when temperatures equal or exceed 90 degrees Fahrenheit
Have a written Indoor Heat Illness Prevention Plan that includes appropriate emergency response procedures
Ensure close observation of employees during acclimatization
Provide training for employees and supervisors prior to possible exposure
For more information about heat illness prevention, worker safety, human resources, labor relations, pesticide safety, or food safety issues, please visit www.agsafe.org, contact us at (209) 526-4400 or via email at safeinfo@agsafe.org. AgSafe is a 501c3 nonprofit providing training, education, outreach, and tools in the areas of worker safety, human resources, labor relations, pesticide safety, and food safety issues for the food and farming industries. Since 1991, AgSafe has educated nearly 75,000 employers, supervisors, and workers on these critical issues.
The California almond industry relies heavily on exports, and with a crop that continues to grow in volume every year, expanding those markets in the future will be critical. On the contrary, with the lack of resolution to the current international trade disputations, and now almond harvest well underway, the industry is naturally very concerned about how these issues will impact the marketing of this crop. Watch this brief interview with the Richard Waycott, President & CEO of the Almond Board for his insights on the topic. Read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.
Raisin Bargaining Association Board Members gathered Monday evening (September 10th), and came up with a record high price offer for the 2018 California raisin crop. Watch this brief interview with RBA CEO Kalem Barserian as he shares the price and how they came to that number. Read more about it in American Vineyard Magazine.
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More than 20 dairy farmers across California have been pioneering the use of subsurface drip irrigation to grow feed crops, including corn, wheat, and alfalfa. By working with innovative companies and non-governmental organizations, dairy farmers have helped take sustainable farming to the next level. They are reducing water use by 47 to 67% and improving groundwater protection. Their collective efforts have helped develop new tools for California dairy farmers to continue advancing nutrient and water management.
California dairy farmers had already made great strides to increase their overall water-use-efficiency and on-farm water recycling, but in 2014 and 2015, two ground-breaking efforts began. One is led by Sustainable Conservation, and the other is known as The Alfalfa Project (TAP). Both projects are aimed at advancing further into the new frontier of subsurface drip irrigation. Today, with fast-approaching groundwater management regulations and the threat of significant decreases in both surface and groundwater availability, water conservation has never been more important, and these innovators are paving a sustainable path to follow.
“As farmers, we know we have to rethink how we approach our practices given the realities of sustainability and the mandates that will come with new groundwater regulations,” said Stephen Maddox Sr. of Maddox Dairy. “What is critical is that we don’t inadvertently hurt our farms, our dairy and cattle industries, and our state’s critically important agricultural economy. We feed not just California, but our country and the entire world.”
Farmers, environmental organizations, and innovative companies have been working side-by-side to proactively address the challenges that come with subsurface drip irrigation, including line clogs and rodent damage. As an added feat, Sustainable Conservation and irrigation technology company Netafim have developed a model for applying a mixture of water and dairy manure-water via subsurface drip irrigation. Four years later, the technology and management strategy have been refined and pilot-tested several times.
Demonstration systems are now operating on three Central Valley dairy farms. The projects are funded by a $1.7 million United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation Service (NCRS) research grant. For silage corn, results have shown increased water-use efficiency (up to 67.7%), increased nitrogen-use efficiency (up to 161.9%), and increased crop yields (up to 21.1%). Results from the most-recent winter wheat crop have shown even greater success, but these numbers can vary greatly depending on annual rainfall.
“We’re demonstrating that subsurface drip irrigation can be used across the Central Valley to save water, better protect groundwater, and boost crop yields,” said John Cardoza, project manager for Sustainable Conservation. “Dairy farmers continue to be very interested in implementing this type of farming practice.”
The Alfalfa Project (TAP) started with seven farmers in 2015 and now has more than 20 farmers participating. By this fall, nearly 4,000 acres of alfalfa will be grown with subsurface drip irrigation. Achieving up to 47% water savings, TAP has saved more than 3.1 billion gallons of water over the last three years—enough to supply the annual water needs of 100,000 Californians. It is anticipated that an additional 1 billion gallons of water will be saved by the end of the 2018 growing season. While TAP does not currently include manure application, the program has also been testing a filter that would allow manure-water to be added to the drip lines.
TAP continues to work toward an ambitious goal, converting 350,000 acres of alfalfa grown in the San Joaquin Valley from traditional flood or sprinkler irrigation to subsurface drip irrigation, paired with precision farming practices. Full project implementation would reduce water usage by more than 400 billion gallons of water annually. That’s enough water to supply the annual needs of more than 12 million Californians.
“With our farmers facing multiple pressures to reduce their water usage significantly, The Alfalfa Project offers a unique path forward to help them not just manage their water use, but actually improve their yields and strengthen the health of their business,” said Tyler Bennett, founder of TAP.
As demonstrated by Sustainable Conservation and TAP, subsurface drip irrigation shows great potential to reduce water use, improve yields, and boost economic and environmental sustainability. A key to this success is the element of precision. Subsurface drip irrigation delivers water directly to the plant’s roots. The use of additional precision technology helps ensure best results. This includes continual monitoring and reporting of soil moisture and crop growth, as well as strategic irrigation scheduling. Drones are used to monitor irrigation uniformity and crop growth, helping farmers achieve optimum water savings and crop yields.
Both Sustainable Conservation and TAP are working to make these technologies practical for dairy farmers, despite current economic challenges and rising energy costs. Sustainable Conservation aims to continue working with NCRS to ultimately establish incentive funding to allow more dairies to implement manure-drip projects. TAP provides capital financing options for implementing drip irrigation and precision management technologies.
There is a tremendous opportunity for public and private partners to help California dairy farmers invest in these significantly beneficial technologies. Through expanded adoption of subsurface drip irrigation, dairy families can advance water conservation and protection, while improving their economic sustainability and cost-effectively meeting regulatory requirements—further improving the environment we share and safe-guarding the long-term viability of family farms.
California’s dairy farmers are leading the way for water-smart farming. Learn more about these efforts at the inaugural California Dairy Sustainability Summit , this November 47- 28, 2018 in Sacramento.
So how do you know when your wine grapes are ready for harvest? Wineries are looking for more than just solid brix levels. There are other chemical indicators to consider. This was one of the topics of discussion at California State University Fresno’s biennial industry Grape Day. Watch this brief interview with Tim Holt from E&J Gallo Winery as he provides his perspective on what growers should be looking for to know that their grapes are ready to harvest and produce quality wines. Read more of the proceedings of Fresno State Grape Day in American Vineyard Magazine.
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Although most folks in the Central Valley of California have been safe from the ravaging wildfires around California, they have still suffered the affects that the ash and smoke have brought into the Valley. It has caused airline flight delays due to obscured vision and increased allergies & asthma among the public; but what some raisin growers have been discovering is that it has also delayed the sugar accumulation of their crop. Watch this brief interview with Rick Stark from Sun-Maid Growers, and read more about it in American Vineyard Magazine.
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At the 2018 annual Summer Conference of the California Association of Winegrape growers (CAWG), Sonoma County Winegrowers President Karissa Kruse was honored as CAWG’s Leader of the Year for her outstanding efforts in leading the world’s first 100% sustainable wine region, community outreach amidst the 2017 North Coast Wildfires, and much more. Watch this video presentation honoring Kruse and read more about her in American Vineyard Magazine.
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