California Ag Network

Category: Ag Economics

  • CA Dairy Families Partner to Shred Hunger with Pilot Project Delivering Over 190,000 Pounds of Cheese to Feeding Programs Throughout State

    With one in five Californians currently struggling with food insecurity, partnerships between farmers and food banks are an essential tool in fighting hunger. In commemoration of World Milk Day on June 1, the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) announced a partnership with Feeding American and the California Association of Food Banks (CAFB) to provide access to nutritious dairy foods at sites serving families in need throughout the state.

    A pilot program announced today during a donation event at Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services in Sacramento, will provide five truckloads of cheese shreds in one-pound packages for distribution at 11 Feeding America and California Association of Food Bank sites. That’s more than 3 million servings or 3.6 million grams of protein to nourish families. Part of the CMAB’s #CADAIRY4GOOD, the pilot is phase one of an ongoing partnership with Feeding America that will deliver over $1 million in resources to food banks and feeding programs to source California dairy foods including cheese and fluid milk, one of the most requested and least donated items at food banks.

    California Agriculture Secretary, Karen Ross, was onsite to help make the announcement, stating: “California dairy farmers have a long history of supporting the communities where they live and work. I’m pleased to join Real California Milk, Feeding America, and the California Association of Food Banks during dairy month to launch this partnership that provides products like cheese, a rich source of protein and other essential nutrients, to programs that serve families throughout the state.”

    “Farmers feed people, it’s core to their personal values,” said John Talbot, CEO of the CMAB. “California dairy farmers are passionate about nourishing communities everywhere with the wholesome goodness of milk. We’re grateful to Feeding America for support to expand the reach of these essential resources.”

    The California cheese donation will be distributed to 11 food banks – Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services, Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, Feeding San Diego, Orange County Food Bank, Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank, Second Harvest Santa Cruz County, SLO Food Bank, Food Share of Ventura County, Food Bank of Contra Costa & Solano, Central California Food Bank and Second Harvest of the Greater Valley. These food banks have 3,095 community partner distribution organizations, including soup kitchens and pantries, and collectively distributed nearly 360 million meals in 2021 alone.

    “Many of our neighbors are forced to make difficult decisions between paying for food or other essentials including housing. Low-income households spend one-third of their budget on food which means rising food costs can have a dramatic effect on food security,” said Sam Schwoeppe, Senior Account Manager, Agri Sourcing Partnerships for Feeding America. “Public-private partnerships like this are an essential way to support the vulnerable members of our community and allow us to stretch resources to increase access for all members of the community.”

    “Our food banks continue to serve more than 1.5x pre-pandemic demand and we don’t anticipate that stopping any time soon,” said Maria Houlne, Director of Farm to Family for the California Association of Food Banks. “Food donations and grants from famers and organizations like CMAB, coupled with public initiatives like the state’s CalFood program that allows food banks to purchase California-grown foods, are essential for food banks to meet that demand. Access to food is a basic human right.”

    The #CADAIRY4GOOD platform focuses on increasing access to nourishing dairy foods for families throughout California. In 2020 the CMAB provided more than 1 million servings of milk through grants to food banks in the state and in 2021 delivered 14 refrigeration units to school milk pantries in the Central Valley. Phase two of the 2022 program will focus on fluid milk with community milk drives and grants for food banks during September Hunger Action Month.

    California is the number one dairy state. Its 1,100 family dairy farms are focused on delivering the wholesome goodness of California milk while creating a greener, more sustainable future for dairy in the state.

    About Real California Milk/California Milk Advisory Board

    The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), an instrumentality of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is funded by the state’s dairy farm families who lead the nation in sustainable dairy farming practices. With a vision to nourish the world with the wholesome goodness of Real California Milk, the CMAB’s programs focus on increasing demand for California’s sustainable dairy products in the state, across the U.S. and around the world. Connect with the CMAB at RealCaliforniaMilk.com, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

    About Feeding America
    Feeding America® is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of more than 200 food banks, 21 statewide food bank associations, and over 60,000 partner agencies, food pantries and meal programs, we helped provide 6.6 billion meals to tens of millions of people in need last year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; brings attention to the social and systemic barriers that contribute to food insecurity in our nation; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

    About California Association of Food Banks (CAFB)
    The California Association of Food Banks leads the collective effort to end hunger in California. Every day, CAFB works to ensure its 41 member food banks have the tools and resources they need to do what they do best: feed our communities, while also working to change the systems that create hunger in the first place. Learn more at cafoodbanks.org.

    About Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services (SFBFS)
    Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services is a local, nonprofit 501(c)3 organization. SFBFS is dedicated to assisting those in need by alleviating their immediate pain and problems and moving them toward self-sufficiency and financial independence. With a staff of 90 and a volunteer force of 11,000, SFBFS is committed to feeding 250,000 seniors, families and children each month. Learn more atsacramentofoodbank.org.

  • Real California Milk Excelerator Launches Quest for New Dairy Innovation

    The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) announced the return of its annual dairy innovation competition for the fourth year running. This year’s Real California Milk Excelerator, created in partnership with innovation consultancy VentureFuel, brings a new, expansive focus to accelerate any dairy-based product – from traditional consumer food and beverage items to textiles, haircare, and beyond. The competition will award up to $500,000 in prizes for new innovative dairy products that introduce novel benefits in any form and drive consumption of Real California dairy.

    The 2022 Real California Milk Excelerator enables innovation in its truest state: open. Given dairy’s versatility of benefits and functionality, from nutrition and flavor to texture and chemical composition, this open approach encourages innovation across product categories, all leveraging the versatility of the dairy ecosystem. It also taps into two of California’s incredible resources – an abundant supply of sustainably sourced California milk and the state’s entrepreneurial spirit.

    “Real dairy provides a package of functional and practical benefits that’s hard to replicate. We’re seeing an increase in unique products that leverage these benefits emerging in the market. By expanding the competition to all new dairy-based products, versus a specific category, we’re creating more opportunity to make a meaningful difference in consumers’ lives and in the utilization of milk from California’s family dairy farms,” said John Talbot, CEO of the CMAB. “With the Excelerator platforms we’ve established over the past four years, we will be able to support companies as they innovate and establish these products in the market.”

    As one of the biggest dairy competitions in the world, the program seeks early-stage, high-growth potential applicants with a 50% cow’s milk-based product or working prototype.

    Up to eight applicants will be selected to join the RCM Excelerator program. Each will have access to a group stipend and a robust network of resources to refine and scale their product and business. They will also participate in the CMAB/VentureFuel Mentorship Program, consisting of elite counsel from successful founders, investors, leading corporate executives, and experts across design, marketing, sales, manufacturing, distribution, farming, and processing industries.

    VentureFuel, Inc., a leading corporate innovation consultancy, is driving what’s next – now – in dairy innovation through the continued partnership with CMAB. “Each year, we tap into our global network of investors, founders, academics, and idea generators to maximize collective opportunities,” said Fred Schonenberg, Founder of VentureFuel, Inc. “Innovation continues to accelerate in product volume and the speed from idea to market. Now, we are matching the most promising companies with capital to be deployed intentionally, and with significant near-term, tangible impact.”

    This year, for the first time, the odds of receiving an award are higher than ever, with up to four of the eight participants receiving $50,000 each to grow and expand their product in California. One of the participating companies will unlock an additional $100,000 grand prize by establishing their presence in California and exhibiting the most promising growth within the 12 months after the finals. The total value of all competition awards tallies in at half a million dollars.

    More details including competition rules, timeline and application are available at realcamilkexcelerator.com. The deadline to apply is July 17th, 2022.

    California, known for innovation, has a reputation for quality dairy products. As the number one milk producer in the U.S., California also leads the nation in sustainable dairy farming practices. More than 1,100 family dairy farms produce the milk found in fluid milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, ice cream, and other dairy products identified by the Real California Milk seal.

    About Real California Milk/California Milk Advisory Board

    The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), an instrumentality of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is funded by the state’s dairy farm families who lead the nation in sustainable dairy farming practices. With a vision to nourish the world with the wholesome goodness of Real California Milk, the CMAB’s programs focus on increasing demand for California’s sustainable dairy products in the state, across the U.S. and around the world through advertising, public relations, research, and retail and foodservice promotional programs. For more information and to connect with the CMAB, visit RealCaliforniaMilk.com, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagramand Pinterest.

    About VentureFuel, Inc.

    Founded in 2014, VentureFuel is an independent innovation consultancy that builds innovation programs for industry leaders by unlocking the power of external innovation through startup collaboration. Its programs focus on changing behaviors and beliefs to unlock new sources of growth. We provide senior leaders with the tools to drive transformative change within their organizations by opening their teams to new ways of working, products, services and routes to market. Learn more at: www.venturefuel.net, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.  You can listen to The VentureFuel Visionaries podcast on Apple, Spotify or Simplecast.

  • National Pizza Contest Finals for Innovative Recipes Showcasing Real California Cheese

    The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) announced the 12 finalists for the 2022 Real California Pizza Contest (RCPC) – the fourth nationwide search for the best foodservice pizza recipes that include the most innovative uses of Real California cow’s milk cheeses. The professional chef finalists will compete in three categories during a public bake-off event in Napa, Calif. June 22, 2022 for awards totaling $30,000.

    Winners will be selected by a panel of expert judges including Tony Gemignani, chef, restauranter, international pizza authority and President of the World Pizza Champions; Glenn Cybulski, certified pizzaiolo and award-winning executive chef; and Spencer Glenn, executive chef at Pizza My Heart and 2021 RCPC Grand Prize Winner. The judges chose the 12 finalists from more than 100 blind-judged entries from throughout the United States, in the Cal-Mex, REAL Californian, and Plant-Forward recipe categories.

    “After four years, we continue to be inspired by the innovative use of our California cheeses in pizza contest entries. For such an established foodservice category, chefs haven’t run out of ideas and that’s what brings us back year after year,” said Mike Gallagher, Business and Market Development Consultant for the CMAB. “As the leading producer of mozzarella cheese and second largest cheese producer in the U.S., pizza remains an important category for our foodservice business. Connecting with and celebrating these chefs and their creations helps us build awareness for the tremendous products we have available.”

    The live bake-off finals event takes place at the Culinary Institute of America Copia facility in Napa, where pizzas will be prepared and baked onsite for a blind evaluation by judges. Category winners will each receive $5,000. The Grand Prize Winner, selected from the three category winners, will win an additional $10,000. Remaining finalists will receive $500 each.

    The 2022 finalists, listed alongside hometown and pizza entry name, are:

    Cal-Mex

    • Ryan Ososky, Los Angeles, Calif., Oaxacan in the Motorcity
    • Christopher Lascik, Yelm, Wash., El Puerco Verde
    • Austin Buckland, Marion, Ohio, La Fiesta
    • Marcus Medina, Tracy, Calif., Cali Craft Chicken Enchilazza

    The REAL Californian

    • Ray Cullison, Kingman, Ariz., California Dreamin’
    • Chris Decker, Las Vegas, Nev., For the Love of California
    • Jason Garland, Waverly, Minn., The Venice Beach
    • David Jacobson, Concord, Calif., The Gold Rush

    Plant-Forward

    • Leah Scurto, Windsor, Calif., Spear-It of Spring
    • Max Cufre, San Diego, Calif., Honey, I’m Home!
    • Yoshiharu Sogi, Sonoma, Calif., Sweet Blue
    • Melina Felix, Littleton, Colo., Green N’ Zesty

    RCPC bake-off finals will be streamed on Facebook Live on June 22 at 3 p.m. PST atfacebook.com/realcamilkfoodservice. Additional details on the bake-off, pizza chef finalists and CMAB’s foodservice support are available at Real California Pizza Contest.

    California is a reliable, consistent source of sustainable dairy products used by chefs throughout the world. As the nation’s largest dairy state, California boasts an impressive lineup of award-winning cheesemakers and dairy processors, that are helping to drive dining innovation.

    About Real California Milk/the California Milk Advisory Board

    The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), an instrumentality of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is funded by the state’s dairy farm families who lead the nation in sustainable dairy farming practices. With a vision to nourish the world with the wholesome goodness of Real California Milk, the CMAB’s programs focus on increasing demand for California’s sustainable dairy products in the state, across the U.S. and around the world through advertising, public relations, research, and retail and foodservice promotional programs.

    The Foodservice Division of the CMAB supports foodservice operators and distributors that use Real California dairy products. The CMAB offers marketing and promotional support for foodservice operators that purchase dairy products with the Real California Milk seal, which means they are made with 100 percent milk from California’s more than 1,100 family dairy farms, using some of the most sustainable dairy practices in the nation.

    For more information on sourcing cheese from California, contact the foodservice team at 209.883.6455 (MILK),businessdevelopment@cmab.net or RealCaliforniaMilk.com/Foodservice, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

  • CA’s Bar 20 Dairy Among 2022 Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy Sustainability Award Winners

    The U.S. Dairy Sustainability Awards program recognized a class of seven exceptional farms, businesses and partnerships for their socially responsible, economically viable and environmentally sound practices and technologies that have a broad and positive impact.

    This year’s winners displayed excellence in areas such as methane and other greenhouse gas reduction practices as well as water use efficiencies that support the industrywide 2050 Environmental Stewardship Goals.

    The awards, hosted by the farmer-founded Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, have recognized more than 80 winners from nearly 300 nominees since their creation in 2012.

    “This year’s winners exemplify how forward-thinking and regenerative efforts across the entire supply chain have led to positive results and what it means to be an environmental solution,” said Barbara O’Brien, CEO of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. “Considered collectively, these stories of success serve as examples of all the good things U.S. dairy is doing for planetary health and why the aggressive goals we have set are within reach.”

    The awards are judged by an independent panel of dairy and conservation experts who consider innovation, scalability and replicability when evaluating nominations. Among the criteria to apply for the awards is participation and good standing in the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) animal care program and agreement to participate in the FARM Environmental Stewardship online tool for determining their GHG and energy footprint. Both initiatives are part of the U.S. Dairy Stewardship Commitment, U.S. dairy’s social responsibility pledge to consumers, customers and other stakeholders.

    “As a dairy farmer, I understand the importance of community and being a true caretaker of the environment that surrounds our farm and these winners demonstrate these values to their neighbors every day,” said Marilyn Hershey, Pennsylvania dairy farmer and chair of the Dairy Management Inc. board of directors. “These all are solution- and results-oriented businesses who are not only making meaningful contributions locally but to the U.S. dairy industry overall.”

    The 2022 U.S. Dairy Sustainability Awards winners are:

    Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability: Bar 20, Kerman, California

    Bar 20 Dairy’s on-farm energy investments have added up big for the environment. LED bulbs provide lighting in all the barns, reducing the demand for electricity by 75%. Two solar array installations provide electricity for the dairy barn and offset power usage of the farming operation. A dairy digester captures methane from the 7,000-cow herd and converts it into renewable electricity via fuel cells. Through a partnership with BMW North America, the combustion-free, dairy-derived electricity is transmitted via the utility grid to power electric vehicles. The methane emission reductions at the farm, when combined with the renewable energy generation, result in carbon emission reductions equivalent to providing clean power to over 17,000 electric vehicles per year. Electricity generated by the fuel cells also powers a feed mixing system, replacing diesel and reducing smog-forming emissions by 90%.

    Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability: Deer Run Dairy, Kewaunee, Wisconsin

    At Deer Run Dairy, farming is a continuous learning process. Partners Duane Ducat, Derek Ducat and Dale Bogart actively participate in Wisconsin’s Demonstration Farm Network and Discovery Research program. The region’s topography, shallow soils, and proximity to Lake Michigan pose water quality challenges, and the partners have implemented numerous conservation practices to protect the water and to improve soil health. As big believers in the value of cover crops, they set and achieved a goal to seed 100% of their cropland with cover crops in the fall of 2021. Additional goals encompass the entire 1,850-cow operation, including minimal antibiotic use and feeding trials to reduce methane gas production in the rumen of the cow. All goals ladder up to the ability to be a profitable business on land that is sustained for generations to come. 

    Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability: Grayhouse Farms, Inc., Stony Point, North Carolina

    When it came time to build a new dairy five years ago, Jimmy and Andy Gray designed a dairy that is, as Jimmy calls it, “conservation and efficiency by design” with dozens of water and soil conservation practices in use. The flush manure management and sand separation system allows sand to be recycled nearly 100 times, and a four-stage lagoon is designed to best utilize nutrients and water. The facility for their 1,120 cows was also built to maximize cow comfort, from ventilation and fans to rubber matting, sprinklers and sand bedding.  Soil conservation practices include GPS placement of nutrients, cover crops, filter strips and 100% no-till farming. Land that is not well-suited for farming is cared for with an equal amount of attention to wildlife conservation. “We understand that we hold the title of this property, but we are the caretakers, and we must be vigilant in HOW we farm,” says Jimmy.

    Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability: Steve and Cheryl Schlangen Dairy Farm, Albany, Minnesota

    Steve and Cheryl Schlangen’s mindset of continuous improvement is a way of life on their 60-cow, 200-acre farm in Stearns County, Minnesota.  They count more than 30 conservation practices, from LED lighting and cover crops to a manure-stacking slab that prevents nutrient leaching into the water and a manure injection system that uses less time, less fuel and has virtually eliminated the need for commercial fertilizer on their crops. Their enthusiasm for sharing ideas and results with others has earned them a national reputation as leaders in regenerative agriculture. Schlangen Dairy provides a blueprint for beginning farmers and generational farms to follow.

    Outstanding Dairy Processing Sustainability: Milk Specialties Global, Monroe, Wisconsin

    A whey processing project at Milk Specialties Global (MSG) demonstrates how making one change can deliver sustainability benefits across the supply chain.  To meet surging demand for dairy protein in foods and beverages, MSG acquired a plant in Monroe, WI to collect and process whey, a by-product of cheesemaking, into whey proteins. However, the whey supply from local cheesemakers far outweighed processing capacity. Instead of trucking the whey to a larger plant, MSG found a way to double capacity at the plant without increasing the facility’s footprint. Artisanal cheesemakers saw a waste product turn into a revenue stream. The local community benefitted too:  truck miles decreased by 237,232 miles, saving 47,446 gallons of diesel fuel and reducing GHG emissions by 486 metric tons; 2.9 million gallons of water are now reclaimed and returned to the local watershed; and more than 53,000 pounds of whey protein is produced annually to fuel athletes and animals around the globe.

    Outstanding Community Impact: Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers

    Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association (MDVA) is a community of more than 900 dairy farm families. With 90% of these located within the critical Chesapeake Bay watershed, the cooperative recognizes its responsibility to bring environmental solutions to its members and their communities. Through supply chain and partnerships with corporations, customers, and conservation non-profits, they have delivered more than $19 million in funds to make meaningful sustainability investments on member farms.  To drive community impact, volunteers from MDVA and its partners participate in events such as planting riparian buffers on dairy farms and trash pick-ups along waterways. Planting riparian buffers helps protect critical waterways far beyond the reach of the farm, while also exposing people throughout the dairy supply chain to agriculture.

    Outstanding Supply Chain Sustainability: Bel Brands, Land O’Lakes Inc., Boadwine Dairy

    This multi-year program is designed to demonstrate the value of feed production practices that improve soil health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and supports Bel Brands’ and Land O’Lakes’ shared ambitions to improve sustainable farming practices and reduce dairy’s environmental footprint. The project provides cost incentives, access to resources and expertise, and the use of the Truterra™ Insights Engine to participating farms. The first pilot took place on Boadwine Dairy, a member-owner of Land O’Lakes, where efforts to improve soil health have been ongoing for more than ten years, and is being expanded to dairy farms ranging in size from 450 – 2000 cows in two regions.

    A formal celebration of the winners is scheduled in conjunction with the Dairy Sustainability Alliance® Fall Meeting, Nov. 14-15 in Glendale, Ariz.

    For information about the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, visit www.usdairy.com/about-us/innovation-center

    The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy® is a forum that brings together the dairy community to address the changing needs and expectations of consumers through a framework of shared best practices and accountability. Initiated in 2008 by dairy farmers through the dairy checkoff, we collaborate on efforts that are important both to us and our valued customers in areas like animal care, food safety, nutrition and health, the environment and community contributions. Through the Innovation Center, the U.S. dairy community demonstrates its commitment to continuous improvement from farm to table, striving to ensure a socially responsible and economically viable dairy community.

  • Almond Alliance Announces Historic Joint Venture to “Move Nuts”

    After a year and a half of supply chain problems, a massive trade imbalance, and challenges at ports, the Almond Alliance California has announced a collaborative private/public venture to ship nuts to foreign customers. From September 2021 to February 2022, California almonds lost $2 billion in revenue.

    “There is a stockpile of nuts sitting in warehouses and at docks that have been grown, sold, and awaiting delivery to customers. We have found a solution to the challenges of a supply chain breakdown by working together. Because of this historic effort, we are finally bringing these nuts to market, which makes a massive difference for our farmers, economy, and communities,” stated Aubrey Bettencourt, President/CEO of the Almond Alliance of California.

    The joint partnership includes Blue Diamond Growers, Union Pacific Railroad, the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Oakland, ocean carrier CMA CGM, and other logistic leaders such as Van G Logistics. Working together, the California Almond Alliance has created port opportunities and new direct communications pathways and has begun booking with carriers.

    “America’s great industries came together to find solutions and help protect American workers, businesses, and reputation,” said Bettencourt. “These important partnerships are a home-grown out-of-the-box first step to solving an enormous trade problem. This program will bring American Grown goods to market, preserve America’s reputation as a trade partner, and show that industry leaders can come together to meet challenges.”

    The Central Valley Ramp to the Port of Long Beach, with the help of Blue Diamond Growers, Union Pacific Railroad, CMA CGM, and Van G Logistics, is the first to come online. The Almond Alliance has pilots underway at the Central Valley Ramp to get the nuts moving and on board ships.

    In addition to the collaboration with Blue Diamond Growers, Union Pacific Railroad, and the ports and carriers, the Almond Alliance also took the opportunity to express sincere appreciation for the continued support of the California delegation, Sen. Feinstein, Sen. Padilla, Rep. Garamendi, Rep. Costa, Rep. Valadao, and Governor Newsom’s administration, Go-Biz Senior Advisor and Director Dee Dee Myers and the California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross.

    “We’ve taken an important first step, and we are committed to building on this success to work together to meet the challenges we face,” concluded Bettencourt.

    About the Almond Alliance

    The Almond Alliance of California (AAC) is a trusted non-profit organization dedicated to representing and advocating on behalf of the California almond community. California almonds generate more than $21 billion in economic revenue and directly contribute more than $11 billion to the state’s total economy. California’s top agricultural export, almonds create approximately 104,000 jobs statewide, over 97,000 in the Central Valley, which suffers from chronic unemployment. The AAC is dedicated to educating state legislators, policy makers and regulatory officials about the California almond community. As a membership-based organization, our members include almond processors, hullers/shellers, growers and allied businesses. AAC works to raise awareness, knowledge and provide a better understanding about the scope, size, value and sustainability of the California almond community. For more information on the Almond Alliance, visit almondalliance.org.

  • Tips to Save Avocado from Root Rot

    Root rot is a term referring to any disease where the pathogen damage and deteriorate the plant’s root system. Root rot can occur on most woody and herbaceous plants. Root rot is caused by many soil-borne fungi. Most fungi causing root rot to prefer wet soil conditions. Some of them produce spores (microscopic biological particles that allow fungi to be reproduced) that can survive for a long time in soil or plants debris.

    Avocado root rot. Credit: California Avocado Commission

    Symptoms

    • Small, pale green, or yellow leaves
    • Wilted leaves
    • Leaves show necrotic or brown tips
    • Spare foliage and rare new growth
    • Branch dieback on top of the tree
    • A decline in fruit production
    • Small fruits

    Cause

    • Excess soil moisture or poor drainage
    • Infested soil with fungi spores

    Management

    Before infection

    • Monitor your tree regularly for disease and disease-promoting conditions
    • Purchase certified disease-free trees
    • Purchase root rot resistant cultivars
    • Inspect new tree before planting (roots and foliage)
    • Good irrigation management (stop irrigation when heavy rainfall)
    • Avoid planting your tree where you suspect there was an infected tree before
    • Plant in well-drained soil (or improve drainage by planting on a soil berm)
    • Prevent soil or water movement from an infested area
    • Apply gypsum (gypsum supplies calcium which suppresses the formation of spores
    • Use fertilizer regularly to promote good growth

    After Infection

    • Reduce irrigation schedule (especially when you forecast rainfall)
    • Add drainage around the tree
    • Dry root system by removing soil from the crown of the root system (Air drying)
    • Reapply gypsum
    • Apply fungicides such as phosphonates can help trees tolerate the disease. To apply the fungicide, follow the label. Fungicide may be sprayed onto bark or foliage, drench into the soil with irrigation water, or injected into the trunk. Remember fungicide can only help control the disease, not eradicate it.

    — By Amir Rezazadeh, University of Florida Extension

    Reference:

    UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines: Avocado
    https://www2.ipm.ucanr.edu/agriculture/avocado/Phytophthora-root-rot/

  • UC Davis Olive Center to Hold ‘Introduction to Sensory Evaluation of Olive Oil’ Event

    Friday and Saturday, June 24-25, the UC Davis Olive Center will hold its first event of the year with two days of olive oil sensory instruction including tastings, lectures and roundtable discussions.

    This practical educational program is designed to provide a solid foundation for understanding and evaluating olive oil. In addition to learning about the positive sensory attributes and the defects of olive oil, participants will explore the factors that influence olive oil flavor and how quality is measured.

    Participants will also experiment with food and extra virgin olive oil pairings and discuss the culinary use of this transformative ingredient. Attendees who complete the training will receive a certificate for the introductory level as part of the UC Davis Olive Center’s comprehensive olive educational programming.

    The price is $1,150, which includes lunch and runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day. The location is UC DAVIS Olive Oil Center, Silverado Vineyards Sensory Theater at 392 Old Davis Road, Davis CA. The last day to register is June 15. Register and learn more here. 

  • Mechanical Pruning Trial in ‘French’ Prune – Through Year Three

    Work continues at the mechanical pruning trial site in Red Bluff. The trial, funded by the California Prune Board and led by Dr. Rich Rosecrance at Chico State, was initiated in 2019 and aims to identify lower cost pruning alternatives for growers without compromising yield or fruit quality. The study site is an orchard planted in 2011 at a spacing of 15’ x 18’ on Myrobalan seedling rootstock and irrigated with buried drip. This is a vigorous, well managed orchard with a history of producing 4-5 dry ton/acre. The study treatments are:

    1. Fall: Grower standard — ladders and loppers pruning, no topping (i.e. ‘control’).

    2. Spring: Topping and hedging both ways — cutting 5 sides of the canopy, with the tree row and across the tree row, plus topping (i.e. ‘boxed’).

    3. Fall: Topping and hedging both ways — cutting 5 sides of the canopy, with the tree row and across the tree row, plus topping (i.e. ‘boxed’).

    4. Spring: Hedging both sides of the tree row, no cross hedging — cutting 2 sides of the canopy, no topping (i.e. ‘hedged’). 

    5. Fall: Hedging both sides of the tree row, no cross hedging — cutting 2 sides of the canopy, no topping (i.e. ‘hedged’).

    Several measurements are collected annually to assess the effects of the pruning treatments. Highlights of 2021 results and planned 2022 measurements include:

    • –  Canopy volume was measured in May 2021. Trees boxed in spring were significantly smaller than the hand-pruned control. Trees boxed in fall or hedged in fall or spring did not differ significantly from the control.

    • –  A bark canker pathogen survey (Cytospora, Botryosphaeria, etc.) was conducted to establish a baseline of pathogens present in the field. Several canker pathogens were found, and the control treatment had the shortest canker length. A more thorough evaluation of disease presence and severity will be performed in 2022.

    • –  In 2021, a difference in severity of sunburn damage after extreme heat events was observed. The boxed treatments both had significantly less blue prune drop due to sunburn damage than the control or hedged treatments. This was surprising – fruit is typically exposed to higher light environments in the boxed trees. Though there is no definitive cause at the moment, it may be possible that bowing branches in the hedged treatments or reduced water stress in boxed trees due to smaller canopy size may have contributed. We will continue to assess these differences.

    • –  2021 treatment yields ranged between 3.0 and 4.3 dry ton marketable (A+B screens) yield per acre and no significant differences were found among the treatments in 2021 nor in cumulative yields (Table 1). Large fruit (A + B screens) comprised between 92% and 100% of the four-pound sample from all the treatments (Table 1). The spring hedged treatment did have significantly lower percentage of marketable (A+B screen) fruit than the control and fall boxed treatments. 

      — By Becky Wheeler-Dykes (Orchard Researcher, CSU Chico), Dr. Rich Rosecrance (Professor, College of Agriculture, CSU Chico), Luke Milliron (UCCE Farm Advisor Butte, Tehama & Glenn Counties), and Franz Niederholzer (UCCE Farm Advisor, Colusa & Sutter/Yuba Counties)

  • Joe Vargas Joins USHBC and NABC as First-Ever Director of Business Intelligence

    Joe Vargas has been hired as the director of business intelligence for the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) and North American Blueberry Council (NABC). In this newly created role, Vargas is responsible for developing and leading a best-in-class data and insights program for the blueberry industry.

    “We’re thrilled to welcome Joe to the team and can’t wait for him to lend his expertise to providing the blueberry industry with the data insights that are needed today to make smart business decisions,” said USHBC and NABC President Kasey Cronquist. “His experience and strong communications skills make him a perfect fit to develop and lead this part of our program at a critical time for the industry. He’ll help us use data to connect the dots to help us drive even greater demand opportunities for blueberries!”

    Prior to joining the councils, Vargas was the director of marketing, business development and business intelligence for FirstFruits Marketing in Yakima, Washington, and a lecturer at Central Washington University where he taught graduate and undergraduate data analytics courses. He also has experience in sales and management for firms including Copiers Northwest, Ecolab and MDC Promotions.

    He holds a master’s degree in information technology, with a focus on data structures and analytics, from Central Washington University, and a bachelor’s in economics, also from Central Washington.

    In his new role, Vargas will collect, analyze and communicate data that helps growers and industry experts make effective business decisions. He’ll also lead the USHBC and NABC Data and Insights Program, and will be responsible for building a production, inventory and historical price reporting program.

    “I’m thrilled to be joining USHBC and NABC in this critical new role for the industry,” Vargas said. “We live in an information age – data can be useful, but it’s even more valuable when combined with intelligence, research, context and professional judgment, and that’s where I’ll focus.”

  • Asian Citrus Psyllids Found in Fresno County

    The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Plant Pest Diagnostic Center (PPDC) has identified two Asian citrus psyllids (ACP) on a glassy-winged sharpshooter trap from a packinghouse in the Orange Cove area of Fresno County. This has been the first time that the ACP has been detected in Fresno County since November 2019.

    Following confirmation of the ACP detections, agricultural staff from the Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Division (CPDPD) began conducting a survey and subsequently collected additional suspect ACP adults and nymphs from trees on the packinghouse premises, which were sent to the PPDC for identification.

    All residential properties with host plants within 400 meters of the detections in Fresno County will be treated to prevent ACP population spread. Any growers who are located within 800 meters of the detection site will be notified by the Fresno County Grower Liaison Teri Blaser.

    Following an increase in recent ACP detections across the Central Valley, including in Tulare and Kern counties, growers, packers, haulers and all citrus industry members are encouraged to be extra vigilant in their ACP mitigation steps and adherence to regulatory practices.

    Questions?
    Contact your regional grower liaison for the latest information on detections near you and coordinated or area-wide treatment schedules. Find your grower liaison here.

    Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program