Brent Holtz, author of Pacific Nut Producer Magazine’s monthly Almond Tasks column, grew up on the farm his grandfather bought in the 1940s, six miles north of Modesto at the time. By the 1970s, the land was on the urban edge of the city, surrounded by houses. Holtz’s family had to farm differently, and they could no longer burn their brush. Holtz was a UC Berkeley plant pathology graduate student in the late ‘80s. “I felt a responsibility to help my family find a solution for ag burning,” he says now.
One idea was to turn clippings, brush and even whole trees into wood chips and recycle them into the soil. Holtz and his father first tried it with garden clippings, grinding prunings into wood chips and watching the rich mulch help their trees. Holtz expanded to a small scientific trial in his own orchard, then to a full-blown commercial trial recycling almond trees into the soil just before replanting a new orchard.
“I have to admit, I was nervous,” Holtz says. He funded some of the work from his own pocket. Over 13 years, he and other researchers examined the data. “We saw increased soil organic matter, we saw increased water holding capacity, we saw less water stress, and ultimately – what growers want to know the most – we saw increased yields with Whole Orchard Recycling.”
The inspiring story of Brent Holtz’s journey to help his family, his industry and his community is the subject of a six-minute documentary produced by the Almond Board of California (ABC) called, “RESILIENCE: The Whole Orchard Recycling Origin Story.”
It’s available on YouTube and shows how the power of an idea can change and benefit an entire industry and even the planet. Whole Orchard Recycling (WOR) eliminates burning and keeps carbon in the ground, a goal that world leaders established as part of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference agreement.
The goal of the short film is to inspire even more growers to recycle their orchards when replanting and to reassure them that there is a long, thorough history of research and scientific trials proving both the value and the benefits of WOR for them and their communities.
Holtz was the principal investigator on the first WOR project – research conducted by UC Cooperative Extension that was initially funded and supported by ABC and later by the California Department of Food and Agriculture. It identified significant advantages of WOR to the soil, crop yields and air quality.
Thanks to Holtz’s vision and dedication to research, WOR has become a widely-adopted best practice among California almond growers. San Joaquin Air Pollution Control District data shows that since 2018, in the San Joaquin Valley alone, more than 500 growers have recycled 26,000-plus acres and diverted nearly 750,000 tons of wood from being burned.
Holtz is now the UC Cooperative Extension County Director and Farm Advisor for San Joaquin County. He says he hopes his story and his research will inspire more WOR and show growers how researchers and growers are on the same team with the same goals – to help almond growers produce more sustainable, better yields.
“My grandfather would be very proud of the solution that came from his farm and his grandson,” Holtz says in the film. “I owe the growers who believed in me and recycled their orchards a great debt and I thank you very much.”
A Whole Orchard Recycling Grower Guide, a “How To” video featuring Holtz, and much more information can be found at Almonds.com/WOR. — Almond Board of California
Elections for the Almond Board of California (ABC) Board of Directors have kicked off for the 2022-2023 crop year with the call to all candidates to file their petitions or declarations of candidacy by April 1, 2022.
There are two independent grower positions and one independent handler position on the ABC Board of Directors to be decided in voting that starts April 21 and ends May 26. Alternate seats for those spots are also open.
To be considered for an independent grower or alternate seat, candidates must be a grower and must submit a petition signed by at least 15 independent almond growers (as verified by ABC). Independent handler and alternate candidates must declare their intention in writing to ABC.
All petitions and declarations must state the position for which the candidate is running and be filed by mail with ABC at 1150 9th St., Suite 1500, Modesto, CA 95354. The deadline for all filings is April 1. Potential candidates who’d like more information can contact Toni Arellano at tarellano@almondboard.com.
“The ABC Board of Directors is such an important and vital part of our industry,” said ABC president and CEO Richard Waycott. “It guides the work of the Almond Board and is key to overseeing the welfare of the industry and of more than 7,600 growers and 100 handlers.”
The ABC board sets policy and recommends budgets in major areas, including marketing, production research, public relations and advertising, nutrition research, statistical reporting, quality control and food safety.
Getting involved provides an opportunity to help shape the future of the almond industry and to help guide ABC in its mission to promote California almonds to domestic and international audiences through marketing efforts, funding and promoting studies about almonds’ health benefits, and ensuring best-of-class agricultural practices and food safety.
ABC encourages eligible women, minorities and people with disabilities to consider running for a position on the Board of Directors to reflect the diversity of the industry it serves.
Multiple large heatwaves the size of Mongolia occurred at the same time nearly every day during the warm seasons of the 2010s across the Northern Hemisphere, according to a study led by Washington State University researchers.
Using climate data from 1979 to 2019, the researchers found that the number of heatwaves occurring simultaneously in the mid- to high-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere was seven times greater in the 2010s than in the 1980s. On average, there were concurrent heatwaves on 143 days each year of the 2010s—almost every day of the 153 days of the warm months of May through September.
The concurrent heat events also grew hotter and larger: their intensity rose by 17% and their geographic extent increased 46%.
“More than one heatwave occurring at the same time often has worse societal impacts than a single event,” said Cassandra Rogers, a Washington State University (WSU) post-doctoral researcher and lead author of the study in Journal of Climate. “If certain regions are dependent on one another, for instance for agriculture or trade, and they’re both undergoing stresses at the same time, they may not be able to respond to both events.”
Heatwaves can cause disasters from crop failures to wildfires. Concurrent heatwaves can multiply those threats, the authors pointed out, exhausting the ability of countries to provide mutual aid in crises as was seen during the multiple wildfires in the U.S., Canada and Australia associated with the 2019 and 2020 heatwaves. A previous study also found that concurrent heatwaves caused about a 4% drop in global crop production.
The study defined large heatwaves as high temperature events lasting three days or more and covering at least 1.6 million square kilometers (about 620,000 square miles), which is roughly equivalent to the size of Mongolia or Iran.
The researchers analyzed ERA5 data produced by the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which blends vast amounts of observational data from weather stations on land, water buoys and aircraft as well as data from satellites with weather forecasting models. ERA5 provides globally complete estimates of hourly data for various climate variables from 1979, when satellite data became available, which is why the study focused on this time period.
Using these observational data, the researchers found that the primary driver of the heatwaves was the overall rise in global mean temperature due to climate change. The world has warmed 1 degree Celsius (about 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) over the last century with the vast majority of the rise, two-thirds, occurring since 1975. The researchers also found that increasing occurrence of two hemisphere-wide circulation patterns made particular areas more vulnerable to concurrent heatwaves, including eastern North America, eastern and northern Europe, East Asia and eastern Siberia.
The study adds more evidence for the need to curb greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change, the researchers said, and the continued rise in temperature means the world should prepare for more concurrent heatwaves.
“As a society, we are not currently adapted to the types of climate events we’re experiencing right now,” said co-author Deepti Singh, WSU associate professor in the School of the Environment.
“It’s important to understand how we can reduce our vulnerability and adapt our systems to be more resilient to these kind of heat events that have cascading societal impacts.”
In addition to Rogers and Singh, authors on the study include Kai Kornhuber of Columbia University, Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick of the University of New South Wales in Australia and Paul Loikith of Portland State University. This research was supported by the National Science Foundation and the Australian Research Council. —
The Foodservice Division of the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) today announced the kickoff date for the 4th Annual Real California Pizza Contest, the return of the CADairy2Go competition and the rollout of a new culinary event focusing on Cal-Mex to round out its foodservice events for 2022.
The 4th annual Real California Pizza Contest, a search for the best pizza recipes using cow’s milk cheeses from California, gets underway on March 1st. Professional chefs and pizzaiolos from throughout the U.S, can enter their innovative recipes from March 1 through April 24, 2022, for a chance to make it to the bake-off final on June 22, 2022, in Napa, Calif. and compete for up to $25,000 in prize money.
The CADairy2Go Invitational is inspired by chefs and foodservice operators who made quick, creative pivots to adjust their menus for the takeout and delivery model during the disruption caused by the pandemic. Now in its 2nd year, the event will feature culinary professionals representing a variety of foodservice backgrounds, such as major restaurant chains, independent restaurants, ghost kitchens and food trucks who will gather in October to compete for a chance at up to $5,000 for their innovative To-Go recipes.
The inaugural Cal-Mex Invitational, scheduled for August, captures creations from chefs who specialize in the culinary and flavor fusion of California and Mexican cuisines.
“Cheese is at the heart of culinary innovation – from creative pizzas to flavorful to-go and fusion dishes. As the leading producer of Hispanic-style cheese and dairy products, we’re excited to add the Cal-Mex Invitational to our foodservice outreach program and to see what the chef’s develop,”
said Mike Gallagher, Business and Market Development Consultant for the CMAB. “These competitions offer a tremendous opportunity to partner with culinary professionals to spotlight their creativity using our sustainably sourced Real California dairy products.”
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.
California leads the nation in milk production and is responsible for producing more butter, ice cream and nonfat dry milk than any other state. The state is the second-largest producer of cheese and yogurt. California milk and dairy foods can be identified by the Real California Milk seal, which certifies they are made with milk from the state’s dairy farm families.
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.