Governor Newsom has on his desk an historic package of budget bills that include much-needed investments to help our food and farm system recover from the impacts of the pandemic and shore up resilience to climate shocks.
A total of $1.3 billion in Fiscal Year 2021-22 will fund a range of programs and projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, support farmers in transitioning to organic production, provide affordable housing to farmworkers and their families, improve the infrastructure in school kitchens, food banks and senior nutrition programs, and more. The budget packages also include for the first time proposed multi-year investments. Here is a summary of the spending plans for FY 2021-22:
Climate Smart/Climate Resilient Farms (e.g., healthy soils, on-farm water conservation): $219 million
Sustainable Groundwater Management Implementation (supports farmers with a transition to reducing groundwater use): $230 million
Farmworker Housing and Safety (new housing and upgrades, pesticide notification to reduce farmworker exposure): $165 million
Healthy Food Access Infrastructure (upgrades to school kitchens, food banks and senior nutrition programs): $352 million
Regional Food Economies Infrastructure (food hubs and refrigeration to increase fruit and vegetable access in low-income neighborhoods): $25 million
Food Waste/Compost Infrastructure: $130 million
Upgrades to Fairgrounds and the Development of Community Resilience Centers: $190 million
“This budget recognizes the importance of safeguarding California’s food supply in the face of drought, wildfires and the pandemic,” said Jeanne Merrill, Policy Director with the California Climate and Agriculture Network. “By scaling up investments the legislature and the Governor are taking an important step towards building a resilient agriculture system in the face of climate change, protecting those who grow our food, and making sure our children, seniors and low-income community members have access to healthy food and healthy jobs.”
The California Climate and Agriculture Network (CalCAN) is a coalition of the state’s leading sustainable agriculture and farmer allies. Since 2009, CalCAN has cultivated farmer leadership to face the challenges of climate change and to serve as the sustainable agriculture voice on climate change policy in California.
UC Davis researchers are evaluating the use of pelletized compost made from dairy manure and almond tree twigs, to create safe, pathogen-free, value-added amendments to boost soil health.
Building healthy soils has tremendous benefits. Increasing the amount of organic matter within the soil can improve water retention and protection, reduce erosion, sequester carbon, and improve crop yields. Increasing water scarcity and severe drought conditions make boosting soil resilience an even greater priority for California. Researchers are exploring how the environmental benefits of healthy soils initiatives can extend even further when readily available agricultural resources are used in regenerative ways.
A team of UC Davis researchers, led by Dr. Ruihong Zhang, has recycled dairy manure and almond twig waste into a nutrient-rich, safe, organic soil amendment. The new product was created and applied, and its effects continue to be studied. The idea is that the woody material can capture nutrients in the manure and slowly release them, as needed, into the soil. Because the product is also pelletized, it can be applied to croplands and orchards with standard farm equipment. Ultimately, the researchers hope to create a new model for using recycled agricultural resources to sequester carbon and provide benefits to the soil, crops, and the environment.
The partnership was a natural fit, as the Central Valley is home to many neighboring dairy farms and almond orchards, which have a long history of collaboration. Dairies are already major consumers of almond co-products, including hulls (used as a highly nutritious feed ingredient) and shells (used as a bedding material). With a goal of achieving zero waste by 2025, the California almond community has been actively investigating a wide variety of ways to utilize woody biomass, including twigs, pruned branches, and tree removals. Meanwhile, the dairy community has been exploring ways to expand use of manure nutrients across California’s diverse agricultural landscape.
“Creating valuable manure-based soil amendments is an area that the dairy sector has been focusing on, but there are some challenges,” said Denise Mullinax, Executive Director of the California Dairy Research Foundation (CDRF). “We know that farmers want a soil amendment with a consistent and reliable nutrient profile. It also needs to be easy to transport and apply. That’s why we are thrilled to support this team of esteemed researchers and to partner with the almond industry on this project. Together, we’re piloting a new avenue to enhance the benefits of both manure and woody biomass.”
The initial project was funded by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA)’s Healthy Soils Program. As the project scope grew, the researchers were awarded additional funding from the demonstration category of CDFA’s Alternative Manure Management Program. With supplemental support from the CDRF and the Almond Board of California, the research project developed to include a team of more than 20 individuals—including researchers, farmers, and industry collaborators—contributing throughout a three-year timeframe. The project includes two seasons of creating soil amendments and applying them to the orchard, and three years of studying effects on soil health, emissions, tree health, and crop yield, while ensuring food safety.
Using composted manure from Wickstrom Dairies, the study will shine a light for future research on expanding and improving manure utilization. Like many California dairies, the farm uses a separator system to remove solids from liquid manure streams. The solids are then sun dried in rows that are turned over periodically, as a form of composting. Dried manure solids are traditionally used for bedding or are applied to dairy forage fields. For this study, a portion of the finer manure solids were co-composted with twigs from almond production and then ran through a pelletizer. Pelletizing the compost is intended to provide a more consistent blend, while creating an easy-to-use product. The pelletized compost product has now been applied to the pilot orchard for two consecutive seasons. Four treatments were used to examine differences in manure-only verses manure-twig and pelletized versus non-pelletized compost products.
“We look forward to seeing the final results,” said Mullinax. “Dr. Zhang and her team are demonstrating that it’s possible to make a pelletized product that is safe and easy to use, while fully assessing the environmental benefits. It’s projects like this that will pave the way for implementing advanced nutrient management on a larger scale, greatly enhancing soil health and further improving water conservation and protection.”
The research team highlighted the project by providing a virtual field day, and they plan to host another outreach event this fall. Research is scheduled to conclude in March 2022. However, longer-term effects on soil health will continue to be studied. And the final report will only be the beginning of more learnings to come.
Potential research areas to be explored next include applications on different kinds of crops, comparing a pelletized versus granulated product, and using varying types of dairy manure solids (from different types of separators, settling basins, and lagoon solids). Additionally, the use of infrared technology versus composting will be explored prior to pelletization or granulation. All options will also need to be assessed for cost-effectiveness and potential scalability.
The manure-twig project is part of a broader, collaborative effort to expand manure’s role in healthy soils. California dairy farmers will continue to work with researchers, state officials, and other agricultural professionals to find more ways to maximize manure’s role in building healthy soils and protecting our air, water, and climate. The possibilities for sustainable solutions are bright when farmers and scientists come together to make new use of existing resources and technologies.
California dairy farmers will continue partnering to help make an underutilized resource an important part of a healthy-soil future.
The PD/GWSS Board is pleased to announce that Dr. Kristin Lowe will oversee and guide the Board’s extensive research program as research coordinator. With over 20 years of experience working with growers and researchers at the junction of viticulture science and practical farming, Dr. Lowe brings a valuable perspective to the Board’s mission of investing in research and outreach to protect California vineyards.
“I want growers to know that the Board’s research portfolio is built on a robust review process of research that is relevant to their needs,” said Dr. Lowe. “Their assessment dollars are going to the very top ideas and researchers out there to deliver practical solutions to the pest and disease problems growers face.”
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service — The initial 2021-22 California Navel orange forecast is 70.0 million cartons, down 14% from the previous year. Of the total Navel orange forecast, 67.0 million cartons are estimated to be in the Central Valley. Cara Cara variety Navel orange production in the Central Valley is forecast at 6.0 million cartons. These forecasts are based on the results of the 2021-22 Navel Orange Objective Measurement (O.M.) Survey, which was conducted from June 15 to September 1, 2021. Estimated fruit set per tree, fruit diameter, trees per acre, bearing acreage, and oranges per box were used in the statistical models estimating production.
This forecast includes production of conventional, organic, and specialty Navel oranges (including Cara Cara and Blood orange varieties).
Survey data indicated a fruit set per tree of 239, down 25% from the previous year and b e l o w the five-year average of 344. The average September 1 diameter was 2.145 inches, below the five-year average of 2.208 inches. The Cara Cara orange set was 211 with a diameter of 2.146 inches.
SURVEY SAMPLE
A sample of 785 Navel orange groves was randomly selectedproportional to county and variety bearing acreage, and 707 of the groves were utilized in this survey. Once a grove was randomly chosen and grower permission was granted, two trees were randomly selected. The Navel orange sample included conventional, organic, Cara Cara, and Blood orange groves.
For each randomly selected tree, the trunk was measured along with all connected branches. A random number table was then used to select a branch, and then all connected branches from the randomly-selected branch were measured.
This process was repeated until a branch was reached with no significant limbs beyond this point. This randomly-selected branch, called the terminal branch, was then closely inspected to count all fruit connected to this branch, as well as all of the fruit along the path from the trunk to the terminal branch. Since each selected path has a probability of selection associated with the path, a probability-based method was then applied to estimate a fruit count for the entire tree.
In the last week of the survey period, fruit diameter measurements were made on the right quadrant of four trees surrounding the two trees of every third grove. These measurements were used to estimate an average fruit diameter per tree. Of the 707 utilized groves, 10 were in Madera County, 119 were in Fresno County, 419 were in Tulare County, and 157 were in Kern County.
SURVEY HISTORY
A Navel Orange Objective Measurement Survey has been conducted in the Central Valley every year since the 1984-85 crop year, except for the 1991-92 season due to a lack of funding. The data from the first two years were used for research purposes in developing crop-estimating models. The Cara Cara forecast was undertaken at the request of the California Citrus Advisory Committee.
In response to the severe drought conditions in the West and Great Plains, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today its plans to help cover the cost of transporting feed for livestock that rely on grazing. USDA is updating the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP) to immediately cover feed transportation costs for drought impacted ranchers. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will provide more details and tools to help ranchers get ready to apply at their local USDA Service Center later this month at fsa.usda.gov/elap.
“USDA is currently determining how our disaster assistance programs can best help alleviate the significant economic, physical and emotional strain agriculture producers are experiencing due to drought conditions,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “The duration and intensity of current drought conditions are merciless, and the impacts of this summer’s drought will be felt by producers for months to come. Today’s announcement is to provide relief as ranchers make fall and winter herd management decisions.”
ELAP provides financial assistance to eligible producers of livestock, honeybees, and farm-raised fish for losses due to disease, certain adverse weather events or loss conditions as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture.
ELAP already covers the cost of hauling water during drought, and this change will expand the program beginning in 2021 to cover feed transportation costs where grazing and hay resources have been depleted. This includes places where:
Drought intensity is D2 for eight consecutive weeks as indicated by the U.S. Drought Monitor;
Drought intensity is D3 or greater; or
USDA has determined a shortage of local or regional feed availability.
Cost share assistance will also be made available to cover eligible cost of treating hay or feed to prevent the spread of invasive pests like fire ants.
Under the revised policy for feed transportation cost assistance, eligible ranchers will be reimbursed 60% of feed transportation costs above what would have been incurred in a normal year. Producers qualifying as underserved (socially disadvantaged, limited resource, beginning or military veteran) will be reimbursed for 90% of the feed transportation cost above what would have been incurred in a normal year.
A national cost formula, as established by USDA, will be used to determine reimbursement costs which will not include the first 25 miles and distances exceeding 1,000 transportation miles. The calculation will also exclude the normal cost to transport hay or feed if the producer normally purchases some feed. For 2021, the initial cost formula of $6.60 per mile will be used (before the percentage is applied), but may be adjusted on a state or regional basis.
To be eligible for ELAP assistance, livestock must be intended for grazing and producers must have incurred feed transportation costs on or after Jan. 1, 2021. Although producers will self-certify losses and expenses to FSA, producers are encouraged to maintain good records and retain receipts and related documentation in the event these documents are requested for review by the local FSA County Committee. The deadline to file an application for payment for the 2021 program year is Jan. 31, 2022.
Additional USDA Drought Assistance
USDA has authorized other flexibilities to help producers impacted by drought. USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) extended deadlines for premium and administrative fee payments and deferred and waived the resulting interest accrualto help farmers and ranchers through widespread drought conditions in many parts of the nation. Additionally, RMA authorized emergency procedures to help streamline and accelerate the adjustment of losses and issuance of indemnity payments to crop insurance policyholders in impacted areas and updated policy to allow producers with crop insurance to hay, graze or chop cover crops at any time and still receive 100% of the prevented planting payment. This policy change supports use of cover crops, which improves soil health can help producers build resilience to drought.
Meanwhile, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides technical and financial assistance to improve irrigation efficiency and water storage in soil, helping producers build resilience to drought. In response to drought this year, NRCS targeted $41.8 million in Arizona, California, Colorado and Oregon through Conservation Incentive Contracts, a new option available through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, focused on drought practices.
More information on this expansion to ELAP is forthcoming. In the meantime, more information is available at fsa.usda.gov/elap or by contacting a local USDA Service Center.
AB45 was written and sponsored by Assembly member Cecilia Aguiar-Curry. The bill has Governor Gavin Newsom’s blessing and was drafted in close consultation with large Multistate Marijuana operators and Hemp Round Table a outside corporate lobbying groups who are attempting to take control of the California hemp industry. The author did not seek sufficient input from California farmers and other stakeholders actively involved in the hemp industry in CA.
These groups have aggressively pushed AB45, a harmful anti-farmer bill masquerading under the guise of consumer safety that will harshly regulate the nascent industry to death. Disproportionately affecting small & minority-owned hemp farmers & mid-size service & CBD products companies who have already spent millions establishing themselves in CA.
This poorly-drafted bill creates a confusing new bureaucracy adding burdensome regulations and compelling CA state agencies to inspect and certify out-of-state hemp facilities selling into California.
AB45 doesn’t just inhibit California hemp farmers in the middle of this season’s grow from selling their crop, but will also shut down thousands of California’s CBD Wellness companies by criminalizing their products.
According to Beau Whitney, Economist, Whitney Group and National Industrial Hemp Council
“As of August 31, 2021, California’s 290 licensed hemp farms this year, alone, are accounting for between 1,740 and 3,335 jobs, annually totaling $62.8M – $120.3M in wages paid and $150.6M – $324.8M in indirect economic benefit. Adding to these are the many other jobs created by businesses specializing in smokable hemp and whole-plant extracts, such as post-harvest processors, manufacturers, and retailers, most of which are small, frequently family-owned enterprises.”
Longtime Hemp Industry Advocate and Founder, Hemp Farmers Guild Chris Boucher, CEO, Farmtiva; “AB45 makes no sense and the farmers of California deserve better. Gov. Newsom and his hemp marijuana lobby have made it their mission to push their poorly considered and badly drafted bill, down the throats of California hemp farmers.”–
“AB45 will take this promising market away from our diverse hemp farmers and hand it to Big Marijuana and Big Pharma.” – Josh Schneider, CEO of Cultivaris Hemp; President, Hemp Farmers Guild
About Hemp Farmers Guild: The Hemp Farmers Guild represents the interests of California’s diverse hemp farmers and cultivators. The Guild works to educate legislators, regulators and farmers on the issues and challenges facing the hemp growers of California. We advocate for reasonable legislation and responsible regulation that helps ensure safe, high-quality products are available for all the residents of our state.
The COVID pandemic continues to have rippling effects worldwide. For the California citrus industry, COVID and now a devastating drought, have resulted in staggering increases in farming and production costs for growers and minimal price correction in the market.
An internal industry survey of California citrus growers conducted by California Citrus Mutual (CCM) found that, on average, farming costs for the 2020-21 season increased by nearly $1,000 per acre. This represents a 19% increase since the start of the pandemic.
The two largest cost drivers are water and shipping. The spot market for surface water has increased 400% and in many cases is not available at all. Shipping costs are up as much as 380%, since the start of the pandemic due to the limited supply of containers and delays at ports around the world.
While water and shipping costs are up significantly, all farming costs have increased over the past 18 months. Fertilizer costs are up 49% and diesel fuel costs are up 38%, leading to additional costs throughout the supply chain.
“As the cost of growing and delivering high-quality California citrus increases, so must the prices consumers pay at the grocery store,” said Casey Creamer, President/CEO of California Citrus Mutual. “Growers simply cannot absorb these increases and stay in business. Now more than ever, growers, retailers, and consumers must work together to maintain cost controls and support policies that keep fresh and healthy food like California citrus plentiful and affordable.”
In response to California State Senator Melissa Hurtado being forced to pull SB 559 after the California State Assembly Appropriations Committee removed all funding provisions, a coalition of leading California fresh produce organizations issued the following statement:
“With nearly 90 percent of the state in extreme or exceptional drought, including virtually all the 3.25 million acres of farmland dependent on irrigation from the State Water Project and Central Valley Project, the move to strip SB 559 of its funding demonstrates the clear intent of the Assembly to drive food production out of California,” said California Fresh Fruit Association President Ian LeMay. “In light of the staggering state budget surplus, the decision to defund the repair of our critical conveyance systems is not financial, but ideological, and will harm thousands of multi-generational family farms and countless disadvantaged communities in the San Joaquin Valley.”
“Water supply reliability is central to the production of food in California, and vital to the rural communities and statewide economy that is supported by the agriculture industry,” said California Citrus Mutual President and CEO Casey Creamer. “SB 559 would have funded long overdue repairs to canals and other conveyance infrastructure that have been damaged by subsidence. California cannot afford to waste even a single drop of its limited water resources in the face of changing hydrological conditions and recurring drought. In addition to the need to build more above and below ground storage, our state must also invest in fixing our broken water delivery systems.”
“Farms that cannot irrigate crops to grow food will inevitably reduce operations or cease farming altogether. When enough of them do, farmworkers lose the most,” said Western Growers President and CEO Dave Puglia. “In once again eviscerating Senator Hurtado’s legislation to repair critical water infrastructure, the Assembly’s leaders leave no uncertainty as to the future they want for the farms, farmers, farmworkers and communities of the San Joaquin Valley. They will do whatever it takes to keep taxpayer money flowing to a high-speed rail project we can do without and do whatever it takes to deny funds to help repair water infrastructure we cannot do without. We are enormously grateful to Senator Hurtado for her tenacity and to those who stood with her even as their leaders gave them, and all of us, the middle finger.”
About California Citrus Mutual:
California Citrus Mutual was founded by growers in 1977 as a non-profit trade association and is headquartered in Exeter, California. Our members are citrus growers that collectively grow oranges, lemons, mandarins, and grapefruit across roughly 250,000 acres in California. They provide Californian’s and the world with the highest quality fresh citrus, are a critical economic sector for our rural communities, and provide ladders of opportunities for their hardworking employees and their families.
About California Fresh Fruit Association:
The California Fresh Fruit Association is a voluntary public policy organization that works on behalf of our members – growers, shippers, marketers and associates – on issues that specifically affect member commodities: fresh grapes, kiwis, pomegranates, cherries, blueberries, peaches, pears, apricots, nectarines, interspecific varieties, plums, apples and persimmons. It is the Association’s responsibility to serve as a liaison between regulatory and legislative authorities by acting as the unified voice of our members.
About Western Growers:
Founded in 1926, Western Growers represents local and regional family farmers growing fresh produce in California, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. Western Growers’ members and their workers provide over half the nation’s fresh fruits, vegetables and tree nuts, including half of America’s fresh organic produce.
The California Avocado Commission has launched a webpage to showcase the sustainability practices of California avocado growers. The information illustrates how California avocado growers are good stewards of the land as well as contributing members of their communities. The Commission’s consumer website, CaliforniaAvocado.com, now includes a section called “California Avocado Sustainability” where website visitors can learn about the four pillars of California avocado sustainability: environmentally friendly farming, worker well-being, healthy communities and economic viability.
The website explains that California avocado growers farm under robust federal and state requirements and follow Good Agricultural Practices and the Food Safety Modernization Act. It highlights that tilling is not used in California avocado production and that California avocado farmers help to generate healthy soils. Regenerative agriculture practices that are already part of what California avocado growers do are noted as well.
In the worker well-being section several California laws and regulations that set the state apart both from other states and other countries are noted building awareness that workers in the California avocado industry are treated well. The healthy communities section showcases both the physical benefits of avocado groves in a community as well as the contributions by California growers who participate in making their communities better.
Economic viability is a key part of sustainability. Clearly, if California avocado growers can’t survive financially then the business cannot be sustained. This pillar of the sustainability initiative puts a spotlight on the economic value of the California avocado industry and encourages purchasers to support their communities and choose locally grown when available.
One of the ways of communicating this sustainability information and making it more relatable to key purchasers, is by tying it back to California avocado grower stories. If you have a story you would like to share about your environmentally friendly growing practices, the well-being of your employees or your involvement in your community, please contact Ken Melban at kmelban@avocado.org.
Grower-Shipper Association of Central California (GSA) — Implementing effective disease and pest management strategies is a continual challenge for farmers. While these challenges are not new in agriculture, they impact more than just farmers. Lower yields due to disease and pest pressure affects farm employees and harvesting crews too and can also inhibit our ability to provide a steady supply of affordable and healthy produce to consumers.
Unfortunately, farmers of leafy greens are now dealing with the re-emergence of a damaging disease called thrips-vectored Impatiens Necrotic Spot Virus or INSV. According to local farm advisors this increase in INSV is often accompanied by Pythium wilt infections, which is a relatively new problem in the region.
Lettuce fields are infected by INSV via thrips migrating in from infected host plants in the early spring. Fields infected by INSV cause stunting, yellowing, wilting of the outer leaves and eventual death for leafy greens.Currently, there are no effective treatments for INSV and Pythium wilt on organic and conventional lettuce farms.
To support farmers as they battle INSV, GSA created a new task force to identify major research questions, examine treatment strategies, develop treatment efficacy trials and build a grower education program specific to these diseases.
Mary Zischke, former Executive Director of the California Leafy Greens Research Board, was hired by GSA to lead and coordinate Task Force activities. In addition, to assist local farm advisors and help advance University of California cooperative research efforts, GSA added Jasmine Rodriguez to its team. Rodriguez is currently working toward her biology degree at California State University, Monterey Bay and also serves as a laboratory assistant for entomology research projects at the UC Cooperative Extension in Monterey County.
“Mary and Jasmine will provide our industry with the additional personnel resources and experience as we combat this complex disease and pest control problem,” says Christopher Valadez, GSA president.
To further expand resources and personnel, GSA has applied for a California Department of Food and Agriculture Specialty Block Grant. The grant would allow scientists to conduct multi-year field research trials assessing the effects of common crop rotation sequences, monitor Pythium wilt and INSV occurrence in commercial fields, conduct greenhouse studies to characterize the interactions between Pythium wilt and INSV in lettuce to understand their impacts on overall plant health and disease management.
If awarded the grant, the GSA team will work with researchers from California State University, Monterey Bay and U.S. Department of Ag, Agricultural Research Service in Salinas. Grant outcomes would include knowledge of the impact of crop rotation on Pythium wilt and thrips populations as well as the interplay between Pythium wilt and INSV and how to jointly manage them.
While GSA is hopeful the grant provides future resources, we will continue moving needed work forward to uncover potential answers and treatment strategies so farmers in our region can minimize losses. Farming equates to surmounting challenges and GSA is committed to supporting farmers as they face those challenges.
Governor Newsom has on his desk an historic package of budget bills that include much-needed investments to help our food and farm system recover from the impacts of the pandemic and shore up resilience to climate shocks.
The COVID pandemic continues to have rippling effects worldwide. For the California citrus industry, COVID and now a devastating drought, have resulted in staggering increases in farming and production costs for growers and minimal price correction in the market.