California Ag Network

Category: Ag Economics

  • Thousands Engage with National Walnut Day Campaign in Partnership with See’s Candies

    On National Walnut Day (5/17), the California Walnut Board (CWB) partnered with See’s Candies to collaborate on a multi-channel consumer-focused campaign to promote California Walnuts across the U.S.

    The CWB’s domestic marketing activities are designed to expand California Walnuts use and consumption in existing markets and identify markets for future development. The Board continuously conducts direct outreach to food manufacturers to spur new development with walnuts and to understand how they are using walnuts. The CWB has been in active communications with See’s Candies for some time and this partnership is just one step in furthering that relationship.

    This campaign included social media posts, a new recipe, and a blog post. In collaboration with See’s Candies, some of the key impactful results of the campaign included:

    • The CWB posted a blog featuring See’s Candies walnut products on walnuts.org, which garnered nearly 700 visits.
    • A total of 1.1 million See’s Candies email subscribers received an email with the headline “Happy National Walnut Day” exclusively highlighting their walnut candies.
    • The email was opened by 88,000 recipients, with 33,000 interactions (clicking) with content in the email. (i.e., link, photo) in the email.
    • The CWB and See’s Candies promoted the campaign on their social channels. Total social activations delivered 140,000 total impressions, 4,500 engagements and 174 clicks linking to the CWB blog.

    “Cross promotions with well-known and respected brands like See’s Candies is just one way the California Walnut Board is connecting with new audiences and building demand for California Walnuts domestically,” said Jennifer Williams CWB & CWC Marketing Director, Domestic Advertising. “The results from our National Walnut Day activation provide proof that the campaign demonstrated the versatility and greatness of walnuts to thousands of consumers.”

  • U.S. Dairy Industry’s Economic Impact Totals $753 Billion

    The U.S. dairy industry continues to play a strong role in the U.S., supporting 3.3 million total jobs and $41.6 billion in direct wages, according to the latest economic impact report from the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA).

    IDFA’s 2021 Economic Impact Study, which measures the combined impact of the dairy products industry, showed the U.S. dairy industry’s economic impact totaled $752.93 billion.

    The newly released figures indicate that the U.S. dairy industry now contributes:

    • 3.5 percent of U.S. GDP
    • 3.3 million total jobs
    • $41.6 billion in direct wages for workers in dairy industry
    • $67.1 billion in federal, state and local taxes (not including sales taxes paid by consumers)

    For the first time, the total value of exports was included in the study, revealing the U.S. dairy industry is responsible for a total of $6.5 billion in exported goods and reinforces the importance of fair international trade agreements for the industry.

    “Every dairy company knows that dairy products offer significant benefits that go beyond improving consumers’ health, and our latest economic impact study provides specific numbers that reinforce just how true that is,” said Michael Dykes, D.V.M., IDFA president and CEO. “Whether it’s milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt and cultured products, or dairy-derived ingredients, American dairy companies contribute significantly to the U.S. economy and their impact continues to grow year after year. IDFA’s members remain dedicated to making safe, delicious products that nourish and sustain consumers while delivering for our economy.”

    The report also demonstrates how dairy product categories contribute directly to the U.S. economy, including:

    • Cheese: Adds $55.4 billion in direct economic impact and supports 57,700 dairy industry jobs
    • Milk: Adds $49 billion in direct economic impact and supports 62,200 dairy industry jobs
    • Ice Cream: Adds $13.1 billion in direct economic impact and supports 28,800 dairy industry jobs
    • Yogurt & Cultured Products: Adds $6.8 billion in direct economic impact and supports 8,600 dairy industry jobs
    • Dairy Ingredients: Adds $17.7 billion in direct economic impact and supports 11,000 dairy industry jobs

    The study’s findings are also available in an interactive economic impact tool on IDFA’s Dairy Delivers® webpage where users can click on an interactive map of the U.S. to learn how dairy impacts their community. Just select an area of the country that interests you—options include the full U.S., any of the 50 states, or any of the 435 Congressional districts. Once you click on the state and/or district that interests you, select View/Print to generate your own detailed fact sheet or economic impact report. To learn more, visit www.idfa.org/dairydelivers.

  • NASA Funds Tiny Tomatoes for Vertical Farming on Earth and Space

    Urban agriculture offers many benefits for food production but often has higher costs relative to traditional farming and is limited to only a few crops. By 2050, there will be nine billion people on the planet, but arable land is decreasing. Global food production will need to double to meet food needs, though climate change complicates the problem more.

    Robert Jinkerson, an assistant professor of chemical and environmental engineering at UC Riverside, is working to change this by engineering the size and nutritional value of tomato plants to increase both the diversity and value of crops that can be grown in urban controlled environment agriculture, or CEA.

    Jinkerson has received a $450,000 New Innovator grant from the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research, or FFAR, to advance this research. FFAR’s New Innovator in Food & Agriculture Research Award provides early career scientists with funding to conduct audacious food and agriculture research.

    “Urban controlled environment agriculture can offer many benefits for the production of crops and is likely to supply more food in the future as worldwide food demand increases,” Jinkerson said.

    Often these urban CEA systems are designed to have plant growth areas stacked vertically to save space. However, this also decreases the height available for plant growth, limiting the size of crops that can be cultivated in vertical farms to small leafy greens.

    “In order to overcome these size limitations and to increase the variety of crops that can be grown in vertical farms, we are engineering tomato plants to have a small stature and are optimized for this unique growing environment,” said Jinkerson, who uses CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing to modulate key genes involved in plant development and architecture.

    In addition to reducing the size of plants, this project will also increase the nutritional value of these crops by increasing their vitamin content, making urban agriculture more profitable.

    The potential applications for these tiny tomatoes don’t end on Earth.

    Jinkerson, along with Martha Orozco-Cárdenas, director of the UCR Plant Transformation Research Center, have been awarded a NASA Space Biology grant to evaluate tomatoes from their prior work on the International Space Station. These plants, also engineered with gene editing technology and dubbed Small Plants for Agriculture in Controlled Environments, or SPACE tomatoes, will be grown in the Advanced Plant Habitat onboard the ISS to determine how these plants grow in microgravity. The SPACE tomatoes will be grown ‘seed-to-seed,’ meaning seeds will be harvested and the next generation grown in space, completing an entire lifecycle. These experiments, which will happen after several years of trials on Earth, will help establish methodologies to grow food on long duration space missions.

    “We are extremely excited to receive support for these projects and hope that the results will help transform the way we produce food here on Earth and beyond,” said Jinkerson.

    About UC Riverside

    The University of California, Riverside (www.ucr.edu) is a doctoral research university, a living laboratory for groundbreaking exploration of issues critical to Inland Southern California, the state and communities around the world. Reflecting California’s diverse culture, UCR’s enrollment is more than 24,000 students. The campus opened a medical school in 2013 and has reached the heart of the Coachella Valley by way of the UCR Palm Desert Center. The campus has an annual statewide economic impact of almost $2 billion. To learn more, email news@ucr.edu.

  • AFFI Commemorates World Food Safety Day with Expansion of Food Safety Zone

    The American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) announced today the expansion of its Food Safety Zone to include a new Enteric Viruses Control Program(EVCP) aimed at preventing and controlling Norovirus and Hepatitis A throughout the global frozen fruit supply chain. Created for the international community of food safety professionals, the EVCP is a free interactive, online tool with downloadable resources for ease of incorporating into a company’s food safety plan.

    “On the journey from farm to table, it takes many people to keep food safe and AFFI is committed to advancing food safety practices throughout the food chain,” said AFFI President and CEO Alison Bodor. “The launch of AFFI’s Enteric Viruses Control Program is the latest example of how AFFI is advancing food safety by developing and disseminating science-based best practices to ensure frozen foods and beverages are safe.”

    The best practices that encompass the EVCP are focused on six key areas from the farm to the facility to ensure the safety of the global berry supply chain:

    Key recommendations were developed by industry professionals and include a variety of supporting resources curated from across the food and agriculture sector. The program is intended to be a one-stop platform for a full complement of food safety information and knowledge to address risks associated with enteric viruses.

    “While foodborne illness associated with frozen foods is extremely rare, action needs to be preventative when it comes to food safety,” said AFFI Senior Vice President of Scientific Affairs Dr. Sanjay Gummalla. “It’s with this preventive action in mind that the EVCP was created to cover risks associated with enteric viruses in frozen berry production on the farm and inside manufacturing facilities.”

    In addition to AFFI’s EVCP, the Food Safety Zone also is home to AFFI’s ListeriaControl Program.

    “AFFI plans to continuously update the Food Safety Zone with additional resources and year-round education for the control and prevention of enteric viruses and Listeria,” added Bodor. “It’s this level of awareness and education that drives a food safety culture that empowers employees to make critical food safety decisions and take preventive actions to protect consumers and reduce the odds of their companies becoming a recall statistic.”

    The American Frozen Food Institute is the member-driven national trade association representing all segments of the frozen food supply chain from manufacturers to suppliers and distributors. AFFI advocates before legislative and regulatory entities on the industry’s behalf, serves as the voice for the industry and convenes industry leadership to create an environment where frozen foods are essential in a dynamic marketplace. www.affi.org

  • Western Growers Launches AgTechX Ed Initiative with CDFA

    Western Growers (WG) has teamed with Karen Ross, California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Secretary, to launch a statewide initiative aimed at developing a future workforce with the skills and knowledge to navigate emerging on-farm technology.

    The AgTechX Ed initiative will bring together universities and colleges, farming and agricultural partners, and technology companies across California to transition the agriculture workforce to master rapidly developing agricultural technology (agtech).

    “As we face chronic and worsening labor shortages, escalating labor costs and legislative mandates, and dwindling access to water, crop protection tools and other inputs, the rapid development and deployment of technology is our best hope to preserve California’s farmland and regional agricultural economies,” said Dave Puglia, Western Growers president and CEO. “AgTechX Ed is an exciting and critical initiative that can help advance the tech-expert workforce we must have to continue producing healthy California-grown foods.”

    The initiative will be anchored by four AgTechX Ed events in key rural areas across California. Each event will feature a dialogue between leading farming and technology companies around the specific skills they need in their workforces, along with training opportunities available in their organizations. Additionally, local California Community Colleges and California State Universities will be on hand to share how they are revamping their curriculum and adding new educational pathways in an effort to build tomorrow’s agtech workforce.

    The linchpin of each event will be a keynote conversation and networking session with Secretary Ross who will provide insight into the importance of partnerships between industry, government and academia to adapt education to the changing needs of agriculture.

    “To rise to the occasion of feeding a global population of 10 billion people in the next 30 years with fewer resources and labor, we need to start investing in preparing tomorrow’s agricultural workforce today,” said Ross. “Education starts in the classroom, and that’s where agriculture prominently needs to be. As the development of technology rapidly accelerates, initiatives such as AgTechX Ed lays the foundation for new tech-based education training platforms that will build an adequately trained workforce.”

    The first AgTechX Ed event will be August 25–26, 2021, at Reedley College. The remaining events will be held in Imperial Valley, Monterey County and the greater Sacramento area. In addition to the events, AgTechX Ed will facilitate internship/apprenticeship opportunities, job shadow programs and regional career mixers. The initiative will also build on existing WG workforce development programs that encourage youth to pursue careers in agriculture, including Careers in Ag and Junior AgSharks.

    Registration for AgTechX Ed at Reedley College will be available later this summer at www.wga.com.

  • Renown Cucamonga Wine Grower Donald Galleano Passes

    Donald D. Galleano, 1952-2021

    It is with great sadness that the family of renown winegrower, community leader and champion of regional water interests, Donald D. Galleano, announces his passing on June 2, 2021.

    Mr. Galleano was President of the Historic Cantu-Galleano Ranch in Mira Loma, California, a fifth-generation winery founded in 1927. Galleano is the oldest Prohibition-era winery in the Cucamonga Valley still owned by the family and operating at its original location.

    Mr. Galleano was devoted to his family and his community, and over the years, served in a variety of leadership positions. Since 2004, he served on the Board of Directors of the Western Municipal Water District and was Western’s sole representative on the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

    Mr. Galleano served on the National Orange Show Foundation Board and the Los Angeles County Fair Association Board. He was a past president of the Western Riverside County Businessman’s Association and the Jurupa Chamber of Commerce.

    The family asks for privacy during this period of mourning.

  • Blue Diamond Growers Earns Second Green Business Certification in Turlock

    Following a comprehensive certification process, the Blue Diamond Growers plant in Turlock, Calif., has earned distinction by becoming Green Business Certified by the Modesto Chamber of Commerce’s California Green Business Network, Stanislaus County program.

    The achievement marks the second such honor for the 111-year-old almond cooperative this year as the Blue Diamond Growers’ Salida facility was recognized as Green Business Certified in April. The Green Business Certified honor goes to companies that achieve a verified set of standards, including reducing water use, conserving energy, preventing pollution, increasing recycling, avoiding waste, encouraging alternative transportation, and partnering with other local vendors.

    “Blue Diamond Growers has a long-standing commitment to implementing sustainable practices across all of our facilities and in our almond orchards, too,” said Mark Jansen, president and CEO of Blue Diamond Growers. “This recognition further demonstrates that we are committed to doing our part to build a healthier and more sustainable future for our local communities through adopting new technologies and practices that improve our sustainability efforts. We are proud to have not one, but two facilities to have earned this honor and important recognition.”

    The Green Business Certified recognition was awarded at a ceremony on June 3, organized by the Modesto Chamber of Commerce at the Turlock facility on Washington. The ceremony was attended by Blue Diamond leadership as well as Congressman Josh Harder, Turlock Mayor Amy Bublak, and several other state and local dignitaries.

    The 250,000-square-foot plant located at 1300 N. Washington Road in Turlock is celebrating its eighth anniversary this month and is currently under the direction of Site Leader Zach Lewis. In 2014, the facility was named “Plant of the Year” by Food Engineering Magazine. The state-of-the-art Turlock plant specializes in processing almonds (blanching, roasting, slicing, dicing, slivering, etc.) to be used by major global food customers in cereals, snack bars, yogurt toppings, baked goods and candies. The Turlock location also prepares the beverage base for Blue Diamond Growers’ Almond Breeze® Almondmilk and produces Blue Diamond Growers’ Almond Flour and other value-added almond products.

    In addition to the sustainability efforts at the Blue Diamond Growers’ manufacturing facilities, the co-op emphasizes sustainable field practices, including irrigation management, pest management, and bee health. Blue Diamond Growers actively participates in the California Almond Sustainability Program (CASP), led by the Almond Board of California, to collect grower-submitted production practice information. CASP helps growers find ways to improve the efficiency of their farming operations.

    To further underscore its ongoing commitment to improved sustainability, Blue Diamond Growers recently hired Dr. Daniel Sonke, who spoke at today’s event, as the new Director of Sustainability. In this role, Dr. Sonke is leading global sustainability efforts across all segments of the Blue Diamond Growers’ business. He will be responsible for integrating company performance with Blue Diamond Growers’ sustainability pillars of economic viability, environmental stewardship, and community well-being.

    About Blue Diamond

    Blue Diamond Growers, a grower-owned cooperative representing over 3,000 of California’s almond growers, is the world’s leading almond marketer and processor. Established in 1910, it created the California almond industry and opened world markets for almonds. Blue Diamond is dedicated to delivering the benefits of almonds around the world and does so by providing high-quality almonds, almond ingredients and branded products. Headquartered in Sacramento, the company employs more than 1,800 people throughout its processing plants, receiving stations and gift shops. To learn more about Blue Diamond Growers, visit www.bluediamond.com and follow the company on Facebook,Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

  • Conventional Melon Weed Management in the Sacramento Valley

    Sutter County grows between 300 and 800 acres of fresh-market honeydew, mixed melon and cantaloupe each year. The fields vary between furrow and drip irrigation, with many fields in the Sutter Basin only receiving a pre-irrigation.

    Because of the rapid growth of melons, they are competitive with weeds and one cultivation may be sufficient to control weed issues. The growing habits of melons reduce the need for herbicides, which is fortunate since the availability of registered and effective herbicides is limited.

    Generally, in Sutter County, the field is tilled, pre-irrigated, worked again, and melons are planted into moisture. When weed pressure is high, a hand-hoeing crew comes in and cultivates. Since many of the conventional fields in the northern region receive little water, herbicides may not be as effective since they do not work well without water. If water is available, herbicides like Prefar and Curbit may be used.

    Bensulide (Prefar) can be applied before planting and incorporated shallowly or as a preemergent herbicide under sprinkler irrigation. It is used to control small-seeded annual grasses, pigweed and purslane. Remember to always check the label and consider plantback restrictions, especially if following with corn or sorghum. A layby application of ethalfuralin (Curbit) may also be used after thinning when melon plants are young (4-5 leaf stage) to control late germinating weeds.

    In 2017, I received a farm call about a grassy weed in a honeydew field that the pest control adviser had never seen in a melon field during his long career. He applied sethoxydim (Poast) twice and the grass (johnsongrass) kept coming back. When grasses are moisture stressed, sethoxydim can be less effective, which makes sense in a melon field receiving little irrigation. — By Amber Vinchesi-Vahl, Area Vegetable Crops Advisor, UCCE Colusa County

    References

    UC IPM, Pest Management Guidelines-Cucurbits, Integrated Weed Management.  http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/r116700111.html

  • Flagstone Foods To Source 100% Of Its Almonds From Bee-Friendly Farms By 2025

    As a part of its landmark Healthy Bees, Happy Snackers initiative, Flagstone Foods, a premier private label manufacturer of snack nuts, trail mixes, and other nut-based snacks, announced today its commitment to promoting a more sustainable almond industry by sourcing 100 percent of its almonds from bee-friendly farms by 2025, the first such manufacturer commitment from the private label nut industry. This pledge furthers the company’s longstanding commitment to sustainable and ethical sourcing practices that protect the environment and lift up farmers and farming communities around the world.

    “As North America’s leader in private label snack nuts, few buy as many almonds as we do. We believe this distinction brings with it a responsibility to cultivate a more sustainable almond industry,” says Flagstone Foods’ Chief Executive Officer Robert Scalia. “We aim to work collaboratively with almond growers, processors and bee-friendly organizations through our Healthy Bees, Happy Snackers initiative, all focused on supporting the needs of the honey bee, which ultimately aids the almond industry as a whole.”

    Honey bees, critical to pollinating over one-third of the U.S. food supply and directly responsible for nearly 100 percent of almonds, are disappearing at a high rate. In fact, on average according to Project Apis m., 40 percent of honey bee colonies die each year due to poor nutrition, pesticides, parasites and pathogens. While California produces the vast majority of the world’s almonds on over 1.5 million acres of almond orchards, only a fraction of that acreage is currently verified as bee-friendly. In addition to its sourcing pledge, Flagstone Foods’ Healthy Bees, Happy Snackers program includes verification and certification of bee-friendly farming practices, a commitment to sustainable farming practices more broadly, and charitable contributions to Project Apis m., an organization that funds honey bee research and the expansion of pollinator habitat and forage.

    “Because some of the bee-friendly farming practices are in their infancy in terms of farm adoption, we understand that sourcing bee-friendly almonds may be more difficult than through traditional sourcing practices.  However, sourcing from bee-friendly farms is the right thing to do and we consider it part of our mission to help bring others along in our sustainability journey,” says Flagstone Foods’ SVP Global Procurement Scott Easterwood.

    Flagstone Foods’ Support of Bee-Friendly Farming Practices

    Flagstone Foods is focused on establishing traceable and sustainable sourcing practices with its global supply chain — and in this case, with almond growers. The company is now partnering with select growers and processors such as Pomona Farming, a leader in sustainable and bee-friendly farming practices and one of the largest almond growers in California with approximately 40,000 acres across the Central Valley. Certified through the Pollinator Partnership, Pomona currently dedicates over 3,300 of its acres (more than 8 percent) to providing forage for bees and other pollinators and has planted more than 30 different varieties of bee-friendly plants, with bloom cycles staged throughout the year. Pomona also hosts more than 700 honey-bee hives over the winter at its three Bee Sanctuaries—each boasting warm weather, plentiful water and several hundred contiguous acres of flowers and forage.

    Bee-Friendly Certification and Verification Programs

    Flagstone Foods will use the most current certification and verification programs, including the Pollinator Partnership’s Bee Friendly Farming program, to verify that its almond suppliers are following bee-friendly farming practices including:

    • Providing abundant resources for pollinators by dedicating a minimum of 3 percent of farmland to habitat
    • Mitigating the impacts of pesticides and eliminating the use of high-risk pesticides
    • Providing nesting sites and responsibly managing hives

    These standards are science-based and field-tested, guaranteeing that the actions farmers take on Flagstone Foods’ behalf will directly improve pollinator wellbeing by addressing the four main causes that are negatively impacting bee health — pathogens, parasites (specifically Varroa mites), pesticides and poor nutrition.

    Bee-Friendly Philanthropic Support

    Minnesota-based Flagstone Foods will also support bee health through charitable contributions to Project Apis m. and its Seeds for Bees® program, which provides almond growers with the seeds and skills they need to create habitat and forage for bees while also improving soil health. Seeds for Bees also works with the Pollinator Partnership to help farmers and growers meet the requirements for Bee Friendly Farming certification.

    “We’re proud to be partnering with organizations that share our commitment to restoring healthy bee populations,” says Flagstone Foods’ Senior Vice President Marketing & Innovation Sarah Testa. “Our commitment is an extension of our company’s belief that goodness grows out of appreciation. On behalf of Flagstone Foods, we extend our deep appreciation to beekeepers, our grower partners, and of course to the mighty honey bee.”

    For more information on Flagstone Foods’ bee-friendly commitment, visit flagstonefoods.com.

    About Flagstone Foods

    Minneapolis, Minnesota-based Flagstone Foods is a premier private label manufacturer of snack nuts, culinary nuts, trail mixes and other nut-based snacks servicing the nation’s top retailers in the club, mass, grocery, drug, limited assortment and convenience channels. The company also manufactures ingredients for commercial use, provides contract manufacturing services to branded food companies and offers a wide array of value-added services including consumer insights, global sourcing, commodity advising and product development.

  • CA Farmland Trust & Almond Growers Create Greenbelt, Protect Farmland in San Joaquin County

    Following their brother’s stewardship lead, Tom Murphy and Chester Murphy have protected 72 acres of farmland destined to be developed in San Joaquin County. Combined with their brother Bill, the Murphy family now has collectively created a 200-acre greenbelt in the area of Farmington, California, east of Stockton.

    “Highway 4 is a major east-west artery connecting the Bay Area to the Sierra Nevada,” shared Charlotte Mitchell, California Farmland Trust’s (CFT) executive director. “Protecting the important farmland along this artery sends a clear signal to local planners that urbanization along this corridor needs to be thoughtfully planned.”

    Marked by a little red brick house built by their grandfather in the 1930s, the property was initially used for dryland cattle grazing. Once the ground was leveled and pumps were installed, the prime soil was planted with irrigated row crops and currently has a 6-year-old almond orchard.

    “Permanently protecting the Murphys’ farm will not only ensure scenic views along Highway 4 but will encourage ongoing production of a permanent orchard crop that employs low-carbon best management practices,” said Chelsea Molina, CFT conservation director. “In addition, Duck Creek, which flows along the farm’s northern boundary, provides both riparian habitat and a corridor for wildlife.”

    Funds for the conservation easement were made available through the California Strategic Growth Council’s (SGC) Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program (SALC) in collaboration with the Department of Conservation. SALC is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide program that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment — particularly in disadvantaged communities.

    “Congratulations to the Murphy family and California Farmland Trust for working together to permanently protect these 72 acres in San Joaquin County,” said Jessica Buendia, SGC’s Acting Executive Director. “By expanding its land conservation legacy, the Murphy family is helping to achieve California’s climate goals while ensuring this land will continue to produce fresh, healthy foods as part of the state’s agricultural economy.”

    The Murphys’ property compliments the existing 14 easements and 2,872 acres permanently protected by CFT in San Joaquin County.

    The California Farmland Trust is a California Non-Profit 501(c)(3). Our mission is to help farmers protect the best farmland in the world. To date, we have protected 16,780 acres of farmland on 77 family farms. To learn more visit us: www.cafarmtrust.org.