California Ag Network

Category: Ag Economics

  • July 31 Quota
 Court Hearing
: 
FAQ with Western United Dairies

    As we approach the Stop QIP v CDFA court hearing date rescheduled for July 31, we received a lot of questions on the topic and if this proceeding is different than the Chapter 3.5 hearing we went through in June. Below you will find a list of commonly asked questions as well as a few others of interest regarding quota.

    If 
QIP 
is 
terminated 
via 
Stop
QIP’s 
Chapter
3.5 
referendum,
 will
 there 
be 
a 
payment 
to 
compensate
 quota
holders?

    No. The only question before the Secretary is whether to suspend Chapter 3.5 and thereby terminate the QIP immediately.

    • What
 has 
WUD’s 
role 
been 
through 
the 
Chapter
 3.5
 hearing?

    
WUD submitted historical, contextual and background information as testimony to the administrative law judge presiding over the hearing. It has been the board’s position that a vote on the QIP should happen the way it did to implement it, following the rules in Chapter 3.0.

    • What 
has 
WUD’s 
role 
been
 through 
the 
Stop
QIP 
v 
CDFA 
litigation?

    
WUD filed an amicus curiae brief to submit historical, contextual and background information in the matter. It has been the board’s position that dairy farmers have the right to decide whether quota stays or not. A law- suit to eliminate QIP without a referendum strips dairy farmers’ voting rights away.

    • What 
is 
the
 court 
hearing 
date 
for 
the 
Stop
QIP 
v 
CDFA 
litigation 
and
 how
 can 
I 
listen
 or 
participate?

    
The hearing will take place on July 31 at 10:00 a.m. You will be able to listen to the proceedings live HERE, but participation from individual producers will not be possible.  There could be a tentative decision announced as early as Monday. But be aware a tentative decision does not mean this is an official conclusion. The parties still have an opportunity to present argument to the court after a tentative ruling has been announced, and the court may reach a different conclusion or change other aspects of its ruling after the hearing.

    • When 
will 
the 
decision 
be 
made
 on 
Stop
QIP’s 
Chapter 
3.5
 petition?

    We are still waiting on the administrative law judge to announce his decision. There is no set date for a decision.

    What 
is 
the 
voting
 threshold
 for 
a
 referendum
 to 
suspend 
Chapter
 3.5?


    This referendum threshold is found in Section 62755 of Chapter 3.5: The secretary shall find that producers have assented to the continued operation of this chapter if the secretary finds on a statewide basis that not less than 51 percent of the total number of eligible producers in the state have voted in the referendum and that 51 percent or more of the total number of eligible producers who voted in the referendum and who produced 51 percent or more of the total amount of fluid milk produced in the state during the calendar month next preceding the month of the commencement of the referendum period by all producers who voted in the referendum, approve the continued operation of this chapter. In other words, in order to suspend Chapter 3.5, either (1) fewer than 51% of the eligible producers vote in the referendum, or (2) 49.1% of the voting producers or voting milk vote against continuing the chapter.

    • What 
was 
the 
referendum 
threshold 
used
 to 
vote 
QIP 
in?


    The referendum threshold is found in Section 62717 of Chapter 3: The director shall find that producers have assented to the plan if he finds on a statewide basis that not less than 51 percent of the total number of eligible producers in the state shall have voted in the referendum and finds one of the following:

    (a) Sixty–five percent or more of the total number of eligible producers who voted in the referendum who produced 51 percent or more of the total amount of fluid milk produced in the state during the calendar month next preceding the month of the commencement of the referendum period by all producers who voted in the referendum approve the plan.

    (b) Fifty–one percent or more of the total number of eligible producers who voted in the referendum who produced 65 percent or more of the total amount of fluid milk produced in the state during the calendar month next preceding the month of the commencement of the referendum period by all producers who voted in the referendum, approve the plan.

    • If
 the 
administrative 
law
 judge 
concludes
 that 
a 
Chapter 
3.5 
referendum
 does
 not
 apply 
to 
a
 petition 
to 
terminate 
the
 QIP, 
can
 the
 Secretary 
use 
her 
discretion 
and
 still 
hold 
a 
referendum
 with
 the 
Chapter 
3 
threshold 
instead?

    No. The call of the hearing was dictated by Stop QIP’s Chapter 3.5 petition. The Stop QIP petition only requested a Chapter 3.5 referendum to suspend Chapter 3.5 and thereby terminate the QIP; it did not ask for a Chapter 3 referendum.

    • Can
 quota
 sales 
occur 
while 
we 
wait 
for 
decisions 
in 
these
 matters?


    Yes. A farmer can sell quota as long as it was acquired more than five years ago. Exceptions include family transfers or interstate succession. If a farmer sold quota, he has to wait 24 months before he can buy more (same exceptions apply).

    • What
 was 
the 
latest
 quota
 price?


    The latest reported sale was in June and the average was $150/lb. SNF.

  • Grape Industry Funds Mobile Health Unit Through St. Helena Hospital

    The Napa Valley Farmworker Foundation (FWF) and Napa Valley Grapegrowers (NVG) announce a partnership with St. Helena Hospital Foundation (SHHF) to increase access to COVID- 19 screening for farmworkers. NVG and FWF have jointly funded supplying and staffing a mobile health unit, capable of traveling to vineyard sites and testing up to 100 vineyard workers per day. These funds have secured an initial order of 3,000 pilots tests to be made available throughout harvest to vineyard workers.

    “The St. Helena Hospital Foundation established the Mobile Health Unit to provide accessible medical resources to the community. We’ve worked on the project for over a year and to see it used in this way, to provide COVID-19 testing support for our agricultural workforce through the Napa Valley Grapegrowers and Farmworker Foundation, I couldn’t be more proud,” said Karen Cakebread, Director for the NVG and SHHF, who helped launch the mobile testing effort, “It is exciting that the synergy between the organizations came together at a time when our community needs creative solutions and quick action to support our work force.”

    Since the pandemic was declared in March, the FWF and NVG have dedicated over $200,000 to provide comprehensive safety resources in Spanish and English, social distancing vineyard signs, cloth face masks to over 10,000 farmworkers, and recently launched a statewide bilingual community education campaign via the FWF COVID-19 Task Force. Providing critical access to testing is an important piece to ensure the continued health and wellbeing of Napa’s farmworkers. With the Mobile Health Unit launched, NVG and FWF continue to develop plans for increasing testing capabilities and opportunities in the community, to prevent COVID-19 and keep workers safe.

    For information on the FWF COVID-19 Task Force, please refer to www.napagrowers.org
    To speak with an NVG or FWF representative regarding the mobile testing van, please email info@napagrowers.org

    About the Napa Valley Grapegrowers

    The Napa Valley Grapegrowers is a non-profit trade organization that has played a vital role in strengthening Napa Valley’s reputation as a world-class viticultural region for 45 years. Its mission is to preserve and promote Napa Valley’s world-class vineyards. NVG represents 726 Napa County grape growers and associated businesses. Visit Napa Valley Grapegrowers and follow on Facebook and Instagram

    About the Napa Valley Farmworker Foundation

    Founded by the Napa Valley Grapegrowers in 2011, the mission of the Napa Valley Farmworker Foundation is to support and promote Napa Valley’s vineyard workers through education and professional development. The Napa Valley Farmworker Foundation is the only one of its kind in the United States, providing educational opportunities, advanced training programs, leadership and management classes, English literacy programs, and much more. To date, the Farmworker Foundation has offered education and professional development opportunities to more than 21,000 vineyard workers and their families. Visit Napa Valley Farmworker Foundation and follow on Facebook and Instagram 

  • CA Specialty Crop Representatives Appointed as USDA/USTR Ag Trade Advisors

    On July 17th, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer announced the appointment of 25 new members to serve on seven agricultural trade advisory committees, including some of our friends in California. This will bring a greater voice and trade opportunities for specialty crop growers in California.

    The Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee is comprised of senior representatives from across the U.S. agricultural community who provide advice to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on trade policy matters including the operation of existing trade agreements and the negotiation of new agreements. Members of the six Agricultural Technical Advisory Committees (ATACs) provide technical advice and guidance from the perspective of their specific product sectors.

    The newly appointed advisors will serve until 2024. Each committee will be supplemented by additional appointments over the next four years. Applications are encouraged at any time. A complete list of committee members and application information is available at www.fas.usda.gov/topics/trade-advisory-committees.

    Following is a list of the new advisors, by committee:

    Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee
    Constance Cullman, American Feed Industry Association
    David Puglia, Western Growers
    David Salmonsen, American Farm Bureau Federation

    ATAC for Trade in Animals and Animal Products
    Robert DeHaan, National Fisheries Institute
    Mallory Gaines, American Feed Industry Association
    David Herring, Hog Slat Inc./TDM Farms
    James Parnell, Alabama Farmers Federation
    Maria Zieba, National Pork Producers Council

    ATAC for Trade in Fruits and Vegetables
    William Callis, U.S. Apple Export Council
    Casey Creamer, California Citrus Mutual
    Jodi Devaurs, California Table Grape Commission 
    Jonathan Maberry, Washington Red Raspberry Commission
    Caroline Stringer, California Fresh Fruit Association

    ATAC for Trade in Grains, Feed, Oilseeds and Planting Seeds
    Peter Bachmann, USA Rice Federation
    William Gordon, American Soybean Association
    Derek Haigwood, D.I.D. Farms
    Patrick Hayden, North American Export Grain Association
    Dalton Henry, U.S. Wheat Associates
    Edward Hubbard, Renewable Fuels Association
    Tina Lyons, Double River Forwarding, LLC

    ATAC for Trade in Processed Foods
    Kevin Latner, National Industrial Hemp Council
    Richard (Denton) McLane, McLane Global Trading
    Max Moncaster, National Association of State Departments of Agriculture
    Bernadette Wiltz, Southern United States Trade Association

    ATAC for Trade in Sweeteners and Sweetener Products
    (No new members.)

    ATAC for Trade in Tobacco, Cotton and Peanuts
    Karl Zimmer, Premium Peanut

    Jodi Devaurs

    Regarding the news, Kathleen Nave from the California Table Grape Commission report, “The appointment of Jodi Devaurs, California Table Grape Commission trade policy director, to ATAC where she will serve as a trade advisor to USDA and USTR is important for the California table grape industry and represents an expansion of its direct involvement in trade matters of import.”

    Dave Puglia

    David Puglia from Western Growers shared, “I am honored to be appointed to the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee. International markets are vital to the growth of the fresh produce industry, accounting for more than $23 billion in fruit, vegetable and tree nut sales in 2019. However, tariff and non-tariff barriers continue to restrict access to key export destinations. I look forward to working with USDA, USTR and my committee colleagues to help formulate durable trade policies that benefit our domestic growers.”

    Casey Creamer

    Casey Creamer from California Citrus Mutual stated, “I’m looking forward to continuing California Citrus Mutual’s service to this important advisory committee.  Trade issues have significantly impacted the citrus industry over the years and I’m glad to make sure our growers have a seat at this important table.”

    Caroline Stringer

    President of the California Fresh Fruit Association, Ian LeMay said, “We appreciate Secretary Perdue’s appointment of Caroline Stringer to the ATAC for fruits and vegetables and look forward to her continuing the long history of representation for CFFA and California agriculture on this important advisory group.”

    Congress established the advisory committee system in 1974 to ensure a private-sector voice in establishing U.S. agricultural trade policy objectives to reflect U.S. commercial and economic interests. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Office of the U.S. Trade Representative jointly manage the committees. 

  • $8 Million for Navel Orangeworm Sterile Insect Program

    The U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee recently released an appropriations bill that included $8 million for the facility in Phoenix, AZ that is currently being used to rear sterile navel orangeworm (NOW) for aerial release in California. The facility is part of an area-wide pilot program that the pistachio and almond industries have been interested in developing. For 2020, Congress appropriated $6 million to keep the facility open and start the pilot program. This year, APG led an effort to continue and increase that funding, which included a delegation trip back to Washington, D.C. right before COVID-19 forced much of the city to shut down. This additional $2 million will allow the pilot program to not only continue to conduct research on sterile moth releases, but also begin to expand the breadth of the research. With positive momentum in the House, APG will now turn to lobbying efforts in the U.S. Senate.

    About the Facility
    The Phoenix Sterile Fly Facility was originally commissioned by the cotton industry to raise sterile pink bollworm for area-wide releases in an effort to suppress the pest. The program was even more successful than planned and the cotton industry was recently able to declare pink bollworm eradicated. Now that the facility has excess capacity, pistachio industry leaders have begun breeding sterile NOW for aerial release in California. — By American Pistachio Growers

  • Managing Strategic Deficit Irrigation with a Pressure Chamber

    As we hit the final stretch of the growing season, effective management of strategic deficit irrigation can make all the difference between a stressful or successful harvest. Maintaining optimal tree stress for your current growing conditions as we approach harvest is critical, as too much stress can negatively impact kernel size and not enough stress can make it difficult to achieve a uniform shake.

    With that in mind, growers should look to the pressure chamber tool to understand the actual stress their trees are experiencing. While this tool can be used year-round, it’s especially helpful during this critical time of the growing season.

    Why?

    Because the pressure chamber is the     only tool that quantifiably measures water stress felt by your tress. Knowing your applied water, ground truthing and evapotranspiration rates are important factors to understand for thorough irrigation management, but without the pressure chamber you will get an incomplete picture of what’s really happening in the trees.

    Growers who are not familiar with using a pressure chamber may feel like it’s an overwhelming challenge to use it in the field. However ABC, through its online     Irrigation Station video series, has removed the guesswork of pressure chamber use for growers with a 3-minute episode demonstrating the basics of its operation. More detailed information on how to use a pressure chamber is also available on page 126 of the Almond Irrigation Improvement Continuum, a comprehensive manual of irrigation and scheduling practices, as well as in ABC’s latest irrigation resource, a one-pager that breaks down each step of how to use a pressure chamber.

    Using a pressure chamber will allow growers to effectively implement strategic deficit irrigation via the baseline method. Baseline values for pressure chamber readings have been calculated by the University of California using mathematical models, which have been validated through field experiments in almond orchards.

    A baseline value indicates how many “bars” a fully watered almond tree will read on the pressure chamber. One bar is equal to about 1 atmosphere of pressure or 14.7 psi. However, bar readings on the pressure chamber will vary depending on weather conditions such as temperature and air relative humidity. Growers should consult Table 2 on page 136 of the     Continuum for a baseline chart of readings under different weather conditions.

    It’s important to understand that irrigating to the baseline is not the goal with strategic deficit irrigation; rather, it’s about irrigating at what is called “bars below baseline.” It’s also important to note that the pressure chamber measures in negative bars of tension, so irrigating “below baseline”  will mean a higher reading on your pressure chamber gauge.

    Growers can watch the     Strategic Deficit Irrigation episode of The Irrigation Station for more information about irrigating at bars below baseline using a pressure chamber. —By Almond Board of California

  • Dairy’s Shrinking Water Footprint: A Key Piece of the SGMA Puzzle

    The implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) and and other anticipated water restrictions pose major challenges for California agriculture. Without effective solutions, economists have estimated that up to one million acres of farmland will be fallowed, resulting in a revenue loss of $7.2 billion per year. As the state’s top agricultural commodity, dairy farming is an important part of the SGMA challenge. Fortunately, dairy farmers have an excellent track record for water savings and are continuing to adopt innovative strategies to advance environmental sustainability and help meet the water conservation challenges ahead.

    According to researchers at University of California, Davis, the amount of water used per unit of milk produced in the state has decreased more than 88 percent over the past 50 years. This is primarily due to improved feed crop production and water use efficiency. A large portion of the water savings can be attributed to the use of byproducts as feed.

    More than 40 percent of feed ingredients used on California dairy farms are byproducts of other agricultural and food production processes, which are provided as dairy feed without any additional water needed for production. This includes materials such as almond hulls, tomato and citrus pulp, cotton seed, and brewer’s grain, which could otherwise be wasted. Dairy farmers work with nutritionists to incorporate these materials into well-balanced, nutritious rations for cows. In this way, dairy farms work in harmony with the state’s other agricultural and food production industries—making for efficient use of water resources.

    While dairies typically grow the majority of their non-byproduct feed ingredients using recycled water from the dairy, feed is also grown out-of-state, further reducing in-state water use by more than 30 percent. Over the past 50 years, California dairy farmers have also significantly increased the amount of feed crops they grow per acre of land, providing tremendous environmental benefits—reducing the amount of fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides needed, while also reducing the energy to irrigate crops, and the amount of fuel used by tractors. Water use and feed production will remain an important topic moving forward, which is why California dairy farmers continue to implement new strategies and technologies to boost water use efficiency and promote overall sustainability.

    One example of these efforts was recently awarded a prestigious sustainability award from the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. Sustainable Conservation and Netafim partnered with De Jager Dairy and two other California dairies to develop and demonstrate a new way to grow dairy forage crops: a subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) system that uses manure effluent. The system delivers plant nutrients found in dairy manure beneath the soil surface, improving irrigation water use efficiency and nutrient use efficiency, while providing other environmental benefits. Thanks to this partnership effort and grant funding now being provided by the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), more dairy farms will soon be able to implement this approach.

    The manure SDI system will serve as an important tool in the implementation of SGMA for two reasons: the conservation of water (nearly 40 percent more crop produced per drop of water) and a more efficient use of manure nutrients as fertilizer. As acres of farmland will need to be fallowed to meet SGMA requirements, dairy farmers will need to ensure manure nutrients produced on their farms continue to be used in ways that best to protect water and air quality, while helping build healthy soils. The organic matter and nutrients found in dairy manure have potential to help improve the health and water-holding capacity of soils throughout the state.

    Dairies are an integral part of any sustainable food system. The state’s dairy farms play an important role—from providing nutritious dairy foods and180,000 year-round jobs, to utilizing thousands of tons of byproducts as feed, while offering a source of organic matter that can help promote healthy, more resilient soils. California dairy farms also continue to demonstrate a commitment to sustainability—reducing water use by adopting innovative practices. Likewise,

    Dairy farms continue using water efficiently, maximizing resources while supporting the economy.

    dairy farms will continue to be an important part of the conversation—as farmers, stakeholders, and officials at both the local and state level continue developing plans to achieve sustainability in groundwater use and protect the environment. — Article Courtesy of Dairy Cares

  • Unified Wine & Grape Symposium Moves to Virtual Conference, January 2021

    Due to concerns about COVID-19, organizers of the 2021 Unified Wine & Grape Symposium announced the event will be presented online as a virtual conference on January 26-28, 2021. In addition, the Unified will host a virtual trade show throughout the three days, with an additional half day on Friday, January 29, 2021, from 8 to 11 a.m. The Unified was scheduled to occur on January 12 – 14, 2021 at the Cal Expo grounds.

    The 2021 Unified Wine & Grape Symposium’s LLC Managing Committee decided to host the show as a virtual online event after consulting with risk experts at Arup, an international design and engineering firm. The Managing Committee believes hosting the Unified as a virtual event is the responsible decision under difficult circumstances. Industry members will be able to access vital business, research and marketing information, while avoiding the many challenges associated with the current COVID-19 pandemic.

    “First and foremost, the Unified Symposium is about serving the interests of the people who make the wine industry so special. The decision to host the event online comes at a great cost, but the welfare of our attendees, exhibitors and the people of California is our greatest priority,” said John Aguirre, CAWG president. Aguirre added, “We will deliver an excellent event online and provide the quality of service our attendees and stakeholders expect.”

    For 26 years, the Unified Symposium has been the industry’s leading trade show, drawing tens of thousands of guests from all over America and the world to learn about the emerging trends, new products and ways to be more efficient and successful. The 2021 virtual format will allow the same experts to exchange information, while being responsive to the new realities of a world facing a pandemic.

    “There has been strong interest in continuing the Unified tradition of starting the new year by accessing this vital information,” says ASEV Executive Director Dan Howard. “We’ve already met with our Program Committee and are confident that we can deliver the same invaluable content in a convenient and safe virtual format. Because of similar interest in the trade show, we’ve included that as well in our virtual format for 2021. It will be different, but in these uncertain times, we have to be flexible and innovative.”

    Built with the joint input of growers, vintners and allied industry members, the Unified Symposium serves as a clearinghouse of information important to wine and grape industry professionals. The Unified Symposium also hosts the industry’s largest trade show of its kind, with over 700 vendors displaying their products and services.  The Unified Wine & Grape Symposium’s LLC Managing Committee is comprised of representatives from the American Society for Enology and Viticulture (ASEV) and the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG). For additional information, go to www.unifiedsymposium.org.

  • Animal Agriculture Alliance launches Animal Ag Allies Development Program

    The Animal Agriculture Alliance is excited to announce the launch of the Animal Ag Allies program to empower farmers, ranchers and practicing veterinarians to be outspoken advocates for agriculture online and within their communities. The Alliance is currently seeking participants to enroll by August 7.

    The Animal Ag Allies program provides opportunities for networking, training, and continuous development of issue expertise and communication skills. Allies will be on the front lines of responding to emerging issues and sharing positive content about animal agriculture.

    “The Animal Ag Allies program was created to connect agriculture advocates and arm them with the issue expertise and communications skills they need to engage with influencers and consumers online and in their communities,” said Hannah Thompson-Weeman, Alliance vice president of communications. “Our goal for this program is to make sure the voices of farmers, ranchers and veterinarians are being heard when it comes to important issues related to animal agriculture.”

    The program consists of two phases: online training and a private forum to discuss engagement strategies and emerging issues. The training modules are available online and may be completed at the participant’s own pace. Modules include: overviews of each sector of animal agriculture, hot topics and emerging issues facing animal agriculture, how to address contentious issues, growing your social following and reaching outside the choir, and public outreach. Following the completion of the training modules, participants will be invited to a private online group where they will have the ability to interact with one another as well as industry professionals.

    “I am so thankful for this opportunity,” said Markie Hageman, a California beef advocate who completed the training modules during the program development process. “Everything was useful! I love learning new things and being able to recap things I have learned before, so all of the information was very valuable to me.”

    Farmers, ranchers, practicing veterinarians, and industry professionals who want to make a difference in public understanding and perception of animal agriculture are encouraged to indicate their interest in enrolling in the program. The ideal participant has already demonstrated their commitment to engaging on relevant issues and is ready to take their efforts to the next level. For more information on the program and participant guidelines, visit https://animalagalliance.org/initiatives/animal-ag-allies/.

    The deadline to indicate your interest in enrolling in the next round of the program is August 7. Interested individuals are encouraged to complete the program interest form available at https://animalagalliance.org/initiatives/animal-ag-allies/.

    The Animal Ag Allies program would not be possible without the generous support of our founding sponsor, Zoetis, and program sponsors Animal Health Institute, Seaboard Foods, National Turkey Federation, Merck Animal Health, Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER), and Professional Dairy Producers Foundation.

    “Zoetis is proud to be the founding sponsor of the Animal Ag Allies program, helping to equip people who care for animals with communications resources,” said Christina Lood, Zoetis senior director of external communications. “We look forward to seeing the growth and development of each Ally as they continue to share their personal stories and engage with their communities in conversations about livestock’s role in our sustainable food supply.”

    To become a sponsor of the program, contact Casey Kinler, director of membership and marketing, at ckinler@animalagalliance.org

    About the Alliance:

    The Animal Agriculture Alliance is an industry-united, nonprofit organization that helps bridge the communication gap between farm and fork. We connect key food industry stakeholders to arm them with responses to emerging issues. Weengage food chain influencers and promote consumer choice by helping them better understand modern animal agriculture. We protect by exposing those who threaten our nation’s food security with damaging misinformation. Find the Alliance on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

  • NEW NITROGEN MANAGEMENT RESOURCE AVAILABLE FOR CITRUS & AVOCADO

    To address nitrate pollution of groundwater, the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board has initiated a regulatory program requiring growers to utilize nitrogen management practices that mitigate nitrate loading. Because nitrogen plays such a critical role in in the growth and development of avocado trees — and because it can be difficult to ensure trees are receiving the optimal amount of nitrogen — the University of California Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources has created the Nitrogen Management in Citrus and Avocado publication.

    This document is designed to optimize growers’ application of nitrogen while reducing nitrogen leaching by focusing on applying nitrogen at the right rate, at the right time with the right placement and from the right source (otherwise known as the four R’s of nutrient management). The guide provides specific examples for the rate of application based on the age, alternate bearing status and vegetative state of the tree and discusses the optimal spring/fall application periods. In addition, the document provides guidance on how to conduct leaf analysis and what optimal concentration percentages to look for.

  • FIRE RECOVERY GRANTS AVAILABLE FOR SO CA GROWERS

    Erosion damage caused by the 2018 – 2020 California wildfires can result in discharges of sediment, metals, nutrients and other pollutants that threaten streams, aquatic life and public health. In an effort to mitigate the effects of erosion caused by the fires in Ventura and Los Angeles Counties, the Post Fire Recovery Project will allocate $320,000 worth of reimbursable supplies to applicants for their erosion control best management practices. The grants can be used to obtain items such as silt fencing, jute netting, sandbags, native plantings, seeding, straw wattles and more.

    Grant funds will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Interested growers can complete the application online.

    Online application assistance workshops will be held August 5 at 5:30 p.m. and December 8 at 5:30 p.m. For more information, contact Andy Spyrka, Resource Conservation Specialist at andyspyrka.vcrcd@gmail.com or 805.764.5135.