California Ag Network

Category: Ag Economics

  • California Walnuts Bright Spots During COVID-19

    California Walnut Board — Although it has been a challenging time in many ways since COVID-19 began, we want to draw your attention to some “bright spots” for California Walnuts. Over the last few months, we’ve seen significant growth in trends in baking, snacking, simple meals, and interest in plant-based eating. Walnuts are increasingly being recognized by consumers as one of the most versatile “pantry” staples, having stocked up on them during the initial weeks of COVID-19 especially. Nationwide stay-at-home orders have allowed more time for experimentation in the kitchen. Consumers are indulging, but also being mindful of nutrition and their consumption of nutritious, immune-boosting foods, and walnuts are well positioned to provide both.

    We have been monitoring the evolving landscape from a marketing perspective, and continue to pivot to ensure we are leaning into appropriate trends. Consumers have been searching for keywords such as “food”, “recipes”, and “simple cookie recipes” at higher-than-normal rates. With digital partner Allrecipes, recipes using walnuts as an ingredient grew to an all-time record in April, up by 169% compared to April 2019, even beating historic numbers typically seen around the Thanksgiving holiday season.

    Consumers also engaged at historic levels with promoted Baking, Meal Prep, and Kid Friendly recipes, our “How To” content series, and blog content, resulting in increases in website traffic, with users up by 40%, sessions up by 34% and pageviews up by 18% since this time last year. This performance confirms the shift in consumer online behavior due to COVID-19, and validates that our content is resonating in a very meaningful way.

    Leaning into On-trend Baking Inspiration

    With consumers spending more time at home, baking has made a resurgence as a way to pass time, and as a source of comfort. In turn, we highlighted some of the trending baked goods by featuring our own recipes, including homemade sourdough bread and banana bread.

    On walnuts.org, we curated a special recipe collection inspired by this nostalgia to include our top banana bread and baking inspired recipes, called “Bananas, Bread, and More” and promoted it on our home page and native advertising channels.

    Resharing Famous Recipes for Consumers to Make at Home

    Companies such as The DoubleTree Hilton have been sharing their beloved recipes for fans to make at home. We shared their famous DoubleTree Cookie recipe which includes walnuts, on California Walnut social media channels

    Blog Content Repurposed for Native Channels and Instagram Stories

    At the end of March, we went into the archives of our past blogs to reshare articles that we felt would make the lives of our audience easier right now. This included articles such as Meal Prep Ideas and How To Start Your Own Herb Garden. These articles were promoted on digital and social channels. Most notably, we utilized our newly-earned swipe up feature on Instagram to drive directly to our website.

    Major Media Hits featuring California Walnuts

    In the past few months, walnuts have been mentioned in a number of stories and recipes by major media outlets. This included Wendy Bazilian’s virtual appearance on Live with Kelly & Ryan where she discussed how to properly store walnuts. Walnuts were also mentioned in People Magazine’s article featuring Cat Cora’s favorite parfait recipe. This particular recipe was shared with the intent of providing a treat option for consumers to make without having to visit a grocery store.

    All of this buzz on social media resulted in an increase in impressions by 55.5%, audience growth by 3%, and engagements by 2.7% since March 15. From a public relations perspective, the stay-at-home mandates also provided an opportunity for the team to connect with many of our regular media contacts on a more personal level, by checking in and sending walnut samples to them at their homes.

    Food Professionals

    The Foodservice community is keeping the innovation pipeline alive during this time, from new menu ideas to improved take-out and delivery platforms, along with product development in the plant-based, nutrient dense space. Walnuts have a prime opportunity, as consumer interest in plant-based eating increases, and we see new issues with the meat supply chain. California Walnuts was recently featured in FSR Magazine with a strong plant-based center-of-the-plate message.

    In the Food Manufacturing space, the evolution toward healthful indulgence has rapidly advanced since the onset of COVID-19 as more consumers seek products that are indulgent, but made with whole ingredients. To take advantage of the banana bread trend, we recently published an article called Classic Pairing of Bananas, Walnuts Thrives Through Evolution in which we highlighted the trend and all of the interesting products being made with walnuts and bananas.

    Although new product launches have slowed for now, we anticipate a wave of innovation to occur later this year, with walnuts playing a key role in many of these products. We especially see potential in the growing number of consumers who are turning to plant-based foods due to nutritional preferences and shortages in the meat supply. Ready and primed to capture food manufacturers who are interested in including walnuts in their future products, this month we published a white paper 5 Reasons Food & Beverage Manufacturers Should Use California Walnuts.

    To put it simply, California walnuts are innovating and evolving to a new norm, while setting the tone for a more impactful food future with sustainability, menu efficiencies, and food safety measures in mind.

  • CA Nut Industry Funds Four New UC Cooperative Extension Research Positions

    Four staff research associates will join the ranks of UC Cooperative Extension scientists in the coming months to support nut crop advisors conducting critical research in walnut, almond and pistachio production.

    The California Walnut Board, the Almond Board of California and the California Pistachio Research Board together have provided about $425,000 to cover annual salaries, benefits, travel and equipment for the new UC Cooperative Extension staff. Under the terms of the agreement, the new positions will be funded annually for up to three years, pending available funds and success of the program.

    “By supporting these new positions in UC Cooperative Extension, the California Walnut Board, the Almond Board of California and the California Pistachio Research Board show their recognition for the value of applied research conducted by our nut crop advisors,” said UC Agriculture and Natural Resources vice president Glenda Humiston. “We are grateful to these industry organizations for this vote of confidence and the generous funding to generate science-based knowledge to apply on California farms.”

    The new research associates will each devote time supporting two advisors with tree nut assignments:

    • Allan Fulton and Luke Milliron, serving Butte, Glenn and Tehama counties
    • Katherine Jarvis-Shean and Franz Niederholzer, serving Colusa, Sacramento, Solano, Sutter, Yolo counties
    • Mae Culumber and Phoebe Gordon, serving Fresno, Madera and Merced counties
    • Elizabeth Fichtner and an advisor under recruitment, serving Tulare and Kings counties

    The arrangement reflects a change in how UC Cooperative Extension supports the agriculture industries in California with applied research. With less funding from its traditional revenue sources – USDA, the state government and counties – advisors cover more territory than in the past. Over the years, they have also taken on an increasing share of UC’s applied research mission serving the state’s specialty crops industries.

    The new staff research associate positions were crafted to attract highly qualified candidates who will support advisors’ applied research efforts. Their primary focus will be on assisting advisors with planning, execution and gathering data on experimental and demonstration field trials.

    UCCE advisor emeritus Joe Grant, who now serves as production research director of the California Walnut Board, chaired an industry working group that drafted the plan based on advisors’ input about their needs.

    “Advisors are competent and creative people with the skills and knowledge to do research. They need the same support that researchers on campus have,” Grant said.

    The California Pistachio Research Board previously provided funding for a plant pathology researcher and an integrated pest management advisor at the UC Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Parlier. In addition, the board supported creation of $1 million endowments for a nut genetics researcher and a tree nut soil science and plant-water relations researcher as part of an initiative co-funded by UC President Janet Napolitano.

    “We’ve been concerned for a long time about UC Cooperative Extension’s research capacity and infrastructure issues,” said Bob Klein, manager of the California Pistachio Research Board. “This new initiative will increase efficiency and productivity for farm advisors and also reduce their stress from being overcommitted.”

    Josette Lewis, the Almond Board chief scientific officer, said the organization depends on UCCE farm advisors for unbiased, quality information about almond production.

    “Advisors are a valuable link between UC campuses and growers, not only in doing applied research that helps growers thrive, but in meeting California’s goals of environmental and social sustainability,” Lewis said. “The information they generate is shared with a host of ag industry professionals – pest control advisers, crop consultants and people in the private sector who provide services to growers.”

    Commodity industry funding for UC Cooperative Extension reflects the value the nut crop industries leverage from one of the strongest agricultural research and extension systems in the world, Lewis said.

    The new program is modeled after a pilot project in Colusa County in which the Almond Board provided funding for Niederholzer to hire an intern to support almond research. A young scientist who held the post from 2015-16 was Milliron. In 2017, UC Cooperative Extension named Milliron a sustainable orchard systems advisor for Butte, Glenn and Tehama counties and he will now supervise one of the new staff research associates.

    “We had a chance to keep him in the system and capitalize on what he learned during his internship,” Lewis said.

    There are other tree nut and fruit advisors in need of research help, Grant said. For example, there are concentrations of tree fruit and nut acreage and growers in Kern, San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties.

    “We positioned these four research associates where we heard the need for help was most critical. We can see adding another position or two in the future if funds are available,” Grant said. — By Jeannette E. Warnert, UC Cooperative Extension

    Pistachios growing at the UC Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center.

  • Consumer & Trade Research Shows Increased Demand for Sustainably Produced Wine

    The California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA) along with co-hosts from California, New York, Oregon and Washington hosted a webinar June 5, 2020, sharing the latest consumer and trade perceptions on sustainable wine. Over 500 webinar registrants from 19 U.S. states and representing all aspects of the wine industry attended, confirming strong interest in this topic.

    Two wine industry research experts, Lulie Halstead, CEO of Wine Intelligence based in London, and Christian Miller, proprietor of Full Glass Research in Berkeley, presented new data and insights from recent consumer and trade research on perceptions of sustainable winegrowing, certification and practices. Their research indicates increasing market demand for sustainably produced wine. As the value of sustainability in the marketplace flourishes, growers and vintners across the U.S. are increasingly embracing sustainable winegrowing practices. 

    Lulie Halstead presented updates of a survey, first presented at the inaugural U.S. Sustainable Winegrowing Summit in June 2019, where focus groups explored national and international consumer perceptions, which was updated in January 2020. “Younger consumers of legal drinking age are significantly more engaged with sustainability and view it as increasingly important to protect future resources. Communicating sustainability values is vital in helping to raise awareness of the wine industry’s significant efforts,” Halstead offered.

    Wine Intelligence research on consumer perceptions of sustainable winegrowing (particularly by Millennials and Gen Z) included a high interest in purchasing sustainably produced wine in the future, a favorable perception of sustainable certification programs and certification logos and a willingness to pay more for wine that has been sustainably produced.Key insights on Consumer Perceptions:

    • While organic wine is more universally understood, sustainably produced wine has the highest future purchase consideration, with 71% of U.S. wine drinkers (surveyed in January 2020) indicating that they would consider buying sustainably produced wine in the future.

    • Millennials lead the way in purchasing from the range of sustainably and environmentally produced wine, and nine in 10 are “willing to pay” more for sustainable wine. Among all U.S. wine consumers, $3 was the average extra value that consumers indicated they were “willing to pay” for a sustainably produced wine.

    • Younger consumers (Millennials and Gen Z of legal drinking age) are significantly more engaged with sustainability, view it as increasingly important to protect the future, and have a strong affinity towards sustainable wine certifications..

    • Consumers seek easy ways to find and identify sustainable wine such as clear and simple visual cues or clearly identified sections in a store. Sustainability certifications for wine provide transparency and reassurance.

    • While winery websites and wine tasting events are more effective at communicating wine sustainability, wine labels and peer recommendation are more frequently used sources.


    Christian Miller explored perceptions of sustainability among the trade through focus groups and a survey of 425 respondents from the 4,700-member Wine Opinions Trade Panel. In newly released findings, Miller noted, “Our research found that large majorities at all levels of the trade felt familiar with key concepts of sustainable wine production, and do recommend sustainably produced, organic and biodynamic wines to their customers.” The research also indicated “strong support for clear and reliable certifications that can be communicated to the trade and consumers,” according to Miller.

    Wine Opinions Trade Panel Respondents

    The Importance of Sustainable Practices to the Trade in Choosing Wines—2019 vs. 2016

    Key insights on Trade Perceptions

    • Protecting natural resources and addressing climate change impacts were perceived as the two leading goals of sustainable production, with 86% and 79% respectively agreeing that they were necessary requirements of sustainability. In a similar 2016 survey, the responses were 77% and 62% respectively.

    •Sustainable practices are frequently (32%) or occasionally (50%) a factor when choosing a wine to market or sell to customers. Only 3% responded “Never.” In a similar 2016 survey, responses were frequently (21%) and occasionally (52%) and Never (4%).

    •Sustainable practices were a factor due to a combination of personally caring about sustainability (84%), increased consumer demand (71%) and as a useful selling attribute (68%). In the 2016 survey, 71% indicated that their personal support was a factor.

    •In terms of the market outlook, 73% feel that the demand for sustainably produced products has increased over the past five to 10 years; and 76% think it will increase in the next five to 10 years. In 2016, responses were 66%/73%, respectively.

    •“All things being equal” (in terms of the product), 71% would purchase a sustainably produced wine over one that is not.

    •The promotions or actions that were seen as most useful in supporting the category were “clear and highly visible labeling” on wine packages, back label information and tastings or seminars promoting sustainably produced wines to consumers.

    The hour-long program concluded with a question and answer session along with tips for communicating sustainability to trade and consumers, presented by CSWA Executive Director Allison Jordan. Jordan noted, “It is CSWA’s long-term mission to promote adoption of sustainable practices. We’re thrilled to see a growing interest in sustainable practices from trade and consumers, while seeking marketplace opportunities for wineries and winegrape growers that are implementing these practices.”

    Webinar co-hosts included Wine Institute, California Association of Winegrape Growers, Long Island Sustainable Winegrowing, Oregon Wine Board, New York Wine & Grape Foundation, Washington State Wine, Washington Winegrowers and LIVE. Watch the webinar HERE.

  • APG Marketing in India Key with Growth of Pistachio Production

    As pistachio growers anticipate tremendous growth in production over the next several years, American Pistachio Growers continue to invest in new markets across the world. Watch this brief interview with Judy Hirigoyen from APG to learn more, and read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine. Don’t currently receive the magazine? Subscribe for free at: https://malcolmmedia.com/pacific-nut-producer-magazine-subscriptions/

  • California Table Grape Commission Promotes Karen Hearn

    Karen Hearn is the new Vice President of Domestic Marketing for the California Table Grape Commission. Hearn’s responsibilities include leading the domestic retail team, providing strategic direction, and partnering with retailers to motivate consumer purchase of California table grapes.

    “Karen has long been a valuable member of the table grape team,” said Kathleen Nave, president of the commission, “and now she has a larger leadership role to play.” Nave noted that having someone with Karen’s experience, savvy, and commitment lead the domestic marketing program is of tremendous benefit to growers – particularly during such a challenging time. “Karen knows grapes, knows the retail environment, knows how to help retailers and growers move a crop. She loves the work and it shows.”

    Prior to her promotion, Hearn was the senior marketing director for the commission. “I am grateful for all Karen has done during her tenure, for the leadership she has shown, and for the great work I know is yet to come,” Nave said.

  • Nitrogen-Efficient Fertilizer Research Could Have Lasting Impact

    The world’s population will continue to grow, but the amount of arable land to feed that population will not.

    “So people will continue to add more fertilizers to grow more crops in the same areas,” says Jonas Baltrusaitis, an associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering in Lehigh University’s P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science, and a recipient of the 2020 ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering Lectureship Award. “You can’t grow crops without fertilizer. It’s just not happening.”

    While a boon to harvests, fertilizers exact a toll on the environment. Their production alone is extremely energy intensive and a significant source of greenhouse gases, and when nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus aren’t fully taken up by plants, they can leach into groundwater and wash into waterways. Excess nutrients can cause eutrophication of water bodies where algal blooms deprive the ecosystem of oxygen, killing wildlife and producing toxins that can harm humans.

    It’s a vicious cycle that Baltrusaitis hopes to one day break. He recently received a four-year, nearly $435,000 grant through the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) for his proposal, “Mechanochemical Synthesis of Nitrogen Efficient Fertilizer Materials.”

    NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) is the leading competitive grants program for agricultural sciences in the United States. According to NIFA, “AFRI-funded science is vital to meeting food, fiber, and fuel demands as the world’s population races toward a projected 9 billion by 2050 concomitant with diminishing land and water resources and increasingly variable climatic conditions.”

    Baltrusaitis’ team has developed a dry mechanochemical synthesis method of a family of urea ionic cocrystals that can serve as functional fertilizers that significantly slow down urea hydrolysis in soil, reduce ammonia emissions, and extend availability of nitrogen to plants. He is combining water soluble urea with various nutrients containing low solubility minerals or even industrial waste, such as drywall gypsum, to improve nitrogen management efficiency.

    “We’re re-designing fertilizer materials to be much more stable in the environment,” he says. “If they don’t decompose as fast, they’re available to the plant for longer, so those nutrients are going into the food chain rather than being wasted and damaging the environment.”

    The potential impact is global, and the technology is being developed to be easily inserted into existing supply chains, says Baltrusaitis. His ultimate goal is to design nitrogen-efficient novel fertilizer materials that can be used in field trials with local Pennsylvania farmers, where his team can test improvements in yields and emissions.

    Coming from the USDA, the award is a unique one for Lehigh, he says.

    “And it’s one that will help educate the next generation of engineers as they prepare to address emerging global challenges.

    About Jonas Baltrusaitis

    ChBE researcher Jonas Baltrusaitis is “breaking the cycle.” His USDA-funded research aims to make fertilizer more effective for crop growth and less destructive for the environment.

    Jonas Baltrusaitis is an associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Lehigh University. He holds a PhD in physical chemistry from the University of Iowa, where he conducted postdoctoral research and served in numerous roles, including adjunct assistant professor and associate director of the Central Microscopy Research Facility. He was an assistant professor of chemical engineering at the University of Twente (the Netherlands) before joining the faculty of the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science in 2014.

    Baltrusaitis’ research interests span numerous areas of sustainable catalytic conversion, including: natural gas component catalytic conversion to high value products, biomass catalytic upgrading, sustainable sulfur and phosphorus processing, renewable energy utilization in wastewater processing, low concentration organic wastewater stream treatment, emerging contaminant remediation and environmental catalysis, surface sensitive spectroscopies, and data processing method development.

    His research has been funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, Pennsylvania Infrastructure Technology Alliance, Defense Logistics Agency, and Department of Defense, among others. His work has been published in high-impact journals such as the Journal of American Chemical Society, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, ACS Catalysis, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, and Chemical Communications.

    Baltrusaitis is a member of the American Chemical Society and AIChE and received a 2020 ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering Lectureship Award for his work in advanced materials science and supramolecular chemistry, applying concepts of sustainable chemistry and engineering to the delivery of more sustainable fertilizers and nutrients.

    At Lehigh, Baltrusaitis has been recognized with the university’s Libsch Early Career Research Award (Spring 2018) as well as a P.C. Rossin Assistant Professorship (2017-2019). He currently directs the chemical engineering M.Eng. distance education program and advises numerous PhD students.

  • USDA Issues First Coronavirus Food Assistance Program Payments

    U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) has already approved more than $545 million in payments to producers who have applied for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program. FSA began taking applications May 26, and the agency has received over 86,000 applications for this important relief program.

    “The coronavirus has hurt America’s farmers, ranchers, and producers, and these payments directed by President Trump will help this critical industry weather the current pandemic so they can continue to plant and harvest a safe, nutritious, and affordable crop for the American people,” said Secretary Perdue. “We have tools and resources available to help producers understand the program and enable them to work with Farm Service Agency staff to complete applications as smoothly and efficiently as possible and get payments into the pockets of our patriotic farmers.”

    In the first six days of the application period, FSA has already made payments to more than 35,000 producers. Out of the gate, the top five states for CFAP payments are Illinois, Kansas, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and South Dakota. USDA has released data on application progress and program payments and will release further updates each Monday at 2:00pm ET. The report can be viewed at farmers.gov/cfap.

    FSA will accept applications through August 28, 2020. Through CFAP, USDA is making available $16 billion in financial assistance to producers of agricultural commodities who have suffered a five-percent-or-greater price decline due to COVID-19 and face additional significant marketing costs as a result of lower demand, surplus production, and disruptions to shipping patterns and the orderly marketing of commodities.

    In order to do this, producers will receive 80 percent of their maximum total payment upon approval of the application. The remaining portion of the payment, not to exceed the payment limit, will be paid at a later date nationwide, as funds remain available.

    Getting Help from FSA

    New customers seeking one-on-one support with the CFAP application process can call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with a USDA employee ready to offer general assistance. This is a recommended first step before a producer engages the team at the FSA county office at their local USDA Service Center.

    Producers can download the CFAP application and other eligibility forms from farmers.gov/cfap. Also, on that webpage, producers can find a payment calculator to help producers identify sales and inventory records needed to apply and calculate potential payments. Producers self-certify their records when applying for CFAP and that documentation is not submitted with the application. However, producers may be asked for their documentation to support the certification of eligible commodities, so producers should retain the information used to complete their application.

    Those who use the online calculator tool will be able to print a pre-filled CFAP application, sign it, and submit it to your local FSA office either electronically or via hand delivery through an office drop box. Please contact your local office to determine the preferred delivery method for your local office. Team members at FSA county offices will be able to answer detailed questions and help producers apply quickly and efficiently through phone and online tools. Find contact information for your local office at farmers.gov/cfap.

    Policy Clarifications

    FSA has been working with stakeholder groups to provide further clarification to producers on the CFAP program. For example, the agency has published a matrix of common marketing contracts that impact eligibility for non-specialty crops and has provided a table that crosswalks common livestock terms to CFAP cattle categories. Updated information can be found in the frequently asked questions section of the CFAP website.

    More Information

    To find the latest information on CFAP, visit farmers.gov/CFAP or call 877-508-8364.

    USDA Service Centers are open for business by phone appointment only, and field work will continue with appropriate social distancing. While program delivery staff will continue to come into the office, they will be working with producers by phone and using online tools whenever possible. All Service Center visitors wishing to conduct business with the FSA, Natural Resources Conservation Service, or any other Service Center agency are required to call their Service Center to schedule a phone appointment. More information can be found at farmers.gov/coronavirus.

  • CAWG Foundation Awards $30,000 in Student Scholarships

    The California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) Foundation has awarded $30,000 in college scholarships to six students. The scholarships are awarded annually to students whose parent or legal guardian is employed by a California winegrape grower.

    “All of the amazing scholarship recipients are inspirational because of their unwavering dedication to learning, volunteering and leading,” said Davindar Mahil, chair of the CAWG Foundation board of directors. “We applaud them for their outstanding accomplishments, hard work and their drive to make a difference. Some of the recipients are the first in their family to attend college. The CAWG Foundation is honored to provide these scholarships and show our support for vineyard employees who are valued members of our winegrape industry family.”

    Each year the CAWG Foundation board selects several recipients from high schools throughout the state. Scholarship selection is based on scholastic ability, financial need, community involvement, leadership and a 500-word essay. Since the program’s inception in 1998, the foundation has awarded $494,500 in scholarships. Funds are raised through the generous donations of members of CAWG and the California wine community.

    The four-year scholarships are $8,000 each for students attending a University of California or California State University campus. The two-year college scholarships are $2,000 each for students attending a California community college.

    Four-Year University Scholarship Recipients / $8,000 each

    Angeli Aquino, Calistoga, Calistoga High School

    Melissa Castillo, Livermore, Livermore High School

    Alexandria Ramirez, Hollister, San Benito High School

    Two-Year Community College Scholarship Recipient / $2,000

    Vanessa Jimenez Ramirez, Shandon, Shandon High School

    Yasmin Rodriguez, Shandon, Shandon High School

    Anahi Ruiz, Cloverdale, Cloverdale High School

    ABOUT THE RECIPIENTS

    Angeli Aquino, Calistoga, Calistoga High School

    Achieving the American Dream has been instilled in Angeli since she immigrated to the United States at 6 years old. Angeli has challenged herself to be a conscientious, hard-working and high-achieving student. She excelled with difficult classes, earning a top-ranking 4.22 GPA, and with extracurricular activities. Angeli played volleyball, basketball, softball and track and field. She served as ASB president and Interact Club president, was a member of the Soroptomist Club, and volunteered as a youth basketball coach. Additionally, she held a part-time job as a lifeguard during the year. Angeli plans to attend UCLA, major in nursing and someday earn a master’s degree. Her teacher wrote that Angeli is “one of the most dedicated, hardworking, responsible and dependable students I have seen in 14 years of teaching” and “will achieve success and make positive contributions as a leader and problem solver wherever she goes in life.”

    Melissa Castillo, Livermore, Livermore High School

    Melissa arrived in the United States as a young child and was passionate about learning English. Facing hardships, she found hope and worked diligently in what she calls the “land of opportunity.” Her hard work in high school, which included several AP classes, resulted in a 4.12 GPA. Melissa’s school activities were lacrosse, National Honor Society, Interact Club, Link Crew and Latinos Unidos Club. Through these, she learned leadership, teamwork and communication skills. Melissa works several hours per week at a winery, interned at Kaiser Permanente’s oncology radiation department, and volunteered for many years for a church charity organization. Her goal is to major in biology and attend medical school, and the scholarship will help further her education and a career in the medical field helping impoverished people. Her teacher wrote, “Melissa is a bright, compassionate and ambitious person” and “any college would be wildly improved by her presence on campus.”

    Alexandria Ramirez, Hollister, San Benito High School

    Opportunities and challenges have shaped Alexandria into the person she is today: a highly-motivated leader and ambitious student with a strong work ethic and positive attitude. She balanced academics, part-time work and myriad extracurricular activities throughout high school, and had a long list of leadership roles, awards and achievements. She was extremely involved with FFA, through which she held officer positions, participated in speaking contests and earned three FFA degrees. She was also a youth ambassador for the 33rd District Ag Association. One of her main community service activities is Guide Dogs for the Blind, which trains puppies for the visually-impaired. With agriculture at the center of her educational and career goals, she plans to major in ag communications and become a high school ag teacher. Alexandria’s assistant principal wrote that she “will continue to have an internal drive to be the best at everything she does and will do whatever it takes while maintaining high morals and standards.”

    Vanessa Jimenez Ramirez, Shandon, Shandon High School

    Vanessa believes that anything can be accomplished with hard work and perseverance. She has successfully managed her academic and extracurricular responsibilities with family, job and community commitments. Vanessa has been involved with student government, serving as class secretary and treasurer. She played a variety of sports, volunteered many hours doing softball statistics, and participated in FFA and Supervised Agricultural Experience activities. Beyond school, she serves in her community and holds a part-time job. As the first one in her family to attend college, Vanessa plans to attend a community college, pursue a degree in human services and become a social worker. He counselor wrote, “I am consistently impressed with Vanessa’s strive for excellence, self-discipline and growth potential. She is a prime example of a student that can be an academically-sound student, well-rounded and caring individual even when faced with challenges.”

    Yasmin Rodriguez, Shandon, Shandon High School

    Yasmin is the first generation to go to college, and she believes that getting the right education is vital to making a difference and achieving goals. A diligent honor roll student with a 3.8 GPA, she prioritized academics while being actively involved throughout high school with the FFA program and softball team. With FFA, she earned the greenhand degree and learned public speaking skills. In her community, Yasmin has volunteered for the Food Bank Coalition of SLO County for the past few years, participated in her church’s Chosen program for confirmation, and works as a babysitter. Yasmin plans to attend Cuesta College and pursue a degree and career in social work, specifically foster care. Her teacher wrote, “I have found her to be exceptionally hard working, focused, kind and generous. Her ability to stay laser-focused on her goals and make the sacrifices necessary to reach those goals is truly admirable.”

    Anahi Ruiz, Cloverdale, Cloverdale High School

    Anahi’s parents told her, “school is your future,” acknowledging the value of education. She feels lucky to have the opportunity to attend college, which her parents weren’t able to do. Anahi overcame adversity with the tragic loss of three family members during high school, but she persevered in her classes. She has been deeply involved in community endeavors, investing at least 700 volunteer hours and fundraising for causes over the past four years. Those groups include Key Club, Children’s Miracle Network and Save the Rain. She also plays tennis, attends Upward Bound, and holds jobs at a law office and restaurant. Anahi plans to attend Santa Rosa Junior College, pursue a degree in administrative justice or business marketing, and seek a career in law. Citing her intelligence, effort and strength, her counselor wrote, “I have not encountered a student able to fight her way out of a challenge and adversity quite like Anahi” and “she will be more than successful in college and beyond.”

    About the California Association of Winegrape Growers Foundation

    The CAWG Foundation is a nonprofit public benefit corporation that awards scholarships to high school seniors whose parent or legal guardian is employed by a California winegrape grower. For more information, visit www.cawgfoundation.org.

  • On World Milk Day, U.S. Dairy Celebrates American Consumers

    National Milk Producers Federation — While no one can say with certainty that the slow re-openings across the U.S. mark the beginning of the end of the COVID-19 crisis, it’s clear these attempts to return to a more normal existence mark the end of the beginning. The world is an experiment, both of science and of societies. Outcomes will remain uncertain for months.

    But data can help draw a few conclusions. One from the consumer sector is that, in times of uncertainty, people turn to the bedrock items that they know will nourish themselves and their families. And dairy is an important choice.

    Retail-sales as reported by consumer market researcher IRI over the past three months show that consumers have reacted to the coronavirus crisis first by stocking up on dairy, then by continuing to buy milk and other products at disproportionately high levels.

    From March 8 to March 22, as stay-at-home orders and business closures proliferated nationwide, dairy products flew from store shelves. Milk sales were 43 percent higher than during the same period a year earlier. Yogurt rose 31 percent. Ice cream sales gained 40 percent and cheese 76 percent. Butter sales more than doubled during the same period. 

    Gains have continued into the “new normal,” and in fact take up more of a consumer’s retail dollar than they did during the panic peak. Retail dairy sales from late March through May 17 remain 25 percent higher than a year ago, while overall grocery sales during that same period are only up 14 percent — meaning that at a time when people are relying more on grocers to fill their needs, they’re relying on dairy significantly more than they are on other products. 

    That vote of consumer trust shows every sign of continuing for the foreseeable future – and that shouldn’t be a surprise, really. When milk is already in 94 percent of U.S. households, it follows that it would be especially important as families choose how to weather a storm. This real-world, real-time affirmation of dairy’s value can’t help but inspire the entire dairy community to keep working and maintain resilience through whatever comes next. Dairy owes a deep debt of gratitude to consumers whose support has helped carry farmers through this crisis. 

    Of course, consumer faith has been only one part of dairy’s story in the past few months. Pre-coronavirus, about half of all dairy sales came from outside the home. Even as retail consumers increased dairy buying, sales to restaurants, schools and cafeterias plunged. That turbulence prompted sharp declines in the USDA’s forecast for milk prices for 2020. That’s been a big reason why federal assistance for dairy farms has been so important.

    But even that story is brightening. A recent price rally is changing the outlook from mortifying to merely difficult – still cold comfort for many producers, but more manageable in a way many wouldn’t have dared to wish for even one month ago. Restaurant sales are slowly returning, and federal aid has provided a meaningful boost to bottom lines, even as signs of stress will still need to be monitored and additional aid will be necessary. 

    The past few months have been difficult for dairy, as it has for everyone. The next few will be as well. But dairy is resilient. Its value to consumers is beyond dispute, and early signs of recovery give reasons for hope. Today is World Milk Day. there remains much to overcome, there is also much to celebrate. Raise a glass. 

  • Protecting American Wheat Fields from Aphids

    Fields of wheat are so associated with the U.S. that they’re featured in the song America the Beautiful as “amber waves of grain.” But those amber fields face a big threat: Russian wheat aphids.

    As their name suggests, these aphids hail from Eurasia. These invasive pests first made their way to Texas in 1986. They’ve since spread to many states and cause billions of dollars of damage to wheat fields. So, crop scientists are desperate to find ways to stop the aphids in their tracks.

    “Our major goal is to find genes connected with the resistance to all Russian wheat aphid types in the U.S. and transfer these genes to best wheat varieties,” says Xiangyang Xu. Xu is a scientist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture who studies these aphids. “When farmers grow these aphid-resistant varieties of wheat, they don’t need to worry about the pest.”

    Unfortunately for farmers, there are at least five major variations of aphids in the U.S. Each type can survive on wheat with different resistance genes.

    Until now, no wheat variety was known that could resist all five types of aphids. That makes genetic resistance the ideal way to protect against the aphids.

    Xu and his team tested over a hundred varieties of wheat to find ones that were resistant to the aphids. The tests included wheat from Afghanistan, Denmark, Iran, Switzerland and the U.S.

    After exposing all wheat varieties to all five types of aphids, researchers observed how much damage the aphids did to the plants. The plants that suffered only minor damage or no damage at all were counted as resistant.

    At the end of the experiment, they found 14 strains of wheat that were able to resist most damage by all five aphid types. The team spotted another nine types of wheat that were able to resist all types of aphids at least some of the time.

    “These wheat varieties are very valuable for breeding durable Russian wheat aphid-resistant wheat cultivars,” says Xu.

    The strongest varieties came from Iran, where both the aphids and wheat are native. That long history of coexistence likely explains why Iranian wheat has developed such strong resistance.

    Now breeders can begin studying how these wheat varieties resist the aphids. And they can use these varieties in breeding programs to provide resistance to American varieties of wheat.

    The aphids feed on the leaves of young wheat plants. This stunts the plant’s growth and can drop yield by up to 60%. Damaged leaves tend to curl around the insects. That curling can protect the aphids from pesticides sprayed on fields. And pesticides are expensive.

    “Pesticides are available to control Russian wheat aphids in the field,” says Xu. “But the considerable costs will significantly reduce farmers’ profit. “

    With these resistant plants identified, the next step is to cross resistant wheat varieties with high performing, but susceptible, varieties.

    “We need to locate the genes first, and then transfer these genes into high-performing wheat varieties in the U.S.,” says Xu.

    The researchers will first find DNA sequences linked with genes creating resistance to track during wheat breeding. Creating new American wheat varieties resistant to all aphid types should take four to five years.

    That will ensure that amber waves of grain stand strong in America for years to come.

    Read more about this research in Crop Science. This work was funded by the United States Department of Agriculture in-house project 3072-21000-009-00D.