California Ag Network

Category: Ag Economics

  • California Strawberry Growers & Farm Workers Pick Safety

     

    Pick Safety is a new effort from the California Strawberry Commission to highlight farmworker safety and industry-leading training and safety practices by emphasizing that everybody is responsible to always pick safety.

    “Our new I Pick Safety logo reminds people to be safe and healthy, and it highlights why this is important,” said Carolyn O’Donnell, communications director of the Commission. “Incorporating the tag line ‘For Me. For All.’ keeps the focus on every person’s role in protecting our families—from kids to seniors, along with the community at large.”

    The Commission is highly respected for its award-winning food safety program, providing train-the-trainer, classroom and in-field training programs, as well as sustainability and a variety of workforce training and safety courses. As soon as the COVID-19 pandemic was identified, the Commission went straight to work, identifying how to keep workers safe and healthy, and working with government and medical experts to provide the best advice available to California strawberry farmers.

    The Commission’s website has become the go-to source for current information on the coronavirus/COVID-19 situation, specifically tailored for farms and farm workers (https://www.calstrawberry.com/en-us/Coronavirus). This website has a series of audio, video, visual aids, guidance, and other resources that are available in English and translated into Spanish and Mixtec to help farm workers stay safe on the job and at home. Many materials are printed and suitable for posting on the ranch.

    Over the past 60 days, the Commission staff has visited nearly every strawberry farm currently operating in California, and provided on-site training, signage and informative materials to keep farm workers healthy, highlighting the Centers for Disease Control guidance on creating a safer work environment, and how to protect oneself through daily activities.

    California’s 400+ family strawberry farms provide over 70,000 well-paying jobs and generate over $3.4 billion of annual economic impact. “Strawberries are one of the most labor-intensive crops, and strawberry farmers are working diligently to protect farm workers while providing a consistent supply of this nutritious fruit to consumers,” said  O’Donnell. “Many strawberry farmers started in the fields planting and picking berries. This gives them a unique perspective and they are very appreciative and protective of their workforce.”  

    The Commission’s efforts include information on increased illness prevention training (at home and work), adopting crew and schedule modifications to implement social distancing during harvest, increasing the amount of hand washing facilities and hand sanitizing stations available in the field, sanitizing field facilities and work stations more frequently and keeping a watchful eye on employee health.

    Strawberry farmers and field supervisors are also working to quickly identify any workers who may be exhibiting illness symptoms and are being trained to help them isolate the individual to avoid spreading the virus to others. In California, most strawberry farm workers have paid sick leave as well as health insurance.

    While COVID-19 presents new challenges, for many years farmers in California have operated under the most stringent standards in the nation, governing field sanitation and worker safety. These existing standards have provided an important basis for the I Pick Safety program as farmers move with expediency to adopt worker protection protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19, maintain the health of our dedicated farm workers and ensure the safety of our food supply. The increased training and attention during this coronavirus pandemic should reassure consumers that wholesome and delicious strawberries will remain available for their families to enjoy.

    About California Strawberries:

    The California Strawberry Commission represents more than 400 strawberry farmers, shippers, and processors, proudly working together to advance strawberry farming for the future of our land and people. Commission programs create opportunities for success through groundbreaking programs focused on workforce training, strawberry production research, and nutrition research. Through science-based information and education, we deliver good news about sustainable farming practices that benefit the health of people, farms, and communities. California Strawberry Commission

  • Tree & Vine Growers Eligible for Ongoing Disaster Assistance for Drought, Wildfire, Etc.

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has started making payments through the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program – Plus (WHIP+) to agricultural producers who suffered eligible losses because of drought or excess moisture in 2018 and 2019. Signup for these causes of loss opened March 23, and producers who suffered losses from drought (in counties designated D3 or above), excess moisture, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, typhoons, volcanic activity, snowstorms or wildfires can still apply for assistance through WHIP+.

    “To date, FSA has received more than 33,000 WHIP+ applications,” said Richard Fordyce, Administrator of USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA). “We want to remind producers that we are still accepting applications for WHIP+, and we encourage producers to call our offices for next steps on how to apply.” 

    To be eligible for WHIP+, producers must have suffered losses of certain crops, trees, bushes or vines in counties with a Presidential Emergency Disaster Declaration or a Secretarial Disaster Designation (primary counties only) for qualifying natural disaster events that occurred in calendar years 2018 or 2019. Also, losses located in a county not designated by the Secretary as a primary county may be eligible if a producer provides documentation showing that the loss was due to a qualifying natural disaster event.

    For losses due to drought, a producer is eligible if any area of the county in which the loss occurred was rated D3, or extreme drought, or higher on the U.S. Drought Monitor during calendar years 2018 or 2019. Producers who suffered losses should contact their FSA county office.

    In addition to the recently added eligible losses of drought and excess moisture, FSA will implement a WHIP+ provision for crop quality loss that resulted in price deductions or penalties when marketing crops damaged by eligible disaster events. To ensure an effective program for all impacted farmers, the Agency is currently gathering information on the extent of quality loss from producers and stakeholder organizations.

     USDA Service Centers, including FSA county offices, are open for business by phone 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 on Service Centers can be found at farmers.gov/coronavirus, and more information on WHIP+ can be found at Remind.

  • American Farmland Trust Farmer Relief Fund Awards 1,000 Farmers $1,000

    American Farmland Trust’s Farmer Relief Fund started sending out $1,000 grant checks to 1,000 farmers across the country as Americans witnessed unprecedented disruptions to the food system. A huge thanks goes out to our donors, members and the host of corporate contributors who stepped up when farmers needed it most. The funds are going to help small to mid-size producers that sell direct to consumers, to food services businesses, or to institutions. All funds raised by AFT are being put in the hands of farmers with no restrictions on use, only that they use the money to support modifications to their business model that will get them through until their normal markets return. 

    Direct-to-consumer farmers have been severely impacted by “social distancing” policies and closures that have kept them from selling to their usual customers and necessitated they make dramatic shifts in the way to they do business to stay afloat. With break downs in the broader systems, we’ve seen these farmers step in to bring eggs, milk, meat and fresh produce to consumers.  But their resources are limited, and often small infusions of cash can make a big difference.

    “We are helping in a small way where the need is huge. We believe that farmers who sell direct to consumers were most immediately impacted when the pandemic set it, with no federal safety net in place,” said John Piotti, AFT president and CEO.   “There’s no question that our farmers and ranchers are struggling, no matter what size operation or what they produce. Challenges with transportation, labor shortages and even COVID-19 among the processing workforce has disrupted Americans’ ability to put food on their tables, especially those that have been or are now food insecure.”

    The range of farmers that will be helped by The Fund is diverse, from farmers that sell specialty produce items tailored to restaurants, to farmers that depend on flower sales for weddings or Community Supported Agriculture memberships to sell their vegetables, small grass-fed beef operations that sell to local butcher shops and farmers that market all kinds of products through farm to school programs.

    On March 27, Billy Salmon, owner of Banks Mountain Beef, had 70 brood cows on 450 acres and over a dozen calves on feed that would have been ready for processing in 30–60 days. Billy direct-markets grass-fed, non-GMO-grain-finished beef to restaurants and butcher shops in Northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. Billy’s sales dropped to zero with the COVID-19 outbreak. “I don’t do this for the money. I do it for the love of farming. That’s what drives most of us,” said Billy. “But this is a tremendous shock. I certainly appreciated hearing from AFT, who I have been working with to implement regenerative farming practices in my beef operation, about the Farmer Relief Fund.”

    Fourth generation farmers Brent and Nicole Coston are the owners and operators of Bearwallow Valley Farm, located between the Smokey and Blue Ridge mountains. The Costons have focused their production on addressing food insecurity, partnering with housing developments to deliver fresh produce and most recently with a local hospital to provide a discounted CSA box to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients. Their CSA offering is their largest source of income. With the onset of the coronavirus, 75% of their shares got canceled. “We were able to recoup some off that by increasing our presence on social media, but not as much as we expected,” said Nicole. Regardless, she maintains a strong faith that her farm and her family will be able to weather this storm. “I know that someway, somehow my family will get fed and this business will continue.”

    Hilltop Community Farm, owned by Erin Schneider and Rob McClure, derives up to 70% of its income from fruit and flower sales for weddings and restaurants. Vanished event and restaurant sales have compelled McClure and Schneider to narrow their market segment to focus on their neighborhood, connecting with individuals and buying clubs that purchase directly from local farms. “We’re all asking questions about how this will play out, but we think we might as well adapt and experiment!” Schneider said. Hilltop has also been working to expand its online presence to offer the experience of a farm without physically being there.

    Alejandra Rodriquez Boughton’s La Flaca Farm grows herbs, chilis, fine greens and edible flowers selling to restaurants across Austin. With the arrival of the COVID-19 virus, her orders dried up overnight just as she was about to ramp up for spring. To keep going, La Flaca is working to make its products available through direct-to-consumer apps and pivoting their crops to meet the needs of their community. “This summer we’re going to try planting peppers, since they’ll be able to grow in the Texas summer heat and drought,” explained Rodriguez Boughton.

    AFT plans to continue fund raising to meet the urgent need to help farmers and to shore up the local and regional food supply.

    Meanwhile, we ask Congress to move fast to provide federal assistance for farmers and ranchers including implementation of the agricultural support provisions of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security, or CARES, Act under which the USDA announced that it will provide $16 billion in direct payments to farmers and ranchers plus an additional $3 billion in purchases of agriculture products including meat, dairy and produce.

     In addition, AFT is working with allied organizations and congressional staff to advocate for additional stimulus to producers that would also support improvements in conservation outcomes and protect the land base, which AFT believes will be vulnerable to development as farmers and ranchers face growing uncertainty about the economy and their future in agriculture.

    American Farmland Trust is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on the land itself, the agricultural practices used on that land, and the farmers and ranchers who do the work. AFT launched the conservation agriculture movement and continues to raise public awareness through our No Farms, No Food message. Since our founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect over 6.5 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally-sound farming practices on millions of additional acres and supported thousands of farm families.

  • 2020 Strawberry Market Outlook with Rabobank

    Strawberry planted acreage in California is up YOY in 2020 from its lowest level in almost 15 years, and increased plantings in the Santa Maria producing region continue. Florida’s acreage remains flat, while strawberry plantings in Mexico continue to expand.

    Updated estimates, based on our proprietary analytical tool, show that weekly strawberry shipments will increase in 2020, especially during California peak season in May and June, bringing prices down in specific weeks, compared to observed prices in 2019. We now include estimates for the organic strawberry market. Higher yields and acreage will boost weekly shipments during spring/summer 2020. Despite general price-pressure, there are market windows with potentially more favorable opportunities in the organic space for cost-competitive firms.


    Impacts from COVID-19 are a mixed-bag for the strawberry industry. Food-service sales are in decline, while retail grocery sales have jumped. Labor availability is being negatively impacted, and remains the biggest issue.

     

    Click here to download the report

  • California Milk Advisory Board’s Elects 2020 Executive Committee

    The California Milk Advisory Board is proud to share its newly elected 2020 Executive Committee officers including: Vice Chairman Tony Louters of Merced, Chairman Josh Zonneveld of Laton, Treasurer David Vander Schaaf of Stockton, Member-at-Large Essie Bootsma of Lakeview, Secretary Megan Silva of Escalon, Member-at-Large Kirsten Areias of Los Banos, and Member-at-Large Renae DeJager of Chowchilla.

    David Vander Schaaf

    David Vander Schaaf is a fourth-generation dairy farmer at Vander Schaaf Dairy, which was established in 1929. David joined the family business in partnership with brothers Joey and James, as well as father John Vander Schaaf in 2013. He is a member of the Milk Producers Council.

    Kirsten Areias

    Kirsten Areias has been a dairy producer since 1980 and currently milks 320 Holsteins with husband Dennis at the 360-acre Den-K Holsteins, Inc. She is a member of a variety of industry groups, including Western United Dairies, serves as an advisor for the California Holstein Association and Merced County Junior Holstein Association, and is a Dairy Bowl Coach.

    Renae DeJager

    Renae DeJager and husband Art are owners of 1500-acre Vista Verde Dairy, which was established in 1977 and where they currently milk 3,200 Holsteins. She is an active member of her community and serves a variety of community groups including California Women for AG, Stone Ridge Christian School Board and Cornerstone Community Church in Chowchilla. She previously served on the board for the U.S. Dairy Export Council and the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board where she traveled extensively to promote dairy in domestic and international markets.

    Essie Bootsma

    Essie Bootsma milks 2,000 Holsteins with her son Jason at the John Bootsma Dairy that she started with her husband, John, in 1979. She is a member of a variety of community groups, including the Western Riverside Ag Coalition, where she serves as secretary, the Eastern Municipal Water District Advisory Committee and the Eastern Municipal Dairy Water Supply, where she serves as chair. She previously served as Secretary to the CMAB’s Executive Committee. In her free time, Essie enjoys representing CMAB in promotional trade shows, spending time with her five grandchildren and cooking for and entertaining family and friends.

    Josh Zonneveld

    Josh Zonneveld and his wife Cassie along with other family members currently milk 8,500 Holsteins at the 7,000-acre Zonneveld Dairies that his grandfather founded in 1968. He joined the family business in 2005. He is a member of the Ag Executive Council for Land O’ Lakes and also serves on the board for the California Dairy Research Foundation.

    Megan Silva

    Megan Silva graduated from Cal Poly in 2006 and is a 4th generation dairy farmer. Megan and husband Johnny Silva, along with her father Frank Rocha, currently milk 2100 Holsteins at the 900-acre Frank N. Rocha Dairy L.P., where she has worked since 2006. Megan and Johnny started their own dairy, R & S Dairy LLC. in May of last year. She is also extremely passionate about the fitness and wellness industries, and shares these passions through her two businesses in Escalon; EscalonFIT and Wellness by EscalonFIT.

    Tony Louters

    Tony Louters and his wife Corinna own T & C Louters Dairy in Merced where they currently milk 600 Holsteins. They have been in business since 2003 and have four children: Alexis, Bryce, Tyler and Breann. Tony is a member of Western United Dairies.

  • USDA Announces $15 Million for Conservation Innovation Grants

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today a $15 million investment to help support the adoption of innovative conservation approaches on agricultural lands. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting proposals through June 29, 2020, for national Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG). CIG projects inspire creative problem-solving solutions that boost production on farms, ranches and private forests and improve natural resources.

    This year’s priorities are water reuse, water quality, air quality, energy and wildlife habitat.

    “Through Conservation Innovation Grants, we’re able to co-invest with partners on the next generation of agricultural conservation solutions,” NRCS Chief Matthew Lohr said. “Conservation Innovation Grants have helped spur new tools and technologies to conserve natural resources, build resilience in producers’ operations and improve their bottom lines. This year will be the first time we are offering water reuse as a priority, and we’re excited to see how these projects play a role in USDA’s broader strategy for water reuse on agricultural land.”

    National CIG

    CIG is a competitive grants program that supports development, testing and research of conservation technologies, practices, systems and approaches on private lands. Grantees must match the CIG investment at least one to one.

    All U.S.-based non-Federal entities and individuals are eligible to apply. Complete funding announcement information can be accessed through the Conservation Innovation Grants webpage.

    The National CIG program supports early pilot projects or demonstrations of promising conservation approaches and is distinct from the $25 million announced on March 12 for On-Farm Conservation Innovation Trials. On-Farm Trials is a separate CIG component created by the 2018 Farm Bill. It includes a Soil Health Demonstration Trial.

    State NRCS CIG

    State NRCS offices are also able to fund and hold their own CIG competitions in addition to the National CIG signup. Please visitNRCS state office websites for information about state CIG competitions.

    More Information

    NRCS’s CIG program is identified in the federal government’s National Water Reuse Action Plan as an opportunity to support development of innovative projects that focus on water reuse on private lands. Read this April 28 post on the USDA Blog for how USDA is working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Interior, Department of Energy and others to promote water reuse across sectors.

    CIG applications must be submitted through Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. EDT on June 29, 2020. A webinar for potential applicants is scheduled for 3 p.m. EDT on May 13, 2020. Information on how to participate in the webinar is posted on the CIG website.

    CIG also contributes to the Agriculture Innovation Agenda: a USDA initiative to align resources, programs, and research to position American agriculture to better meet future global demands. Specifically, USDA is working to stimulate innovation so that American agriculture can achieve the goal of increasing production by 40 percent while cutting the environmental footprint of U.S. agriculture in half by 2050.

    For more information on CIG, visit nrcs.usda.gov or contact your local NRCS field office .

  • First-Ever National Report on Non-Operator Landowners

    Providing pathways to engaging landowners who rent their land — representing around 40% of U.S. agricultural acres — and to scaling up regenerative practices for improved conservation and farm productivity outcomes  

    Today, American Farmland Trust, the organization behind the national movement No Farms No Food® and the Women for the Land initiative, released “Understanding and Activating Non-Operator Landowners: Non-Operator Landowner Survey,” clearing up misconceptions and identifying opportunities to advance conservation on agricultural lands owned by those who do not farm it. The survey focused on individually or partnership owned lands, not institutions or trusts.  

    Around 40% of farmland in the U.S. is rented, in some U.S. counties that number is nearing 80%, and over a third of this land is owned by women. To date, we don’t know that much about how these rented lands are integrated into farmer conservation strategies; however, we know that rented land is less likely to be managed with conservation goals in mind.  Farmers have been reluctant or had difficulty communicating with landowners either because of distance, or because they are held back by their perception — proved unfounded by this survey — that landowners only care about rental payments, not long-term stewardship of the land. What’s more, farm leases are typically verbal and only run for one year, making certain kinds of conservation investments risky.  

    Landowners on the other hand, are often not aware of available conservation programs and are unsure about broaching the topic with their farmers, particularly if they lack on-farm knowledge and experience, which we found is more common when the landowner is a woman.  

    “AFT’s survey revealed a clear communications gap between renters and landowners.  Unfortunately, this communications gap is more about misconception and lack of knowledge than reluctance to implement conservation,” said Dr. Gabrielle Roesch-McNally, AFT Women for the Land director.  

    She continued, “We learned that we have an opportunity to better communicate with landowners and farmers via separate programming as well as by bringing them together to achieve mutually agreed upon conservation goals for the land, which can be facilitated by written leases that have longer terms and are supported by available government funds and collaborative investment for the long-term good of the land.” 

    The survey results provide some of the most comprehensive information we have on women and men NOLs across a diverse geography of landownership in the United States and will help AFT and others identify areas for future work and reinforce the importance of current work: furthering regenerative farming practices, farmland preservation and improved conservation outcomes on the landscape.  

    Our report challenged two commonly held ideas about NOLS; that they only care about the financial bottom line and that they don’t really care about the land. Our study simply doesn’t find this to be true. They do care about conservation, even if they don’t know as much about it or are not as connected to resources that would enable them to get more support to facilitate conservation. They also deeply care about stewarding the land for future generations and are thinking about farmland preservation.  

    We found a few other surprising things from this work, including:   

    • The gender of NOLS matters but perhaps not in the ways we thought. It’s not that women care more for the land. In fact, as many men NOLS indicated a strong desire to steward and protect the land. 
    • Many respondents do not have a succession plan for the land, leaving uncertainty about what will happen to the land in the future.  
    • NOLs are supportive of their renters taking conservation-oriented action on the land and are willing to support them via several formal mechanisms (e.g., lease changes, cost-share, etc.).  

    The report’s call to action includes five key actions to guide future outreach and engagement with NOLS: 

    1. Cultivate greater awareness among NOLs regarding government conservation programs. 
    2. Amplify NOLs’ willingness to support their operators with conservation practices on the land, but there are nuances. 
    3. Reach out to female, and male, NOLs to improve outcomes on rented land. 
    4. Engage NOLs to cultivate greater opportunities to strengthen their ties to farming, the land and community. 
    5. Emphasize the need for succession planning among aging NOLs. 

    The full report was proceeded in late 2019 by fact sheets providing state-specific outcomes and strategies for all 11 states we surveyed. These fact sheets can be found in the NOL resource bank. Other resources can be found on the Farmland Information Center for NOLs and farmers who rent land.    

    “Understanding and Activating Non-Operator Landowners” will guide several critical AFT programs — AFT’s Women for the Land initiative that works with women non-operating landowners and farmers via women-centered learning circles to increase knowledge on conservation, climate resilience, and farmland succession planning; AFT’s Great Lakes Protection Fund,  a pilot program to engage women landowners, operators, and agricultural retailers to achieve measurable conservation outcomes in the Great Lakes region to reduce run off and improve soil health; and AFT’s leadership in working with landowners to develop succession plans through our Farmland Legacy program, work designed to address the great transition of land coming in the next 15 years as 371 million acres of American farmland will change hands as senior farmers retire.

    American Farmland Trust is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on the land itself, the agricultural practices used on that land, and the farmers and ranchers who do the work. AFT launched the conservation agriculture movement and continues to raise public awareness through our No Farms, No Food message. Since our founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect over 6.5 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally-sound farming practices on a half million additional acres and supported thousands of farm families.

  • USDA COVID-19 Food Assistance Program to Support Farmers

    Summary

    By Schramm, Williams & Associates, Inc. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the $19 billion Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) to support farmers and ranchers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This program is comprised of two major elements: direct payments to farmers and ranchers and commodity purchase and distribution.

    • Direct Payments Program – Provides $16 billion in direct support based on actual losses for agricultural producers where prices and market supply chains have been impacted and will assist producers with additional adjustment and marketing costs resulting from lost demand and short-term oversupply for the 2020 marketing year caused by COVID-19.
    • Purchase and Distribution Program – $3 billion of agricultural products, including meat, dairy, and produce will be purchased to support producers and provided food to those in need. USDA will work with local food and regional distributors to deliver food to food banks, as well as community and faith-based organization to provide food to those in need.

    CFAP uses funding authorities provided in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), USDA’s existing CCC funding, and Section 32 authority.

    Direct Assistance Program

    Source of Funds

    This program is funded using the $9.5 billion emergency program secured in the CARES Act and $6.5 billion in Credit Commodity Corporation (CCC) funding.

    Payment Allocations

    USDA will provide $16 billion in direct payments to farmers and ranchers including:

    • $2.1 billion for specialty crops producers
    • $500 million for others crops

    Payment Calculations

    Producers will receive a single payment determined using two calculations:

    1. Price losses that occurred January 1 – April 15, 2020.
    2. Producers will be compensated for 85% of price loss during that period.
    3. The expected losses from April 15 through the next two quarters.
    4. Will cover 30% of expected losses.

    Limitations

    • The payment limit is $125,000 per commodity with an overall limit of $250,000 per individual or entity.
    • Qualified commodities must have experienced a 5% price decrease between January and April.

    Expected Timeframe

    Program Sign-up: Beginning in Early May

    Payment Distribution: End of May or early June

    Food Purchase and Distribution Program

    Commodity Procurement

    It will begin with the procurement of an estimated:

    • $100 million per month in fresh fruits and vegetables;
    • $100 million per month in a variety of dairy products;
    • $100 million per month in meat products.

    Distribution

    The distributors and wholesalers will provide a pre-approved box of fresh produce, dairy, and meat products to food banks, community and faith-based organizations, and other non-profits serving Americans in need.

    Additional Food Purchasing

    In addition to the two targeted programs, USDA will utilize other available funding sources to purchase and distribute food to those in need.

    • USDA has up to an additional $873.3 million available in Section 32 funding to purchase a variety of agricultural products for distribution to food banks. The use of these funds will be determined by industry requests, USDA agricultural market analysis, and food bank needs.
    • The FFCRA and CARES Act provided an at least $850 million for food bank administrative costs and USDA food purchases, of which a minimum of $600 million will be designated for food purchases. The use of these funds will be determined by food bank need and product availability.

     

    Further details regarding eligibility, rates, and other implementation will be released at a later date.

  • USDA California Crop Weather Report

    WEATHER

    Temperature highs ranged from the mid 40s to low 70s in the mountains, low 60s to low 80s along the coast, low 60s to mid 80s in the valley, and low 60s to high eighties in the desert.  Temperature lows ranged from the mid 10s to high 40s in the mountains, mid 30s to mid 50s along the coast, low 30s to mid 60s in the desert, and low 40s to mid 60s in the valley.

     

    FIELD CROPS

     In Tulare County, winter grain plants were in different stages of growth, with most wheat, oats and barley coming close to maturity.  Some wheat, oats, and barley fields were being treated for weed control.  With the added rain, alfalfa continued to thrive and was growing well.  Corn was being planted.  Safflower planting was finished with most emerged.  Due to cold weather, cotton planting was behind schedule.  Rice ground preparation was ahead of schedule with ground work done in the Sacramento Valley.

     

    FRUIT CROPS

     Stone fruit orchards continued to near the end of bloom and immature stone fruit was steadily developing. Nectarines, peaches, and plumscontinued to size as expected. Cherry and pear fruit were sizing also, but still in the immature stages of growth. Pomegranates, persimmons, and grapes continued to leaf out, with warm weather boosting grape vine budding. Lemon and grapefruit harvest continued. Navel oranges, tangelo, and mandarin harvest progressed well. Tangerine groves continued to be covered with netting to prevent pollination by bees during the bloom period.

     

    NUT CROPS

    Almond development was ongoing, with a few areas predicting a more than favorable crop. Walnuts continued to awaken from winter dormancy. Pistachio leaf out remained steady with no reported issues.

     

    VEGETABLE CROPS

    Summer vegetable fields were prepared for planting.  Processing and fresh tomatoes were showing good growth.  Artichokes were harvested in San Mateo County.  Onion, garlic and parsley fields were growing well in Fresno County. Tulare County reported summer vegetables developed well with warm temperatures and adequate rains.  Strawberries were produced and grew well. Garlic, onions and peas did well under mulch.

     

    LIVESTOCK

     Recent precipitation and the week’s warming temperatures promoted range development. Rangeland and non-irrigated pasture were reported to be in good condition. Movement of cattle to spring pasture began. Some bee hives were moved to citrus orchards and to the foothills.

  • Almond Orchard Recycling a Climate-Smart Strategy

    Recycling trees onsite can sequester carbon, save water and increase crop yields, making it a climate-smart practice for California’s irrigated almond orchards, finds a study from the University of California, Davis.

    Whole orchard recycling is when old orchard trees are ground, chipped and turned back into the soil before new almond trees are planted.

    The study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, suggests that whole orchard recycling can help almond orchards be more sustainable and resilient to drought while also increasing carbon storage in the soil.

    “To me what was really impressive was the water piece,” said corresponding author Amélie Gaudin, an associate professor of agroecology in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences. “Water is central to how we think about agriculture in California. This is a clear example of capitalizing on soil health. Here we see some real benefits for water conservation and for growers.”

    Burn vs. turn

    Drought and high almond prices have encouraged higher rates of orchard turnover in recent years. The previous practice of burning trees that are no longer productive is now restricted under air quality regulations, so whole orchard recycling presents an alternative. But how sustainable and effective is it for the environment and for farmers?

    For the study, scientists measured soil health and tree productivity of an almond orchard that turned previous Prunus woody biomass back into the soil through whole orchard recycling and compared it with an orchard that burned its old trees nine years prior. 

    They also experimentally reduced an orchard’s irrigation by 20 percent to quantify its water resilience.

    Their results found that, compared with burn treatments, whole orchard recycling can:

    • Sequester 5 tons of carbon per hectare
    • Increase water-use efficiency by 20 percent 
    • Increase crop yields by 19 percent


    “This seems to be a practice that can mitigate climate change by building the soil’s potential to be a carbon sink, while also building nutrients and water retention,” said Gaudin. “That can be especially important as water becomes more limited.”

    Study co-authors included Emad Jahanzad and Kelsey Brewer of UC Davis; Brent Holtz, Sean Hogan and Cameron Zuber of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources’ Cooperative Extension; and David Doll, who was formerly with UC Cooperative Extension.

    The study was funded by a Specialty Crop Block Grant Program of the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the Almond Board of California. — By Kat Kerlin, News and Media Relations, 530-752-7704, kekerlin@ucdavis.edu