California Ag Network

Category: Ag Economics

  • Nationwide Partnership Advances Regenerative Agriculture in Cotton

    Opportunities to advance sustainable cotton farming in the United States are growing thanks to a nationwide partnership led by the Soil Health Institute’s United States Regenerative Cotton Fund (USRCF).

    The fund’s holistic approach to advance economic insights, soil health measurement, and education has made significant progress in the U.S. Cotton Belt since its establishment, engaging more than 1,000 cotton farmers and their advisors. Its efforts support adoption of management systems to improve soil health, the foundation for regenerative agriculture.

    “The soil health benchmarks SHI is providing are a great way to help farmers set realistic soil health goals and measure their success,” said fifth-generation cotton farmer Zeb Winslow, who hosted a recent USRCF field demonstration at his farm in North Carolina. “Reaching farmers where they’re at is important if we’re going to continue the soil health movement.”

    Launched in 2021, USRCF is a farmer-facing, science-based initiative to support long-term, sustainable U.S. cotton production, with the goal of eliminating one million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent from the atmosphere by 2026. Active in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas, the fund’s work is made possible by boots-on-the ground partnerships with U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, Cotton Incorporated, agricultural extension, local technical specialists, advisors, and cotton farmers.

    Notable successes include:

    • Economic Insights: By assessing 19 farms representing 108,000 acres in Texas, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina, researchers found farms implementing soil health management systems reduced production costs by an average of $53 per acre, increasing net farm income by an average of $150 per acre in their cotton rotations.
    • Soil Health Measurements: Benchmarks established on more than 2 million acres in Texas and Arkansas provide personalized soil health reports to farmers, describing the health of their soils, opportunities for improvement, and implications for carbon and water storage. These benchmarks can empower farmers and advisors to set science- and place-based soil health goals for their farms.
    • Experiential Learning for a Resilient Future: Eleven interns from Historically Black Colleges and Universities received first-hand experience translating science into action.
    • Farmer Education: USRCF organized over 25 field demonstrations and workshops led by SHI educators, farmer mentors, and technical specialists, tapping into trusted networks of local peers to help more than 1,300 farmers and advisors across seven states to improve soil health.

    The USRCF was initiated through a founding grant from The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation. Walmart Foundation, The VF Foundation, Levi Strauss & Co., Hearst Foundations, and Cotton Incorporated are also supporters of the fund.

    For more information about the U.S. Regenerative Cotton Fund, please visit https://soilhealthinstitute.org/our-work/initiatives/us-regenerative-cotton-fund.

    About the Soil Health Institute 

    The Soil Health Institute is a global non-profit with a mission of safeguarding and enhancing the vitality and productivity of soils through scientific research and advancement. Our vision is a world where farmers and ranchers grow quality food, fiber, and fuel using soil health systems that sustain farms and rural communities, promote a stable climate and clean environment, and improve human health and well-being. By bringing together leaders in science and industry, SHI conducts research and empowers farmers and landowners to adopt soil health systems that contribute economic and environmental benefits to agriculture and society. Find out more at www.soilhealthinstitute.org or on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

    About The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation 

    The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation works to make the dream of a better life reality by championing equity and empowering underserved communities around the world. Established in 2001, The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation is committed to making a difference across its core areas of focus: supporting cancer care and prevention, protecting the environment, fostering advocacy & access and strengthening community resilience. It hopes to deliver meaningful change in its communities through its nonprofit collaborations, grant funding and volunteering programs. For more information, please visit: https://corporate.ralphlauren.com/Foundation.

    About Philanthropy at Walmart 

    Walmart.org represents the philanthropic efforts of Walmart and the Walmart Foundation. By focusing where the business has unique strengths, Walmart.orgworks to tackle key social and environmental issues and collaborate with others to spark long-lasting systemic change. Walmart has stores in 24 countries, employs more than 2 million associates and does business with thousands of suppliers who, in turn, employ millions of people. Walmart.org is helping people live better by supporting programs to accelerate upward job mobility for frontline workers, advance equity, address hunger, build inclusive economic opportunity for people in supply chains, protect and restore nature, reduce waste and emissions, and build strong communities where Walmart operates. To learn more, visit www.walmart.org or connect on Twitter @Walmartorg.

    About The VF Foundation 

    The VF Foundation, the philanthropic grantmaking arm of VF Corporation, one of the world’s largest active-lifestyle companies with a portfolio of iconic brands including Vans®, The North Face®, Timberland® and Dickies®, strives to innovate and problem solve to create a more active, equitable and sustainable world. Since its inception, The VF Foundation has granted more than $70 million globally to improve the communities where VF operates. For more information, please visit vfc.com.

    About Levi Strauss & Co. 

    Levi Strauss & Co. is one of the world’s largest brand-name apparel companies and a global leader in jeanswear. The company designs and markets jeans, casual wear and related accessories for men, women and children under the Levi’s®, Dockers®, Signature by Levi Strauss & Co.™, Denizen® and Beyond Yoga® brands. Its products are sold in more than 110 countries worldwide through a combination of chain retailers, department stores, online sites, and a global footprint of approximately 3,200 brand-dedicated stores and shop-in-shops. Levi Strauss & Co.’s reported 2023 net revenues were $6.2 billion. For more information, go to http://levistrauss.com, and for financial news and announcements go to http://investors.levistrauss.com.

    About Hearst Foundations 

    The Hearst Foundations are national philanthropic resources supporting the fields of culture, education, health and social services. The Hearst Foundations endeavor to ensure that people of all backgrounds in the United States have the opportunity to build healthy, productive and inspiring lives.

    About Cotton Incorporated 

    Cotton Incorporated is a research and promotion company for upland cotton. Funded by U.S. cotton growers and importers of Upland cotton-containing products, the not-for-profit organization’s mission is to increase the demand for and profitability of cotton. As a resource for the cotton industry, Cotton Incorporated conducts or oversees more than 450 research and educational projects in an average year. To learn more about cotton and sustainability, visit CottonToday.com and follow along on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

  • Mike VanMaanen Elected President of Livestock Marketing Association

    Mike VanMaanen married into a family of Livestock Marketing Association members in the 1980s, but never dreamed he’d one day lead the organization. Even though he immediately recognized the benefits of membership, he thought he was too busy to get involved or since his niche market wasn’t nationally known, he didn’t have a place. Soon enough, VanMaanen learned he was wrong on both accounts, and May 17, he was elected president.

    VanMaanen, who grew up on a corn, soybean and hog farm in Iowa, attended Missouri Western State University, where he graduated with degrees in agricultural economics and agronomy. It was there he met Lori Angell, a third-generation livestock marketer. The two married soon after graduation and joined her family’s auction market business in Columbia, Missouri, and bought into it in 1990. In 2000, the couple, along with two of her cousins, took over Eastern Missouri Commission Co., in Bowling Green. Last year, they became sole owners.

    The World Livestock Auctioneer Championship was VanMaanen’s gateway to Livestock Marketing Association leadership, first serving as a judge in the Parsons, Kansas, qualifier in the fall of 2009 and at the finals in Oklahoma City the following summer. He joined the association’s government and industry affairs committee in 2014 and the board of directors in 2016. During his tenure on the board, he also chaired the membership services committee for two years. He said his time on the board has had many highlights, and he looks forward to what’s to come.

    “I’ve had the opportunity to testify in front of the House Committee on Transportation, I worked alongside many others to get Dealer Statutory Trust signed into law and was a part of the producer profitability initiative we launched last fall,” VanMaanen said. “I’m extremely proud of the work LMA has done and look forward to continuing it.”

    VanMaanen will take over the reins from Mark Barnett during the association’s annual convention in June. First up on his agenda? Having deep discussions with members and staff about how to protect the livestock auction market sector.

    “We’re going to take a look at what it takes not only for the larger markets to survive, but what it takes for those small markets that are so important in their rural communities, to keep them alive and going,” VanMaanen said.

    But the conversation won’t just be about markets. He said Livestock Marketing Association members will continue to push their producer profitability initiative, aimed at bringing the entire industry together for a common goal.

    “By supporting America’s farmers and ranchers, we are supporting the future of livestock marketing, too,” VanMaanen said. “We know producer profitability is industry sustainability.”

    The incoming president said he hopes all members will take the opportunity to get more involved this year, whether that means attending the convention, participating in the D.C. Fly-In, joining a committee — or even just staying in touch with their region executive officer.

    “I think when people start getting involved, they find it really rewarding,” he said. “And you don’t have to be a big operator — I’m a good example of that. You just have to want to pitch in and do some work to improve your livelihood. If you can stay active and participate in conversations, we’d love to have you.”

    About the Livestock Marketing Association

    The Livestock Marketing Association (LMA), headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, is North America’s leading, national trade association dedicated to serving its members in the open and competitive auction method of marketing livestock. Founded in 1947, LMA has more than 800 member businesses across the U.S. and Canada and remains invested in both the livestock and livestock marketing industries through member support, education programs, policy representation and communication efforts.

  • Global Alcohol Beverage Consumption Drops, Impacting California Wine Industry

    Wine grape growers may have difficulty finding a home for their crop this season due to a global decline in consumer demand for wine and alcoholic beverages overall.  Watch this brief interview with Danny Brager of Brager Beverage Alcohol Consulting to learn more.

  • 5-Year Pistachio Crop Forecast Reveals Tremendous Growth

    At American Pistachio Growers annual Pistachio Industry Conference this year, Bob Klein, Manager of the California Pistachio Research Board, gave his final presentation before retiring with a five-year California pistachio crop-yield forecast.  The numbers were stunning with the tremendous growth of the industry and pistachio acreage expected to begin bearing. Pacific Nut Producer Editor Matthew Malcolm met with Bob to better understand the analytics and what the industry can expect for 2024 and beyond. Watch this brief interview and read more about it in the May issue of Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

  • Valadao Calls on Newsom to Suspend Gas Tax Increase

    Congressman David G. Valadao (CA-22) led the entire California Republican congressional delegation in urging Governor Gavin Newsom to suspend the state’s upcoming gas tax increase on July 1, 2024. According to Triple A, the national average price for a gallon of gas is $3.60, but in California, the average price is $5.13 per gallon.

    “Governor Newsom has failed to provide relief at the pump for hard-working Californians struggling with rising costs,” said Congressman Valadao. “My constituents are already paying the highest gas prices in the country, and the fact that our prices are about to go up even more because of the state’s policies is unacceptable. I am once again urging the Governor to suspend the gas tax to lower prices for Central Valley families.”

    For the last two years, Rep. Valadao has led efforts to suspend the annual July 1st gas tax increase to provide much-needed relief to middle class California families struggling with inflation. The lawmakers also raised their concerns over a recent report from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) that signals gas prices are expected to rise by 47 cents per gallon in 2025 due to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard reforms.

    Congressman Valadao was joined in the letter by Reps. Ken Calvert (CA-41), Kevin Kiley (CA-03), Young Kim (CA-40), Doug LaMalfa (CA-01), Tom McClintock (CA-05), Jay Obernolte (CA-23), Michelle Steel (CA-45), John Duarte (CA-13), Mike Garcia (CA- 27), and Darrell Issa (CA-48).

    Read the full text of the letter here or below:

    Dear Governor Newsom,

    We are extremely concerned with two upcoming gas price increases that will impact all Californians. In September 2023, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) reported that gas prices are expected to rise by 47 cents per gallon next year due to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard reforms. This increase does not include the existing gas tax, which is expected to increase gas prices by nearly 60 cents on July 1st. Together, this more than one dollar increase will come at a time when the people of California are already grappling with the high cost of living in our state.

    For the past two years, we have urged you to suspend the gas tax, given the ongoing challenges faced by Californians that are forced to choose between filling their gas tanks and putting food on the table. Our concerns have continued to be ignored while Californians suffer the consequences. According to AAA’s state gas price averages, California leads the nation in gas prices at $5.26 per gallon for regular gas, which is already 45 cents higher than the next closest state. Adding another dollar to these already exorbitant prices will be disastrous for California residents.

    With the cost of goods continuing to rise across the board, we must act now to pursue all avenues of relief for California families. We urge you to immediately suspend increases to California’s excise tax on gasoline and to work with CARB to ensure that Californians do not suffer unnecessarily.

  • CA Walnut Commission Celebrates USDA’s Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP) Awards

    The California Walnut Commission (CWC), representing more than 4,600 California walnut growers, mostly multi-generational family farms, and nearly 70 handlers, is pleased to announce it has been awarded $7 million in funding as part of the Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP) to expand distribution and sales of California Walnuts in international markets.

    The CWC thanks Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Foreign Agricultural Service for enactingthe Regional Agricultural Promotion Program and recent award announcements to help support the expansion of California Walnuts and other US commodity exports into emerging markets. This additional funding will allow the industry to expand programs into new markets as well as boost activities in existing strategic export markets, with the goal of increasing distribution and driving sales of high-quality California walnuts globally.

    RAPP funding will enhance the Commission’s work by expanding market access in new opportunity markets, in conjunction with driving sales of California walnuts in international markets currently funded through the Market Access Program (MAP). The CWC plans to attain success by leveraging the combined funding to conduct similar programs and activities as it was able to achieve in the United Kingdom (UK) utilizing the one-time Agricultural Trade Promotion Program (ATP) funds. In the UK, the industry was able to build programs that drove additional displays and distribution, resulting in increased retail sales and growing California walnut shipments +65% since 2018. The UK is now a top ten export market.

    “Funding from the Market Access Program has been essential to our success over the years, and the introduction of RAPP funds will provide additional opportunities to drive new distribution and grow sales for California walnuts in even more new and exciting ways” said Robert Verloop, CEO for California Walnut Commission. “We’re eager for the opportunity of RAPP to expand sales of and expand market access for California walnuts.”

    About the California Walnut Commission

    The California Walnut Commission (CWC) represents more than 4,600 California walnut growers and nearly 70 handlers, grown in multi-generational farmers’ family orchards. California walnuts, known for their excellent nutritional value and quality, are shipped around the world all year long, with more than 99% of the walnuts grown in the United States being from California. The CWC, established in 1987, promotes usage of walnuts through domestic and export market development activities as well as supports health research with consuming walnuts.

    To explore recipes and learn more about California walnut growers, industry information and health research, visit walnuts.org

  • New UC Study Estimates Costs for Growing Coastal Organic Strawberries

    A new study that can help growers and other readers estimate costs and potential returns for Central Coast organic strawberries was recently released by UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, UC Cooperative Extension and the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.

    Organic strawberries represent approximately 13% of all strawberries produced along the Central Coast.

    “This study provides growers with a baseline to estimate their own costs, which can help when applying for production loans, projecting labor costs, securing market arrangements, or understanding costs associated with water and nutrient management and regulatory programs,” said Brittney Goodrich, UC Cooperative Extension specialist and study co-author.

    The cost study models a management scenario for a 30-acre farm, 27 acres of which are planted to organic strawberries.  The remaining acres are for the irrigation system, roads, and buildings.  The study describes the cultural practices used in organic strawberry production and harvest, including land preparation, soil fertility and pest management, irrigation and labor needs.

    The 20-page study shows costs for each operation, material inputs and costs, and cash and non-cash overhead costs in a variety of formats for one production and harvest cycle.  A ranging analysis is also included and shows potential profits or losses over a range of prices and yields.

    The new study, “2024 Sample Costs to Produce and Harvest Organic Strawberries,” can be downloaded from the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics website at https://coststudies.ucdavis.edu.

    For a detailed explanation of the assumptions and calculations used to estimate the costs and potential returns for each crop, readers can refer to the narrative portion of each study.

    Sample cost of production studies for many other commodities grown in California are also available at https://coststudies.ucdavis.edu.

    For more information about the organic strawberry cost study, contact Mark Bolda, University of California Cooperative Extension farm advisor, at mpbolda@ucanr.edu or Jeremy Murdock in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at jmmurdock@ucdavis.edu.

    UC Agriculture and Natural Resources brings UC information and practices to all 58 California counties. Through research and Cooperative Extension in agriculture, natural resources, economic growth, nutrition and youth development, our mission is to improve the lives of all Californians. Learn more at ucanr.edu and support our work at donate.ucanr.edu.

  • Weed Control During Pollinator Habitat Establishment

    Pollinator insects are essential to produce many economically and nutritionally important crops grown in the western USA. These crops include blueberries, almonds, sunflowers, cucurbits, and many others. Almond pollination in California plays a vital role in the apiary industry, driving beekeepers to haul huge numbers of bee colonies to California for the few weeks in late winter when almonds bloom. Bees are selective of the pollen and nectar they forage, and diverse floral resources can allow bees to forage according to their nutritional needs (Leponiemi et al. 2023). Planting pollinator habitat in natural areas, gardens, and agricultural land is one method of supporting bee health. Irrigated agricultural land in the western USA can be an excellent resource for bees during the dry summer when flowers are rarer. However, the resident weeds in these settings are often not of high nutritional quality for hungry pollinators. To make matters worse, pollinator habitat in agricultural fields can be choked out by competition from weeds. Our control plots from these studies (Figure 1) demonstrate that point effectively.

    Objective:

    The studies described here attempt to use herbicides to improve the chances for success in pollinator habitat establishment.

    Methods:

    Three locations in Oregon’s Willamette Valley were selected for studies. Two were hazelnut orchards watered with drip irrigation, and one was a field plot set up for sprinkler irrigation. Each location received different soil preparation. The first orchard location (Corvallis) was not tilled, and soil compaction issues were present. The second orchard location (Amity) was power-harrowed, so the top two inches of soil were loosened. The third location (Lewis-Brown Research Farm) was plowed and disked.

    All three locations were seeded in the fall with a set of flowering species with potential for pollinator habitat (Table 1).

    Table 1: Species and seeding rates used for pollinator habitat establishment in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

    These species were planted in rows, and herbicide treatments were applied over the top perpendicular to planting rows (Table 2). Four herbicides were applied post-emergence, and the rest were applied one day after planting (pre-emergence). Glyphosate treatments were only included in the orchard trials. Experimental plots were set up as a randomized complete block design with four replicates, and each species was treated as a separate experiment. A crop oil concentrate at 1% v/v was included for Motiff (mesotrione) and Basagran (bentazon), while a nonionic surfactant at 0.25% was included for Matrix (rimsulfuron) and Quinstar 4L (quinclorac). All post-emergent treatments (and glyphosate) included ammonium sulfate (AMsol 1% v/v).

    Table 2: Trade name, active ingredient, and rate of herbicides applied to pollinator habitat species. Pre-emergent herbicides were applied at planting, and post-emergent herbicides were applied 30 days after crop emergence.

    In Amity, competition from perennial grasses resulted in poor stand establishment. A grass-selective herbicide (clethodim) was used, and the site was reseeded six months after the initial planting when soil conditions were appropriate.

    Results and discussion:

    Site differences.

    Drastic differences were seen between sites. Table 3 shows how crop coverage differed between the three sites for each species.

    Coverage at the Corvallis site was deficient for all species except hairy vetch.

    Several species did very well at the Amity location. Phacelia in the glyphosate plots was exceptionally well established due to glyphosate’s good control of perennial grasses that were not killed by the power harrow.

    Lewis-Brown (LB) plots had the best crop establishment initially. However, this location had intense pressure from perennial weeds, so the initial crop establishment did not translate to superior pollinator habitat. The plots at LB where Alion was applied produced a good stand of Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) by the end of the trial, which the bees loved.

    Table 3: Crop Coverage for each species at each location is shown here. The values reported are from the treated plots with the highest coverage.

    Pre-emergent treatments

    Pre-emergent herbicides often had inconsistent pollinator species safety; however, several combinations seemed safe. Napropamide was safe for Phacelia, Gilia, Clarkia, and Lobularia, while flumioxazin and pendimethalin were safe for poppy (Table 5). All five species only had adequate crop establishment at two of the three locations. Hairy vetch establishment was improved by simazine applications at all three locations, but crop coverage was not significantly different from the untreated control for this species (Table 5). Figure 2 shows the treatment by species combinations that were sometimes safe versus the combinations that were consistently safe for the planted species.

    At the two orchard sites, glyphosate treatments were the best for Gilia, Phacelia, and poppy establishment (Table 5).

    All three trials were conducted on fine soils with organic matter content ranging from 2-7% (USDA-NCSS soil survey). The safety of pre-emergent herbicides for pollinator species establishment may vary depending on soil characteristics.

    Post-emergent treatments

    Post-emergent (POST) applications were challenging to evaluate for safety. Weed control efficacy was inadequate, and so often, crop establishment was not good enough to confidently assess crop injury.

    One exception was hairy vetch. This species exhibited good tolerance to a post-emergent application of Basagran, a result seen at all three locations. The results from two trials suggest that Clarkia tolerated POST applications of Quinstar. Not enough data were collected to conclude the other four species. See Table 4 for crop coverage data.

    Conclusions

    Site preparation was an essential consideration in our study. Soil compaction and perennial weed pressure must be addressed to have a successful pollinator habitat planting. It was also clear that pre-emergent herbicides can improve habitat establishment, but safety must be adequately established. This is especially true of different soil types and environments. In California’s Central Valley, pendimethalin has been seen to occasionally cause injury in poppy plantings, which is in contrast with this study. — By Marcelo Moretti (Oregon State University) and Ryan Hill (UC Cooperative Extension)

    Table 4: Spring crop coverage (%) from plots treated with post-emergent herbicides one month after planting, which happened the prior October. Missing data from Phacelia and Lobularia at LB is due to crop loss from frost injury.

    Table 5: Spring crop coverage for pre-emergent herbicide treatments applied just after planting, which happened the prior October. Phacelia and Lobularia experienced winter kill at the LB location, so reported data is coverage from December for that location.

    Figure 2: Crop coverage pictures from two months after planting the Lewis-Brown research farm show that the planted species (rows) tolerated several pre-emergent herbicides (columns). A black outline surrounds successful combinations seen in at least one of the other two trials. Combinations that were never seen to be successful again are surrounded by a red outline.

    References:

    Leponiemi, M., Freitak, D., Moreno-Torres, M. et al. (2023). Honeybees’ foraging choices for nectar and pollen revealed by DNA metabarcoding. Sci Rep 13, 14753. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-42102-4

    Soil Survey Staff, Natural Resources Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Web Soil Survey. Available online at the following link: http://websoilsurvey.sc.egov.usda.gov/.

  • Organic Trade Association Awarded $2.5 Million to Open Untapped Export Markets

    The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is pleased to announce it has been awarded $2.5 million to open and develop untapped export markets for U.S. organic products through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s new Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP).

    The award will help fund market development activities over a 5-year period from June 1, 2024, to September 30, 2029. The activities will focus on boosting U.S. organic exports to Southeast Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean — areas beyond the U.S.’s traditional top customers of Canada, Mexico, the European Union and China.

    “Consumer and trade promotional activities historically funded by USDA’s Market Access Program (MAP) and Agricultural Trade Promotion (ATP) program have been key to opening foreign markets to U.S. organic exports and creating trust in the USDA Organic seal globally. With the allocation of $2.5 million from RAPP funding, the trade association is excited to further develop and expand our global consumer and trade promotional activities,” said Sarah Gorman, Manager of International Trade for OTA.

    Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced this week the first $300 million tranche of the RAPP awards. In a press call with Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Vilsack said the investment underscores USDA’s commitment to addressing challenges related to creating new and better markets for American farmers.

    “Given the rising demand for organic products globally, and especially in Latin America and Southeast Asia, this additional funding offers a significant opportunity for U.S. organic exporters to explore and enter developing markets, driving growth for American organic farmers and industry while contributing to healthier, more sustainable food systems in the region,” said Tom Chapman, co-CEO for the trade association.

    USDA launched the $1.2 billion RAPP in 2023 in response to a bipartisan request from the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee. RAPP’s aim is to diversify and expand market opportunities for U.S. food and agricultural products into new markets in parts of the world where the middle class is growing and the desire for high-quality food and farm products is increasing.

    OTA market development activities will include designing consumer-focused retail and educational campaigns that highlight the health benefits of organic foods and the quality of USDA-certified organic products, participating in trade shows and organizing trade missions in the targeted countries, and conducting market research to fully understand the preferences of consumers and better position U.S. organic for success in those markets.

    OTA has represented the U.S. organic sector in USDA’s market development programs for more than 20 years, most recently receiving more than a million dollars in funding from USDA’s MAP  to promote U.S. organic products around the world in 2024.  OTA’s member companies provide the bulk of all U.S. organic exports. The market promotion activities administered by the association are open to the entire organic industry, however, not just members. For more information or to sign up for activities, visit OTA’s website.

    About the Organic Trade Association

    The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America. OTA is the leading voice for the organic trade in the United States, representing more than 500 organic businesses across 50 states and 9,500 farmers through its Farmers Advisory Council. Its members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers’ associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and others. OTA’s Board of Directors is democratically elected by its members. OTA’s mission is to promote and protect ORGANIC with a unifying voice that serves and engages its diverse members from farm to marketplace.

  • Partnership, Funding Award to Advance South of Delta Drought Resiliency Pilot Program

    The United States Department of Interior, United States Bureau of Reclamation, along with the Friant Water Authority (FWA), San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority (SLDMWA), and the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority (SJRECWA), are pleased to announce the execution of a groundbreaking Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish a South of Delta Drought Resiliency Framework. This partnership establishes a program and advances projects that increase regional climate resilience in the San Joaquin Valley, and its implementation is being advanced through funding provided by the United States Bureau of Reclamation from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (“IIJA”) and the Inflation Reduction Act (“IRA”), which nearly doubled the annual funding provided to the Bureau of Reclamation over eight years. Today marks a significant milestone to improve climate resilience for the communities, farms, and ecosystems served by the Central Valley Project (CVP) contractors south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. ​

    Over the past decade, California has experienced unprecedented hydrologic variability, recording six of the driest years as well as two of the wettest years in California’s nearly 100-year historical hydrologic record.  While the historic unpredictability of hydrology in the state is the reason the CVP was built to begin with, the impacts of ever growing regulatory constraints on project operations has exacerbated the hydrologic variability, resulting in significantly reduced reliability of CVP water supplies for the Water Authorities’ member agencies. The Authorities involved in this MOU have collectively identified projects and potential actions aimed at enhancing drought resiliency south of the Delta, which will be referred to as the “South of Delta Drought Resiliency Framework.”

    The MOU establishes a cooperative and collaborative approach to implement drought resiliency projects and provides a framework for the Parties to work together, set short and long-term goals, and ensure successful implementation. The MOU is a living document that will evolve and change over time, with periodic updates to reflect progress made and new components identified. ​

    Key components of the Framework include: ​

    1. The development and implementation of a Drought Plan that allows participating entities to voluntarily conserve and securely store or exchange a portion of their CVP south of Delta deliveries for use in future years with lower supplies, in addition to supporting the advancement of the San Joaquin River Restoration Program.
    2. Allocation of Costs for Large Extraordinary Maintenance (XM) Projects, including the Delta-Mendota Canal (DMC) Subsidence Correction Project.
    3. Commitment by the Bureau of Reclamation and SJRECWA to develop processes to ensure that the San Joaquin River Restoration Program can provide specific flows past Sack Dam via the San Joaquin River to Mendota Pool.
    4. Resolution on the Del Puerto Canyon Reservoir Project by FWA and the Exchange Contractors to ensure it supports the objectives outlined in the Drought Plan.

    “It is critical that we not only continue to invest in new infrastructure to capture and store water to prepare for future dry years, but that we work collaboratively to make the most of the resources we currently have. This agreement marks a new level of cooperation that will help to mitigate the impact of droughts on urban, agricultural, and environmental water users in our region, and to advance the goals of the San Joaquin River Restoration Program while maintaining water rights. We appreciate the collaboration of our partners as well as the Bureau of Reclamation for their commitment and resources for this effort,” said Chris White, Executive Director of the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority.

    “As water operations certainty continues to decrease, and once reliable supplies become less so, it’s critical for water agencies and water managers to work together to find creative ways to meet our common goals”, said Jason Phillips, CEO of the Friant Water Authority.  “The agreement between our neighbors in the Valley, the San Luis & Delta Mendota Water Authority and the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority, as well as our partners at the Bureau of Reclamation, will help bring some predictability to water allocations and will help to provide certainty for the farms and communities we represent.  These efforts and outcomes are not easily achieved, but are a welcomed development and hopefully a sign of more partnering in the future.”

    “Today’s announcement is a positive step forward to improve climate resilience for the urban and rural communities, wildlife and wildlife enthusiasts, and agricultural productivity that the Water Authority’s member agencies support,” said Federico Barajas, Executive Director of the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority. “This partnership – coordinated between the federal government and south of delta water users – and associated funding award will allow us to implement projects to improve our ability to manage water supplies across the dry years we know will come. This year’s allocation highlights the water supply reliability challenges that impact our members across all year types and further reinforces the need to develop proactive solutions to improve reliability. Today’s announcement advances one such solution and establishes a framework for south-of-delta water users and Reclamation to work together to improve outcomes for the San Joaquin Valley.”

    The South of Delta Drought Resiliency Framework represents a significant step towards ensuring a more reliable water supply for communities, farms, and ecosystems dependent on the Central Valley Project.

    The Exchange Contractors Water Authority, Friant Water Authority, and San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority express their gratitude for the funding provided by the United States Bureau of Reclamation and emphasize the need to secure additional funding to move these projects forward.

    About the Project Area
    The CVP water supplied by the Water Authorities member agencies serves approximately 2.5 million acres of agricultural lands within the San Joaquin, Santa Clara, and San Benito Valleys, a portion of the water supply for nearly 4 million people, including in urban areas within Santa Clara County referred to as the “Silicon Valley,” Fresno and Kern Counties, and millions of waterfowl that depend upon up to 200,000 acres of managed wetlands and other critical habitat within the largest contiguous wetland in the western United States.

    FWA is a joint-powers authority formed in 2004 by public agencies that receive water from the Friant Division of the Central Valley Project. Its primary purposes are to operate and maintain the Friant-Kern Canal and to serve the information and representation needs of its member agencies.