California Ag Network

Category: Ag Economics

  • BASF Safety Scouts Farm Safety Program Launches in the US

    BASF is excited to support a safe growing season in 2023 with the launch of the BASF Safety Scouts program for U.S. farm families.

    The BASF Safety Scouts program supports children in learning about the value and importance of farm safety by providing safety kits to families free of charge. The kits contain a high-visibility safety vest, educational activities, and more, and encourages participants to take on the role of their farm’s safety ambassador – an interactive and fun way to engage in learning about farm safety.

    The BASF Safety Scouts program offers two kits. The Safety “Scout” kit is designed for children six years of age and younger while the Safety “Captain” kit activities are geared for children seven and older and promote additional safety tasks, including working with an adult to choose a designated “Safety Spot” muster point on the farm.

    This season, the BASF Safety Scouts program are providing 2,000 kits to farm families throughout the U.S. with an additional 2,000 kits available in Canada, free of charge, while supplies last.

    “BASF is committed to advocating for and prioritizing farm safety year-round,” says Scott Kay, BASF Vice President, US Agricultural Solutions. “For our grower customers, retail and industry partners, there is nothing more important than the safety of the people who work on their farms and agricultural operations.”

    “Farmers go to work every day doing the biggest job on earth. We take great pride in supporting the next generation of farmers through the BASF Safety Scouts program designed to support farms to be safer and healthier places for all to live, work and play,” Kay adds.

    Within their kits, participants in the Safety Scouts and Safety Captain programs will receive content catered toward farm safety and tailored for their respective age groups. The kits include:

    • An adjustable child-sized safety vest, compliant with safety standards
    • A customizable name badge
    • Safety-themed activity/coloring sheets
    • A safety pledge
    • A BASF Safety Scouts reward badge
    • An official BASF Safety Scouts participant certificate

    With an ever-present need for awareness around farm safety, the BASF Safety Scouts program plays a critical role in helping farm families and caregivers keep safety top of mind and instil these values at a young age.

    Safety Scouts and Safety Captains can share pictures, videos, drawings and safety tips by tagging @BASFAgProducts on Twitter using the hashtag #BASFSafetyScouts. To learn more about the BASF Safety Scouts program and inquire about receiving a free kit, please visit https://repfinder.basf.com/.

    About BASF’s Agricultural Solutions Division      

    Farming is fundamental to provide enough healthy and affordable food for a rapidly growing population while reducing environmental impacts. Working with partners and agricultural experts and by integrating sustainability criteria into all business decisions, we help farmers to create a positive impact on sustainable agriculture. That’s why we invest in a strong R&D pipeline, connecting innovative thinking with practical action in the field. Our portfolio comprises seeds and specifically selected plant traits, chemical and biological crop protection, solutions for soil management, plant health, pest control and digital farming. With expert teams in the lab, field, office and in production, we strive to find the right balance for success – for farmers, agriculture and future generations. In 2022, our division generated sales of €10.3 billion. For more information, please visit www.agriculture.basf.com or any of our social media channels.

    About BASF 

    At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. More than 111,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €87.3 billion in 2022. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the United States. Further information at www.basf.com.

  • California Strawberry Commission Fills Two Key Positions

    The California Strawberry Commission (CSC) is announcing two key hires to advance the industry through research and communications.

    Dr. William “Bill” Turechek joins the CSC as the new Vice President of Research. Bill joins the CSC after serving since 2006 as a Research Plant Pathologist at the USDA-ARS Horticultural Research Laboratory in Fort Pierce, Florida, where he worked on epidemiology and management of strawberry and vegetable diseases.

    Dr. Turechek has over 100 peer-reviewed research articles and book chapters, has raised tens of millions of dollars in extramural funding, and has served as senior editor for the journals Plant Disease and Phytopathology. His areas of expertise include plant disease epidemiology, disease management, and statistics, with an emphasis on diseases that occur in strawberry and annual vegetable production.

    “We are excited to have Dr. Turechek join the California Strawberry Commission and utilize his expertise to aid the 400+ family-owned strawberry farming operations in California,” said Rick Tomlinson, California Strawberry Commission President.

    “I am honored to join the California Strawberry Commission and I am looking forward to meeting and getting to know the many growers, shippers, and processors in the California strawberry industry. As the Vice President of Research, one of my primary goals is to work closely with the industry to identify key research needs, and then make it happen. In leading the Commission’s research efforts, I hope to empower California strawberry growers with the latest research and data to help them make the informed decisions that will advance strawberry farming in California” said Dr. William Turechek, California Strawberry Commission Vice President of Research.

    The California Strawberry Commission also recently named Jeff Cardinale as the new Director of Communications.

    Among his duties, Cardinale will lead positive marketing message campaigns highlighting the importance of the California strawberries and the industry itself to the local communities where strawberries are grown as well as to local, state, and national stakeholders. Cardinale will also handle media relations and crisis communications. Cardinale led the commission’s response to the January and March flooding events.

    Jeff Cardinale Joins the CSC as Director of Communications

    “On behalf of the 400+ California strawberry growers, shippers, and processors, I am excited to join the California Strawberry Commission. There are incredible stories to tell about the California strawberry industry, from the remarkable opportunities for field workers becoming farm owners, to the fact that 97 cents of every California strawberry dollar goes right back into the community. These are just a few of the many great things happening in the California strawberry industry and I look forward to showcasing those stories,” said Jeff Cardinale, California Strawberry Commission Director of Communications.

    “We are delighted to have Jeff on board. He brings nearly 10 years of agriculture communications experience as well as extensive work in proactive and crisis communications. The commission is confident Jeff will serve the industry well,” said Rick Tomlinson, California Strawberry Commission President.

    Dr. Bill Turechek joins the CSC as Vice President, Research

    Prior to his work in agricultural communications, Cardinale served as the Public Information Officer for the Fresno Police Department. Cardinale also has more than 15 years experience in television news management where he won six Emmy Awards for Best Newscast.

    As part of the marketing and media relations campaigns, Cardinale plans to introduce new ways of reaching the media, as well as the local strawberry farming communities to stay engaged with the industry.

     

  • Delano Growers Grape Products Hails Agreement between U.S. and Argentina on White Grape Juice

    Delano Growers Grape Products cooperative announced that the U.S. Department of Commerce has signed an agreement with the Government of Argentina suspending the Department’s antidumping investigation, and an agreement with Argentine exporters suspending the countervailing duty investigation on white grape juice concentrate from Argentina.  In lieu of  potential antidumping and countervailing duties, the agreements would apply an annual export limit and minimum selling prices for imports from Argentina.

    Commerce initiated these investigations after a petition was filed by Delano Growers on March 21, 2022.  Rick Lord, General Manager, said, “We are very pleased with this outcome, and believe that the suspension agreements achieve several important objectives for the good of the industry, our co-op members, other grape growers and, importantly, our customers and all users of white grape juice concentrate.”

    White grape juice concentrate is a valuable natural sweetener used by beverage and food manufacturers and made from the crushing and processing of grapes into a high brix (sugar) content concentrate.  In 1993, two researchers from U.C. Davis published an article in the California Agriculture Journal which stated, “Grape concentrate is a growing market, thanks to an innovative industry and consumer preference for fruit sweeteners over table sugar,” further noting that “The International Trade Centre (ITC) has concluded that the fruit juice business will remain a growth industry for a long time.”  In the late 1990s, U.S. production was approximately 30 million gallons, however, in the years preceding the Delano Grower’s petition, production had dropped to less than 8 million gallons.  Delano Growers is the largest remaining commercial producer in the U.S.

    Kent Stenderup, a grape grower in Arvin, California, Chairman of Delano Growers’ Board of Directors said, “White grape juice concentrate is a vitally important product for grape growers.  Processing  grapes into juice concentrate provides an important economic stabilizer for the California grape industry.  In addition to providing a market for dedicated juice grapes, it also absorbs a supply of other grapes which provides a positive return to growers.  We are delighted with these suspension agreements.”

    By setting reasonable and market driven volume and selling prices for imports from Argentina in lieu of potential duties, these agreements also allow any preliminary cash deposits collected as a result of the preliminary findings of the investigation to be refunded to current U.S. importers.

    According to Lord, “These agreements ensure that the U.S. market for white grape juice concentrate will remain adequately supplied since they reflect recent historical levels and are also structured to be flexible for unforeseen adverse market conditions.  It is a win-win situation.”

    Lord continued, “This is a big milestone for a small co-op.  The U.S. Department of Commerce has a total of only eight suspension agreements in place, with two of them now being for white grape juice concentrate.”

    The petition was filed on behalf of Delano Growers by JPH Law, LLC, of Washington, D.C., a firm specializing in the representation of cooperatives, growers and agricultural associations in policy, regulatory, labor and international trade matters.  “We are indebted to our counsel,” said Stenderup.  He continued, “We greatly appreciate the efforts of the Department of Commerce’s Compliance and Enforcement division for facilitating these agreements and their dedication to enforcing U.S. trade law.  “Finally, we’d like to acknowledge the good faith negotiations during the agreement process by the Argentine industry and the Government of Argentina.”

    About Delano:  Delano Growers Grape Products is a cooperative of grape farmers that serves California’s Central Valley. We manufacture the highest quality white grape concentrate products for the food and beverage industry. Since 1940, Delano has placed a focus on innovation and sustainability with a mission to deliver the best products available. Delano Growers Grape Products

    Department of Commerce press release:  U.S. Commerce Department Reaches Suspension Agreements with Argentina on White Grape Juice Concentrate (trade.gov)

  • California Table Grape Growers Award Scholarships

    Fresno, CA – California table grape growers announce the awarding of scholarships to nine high-achieving students.

    Growers awarded three $25,000 field worker scholarships to students attending four-year universities. Two $14,500 bridge field worker scholarships were also awarded to students attending community college for two years then transferring to a four-year university. In order to qualify for a field worker scholarship, the applicant, parent, or guardian must work in the California table grape harvest.

    Growers also awarded two $25,000 agricultural scholarships and one $14,500 agricultural bridge scholarship to students pursuing a degree in a field of study pertinent to table grapes.

    Meet the 2023 California Table Grape scholarship recipients below.

    $25,000 Field Worker Scholarships

    Ms. Victoria Martinez graduated from Mira Monte High School in Bakersfield, California with a 4.22 GPA and will attend the University of California, Santa Barbara to study psychology. While attending Mira Monte, Victoria was a member of the Academic Decathlon, soccer team, and Spanish Club. Victoria was also an avid church volunteer and spent her summers working alongside her parents picking table grapes.

    Mr. Roberto Ramirez, Jr. graduated from Cesar E. Chavez High School in Delano, California with a 4.40 GPA and will attend Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo to major in agricultural business. Throughout high school, Roberto was an active member of the ASB and Spanish Club where he organized community events and was a member of the school band. Roberto is inspired by his father’s long career in the table grape industry and hopes to become a farm manager after college.

    Mr. Gael Quinoez graduated from Delano High School in Delano, California with a 4.09 GPA and will attend California State University, Bakersfield to major in engineering. Gael was an active member of his school Service Club where he volunteered with the community. Gael also spent his free time as a member of the Chess Club, Gardening Club, and Math Club. With his degree, Gael hopes to achieve a career in engineering.

    $14,500 Bridge Field Worker Scholarships

    Ms. Estefania Andrade-Meza graduated from Harmony Magnet Academy in Strathmore, California with a 3.95 GPA and will attend College of the Sequoias to major in animal science. In school, Estefania was a member of the California Scholarship Federation, Dance Club, and served as a teacher’s assistant. Estefania was also placed on the school President’s List and received the California State Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish. Estefania has a passion for animals and a career goal of becoming a veterinarian.

    Ms. Aaliyah Mendoza graduated from Golden Valley High School in Bakersfield, California with a 3.61 GPA and will attend Bakersfield College to persue a career as a physical therapy assistant. In school, Aaliyah participated in the Career Technical Education Center Sports Medicine Program and earned a physical thereapy internship. Aaliyah was also a member of the community service Interact Club and a member of the track and cross country teams. Aaliyah hopes to improve the lives of others by achieving a career in physical therapy.

    $14,500 Agricultural Bridge Scholarship

    Mr. Jonathan Callison graduated from Tulare Western High School in Tulare, California with a 4.13 GPA and will attend Reedley College to study plant science. Throughout high school, Jonathan was involved in FFA and was a member of the grapevine pruning team for four years. Jonathan also played varsity water polo and baseball, and was a team captain in both sports. Jonathan draws inspiration from his family’s six generations in agriculture and watching his dad work in the vineyards.

    $25,000 Agricultural Scholarships

    Mr. Mark Kovacevich graduated from Bakersfield Christian High School in Bakersfield, California with a 3.95 GPA and will attend Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo to major in wine and viticulture. Mark was an active member of FFA and served as the chapter and sectional president, and earned his California State FFA degree. From shadowing his father and uncle in the fields, Mark has developed a passion for the table grape industry. In the summer of 2022, Mark managed the table grape harvest on one of his family’s ranches.

    Ms. Carley Raven graduated from Kingsburg High School, in Kingsburg, California with a 4.12 GPA and will attend the University of California, Berkley in the fall. At Berkeley, Carley plans to major in nutritional sciences to study the nutritional value of grapes in sports nutrition. Throughout high school, Carley was a member of her school softball team and earned an FFA greenhand and chapter degree. Carley grew up on a table grape ranch and spent her summers assisting her family in the table grape harvest.

    Mr. Anthony Tartaglia, Jr. graduated from Central Valley Christian School in Visalia, California with a 3.85 GPA and will attend California State Univeristy, Fresno in the fall. Anthony was a member of his school baseball and football teams and a lifetime California Scholarship Federation member. Anthony was also a member of the Tulare County Farm Bureau Youth Leadership Cohort and an active member of FFA, serving as a chapter officer. From a young age, Anthony has worked alongside his father in the vineyard, and is excited to bring his education to the table grape industry after college.

  • Varroa Mites and Deformed Wing Virus Make Honeybees More Susceptible to Insecticides

    The first of two apiaries, established in 2014 in Stoneville, Mississippi, provided honey bees for studying the impact of pesticides on honey bees. (Photo by Yu-Cheng Zhu, D5121-1)

    Controlling for Varroa mites, the parasitic mites that feed on honey bees and serve as vectors for viral diseases like deformed wing virus (DWV), can help with improving honeybee populations and make bees less susceptible to harmful insecticides, according to a recent study published in Environmental Pollution.

    Foraging honey bees may be directly exposed to toxic insecticide sprays in the field or exposure may come from honeybees collecting and bringing pesticide-contaminated pollen and nectar back to their hives to feed larvae and young bees. The presence of insecticides, along with other environmental stressors in agricultural areas, can be a factor leading to issues like colony loss — something beekeepers from around the world are trying to overcome.

    “Previous research has shown how chemicals like pesticides make bees more susceptible to mites,” said Yu-Cheng Zhu, a research entomologist at ARS’s Pollinator Health in Southern Crop Ecosystems Research Unit in Stoneville, Mississippi. “In our study, we wanted to see if mites and viral infestations make bees more susceptible to insecticides.”

    In a study, researchers with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) applied the miticide amitraz (Apivar), a product commonly used for treating Varroa mites, off-label to four bee hives and left the other four hives untreated. They monitored the mite population density monthly and DWV density in early, middle, and late season.

    Researchers collected bees from miticide-treated and untreated hives, and quantified gene expressions of four immune genes and two physiology-related genes. They also tested bees’ sensitivity to five representative insecticides. In addition, bees’ natural mortalities were recorded during three seasons.

    “Miticide treatment led to minor or undetectable mite and DWV infestations during the whole bee season, while untreated colonies had substantially higher mite and DWV infestations,” said Zhu.

    The data analyses showed that Varroa mite population irregularly fluctuated over the bee season and mite population density was not dynamically or closely correlated with the seasonal shift of honey bee natural mortality. Unlike mites, DWV density in untreated colonies progressively increased over the bee season. The density was highly correlated with the seasonal increase in honey bee natural mortality.

    “In the untreated hives, the increased DWV infestations resulted in decreased physiological and immunity-related functions in late-season honey bees, making the bees more susceptible to insecticides and increasing natural morality rates during the season,” said Zhu.

    According to Zhu, Varroa mites, also known as Varroa destructor, can reduce fat body and body fluids that contain important detoxification enzymes and immune proteins in honey bees. As a result, bees have impaired immune, detoxification/defense systems, and other essential processes. Coupling those impairments with exposure to insecticides can be detrimental to bee populations.

    “Having impaired immunity, especially later in the season with fewer food sources, can be challenging for honey bees,” said Zhu.

    Zhu, whose work focuses on the toxicological impact of pesticides on beneficial insects in the Mississippi Delta Area, said that the study’s results indicated the importance of studying the “bottom-up” effects of mite infestations on the overall health of honey bees in real-world contexts.

    “Chemical control is still a major method in preventing crop loss and controlling insect pest populations,” said Zhu. “It is important to study the effects of chemical control in honey bee populations so we can find best practices for protecting the health of bees.”

    The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in U.S. agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.

  • Almond Board Simplifies CASP Process for Growers

    A valuable industry assessment program has been streamlined to make it easier for almond growers to enter and update data. Changes to the CASP program – which now stands for the California Almond Stewardship Platform – were announced in December at The Almond Conference 2022 and came after feedback from some growers about the length of time it often took to fill out the online self-assessment.

    The CASP program was developed by the Almond Board of California over a decade ago as a method for almond growers to share and compare data about their orchards and farming practices. That aggregated information in the self-assessment, in turn, is often used by handlers and others who market California’s multibillion-dollar annual almond crop to educate and reassure consumers that growers are implementing critical practices in areas such as water usage, air quality, soil health, pollinators and carbon recapture.

    The original CASP online self-assessment process included 620 questions, which now have been cut in half after the update.

    “It was really time to restructure it a little bit and put it on a diet,” said Tom Devol, Senior Manager of Field Outreach and Education at the Almond Board of California. “It had gotten a bit heavy. It was taking growers a lot of time to do and was a big commitment.”

    Growers often spent five or six hours responding to the questions and sometimes had to enter the same information more than once. That is no longer the case, Devol said.

    “I just worked with a grower who completed it in an hour and a half, from start to finish,” he said. “Now, we’ve grouped questions, so when you set up an orchard, you never look at those questions again. You put the information in for that orchard – how it was planted, when it was planted, those kinds of questions – and when you reassess in two or three years … you never have to look at that again. Those questions are pre-done.

    “And we did the same thing with the farming operations. So the common practices that you use across the whole farming operation, you really only need to address those questions one time and then in future assessments, they’re already completed for you.”

    Devol said rationale behind CASP has evolved since it was created.

    “When CASP was first envisioned, it was predominantly an education tool,” he explained. “But over time, there’s been a lot more pressure from the market. ‘How are you growing your crops? Are you exhibiting good stewardship? Are you using current practices?’

    “The handlers are the ones facing those questions. The growers aren’t selling the crop directly to the buyer; it’s the handler who’s doing it on their behalf. … By completing your grower self-assessment, you’re assisting your handler in marketing your product.”

    Devol recommends that growers update their information at least every three years.

    “It’s really a continuous improvement program if you think about it. We’re really trying to see where we’ve learned new practices that we’re starting to adopt into the orchard,” he said. “Not many people change their practices every year, but over time, you’re going to pick up a new thing – we’re going to try this, we’re going to change the way we do that.

    “Handlers like to see that data done every year because they’re using the aggregate data to help demonstrate to their buyers what their group of growers are doing. So they have a different motivator.”

    Devol reassured growers that no individual orchard information ever is shared.

    “It’s aggregate data. It’s secure. Nobody can see your data,” he said. “These handlers just get an aggregate group of data about what their growers are doing.”

    Growers who have participated in the past and want to update their data, as well as others who want to enroll in the CASP program, should go to www.almondstewardship.org. On the website, growers can set up an account or ask to have their password sent to them, if they’ve forgotten it.

    Devol said he and the Field Outreach and Education team are available to answer any questions or provide help. They can be reached at fieldoutreach@almondboard.com.

    “We really want you to succeed,” Devol said. “We want it to be simple to use. We don’t want it to be painful for you.” — Article & Image Courtesy of the Almond Board of California

  • Jimi Valov Honored as Tulare County Agriculturalist of the Year

    Jimi Valov, a man known as much for his generosity as his farming acumen, is Tulare County Farm Bureau’s Agriculturalist of the Year. Valov, of Tulare, is a grower of pistachios, almonds, alfalfa and grain on 1,800 acres spread throughout Tulare, Kings and Kern counties. Forty years ago, he was one of the first farmers to plant pistachio trees in the San Joaquin Valley and today he is a true ambassador of the crop. He regularly greets friends and acquaintances with a bag of salted pistachios in hand, fresh from the grower cooperative he helped to establish, Horizon Nuts. “I love giving away pistachios to people,” said Valov, who was sporting a vest emblazoned with the words ‘In Nuts We Trust.’ “I love handing them out because I grew them.”
    Farming runs in the Valov family, and today the operation reflects the family’s Russian lineage. The Valov family originally farmed near Tblisi, Georgia until leaving for the United States in the early 1900s, eventually settling in the Bakersfield area. Jimi’s father, John, found land prices more reasonable in Tulare County and began growing cotton. Jimi farmed with his father, eventually convincing him that cotton should not be their main source of income — it should be pistachios.
    Setting a goal of planting their initial 40 acres in 1983 is an achievement he looks back on fondly, and as an example of perseverance for young agriculturalists. “There will always be people to tell you ‘It can’t be done,” and I had a lot of that, especially when I planted pistachios. Everyone should have a goal in life, and strive for it,” he said.
    Today, pistachios grow on 800 acres of Valov Family Farms land. Valov has been married to his wife, Tammy, for 25 years. He explained that in the Russian culture, the father’s name is given as each child’s middle name; for example, he is Jimi John Valov. He speaks proudly of his children, all of whom have an interest in the family operation. They include daughter Journey Jimi Valov, and sons Jade Jimi Valov and Jimi J. Valov, a recent plant science graduate of Cal Poly, SLO who is working alongside his father. Daughter Shyannah Jameson came with his marriage to Tammy, and together, he and Tammy have also raised their niece, Harmony Donaldson, a student at California Baptist University. Valov shares coffee each morning with Tammy, a special time for the couple to get caught up on family activities. It was during this moment that his phone rang, and he learned he had been selected Agriculturalist of the Year.
    “I put it on speaker phone so my wife could hear,” he said. “I was blindsided!” This is not the first time he has been recognized for his role in the agriculture industry and the community. In 2015, he was named Farmer of the Year by the Tulare Kiwanis Club. Childhood friend Brian Watte (TCFB’s 2018 Agriculturalist of the Year), first met Valov in kindergarten class at Waukena School. He said the Valov family’s philanthropy seemingly knows no limits.
    “He’s one of those guys who gives and gives, along with his wife. They are a team,” Watte said. “They give freely of their time and Jimi is well known to do a real good job barbecuing lamb on a custom barbecue. In the last 20 years, when someone in the community he knows, or a family member, passes away, he is the first one to offer up to help with food at the service. He drops whatever he is doing and contacts the family to take that burden off of them.” Valov will do just this on May 12 at the funeral service of his dear friend and fellow pistachio industry friend, Ken Purrier. Purrier co-owned Pioneer Nursery with Corky Anderson, another industry giant, who helped put American pistachios on the map.
    Valov said it was the example of these two men that prompted him to become more involved in the industry. As a board member of American Pistachio Growers, a non-profit trade association representing over 800 grower members in California, Arizona, and New Mexico, he played a part in opening the nut’s export market to China. “I was standing at the Great Wall of China when I was asked if I could serve as chairman,” he said. “How about that!”
    Jimi and Tammy share a beautiful home in Tulare, and their backyard is often the site of various community and political fundraisers. They have hosted numerous Tulare County Farm Bureau events, as well. Valov said supporting youth in 4-H and FFA is especially important, and he is known to purchase 10-15 lambs each year at the Tulare County Fair Livestock Auction.
    “The main thing is that Jimi is such a giving person, in his private life, with local schools, or in agriculture,” Watte said. “If a neighbor who is getting into ag needs some mentoring, changing from row crops into trees, he’s right there to help you out. He’ll lend you equipment, and check on your trees as if they were his own.”
    Valov said he has seen other growers cash out and leave California, but that’s not on his agenda. He intends to keep their family farm operating, and eventually pass it down to his children and three grandchildren, Hazel, (who was born on his birthday) River, and Ledger. — Article By Lisa McEwen, Tulare County Farm Bureau

  • India Will Eliminate Twenty Percent Retaliatory Tariff on US Walnuts

    United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai’s announcement today that India agreed to remove retaliatory tariffs on walnuts, as well as additional US products, is welcome news.  Trade representatives from the United States and India have been working together on a package of trade deliverables announced today during this week’s visit of India’s Prime Minister Modi for meetings with President Biden and a joint session of Congress.

    “The California walnut industry has had a long-standing partnership with the India marketplace which is an integral part of the industry’s overall long term long-term strategic growth and market development plan.” said Pam Graviet, Senior Director of Global Programs for the California Walnut Commission.  “Indian consumers and trade partners continue to recognize the premium quality of California walnuts and the nutritional value and great taste they bring to the Indian diet. Elimination of India’s retaliatory tariffs will benefit Indian consumers and businesses, as well as the California walnut industry,” she added.

    The California walnut industry brought this ongoing issue to the attention of the Biden Administration early in the presidency and appreciate their tenacity and commitment which led to this agreement. We commend USTR Ambassador Katherine Tai and Ambassador Doug McKalip on negotiating this successful outcome for California’s walnut producers and processors. Ambassador McKalip recently visited California and had an occasion to tour walnut and almond orchards and learn firsthand the severe financial impact the 20% retaliatory tariff inflicted on the California walnut industry.

    We also appreciate USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Administrator Daniel Whitley and the FAS personnel who helped the industry through this challenging period.  The Market Access Program (MAP) continues to be a crucial element in enabling us to maintain our relationships in India and seek new market opportunities. We are grateful for efforts by federal, state, local elected officials, regulators, and their staff for diligently keeping this topic on the forefront of trade discussions.

    Robert Verloop, the Chief Executive Officer for the California Walnut Commission said, “the California walnut growers have been severely impacted by a host of unprecedented events over the last few years; including the various trade tariffs, COVID pandemic-induced supply chain and transportation disruptions, global economic downturn, inflationary pressures, high dollar values, the complications brought on by the war in Ukraine and the persistent drought and heat wave that severely impacted our 2023 crop.”

    “Tree nut growers, most of whom are multi-generational family farms, make a long-term investment in their crops.  Walnut orchards can be highly productive for over 30 years; accordingly, the growers make decisions to produce the revered California walnuts with the expectations that we have fair and equitable access to global markets which represent more than 65% of our sales. The removal of this tariff is welcomed by our industry and provides a pathway to strengthening our trade relations with this important market and trading partner” added Verloop.

    Ms. Graviet stated, “California walnuts are perfectly aligned to meet the global demands for more healthy, nutritious, and great tasting plant-based foods.  The removal of the retaliatory tariff in India will enable our growers to help meet these demands in India.  We thank our Indian trade partners and retailers for their ongoing support and commitment to California walnuts and look forward to building greater distribution and consumption of our walnuts.”

  • Organic Trade Association Awarded Lead Role in USDA Organic Partnership Program

    The Organic Trade Association (OTA) has been selected as a national partner for the U.S. Agriculture Department’s (USDA) Transition to Organic Partnership Program, a key component of USDA’s broad multi-agency drive to expand organic agriculture by providing more direct support and technical assistance to producers across the United States. Rodale Institute, long a recognized leader in research and technical expertise on organic agriculture, will be the core partner to OTA.

    As the Lead Cooperator for this project, the trade association will manage and oversee activities throughout the country that support market development for organic products, facilitate the matching of organic producers and suppliers, and educate handlers in effective ways of dealing with organic products.

    The Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) is a critical part of USDA’s $300 million Organic Transition Initiative (OTI) announced last year to help foster organic agriculture and make much-needed technical assistance available to transitioning and existing organic farmers. OTI is the largest single investment in organic agriculture ever made by the USDA. In announcing the program, USDA said its aim is to “build new and better markets and streams of income for farmers and producers” and reverse a trend of slow growth in farmers transitioning to organic, open opportunities for new and beginning organic farmers, and expand consumer access to organic foods.

    Through TOPP, USDA and its partnering organizations will provide locally-based farmer training and education in six regions throughout the country. The national-level TOPP agreements will supplement and collaborate with this regional work, providing nationally-focused coordination and services.

    “OTA is honored to be named national partner for USDA in this important program,” said Tom Chapman, CEO of the trade association. “Supporting market development and access for transitioning and organic producers and handlers is vital for the long-term success of USDA’s Organic Transition Initiative. By leveraging our experience and in-depth knowledge of organic, industry network, and collaborative approach, we know we can contribute to the success of the USDA TOPP initiative, and having Rodale as our core partner ensures even greater outcomes for the program.”

    “Consumer demand for organic products has been growing rapidly in the United States, but domestic production and handling capacity have not kept pace.” said Jeff Tkach, CEO of Rodale Institute. “Through this national partnership with the USDA and the Organic Trade Association, Rodale Institute, the global leader in organic agricultural research, education, and direct farmer support programs, will teach producers how to successfully adopt certified organic handling and processing practices. The Institute’s innovative organic consulting division will also provide on-the-ground training and market development assistance to producers across the nation. If one thing is clear, it’s that this critical and in-demand partnership will lead to better outcomes for both producers and consumers of organic agriculture in the United States.”

    Among the various activities that OTA, Rodale and other partners will develop are:

    • Technical assistance and workshops at the national and regional levels on the various aspects of developing markets for organic products, including educating and empowering farmers and handlers by addressing market trends, marketing and business strategies, and other relevant topics to help them succeed in the organic marketplace;
    • Strategies to connect organic producers with buyers, including the organization of in-person buyer/seller events and hosted buyer tours of regional areas that will provide a forum for networking and interaction, as well as listing participants in online clearinghouses and databases that allow for targeted searching;
    • The Handler Transition Training/Education program which will provide comprehensive training materials and educational resources to support handlers in effectively managing organic products, looking at such handling concerns as labeling, contamination prevention, storage, fraud prevention plans and more.

    “USDA’s Organic Transition Initiative takes real steps to build the next generation of organic producers and strengthen organic supply chains,” said Chapman. “We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to support this major program and to help organic continue its forward path.”

    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 over 10,000 organic businesses across 50 states. 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.

  • High Winds can Worsen Pathogen Spread on Outdoor Chicken Farms

    Farmers who keep their chickens outdoors may want to watch the weather. A study of chicken farms in the West found that high winds increased the prevalence of Campylobacter in outdoor flocks, a bacterial pathogen in poultry that is the largest single cause of foodborne illness in the U.S.

    Researchers found that about 26% of individual chickens had the pathogen at the “open environment” farms in the study, which included organic and free-range chicken farms. High winds the week prior to sampling and the farms’ location in more intensive agricultural settings were linked to a greater prevalence of Campylobacter.

    “Farmers need to be aware of the risk,” said co-lead author Olivia Smith, a recent Washington State University Ph.D. graduate in the School of Biological Sciences. “These environmental factors are influencing if the poultry are going to have foodborne pathogens, so farmers need to be aware of what’s around them. If there’s a lot of wind and if they’re in really agricultural areas, that’s a problem.”

    To help reduce Campylobacter exposure, the researchers suggested farmers consider installing windbreaks and watch weather patterns, so they can bring chickens inside during periods of high winds that could be blowing the bacteria onto their farms from nearby fields and livestock areas.

    For the study, published in the journal Animals, researchers tested chicken feces taken from 27 farms in California, Oregon, Washington and Idaho. They took samples at most of the farms once a year for three years. They found that the majority of the flocks at these farms, 69.4%, had some instance of campylobacter.

    Researchers also interviewed the farmers about their management practices as well as types, breeds and ages of their chickens. Only 11 of the farms in the study were officially certified organic producers, but all of the farmers avoided using chemicals in their flocks, including antibiotics, vaccines or medications that kill parasites.

    This is almost the exact opposite of commercial poultry producers who typically raise birds indoors in enclosed barns and treat them with medicines. These producers also select chicken breeds for efficiency, such as “broiler” chickens that can grow fast and big providing a lot of meat, or “layer” breeds that can produce the most eggs, with the least amount of feed.

    The growing market in local, organically minded food production has a different set of values, said Jeb Owen, a WSU entomologist and senior author on the paper. These farmers reduce or fully eliminate chemicals, keep a wide range of chicken breeds and allow their flocks to roam outside because they believe it is better for the animal and the environment. It is also what many consumers want, Owen said. But it doesn’t come without risks.

    “We’ve spent a century raising birds indoors and forgotten about all of these parasites and pathogens that chickens used to be afflicted with, but they didn’t go away,” he said. “Now you have this rapidly exploding market of producers who want to raise their birds outside, but they have no background knowledge of the disease risk.”

    Being outside means chickens are exposed to disease from wild birds and simply from contact with the ground, where they can pick up pathogens spread by feces of other infected birds.

    Owen’s lab has taken on a range of research to better understand the disease risk that faces open environment chicken farms, including a study on enteric parasites like worms that live in the birds’ digestive systems and another on ectoparasites, those that are found on the skin and feathers. His team is also undertaking a study to better understand the disease resilience of the many different breeds raised on these types of farms. The overall goal is to help farmers mitigate the risk.

    “If they aren’t doing it already, farmers should set up a professional relationship with a veterinarian to get their flocks checked and monitored on a regular basis,” he said. “Whether for productivity or for animal welfare, you don’t want your animals to be sick.” — By Sara Zaske, Washington State University