California Ag Network

Category: Ag Legislation

  • Almond Nitrogen Fertilizer Recommendations Following Whole Orchard Recycling

    Whole orchard recycling has been a great alternative to the traditional burning of aging almond orchards; however, incorporating the carbon rich wood chips back into the soil presents concerns for nitrogen availability upon replanting.  Watch this brief interview with UCCE Farm Advisor Brent Holtz as he shares his nitrogen application recommendations for replanting almonds following orchard recycling based on recent studies, and be sure to read his monthly Almond Tasks column in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Trece for their industry support.

  • Growers Limited to Insecticides for Control of Walnut Husk Fly

    As growers prepare to begin monitoring their orchards for walnut husk fly emergence in June, watch this brief interview with Jhalendra Rijal from the Tree & Vine Expo, as he shares more about the nature of this pest and the limited tools growers have to control it.  Read more in-depth information about walnut husk fly control in the May issue of Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Trece for their industry support.

  • Harvey Singh Steps Up as Chairman of the Raisin Bargaining Association

    In addition to the announcement of Dwayne Cardoza stepping down as CEO of the Raisin Bargaining Association (RBA) at their recent annual meeting, Harvey Singh was also announced as the new RBA Chairman.  Watch this brief interview with Harvey Singh as he introduces himself and shares his outlook for the California raisin industry. Read more about it in the May issue of American Vineyard Magazine.
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.

  • Spotted Lanternfly, an Invasive Hitchhiking Threat to American Vineyards

    Have you seen spotted lanternfly? If so, report it immediately. It is an invasive pest making its way around the US from the East Coast and it can be very destructive to vineyards. Watch this brief interview with Cindy Kron from the UC Cooperative Extension as she shares more about this pest and how California growers can prepare for it. Read more about it in American Vineyard Magazine.
     
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.

  • National And State Ag Groups Call For Meeting On Export Trade Imbalance

    Today, a collaborative of major agriculture associations released the attached letter sent to the United States Secretary of Agriculture, the United States Secretary of Transportation, and the National Economic Council.

    The letter calls for an immediate federal effort to convene a meeting of ocean carrier companies and agricultural exporters to address the tremendous export trade imbalance which is crippling American agriculture and damaging the American economy.

    Signers of the letter include leadership of the California Farm Bureau; Western Growers Association; National Milk Producers Federation; U.S. Dairy Export Council; Western United Dairies; the Almond Alliance of California, and the California Walnut Handlers Alliance.

    In addition to being sent to national leaders in government, the letter was sent to Governor Gavin Newsom’s office, all members of the California Congressional delegation, and the California Secretaries of Transportation and Agriculture.

    The request comes after a series of local, state, and national news stories, including articles in the New York Times, NPR, and the San Francisco Chronicle, detailed the impact that the export trade imbalance is having on agriculture products waiting to be exported to customers overseas. The letter also includes shocking statistics detailing how severe the problem is.

    “American almonds, dairy products, fresh produce, and other agricultural communities have been unable to reliably ship sold product to buyers worldwide and can no longer bear the burden of the persistent ocean shipping obstacles.  This has included empty container and equipment shortages, broken export contracts and canceled bookings, and inadequate receiving windows by shipping carriers that have gone unaddressed for over a year…These export shipping challenges have been damaging to our community, our industry, and our nation’s position in the global economy, depressing our foreign market opportunities.”
    View the letter HERE.

  • Congress Demands Canada Meet its USMCA Dairy Commitments, Earning Dairy’s Praise

    The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) expressed their deep appreciation for robust Congressional support on ensuring Canada fully honors its U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) dairy market access commitments. Recently, several leading members of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a bipartisan letter to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack calling on the administration to reject Canada’s recent dairy proposals and insist on real reform.

    Last month, Canada proposed inconsequential changes to its dairy tariff-rate quota (TRQ) allocations after a USMCA dispute panel found in January that Canada’s existing rules do not meet USMCA requirements. Led by Reps. Ron Kind (D-WI), Tom Reed (R-NY), Antonio Delgado (D-NY), Glenn Thompson (R-PA), Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Jim Costa (D-CA), and David Valadao (R-CA), the letter argues that Canada must bring its dairy TRQs into alignment with its USMCA commitments, which would further open Canada’s market to U.S. dairy products. Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY) has sent a similar letter pointing out that Canada’s USMCA dairy TRQ proposal is insufficient to deliver on USMCA’s promise for dairy exporters on March 4.

    “The USMCA is not a list of optional suggestions and aspirational ambitions. Yet Canada has treated its obligations to American dairy producers as a game, seeing what they can get away with,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF. “Congress rightfully recognizes this must stop. If we do not require our allies meet their signed commitments, then our trade agreements are not worth the paper they are printed on.”

    “USDEC appreciates this strong bipartisan support focused on ensuring that American dairy exporters receive the benefits that was negotiated in the USMCA,” said Krysta Harden, president and CEO of USDEC. “We are committed to continuing to work with the U.S. government to make sure that the dairy market access negotiated with Canada is provided in full to the benefit of both American dairy farmers and manufacturers, and Canadian consumers alike.”

    The bipartisan House letter sent today states, “A deal’s a deal; it’s not too much to ask that our trading partners live up to their end of the bargain. That is why it is critical that this compliance stage of the USMCA dairy case demonstrate that the USMCA enforcement process works – not just to deliver the right finding, as it did in January – but to ensure faithful implementation of the overall agreement and drive real, tangible reforms that are seen on store shelves, to the benefit of American dairy producers and manufacturers, just as USMCA intended.”

    The National Milk Producers Federation, based in Arlington, VA, develops and carries out policies that advance dairy producers and the cooperatives they own. NMPF’s member cooperatives produce more than two-thirds of U.S. milk, making NMPF dairy’s voice on Capitol Hill and with government agencies. For more, visit www.nmpf.org.

    The U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) is a non-profit, independent membership organization that represents the global trade interests of U.S. dairy producers, proprietary processors and cooperatives, ingredient suppliers and export traders. Its mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and assist the U.S. industry to increase its global dairy ingredient sales and exports of U.S. dairy products.

  • What’s Important to Know About Dairy on Earth Day

    Spring has arrived, the weather is warming (though not too much, we hope), and Earth Day is April 22. Dairy always has reasons to celebrate Earth Day (or Week, or Month — we have enough reasons to carry the season), an opportunity to refocus on its environmental and climate leadership within agriculture in the U.S. and worldwide. Here are a few of them, courtesy of our colleagues at Undeniably Dairy.

    • Due to innovative farming and feed practices, a gallon of milk in 2017 required 30% less water, 21% less land and 19% smaller carbon footprint than in 2007.
    • According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, since 2005 North America was the only region in the world that reduced its greenhouse gas emissions, even as it increased milk production, making its greenhouse gas intensity for dairy products the lowest in the world.
    • Dairy farms are a powerful tools against food waste by diverting byproducts (such as almond hulls, citrus pulp, and brewer’s grains) from other food industries and using them as feed, converting potentially unused resources into high-nutrient foods and beverages. Dairy farmers can also convert food waste and manure into valuable products such as renewable energy and fertilizer.
    • U.S. dairy has set a goal to achieve greenhouse gas neutrality by 2050, creating a cross-industry Net Zero Initiative that advances research, on-farm pilots and new market development to make sustainability practices more accessible and affordable to farms of all sizes and regions.

    All these facts are important to know. But maybe you want to dig deeper. Maybe you need some uplifting reading … or some social media content to share … to help you become an influencer. If that’s the case, could we suggest these helpful links, sharing stories about dairy’s stewardship of the planet and the farmers who care for them? These are just a start.

    The list could go on and on – and we intend to keep adding! So grab a glass of milk and be glad you’re consuming the perfect nutritional complement to an important date on the calendar this week. Sustainability solutions are worth celebrating — and not just on Earth Day. It’s what dairy seeks every day.

    The National Milk Producers Federation, based in Arlington, VA, develops and carries out policies that advance dairy producers and the cooperatives they own. NMPF’s member cooperatives produce more than two-thirds of U.S. milk, making NMPF dairy’s voice on Capitol Hill and with government agencies. For more, visit www.nmpf.org.

  • U.S. Dairy Industry Urges USDA to Re-Issue Container Report & Provide Additional Export Relief

    The U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) today sent a letter to the Biden administration recommending specific steps to provide relief and support to dairy farmers and exporters facing supply chain constraints.

    The letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called for interagency collaboration to enhance capacity at ports, incentivize carriers to load export cargo, and improve transparency throughout the supply chain. The lead recommendation called for USDA’s Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS) to restart its Ocean Shipping Container Availability Report (OSCAR).

    “Supply chain challenges have cost U.S. dairy exporters over $1.5 billion last year alone. We thank Secretaries Vilsack and Buttigieg for their advocacy for America’s agriculture exporters in the face of significant supply chain constraints. We are incredibly grateful for the administration’s ongoing efforts and creative solutions, particularly for the development of ‘pop-up’ sites for agricultural exporters to source empty containers,” said Krysta Harden, president and CEO of USDEC. “The additional recommendations submitted today would provide agricultural exporters much needed insight into container availability and provide avenues to incentivize carriers to load outbound shipments to key dairy markets around the world.”

    Shipping containers for U.S. dairy exports continue to be in short supply at coastal ports, and even more scarce at inland locations. These essential links in the global supply chain must be available to American dairy exporters throughout the country in order to ship their products to overseas buyers,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF. “We thank USDA and DOT for their strong focus on this issue. As congestion continues, so too must the spectrum of tools deployed to address these challenges. Today’s letter highlights the additional steps necessary to take to ensure American dairy farmers are not losing long-term international market share due to these persistent supply chain challenges.”

    The specified programmatic elements to provide supply chain relief include:

      • Restarting USDA AMS’ OSCAR, which would detail the availability of ocean shipping containers at locations throughout the United States.
      • Establishing inland pop-up terminal yards, similar to those in Oakland and Seattle, in Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit, Salt Lake City and Kansas City. This would enable greater access inland to containers and improve the ability to secure vessel accommodations with short earliest-return-date windows at those locations.
      • Developing the ‘fast lane’ concept to incentivize the flow of agriculture exports into and from ports. This would include trucking lanes at port terminals that are dedicated to the expeditious delivery of perishable agriculture goods to ports.
      • Incentivizing ocean carriers to load more export containers, instead of empty containers, through preferred or prioritized berthing access.
      • Including real-time tracking of containers as part of the Administration’s Freight Logistics Optimization Works initiative.
      • Piloting projects with carriers for ‘dual turns’ of containers, wherein containers delivering imports to an in-land location may be provided directly to an export-focused shipper, rather than being sent back empty to the port. This could be supported through the USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation resources.

    The National Milk Producers Federation, based in Arlington, VA, develops and carries out policies that advance dairy producers and the cooperatives they own. NMPF’s member cooperatives produce more than two-thirds of U.S. milk, making NMPF dairy’s voice on Capitol Hill and with government agencies.

    For more, visit www.nmpf.org.The U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) is a non-profit, independent membership organization that represents the global trade interests of U.S. dairy producers, proprietary processors and cooperatives, ingredient suppliers and export traders. Its mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and assist the U.S. industry to increase its global dairy ingredient sales and exports of U.S. dairy products.

  • Animal Agriculture Alliance Releases Sustainability Impact Report

    U.S. farmers’ and ranchers’ world-leading sustainability efforts, including the U.S. beef community’s commitment to reach carbon neutrality by 2040, the U.S. pork community’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 40% by 2030, and the U.S. dairy community’s commitment to achieve GHG neutrality by 2050, are among the significant contributions highlighted in the most recent edition of the Animal Agriculture Alliance’s Sustainability Impact Report.

    Released in advance of Earth Day, the report provides the latest data on the nutritional benefits of meat, milk, poultry, and eggs and details U.S. animal agriculture’s achievements in modern environmental stewardship, animal care, judicious antibiotic use, and food safety. These achievements contribute to reaching the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

    Less than 2% of Americans work on the farms and ranches that produce food options eaten in nearly all American households (for example, 98% of American households purchase meat).  U.S. farmers’ and ranchers’ world-leading modern practices allow them to produce more food today using fewer resources than at any time in the past, serving as a global benchmark for efficiency.

    “Farming and ranching provide the food, fuel and fiber that millions of families around the world depend on,” said Hannah Thompson-Weeman, Alliance vice president, strategic engagement and incoming president and CEO. “This Earth Day, we are taking stock of the animal agriculture community’s remarkable sustainability achievements and our ambitious commitments for the future. The Sustainability Impact Report clearly demonstrates the unique nutrition and food security benefits of meat, milk, poultry, and eggs and the success of efforts to continuously improve animal agriculture’s contributions to a healthy environment.”

    Report highlights include:

    • Nutrient-dense animal proteins are low-calorie and critical sources of essential nutrients. One 3-ounce serving of lean beef takes up less than 10% of a healthy daily calorie allowance while delivering half the daily protein recommended for adults.
    • The U.S. dairy community supplies the protein requirements of more than half the U.S. population and the calcium requirements of 77% of Americans.
    • The U.S. pork community reduced land use by 76% and water use by 25% from 1960 to 2015, producing more pork today with a smaller carbon footprint per pound.

    Furthering these contributions and achievements, the Animal Agriculture Alliance and organizations across animal agriculture also partner through the Protein PACT, the largest-ever effort to strengthen animal protein’s contributions to healthy people, healthy animals, healthy communities, and a healthy environment.

    For more information, including resources and to read the full report, click here.

    About the Alliance:

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

  • Arnulfo Solorio Of Silverado Farming Company Recognized As Napa Valley Grower Of The Year

    Arnulfo Solorio has been named the 2022 Napa Valley Grower of the Year. Solorio (“Nufo”) is a Partner and Vice President of Operations at Silverado Farming Company, where he has served in leadership roles since 2002.

    Nufo served three 3-year terms on the Napa Valley Grapegrowers Board of Directors, as the first Hispanic person to serve in that capacity. His legacy may, however, be the creation of the Napa Valley Farmworker Foundation in 2010. Nufo was passionate about starting the Foundation as a way to provide professional development and educational opportunities to farmworkers and their families. The Farmworker Foundation now serves thousands of people each year through its programs in literacy, leadership, vocational training, mentorship, and community participation. Arnulfo serves as a Director on its Board and is currently Chair of the Farmworker Education Committee.

    Nufo was born in Patzimaro, Michoacan, Mexico. From a young age, he dreamed of going to school, but his family were ranchers in Mexico, and he was told: “Books do not feed you; animals and land do.”

    Following his dreams, Nufo travelled to Napa at the age of 14, but quickly realized in order to get an education, he needed money. He began working at Charles Krug as a field worker and mechanic’s assistant while following crops through Arizona, California, and Washington. He eventually worked his way through school and was able to enroll in Napa Valley College in 1984. Since he began at the college, he has completed enough courses to receive three Associates Degrees – while working full-time and raising a family. That he had energy left to volunteer through the Napa Valley Grapegrowers and make such a difference in our community is testament to his work ethic and strong sense of self.

    Solorio was the first person in his family to become documented, become a citizen, and go to school. He has worked as a vineyard manager for some of the most storied of Napa’s properties, including Franciscan, Domaine Chandon, Mondavi, Charles Krug, and Tonella Family.

    He strongly believes education is the key to success and that learning never stops. Beyond managing operations and personnel at Silverado Farming Company, he is part of the team that develops training, education, personal growth, and reward programs for employees. He believes that empathy and compassion are the key to successful leadership.

    NVG President Michael Silacci noted, “It is no wonder that someone as thoughtful, humble, and passionate as Arnulfo hatched the idea of the Farmworker Foundation.  We are grateful for his tireless efforts in the community and his leadership within the Napa Valley Grapegrowers”.

    Nominations for the Grower of the Year come from the NVG membership. The recipient is chosen by a special Selection Committee made up of Past Presidents, current Directors, and active committee members. The award criteria include: a strong commitment to sustainable practices; recognized leadership in agricultural preservation; dedicated community focus, contributions to the Napa Valley Grapegrowers; and someone who actively promotes Napa’s reputation for the highest quality vineyards.

    About the Napa Valley Grapegrowers

    The Napa Valley Grapegrowers is a non-profit trade organization that has played a vital role in strengthening Napa Valley’s reputation as a world-class viticultural region for 46 years. Its mission is to preserve and promote Napa Valley’s world-class vineyards. NVG represents 685 Napa County grape growers and associated businesses.

    For more information, visit our website Napa Valley Grapegrowers