California Ag Network

Category: Ag Legislation

  • Honoring Veterans Every Day at Farmer Veteran Coalition

    Many veterans return home feeling lost, without purpose. They seek that “new mission” they grew so accustomed to during their time in the military. An agricultural non-profit is helping with just that.

    When Michael O’Gorman founded Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC) in the back of his pick-up truck in 2008, he thought he could help our soldiers have meaningful careers and find healing on our nation’s farms.

    At that time no one was connecting veterans with the farming community. Today there are more than 250 organizations supporting this military-to-agriculture movement.

    Simply put, FVC helps veterans pursue careers in agriculture. For these men and women, farming has become their new mission. FVC recognizes that agriculture additionally offers purpose, opportunity, and physical and psychological benefits.

    This is the difference maker for many veterans in their civilian re-integration.

    With Veterans Day upon us, the team of Farmer Veteran Coalition is reflecting on the thousands of farmer veterans they have supported in pursuit of new agricultural endeavors, including those highlighted here.

    This year, after a decade of leading the charge, O’Gorman passed the pitchfork to newly appointed executive director Jeanette Lombardo. Raised by an Air Force veteran father, Lombardo grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania, on a family dairy farm. She spent decades in agricultural banking and now is eager to carry forward the single best way that FVC assists veterans – through their Fellowship Fund.

    A small grant program, the Fellowship Fund purchases farm equipment the member has identified as crucial to their operation. The program has funded $3 million in equipment to over 600 veterans.

    Alex Jauregui – Fury Bees (Photo by Susanna Frohman)

    Veterans like Alex Jauregui. A double-amputee, Alex lost both legs when he stepped on an IED in Afghanistan during his fourth deployment. Now he finds new purpose in his Fury Bees operation in Northern California. “Farming makes me feel enabled,” shares the former Staff Sergeant. “I never would have imagined beekeeping but it’s been very therapeutic.” FVC teamed up with Work Vessels for Veterans and Semper Fi Fund to purchase a Hummerbee forklift, which significantly reduces the physical impact on Alex’s body.

    Twin Sister Veterans Ladonna Avakian & Heather Paterson, now Oregon cherry and hazelnut growers

    Veterans like Ladonna Avakian & Heather Paterson. Twin sisters, both women served in the Air Force. Both returned home to Oregon with service-related disabilities. They were awarded a grant to fund an air sprayer for their Hollyaire orchard where they primarily farm sour cherries, hazelnuts, and holly under the Homegrown By Heroes label. “It’s small grants like this one that make us feel valued and supported,” Heather reflects. “Farming is all about community, and FVC really is its own community. To be physically active, outside, working with my twin, and having our family out there – it’s really an American dream.”

    Ben Misko, a Marine who suffered a brain injury during combat, has found healing in his Restless Roots farm. He grows vegetables and cut flowers in Central Pennsylvania. “Having a brain injury can be very frustrating at times, but animals provide a reprieve for me. Farming keeps me sound in my mind, and the animal and plant care keeps me on schedule,” shares the former Motor Vehicle Operator. “I asked for this equipment so I can provide for more animals without additional financial burden.”

    Michael Trost, who served a decades-long Army career, suffered gunshot wounds that resulted in the amputation of his right leg and the reconstruction of his hand using his toes. After 30 surgeries and two years of hospitalization, he turned to hop growing in Tennessee. “Starting this farm has given me a new mission, purpose and direction in my life. I feel more alive than I have been,” expressed Michael, explaining that the farm is a major part of his post-service recovery. “FVC believed in me and awarded me funds to install fencing around my hopyard. Now we are using the farm to help other wounded veterans. We were made to become farmers. We love to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.”

    Lovay Wallace-Singleton, the president of FVC’s North Carolina chapter, served 20 years in the Navy before founding Veterans Employment Base Camp and Organic Garden. VEBCOG provides temporary employment for post-war veterans transitioning back to civilian life, teaching urban farming skills. A Fellowship Fund grant helped Lovay repair her farm’s hoophouse after hurricane Florence struck and flooded her property.

    And     James Webb, whose career as an Army Ranger ended when he was hit by a drunk driver while riding his motorcycle near Fort Benning. “After my accident and getting medically retired, I lost the career I wanted and worked hard for, and lost the brotherhood unlike anything I had ever known,” lamented the veteran who comes from a long line of military service. “Once I realized I could use horses to work cattle – my whole world changed.” He now operates Conway Cattle Company in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, and last year spoke at FVC’s national conference in Austin on the panel ‘Rangers on the Range’, featuring five former Army rangers all now ranching cattle.

    When FVC was first established, the plan was simple: find a way to help these veterans, and then tell their story. For Michael O’Gorman, getting to work with the men and women of FVC on their own individual journeys to becoming farmers has made it the most rewarding thing he has done. “I’m really proud of the organization that I started and watched grow,” shared the founder. “But we’re still a fairly young organization and are dedicated to helping the farmer veterans out there.”

    For as many veterans as FVC has helped, there are still more in need of support.

    And the stakes are high, as Marvin Frink – who started Briarwood Cattle Farm in North Carolina to cope with post-service PTSD – shows us. “I am just so thankful for [Michael O’Gorman] and the hard work he’s done for us. I can openly say it – [Michael] saved my life and I’m very thankful for him. He came to me when I was in a very bad, very dark place, and he pulled me out of it.”

    More About Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC)

    Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC) is the nation’s largest nonprofit organization assisting veterans and active duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces to embark on careers in agriculture. With the mission of mobilizing veterans to feed America, it provides education, resources and small grants to help veterans launch their own farming operation or find employment in related agricultural professions. Established in 2008, Farmer Veteran Coalition serves more than 20,000 veteran members from all 50 states and U.S. territories while developing a new generation of farmers and food leaders.  Its in-house programs include the Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund small grant program, the nationally recognized Homegrown By Heroes label for veteran-grown products, and the national Stakeholders Conference. It leverages its network of nearly 15 state chapters to facilitate peer collaboration and mentorship. FVC has been successful in getting millions of dollars of USDA funds appropriated for farmer veteran and the groups that support them.  They have built an extended community of organizations that look to them for leadership and guidance as the pioneer in this military-to-agriculture movement.

    Learn more at:     www.farmvetco.org or follow along on Facebook at @FarmerVeteranCoalition, on Instagram at @FarmerVeteranCoalition and on Twitter at @FarmVetCo.  For more details on the Nov. 18-19 virtual conference or to register visit: http://conference.farmvetco.org

  • Quarantined Housing Program for Farm Workers in Imperial/Yuma Growing Regions

    In April, the Grower Shipper Association of Central California (GSA) established a first-of-its-kind housing program for farm workers in the Salinas Valley who were exposed to COVID-19, tested positive for the virus or were symptomatic.  To assist its members in protecting farm workers as the growing season transitions to the Yuma and Imperial areas, GSA has established a similar quarantined housing program in that region.

    Quarantined housing in Yuma and Imperial was accessible as of November 1.  It will offer the same services to farm workers as the Central Coast program, including safe and comfortable rooms, daily deliveries of meals and other necessities as well as daily health checks with a team of nursing professionals.

    “We learned a great deal over the last several months and we were happy to lend our expertise to setting up and managing this program to ensure farm workers in the Yuma and Imperial areas have access to quarantined housing whenever needed,” says Christopher Valadez, President of GSA.

    GSA’s program earned praise from Governor Gavin Newsom who modeled the state’s “Housing for the Harvest” program on the organization’s efforts. In Newsom’s housing program announcement in July, the governor thanked the Monterey County farming community for the work they have done in their region to protect workers describing these efforts as “an incredible job in this state supporting ag workers and farm workers.”    

    The quarantined housing program not only provides farm workers with a comfortable environment where they can rest and recover, but it protects their families and housemates by limiting their exposure to the virus.

    In addition to the quarantined housing program, GSA was also part of a collaborative group that created among the first workplace protection standards to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in agricultural operations, accessed and distributed over a million face masks; developed a program with local hospitals to provide on-site prevention training for farm workers by health professionals and partnered with Clinica de Salud del Valle de Salinas to provide expedited COVID-19 testing which allowed more timely results and more convenient locations for workers.

    Farmers and farming companies in the Yuma and Imperial areas who want more information on the quarantined housing program should contact Christopher Valadez.

  • UC ANR Study Outlines Costs & Returns of Producing Lemons in Southern CA

    A new study on the costs and returns of establishing and producing lemons in Ventura County has been released by UC Cooperative Extension in Southern California and UC Agricultural Issues Center, both part of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources.

    “Coastal agriculture is always in transition and as strawberries and vegetables become less profitable due to markets and labor availability, lemons have returned as a potentially profitable alternative to those crops,” saidBen Faber, UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor for Ventura County and coauthor of the study.

    California lemon acreage was at roughly 47,000 acres in 2018-19, of which Ventura County accounts for 31%, according to the 2019 Ventura County Crop Report. Ventura County was growing lemons on 14,407 acres in 2019.

    “The profitability of lemon production depends on the price of land,” said Etaferahu Takele, UC Cooperative Extension farm management advisor for Southern California, another coauthor of the study. “If the price of land continues in its current trend, it could be prohibitive for new entrants to make a profit and limit further expansion of lemon production in the county.”

    Their cost analysis describes production operations for Eureka lemons on macrophylla rootstock, which are planted at 155 trees per acre with an expected life span of 40 years.

    The study includes a detailed summary of costs and returns and a profitability analysis of gross margin, economic profit and a break-even ranging analysis table, which shows profits over a range of prices and yields.

    Input and reviews were provided by Ventura County farm advisor and grower cooperators. The authors describe the assumptions used to identify current costs for lemon establishment and production, material inputs, cash and non-cash overhead.

    The new study, “2020 – Sample Costs to Establish and Produce Eureka Lemons in Ventura County,” can be downloaded for free from the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics website at http://coststudies.ucdavis.edu and the UCCE Riverside County Farm Management website at https://ucanr.edu/sites/Farm_Management/files/338947.pdf. Sample cost of production studies for many other commodities are also available on the websites.

    For additional information or an explanation of the calculations used in the studies, refer to the section of the report titled “Assumptions” or contact Takele at (951) 683-6491 Ext. 243 ettakele@ucanr.edu or Donald Stewart at the UC Agricultural Issues Center at (530) 752-4651, destewart@ucdavis.edu.

    For information about production of lemons in Ventura County, contact Faber at bafaber@ucanr.edu. — By Pamela Kan-Rice, UCANR

  • California Walnut Credit-Back Referendum

    The California Walnut Board (CWB) is pursuing credit-back authority. The USDA recently published the Secretary’s decision in this regard and has ordered a referendum vote of the growers. This authority will allow for handlers to receive a credit-back for eligible marketing expenditures of 70 cents for every dollar in spend. This important authority is one of the ways the CWB is modernizing the Order to make it work harder for industry, using every possible tool available to spur new investment in new product development/marketing initiatives to continue growing walnut consumption.

    What is Credit-Back Authority?

    • Credit-back is an authority that several agricultural commodities (almonds, prunes, etc.) use to allow handlers to conduct eligible marketing activities in return for a partial credit/rebate on assessments.
    • The CWB does not currently have this authority in the marketing order; therefore, formal rule making has been undertaken to add the authority to the order.

    Ojective/Purpose of the Program

    • Objective of the program – effectively promote the sale, use and consumption of California walnuts
    • Purpose – to encourage handler market promotion in addition to the CWB’s generic marketing efforts

    Structure/Mechanics

    • The credit-back authority, once approved, will be in the Order, whether industry chooses to use or not.
    • Program authorization to spend will be determined on an annualized basis in conjunction with fiscal budgeting.
    • Determining available dollars for the crop year will be based on percent of budgeted assessment revenue.
    • Each handler’s share of available dollars to be based on prior year crop acquisitions.
    • Credit-back will be .70 cents per $1 of spend on eligible marketing & promotional activities.

    What are the rules & requirements?

    • Credit-back requires California Walnuts wording and/or handler name with the word “walnut(s)” to be eligible.
    • Credit-back is not intended for use with private label/third-party products. Activities containing other nuts and/or fruits, etc., would receive credit-back based on the proportionate share of walnuts included.
    • Walnuts used as an ingredient in manufactured food products would receive credit-back based on the proportionate share of walnuts included.
    • Complete rules, regulations and eligible/ineligible activities are defined in the Credit-back Guide.

    What are the impacts to the Board?

    • To be funded from prevailing assessments, likely reduction in domestic program, given this is the largest area of CWB spend.
    • Available dollars for the crop year to be based on percent of budgeted assessment revenue; CWB Executive Committee to make a recommendation to the Board annually.
    • Similar programs have credit-back in the range of 10%-15% of assessments.
    • Staffing implications to be determined based on the breadth and depth of the program.

    More information regarding this referendum can be found on the Federal register.

    Voting

    The voting period is November 30 – December 11, 2020. The CWB encourages grower participation in this process. Please be on the lookout for a ballot from USDA. If you do not receive a ballot, please contact Terry Vawter at (559) 487-5905 or Jeffery Rymer at (559) 987-2293.

  • Help Needed: Identifying Telone Application Sites this Fall/Late Winter

    The Almond Alliance has been meeting with Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) on their initiated 1,3-D pilot programs in three areas of the state:  Shafter, Kern County; Parlier, Fresno County; Delhi, Merced County. The objective of the pilot programs is to evaluate growers and applicators with alternative methods of achieving emission reductions of 1,3-D comparable to tarping. DPR put forth 13 proposed mitigation measures including buffer zones, TIF tarping, soil moisture depth, water seals, amended injection depths and more.

    The Almond Alliance has been engaged in numerous discussions with DPR on this issue and has mobilized our membership to provide feedback and have detailed discussions on why several of the proposed options are not procedurally and economically feasible. We have been clear that our industry needs this fumigant for treatment of nematodes during the replanting of almond trees.

    In August of this year, the Almond Alliance submitted a detailed letter to DPR summarizing the almond industry’s concern about the proposed pilot options and why several should not be considered at all.  To review letter, CLICK HERE.

    DPR has asked that we identify 2 to 3 orchards to evaluate during replanting this fall/spring and will be applying Telone as a soil fumigant. Would you be willing to have your site be a part of an assessment of some fumigant off-gassing reduction measures that DPR would like to assess? If yes, or even if you think your site might not meet the DPR criteria, you should speak with the Almond Alliance and DPR. An ideal orchard is one with no other surrounding orchards, specifically upwind/downwind as DPR needs to have space for the equipment to measure what is emitted into the air.

    While some wanted DPR to move to additional regulation of Telone right away based on the air monitoring data, DPR decided to do some “pilot studies”, partially buying a bit of time. In the process, DPR realized that they needed additional field monitoring data on the off gassing of Telone under different conditions to improve their models, as well to assess the off-gassing if some new mitigation measures were employed. Thus, the hunt for appropriate sites with good grower cooperators.  However, if additional sites with growers willing to cooperate cannot be found, DPR will move forward regulating based on the limited data they already have. That will lead to a significant increase in locations where Telone cannot be used and/or only with the use expensive TIF tarps.

    The proposed emissions mitigation measures include:

    • Getting soil moisture in the top 6-9 inches to 70% water holding capacity as a water seal.
    • Injection the fumigant at 24-28 inches rather than at 18 inches.
    • Mixture of one of the above and strip TIF tarps.

    ​​​​​​​If your site meets the desired conditions – particularly no orchard immediately adjacent to the location and you are willing, we are asking that you discuss the possibility with your soil fumigant applicator company and contact Elaine Trevino at 209-300-7140.

  • Raisin Bargaining Association Announces Big Changes

    The California raisin industry is evolving and the Raisin Bargaining Association with it, as RBA leadership looks to better meet the needs of its grower membership.  Watch this brief interview with RBA representative Dwayne Cardoza as he shares how the association is refocusing its mission to the core objectives it was founded on. Much more to be shared virtually in his State of the Raisin Industry presentation with Sun-Maid CEO Harry Overly at the annual Grape, Nut & Tree Fruit Expo on Nov. 13th, so don’t miss it. Register to attend for free at AgExpo.biz.
     
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.

  • Western Growers Hires Walt Duflock as Vice President, Innovation

    Increasing its industry-leading efforts to quicken the pace of technology solutions for the fresh produce industry, Western Growers has added Walt Duflock as Vice President, Innovation. In this role, Duflock will be singularly focused on accelerating agtech for Western Growers (WG) member companies, including expanding the footprint of the Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology (WGCIT), a premier agtech incubator located in Salinas, Calif.

    “The need for innovative technology in our members’ fields and facilities has never been more urgent,” said WG President and CEO Dave Puglia. “Walt Duflock has guided many technology entrepreneurs and brings a demonstrated ability to propel growth in the agriculture technology sector. I am thrilled that Walt will now join WGCIT Director Dennis Donohue, who is driving tangible progress on key agtech initiatives such as automation and food safety enhancement. Together, Walt and Dennis will further strengthen our ability to drive rapid commercialization of the technologies our members need to thrive into the next generation.”

    Duflock brings over 25 years of experience in the agriculture and technology sectors, with an emphasis on startup development. In addition to his involvement in his fifth-generation family ranch in Monterey County, Duflock has dedicated his career to building programs and strategies at high-growth Silicon Valley startups, including eBay, MerchantCircle (now Reply) and APTARE (now Veritas). In his most recent role, Duflock served as Executive Innovation Leader for SVG Ventures THRIVE.

    “I am excited to be joining the WG team and look forward to working with farmers and startups to increase the speed and scale of solutions, especially for food safety and labor automation,” said Duflock. “My decades of experience in agriculture and working with Silicon Valley startups, along with building a successful agtech accelerator, give me the right set of skills to lead WG’s innovation initiative.”

    Duflock earned a B.S. degree in Business from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a law degree from Santa Clara University. He is active in his local community and serves on several volunteer boards, including the Los Gatos United Soccer League and Rancho Cielo, which aims to transform the lives of at-risk youth. In 2019, Duflock launched SAGE, a 501(c)(6) that focuses on sustainable ag and energy and vibrant rural economies.

    About Western Growers:

    Founded in 1926, Western Growers represents local and regional family farmers growing fresh produce in California, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. Western Growers’ members and their workers provide over half the nation’s fresh fruits, vegetables and tree nuts, including half of America’s fresh organic produce. Connect and learn more about Western Growers on Twitterand Facebook.

  • Survey Asks Californians About Views on Agriculture

    In February 2020, the Grower Shipper Association of Central California (GSA) conducted a survey of residents in the Bay Area and in our local farming regions.  While this survey was conducted prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the results and responses still have value and provide important information to GSA as we work to advance families, food and farming in our region.

    Among the most gratifying result was how much Northern Californians valued agriculture.  Seventy-seven percent stated that agriculture was most or very important to the quality of life and the economy of California.  “We were very pleased to see that so many residents recognized the important work of farmers and farm workers, even before the pandemic,” says Chris Valadez, GSA President.

    The survey shows residents also appear to understand some of the issues facing agriculture, including labor and potential shortages.  Seventy-seven percent of respondents supported the employment of guest workers by agriculture under the H-2A visa program to offset domestic labor shortages and 71% agreed guest worker programs are important to California’s economy.  However, 54% said they were concerned about the impact of guest workers on housing in the region, a concern shared by the agricultural community.

    “While new farm worker housing projects along the Central Coast are in process now, we must continue to work to find innovative solutions to ensure adequate and safe housing is a priority for our community,” Valadez says. “The pandemic further underscored the need for more affordable housing in our region.”

    Food safety is where survey respondents indicated they want agriculture to advance efforts to continuously improve and better protect public health. Respondents generally agreed they want farmers and government agencies to work jointly to improve food safety.

    The survey also explored views on water quality and water supply.  Almost 70% of respondents stated that their water quality was good to excellent.  And, seventy-eight percent agreed that their biggest water concern was an adequate supply and impacts from another drought.  While water was a less important issue among respondents overall, when probed, 64% of respondents stated that agricultural runoff was a concern.

    Finally the survey looked at residential, industrial and agricultural use of pesticides. Interestingly 42% of respondents said they understand the benefits of pesticide use with 23% stating they were unsure about those benefits. This may convey a need for agriculture to continue to provide more information about the safety standards and use of pesticides in organic and conventional production.

    Conclusions:  

    As it did for every one, the pandemic severely shifted the focus of the farming community and GSA.  Significant time and resources were devoted to protecting essential farm workers from COVID-19 exposure while working to ensure a consistent supply of safe and healthy foods reaches consumers.  As the pandemic evolves, GSA’s work to facilitate the availability of protective equipment for farm workers, in-field training by medical professionals, quarantined housing and adequate COVID-19 testing programs continues and remains of primary importance.

    However, the survey findings as well as conversations with media, residents, regulators, elected officials and labor groups throughout the pandemic show that Californians want and need more information about issues impacting agriculture and our industry’s response.  It is also clear respondents greatly value farming in California and its importance to a healthy economy.

    After examining the survey results, GSA’s focus will be on the continuance of solution-based programs, enhanced and transparent external communications about farming practices as well as continued dialogue and engagement with residents, elected officials, labor and environmental advocates.  This survey will help GSA prioritize its attention and efforts on the issues of key importance to Bay Area and Central Coast residents.

    GSA is preparing a white paper with complete survey results as well as a new webpage called “Our Work” which will provide information on these specific issues as well as GSA solution-based programs and activities.  The Our Work webpage will go live in the coming weeks.

    The online survey was conducted in eight counties in the Bay Area and Central Coast from February 7 through February 10.  The survey margin of error was 4.0. 

  • Grapevine Red Blotch Update from UC Davis Foundation Plant Services

    Foundation Plant Services (FPS) has been testing grapevines in its foundation vineyards for grapevine red blotch virus (GRBV) since 2013. Red blotch infection rates have remained extremely low in the Classic Foundation Vineyard, ranging from 0% to 0.21% since 2013. None of the 4,270 vines were infected in 2020 (see table). Russell Ranch Vineyard (RRV) remained unaffected until 2017 when five of 4,132 vines, only 0.1%, were infected with GRBV. Since then, despite significant efforts to prevent the occurrence of the disease, the infection rate in the vineyard has increased to 0.5% (24 of 4,406) in 2018, 7.1% (339 of 4,761) in 2019, and 18% (788 of 4,367) in 2020 (see table).

    Since the discovery of red blotch in the foundation vineyards, all propagated vines related to the positive vines tested negative in every case, indicating the incidence of red blotch at RRV is due to field transmission of GRBV. In addition, material from these plants was distributed prior to the last negative test date, suggesting that material was GRBV-free at the time of distribution. In 2018, we implemented a test-to-order policy that further ensure orders being shipped were negative just prior to distribution.

    One of the greatest challenges in managing red blotch has been vector-mediated transmission. The three-cornered alfalfa hopper, Spissistilus festinus, has been documented as a vector in greenhouse studies and has been found in RRV. Given this threat, we have implemented more frequent vineyard inspections and additional spray treatments specifically targeting the vector and developed a comprehensive program for control of this vector. However, it remains unknown if other vectors are involved in the transmission of red blotch. We are working closely with University of California scientists to monitor the foundation vineyards for potential vectors and track the spread of the virus.

    Given the level of red blotch infection in Russell Ranch Vineyard, we feel the best course of action is to discontinue distributing material from RRV. However, grapevine material from the Classic Foundation Vineyard, which represents the majority of clonal families from RRV, will continue to be available for distribution and is tested for GRBV as dormant canes prior to shipping.

    FPS is greatly committed to maintaining the highest testing standard for our foundation vineyards. We will continue to test all vines in the foundation vineyards individually on an annual basis and implement the best management strategies to safeguard foundation material. In addition, FPS has begun working

    with UC Davis planners to design a 24,000 square foot ‘Emergency Greenhouse’ that will protect approximately 4,000 of FPS’ most valued Foundation grapevines. This is essential to protect the material from vectors and guarantees immediate access to the clean plant material in case of field infection. FPS is currently renting two 1,100 sq ft greenhouses in the interim from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences to temporarily house the most valuable clonal selections as newly propagated virus-tested mother vines in a protected environment.

    Moving forward, a collaborative approach between FPS and the grape industry is needed to protect grapevine Foundation material from exposure to viruses. Although there are major knowledge gaps about the transmission and epidemiology of grapevine red blotch virus, well-funded research teams around the country are working on elucidating the biology. In the meantime, FPS is moving forward to ensure protection of the core grape Foundation which is an essential asset to the US grape industry. — By Deborah Golino (FPS Director dagolino@ucdavis.edu) & Maher Al Rwahnih (Director of Laboratories malrwahnih@ucdavis.edu)

  • New Blackberries: Eclipse, Galaxy, and Twilight

    The best of eastern and western blackberry genetics have been melded to create Eclipse, Galaxy and Twilight, three new blackberry varieties released by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS).

    ARS’ Horticultural Crops Research Laboratory in Corvallis, Oregon, working in cooperation with the Oregon State University Agricultural Experiment Station, has blended the desirable traits of eastern erect-cane blackberries and western trailing blackberries into new varieties with thornless semi-erect canes to fill new niches in the fresh berry market.

    Eclipse was the first of the three varieties from these crosses to move from the test fields to final selection. Its name was changed from ORUS 2816-4 to Eclipse to commemorate the total solar eclipse visible in Corvallis in 2017.

    One of Eclipse’s parents, Triple Crown, known for highest marks in productivity, vigor and flavor, ripens in late summer. Eclipse inherited the same triple high scores, but it ripens earlier, filling a hole in the fresh market harvest season between when trailing varieties ripen and when Triple Crown ripens.

    “Eclipse inherited Triple Crown’s outstanding flavor, beloved for its sweet, fruity taste, with hints of root beer and spice. But what Eclipse has that Triple Crown doesn’t is a firmer skin that gives you a good pop when you bite down. Firmer skin also means the berries handle and ship better and don’t leak, which is always an attractive feature for the fresh market,” said biological technician Mary Peterson, who works in the blackberry breeding program.

    The second blackberry release, Galaxy, also has Triple Crown as a parent and inherited similar traits, with the firmer skin of Eclipse. But it produces a few days earlier than Eclipse. Galaxy’s berries are slightly larger than those of Eclipse with dark-colored fruit.

    “People who’ve tasted Galaxy have detected hints of blueberry, mint and grape,” Peterson said.

    The third release was named following the same sky theme, and the specific name Twilight was selected because it ripens last of the three varieties, 4-5 days after Eclipse, Peterson explained.

    With an ancestry seven-eighths eastern U.S. blackberry and one-eighth western blackberry, Twilight is higher yielding than Eclipse. Tasters have remarked on its complex, deep blackberry jam flavor, with floral and honey notes, but the berries are perhaps not quite as sweet.

    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 agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.