California Ag Network

Category: Citrus Industry

  • TULARE COUNTY CROP REPORT – For week ending September 8, 2018

    SMALL GRAINS, OTHER FIELD CROPS:
    Corn and sorghum continue to be harvested for silage. Alfalfa cutting and baling for hay continues. Cotton is in bloom with bolls being set.

    DECIDUOUS TREE FRUITS, NUTS, AND GRAPES:

    The stone fruit season continues on. Peaches, nectarines, and plums continue to be exported to Mexico, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Peru, Taiwan, Panama, Colombia, Guatemala, the Philippines, and China. Apricots continue to be exported to Mexico and Australia. Early hand- pruning is taking place in some stone-fruit orchards after harvest. Some stone fruit orchard blocks are being removed after harvest to make way for new plantings. Almond harvest continues, with exports going to Korea, India, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Japan, Germany, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Spain, and Trinidad & Tobago. It is currently the middle of harvest season for pistachios, with nuts being exported to Israel, Italy, Vietnam, and Hong Kong. To the north, pistachios continue to develop. Table grapes are being shipped domestically, as well as exported to Australia, Taiwan, Guatemala, El Salvador, Malaysia, the Philippines, Honduras, Mexico, Costa Rica, Japan, Colombia, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Korea, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Thailand. Raisin grapes are being picked for sun-drying, with raisin beds being prepared. Pears are being exported to El Salvador and Mexico. Persimmons continue to mature and develop external color. Pomegranate harvest is underway. Walnuts continue to develop.

    CITRUS, AVOCADOS, AND OLIVES:

    Valencia oranges are still being packed for domestic markets and some exports to China, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, and Mexico. Limes are being exported to New Zealand. Development and maturation of olives continues. Citrus groves are being hedged and thinning of fruit continues. Pushed-out citrus groves continue to be prepared for planting, and some are now being replaced with young trees.

    VEGETABLES, MELONS, HERBS, BERRIES:

    Various summer vegetables continue to be grown and sold at roadside stands and farmer’smarkets, including assorted peppers, squash, Zucchini, eggplant, cucumbers, tomatoes, watermelons, and cantaloupes.

    LIVESTOCK AND POULTRY:

    Pasture conditions are poor. Supplemental feeding with hay and/or grain continues. The fed cattle price is at $109 per cwt.

    ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Fall shipments of nursery stock from local wholesale nurseries continue. Roses are being exported to Lebanon. Most citrus groves, tree fruit, nut tree orchards and row crops are being irrigated.

    Prepared by:
    Marilyn Wright
    Tulare County Agricultural Commissioner/Sealer

  • Dealing with Wild Pig Pests on the Farm

    Farmers are used to dealing with insect pest and small furry rodents, but how about wild pigs? Now, this is a more common issue in some areas more than others; nonetheless, pigs can wreak a lot of havoc in vineyards, orchards and field crops, so exploring your management options is key.  Watch this brief interview with Julie Finzel from the UC Cooperative Extension as she provides some recommendations for growers.

    Enjoy our Ag video news?  Be sure to let our sponsor Duarte Nursery know & thank them for their industry support!

  • NEW STUDY REVEALS CA CITRUS ECONOMIC IMPACT 

    Citrus Research Board Quantifies Industry Importance

        The total economic impact of California’s iconic citrus industry is $7.117 billion according to a new study commissioned by the Citrus Research Board (CRB).

    Bruce Babcock, UC Riverside

    “In updating our economic analysis, we selected a well-known expert, Bruce Babcock, Ph.D., a professor in the School of Public Policy at the University of California, Riverside, to conduct the research. His findings quantified the significant impact of citrus on California’s economic well-being,” said CRB President Gary Schulz.

    According to Babcock, the California citrus industry added $1.695 billion to the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2016. “California citrus is a major contributor to the economic value of the state’s agricultural sector and is much larger than just the value of its sales,” he said. “Estimated full-time equivalent California citrus jobs totaled 21,674 in 2016-17, and estimated wages paid by the industry during that same timeframe totaled $452 million.”

    Babcock added, “The application of management skills and capital equipment to efficiently utilize land and water to produce high-quality citrus also generates upstream and downstream jobs and income that magnify the importance of citrus production beyond its farm value.”

       In 2016-17, the most recent marketing year of data compilation, Babcock found that the total direct value of California citrus production was $3.389 billion. This value generated an additional $1.263 billion in economic activity from related businesses that supplied materials and services to the citrus industry. Layered on top was another $2.464 billion in economic activity generated by household spending income that they received from California’s industry, according to Babcock, thus rendering a total economic impact of $7.117 billion.

    The study revealed that 79 percent of California’s citrus was packed for the fresh market and 21 percent was processed in 2016-17, which is economically significant because fresh market fruit has a higher value than processed fruit.”

    Of further note, California produced about 95 percent of all U.S. mandarins in the most recent reporting season.

    Joel Nelsen, President of the California Citrus Mutual

    California Citrus Mutual President Joel Nelsen commented, “The “wow” factor in this report is something as it relates to gross revenues and positive impact for the state, people and local communities.  This enthusiasm must be tempered by the fact that huanglongbing (HLB) can destroy all this in a matter of a year if the partnerships that exist between the industry and government cannot thwart the spread of this insidious disease.  Just this week, coincidentally, Brazil authorities reported a 20% reduction in fruit volume.  Reading how that would affect our family farmers, employees and the state is sobering.”

    The CRB study also looked at the possible impact of a potential 20 percent reduction in California citrus acreage or yield or a combination of the two that could result from increased costs associated with meeting government regulations, combatting the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) and warding off the invasion of HLB, a devastating disease that has decimated citrus production in many other growing regions such as Florida. Babcock calculated that such a reduction could cause a loss of 7,350 jobs and $127 million in associated employment income and could reduce California’s GDP by $501 million in direct, indirect and induced impacts. The CRB currently is devoting most of its resources to battling ACP and HLB to help ensure the sustainability of California citrus.

    Babcock is a Fellow of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association and has won numerous awards for his applied policy research. The economist received his Ph.D. in Agricultural and Resource Economics from the University of California, Berkeley and his Masters and Bachelors degrees from the University of California, Davis.

    The CRB administers the California Citrus Research Program, the grower-funded and grower-directed program established in 1968 under the California Marketing Act as the mechanism enabling the State’s citrus producers to sponsor and support needed research. Read the full report on the “Economic Impact of California’s Citrus Industry” Here.

  • California Fresh Fruit Magazine – April/May Issue – Read It Here!

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  • Research Reveals a New Direction for Halting the Citrus Greening Epidemic

    Ithaca, New York, (April 2, 2018) – New clues to how the bacteria associated with citrus greening infect the only insect that carries them could lead to a way to block the microbes’ spread from tree to tree, according to a study in Infection and Immunity by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) scientists.

    Citrus greening, also known as “huanglongbing,” is a serious disease dramatically affecting citrus production across the world. Trees with this disease all die after only a few years. Citrus greening has been detected in every citrus-producing county in Florida, throughout the southern citrus growing states and in isolated spots in southern California. There is no effective prevention or cure.

    The disease is associated with the bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, CLas for short, which is spread from tree to tree only by a tiny insect vector—the Asian citrus psyllid. If CLas cannot infect the psyllid, its ability to spread citrus greening is halted.

    With the long-term goal of disrupting this CLas-Asian citrus psyllid interaction, research molecular biologist and BTI professor Michelle Heck, with the ARS Emerging Pests and Pathogens Research Laboratory, and BTI researcher Marina Mann focused on an important point: not all psyllids spread CLas equally well.

    To be spread by the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) effectively, the bacteria must pass through the cells lining the insect’s gut and multiply. Scientists in Heck’s lab had previously shown that the gut cells of adult ACP show severe stress responses when infected by CLas. The cell nuclei become fragmented, and some cells react to the point of dying, allowing the bacteria to move out of the psyllid and into the tree.

    Now, the researchers have found that, unlike adult psyllids, young psyllid nymphs appear to be resistant to the effects of exposure to CLas, and their nuclei rarely reach the same level of disruption. This means CLas cannot enter psyllid gut cells to multiply.

    The next step will be to identify the mechanism for this resistance in the nymphs so that it might be manipulated to also halt the spread of CLas by the adults. An important clue lies in how psyllid nymphs interact with symbiotic bacteria in their gut, especially Wolbachia pipientis.

    Many insects are hosts for Wolbachia and often depend on these bacteria for important benefits—much like how human health depends on gut bacteria. In their study, Mann and Heck showed that in psyllid nymphs, Wolbachia and CLas are commonly found within the same cells.

    The authors hypothesize that, in accommodating the beneficial bacteria, the nymphs also let in more CLas. This is supported by their finding that CLas levels in psyllid nymphs are strongly correlated with Wolbachia levels. Though this link remains to be tested directly, understanding its mechanism could yield an important target for disrupting CLas-psyllid interaction.

    “CLas exploits the way nymph and adult psyllids differ in their guts to gain entry into its insect vector,” Heck said. “We may be able to use this new foothold in our understanding to develop ways to block transmission by insects in the citrus grove.”

    If this works, “citrus growers will be in a much better situation in terms of disease control and saving the U.S. citrus industry,” said Dan Dreyer, Chairman of the California Citrus Research Board, which funds this and other research aimed at developing a management strategy for citrus greening.

    “There are still many unanswered questions about CLas, how it is acquired and transmitted via the Asian citrus psyllid, and how it causes the disease,” continued Dreyer. “The more we learn about CLas and its vector, the closer we will get to moving citrus production past the threat of citrus greening.”

    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.

  • Start off your Orchard Right with Minimal Weed Issues

    Special Thanks to This Video’s Sponsor

    With all the new tree nut orchards being planted in California, it’s important to remember that weed management is a priority, and it starts even before the planting process. Watch this brief interview with UCCE Farm Advisor Kurt Hembree as he explains, and read more in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

    Enjoy our Ag video news?  Be sure to let our sponsor Duarte Nursery know & thank them for their industry support!

  • Statewide Citrus Grower Approaches for Controlling ACP & HLB

    Special Thanks to This Video’s Sponsor!

    The deadly HLB spreading asian citrus psyllid (ACP) continues to make its way through citrus orchards all over California, and the industry is going to need to work together to slow the spread of this pest to buy researchers sufficient time to come up with a solution for HLB. Watch this brief interview with UC Entomologist Beth Grafton-Cardwell as she discusses what works for controlling ACP and growers are doing in southern and central California to manage the pest.

  • California Fresh Fruit Magazine – January/February Issue – Read It Here!

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    You can read the PDF version of the January/February Issue of California Fresh Fruit Magazine HERE!

    • Goldbud Farms Finds its Niche
      Top Quality Apples and Stone Fruit
    • Citrus Display Pleases the Senses
      CCPP Brings Value & Security to the Citrus Industry
    • Late Winter Orchard Tasks
      Prune Bloom Management Considerations

  • UC Launches Drought Video Series Feb. 2

    Oakland, Calif., (February 8, 2018) – Because periodic droughts will always be a part of life in California, the UC California Institute for Water Resources (CIWR) produced a series of videos to maintain drought awareness and planning, even in years when water is more abundant.

    The first of the three videos premieres Feb. 2 on the UCTV Sustainable California channel. Subsequent videos will be launched March 2 and April 6. View the trailer here.

    The videos are inspired by a collection of 19 drought tips produced by CIWR in collaboration with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources researchers during the drought of 2010-16. The tips cover a broad spectrum of California crops, from alfalfa to walnuts. Topics also include salt management, use of graywater in urban landscapes, and the use of shallow groundwater for crop production. Three topics – alfalfa, almonds and citrus – are featured in the three-episode CIWR video series.

    The drought tips collection and the drought tip videos were sponsored by the California Department of Water Resources. Following is the schedule for the video releases:

    Friday, Feb. 2: Drought strategies for alfalfa

    UC Cooperative Extension alfalfa specialist Dan Putnam wrote the drought tip ‘Drought Strategies for Alfalfa,’ on which the first video in the series is based. The video is on the UCTV Sustainable California channel, http://www.uctv.tv/sustainable-cal/.

    The CIWR drought tip series opens with Cannon Michael of Bowles Farming in Los Banos. The alfalfa grower works with UCCE specialist Dan Putnam. “There’s a lot of misunderstanding about alfalfa as a crop,” Michael said. “It does take water to grow it, as with anything, but you get multiple harvests of it every year.”

    Friday, March 2: Drought management for California almonds

    The second episode features almond producer Raj of Meena farms. He works with David Doll, UCCE advisor in Merced County. “One positive of this drought,” Meena said, “is that it has forced us all to be more efficient in how we use our water.”

    Friday, April 6: Irrigating citrus with limited water

    The series finale features Lisa Brenneis of Churchill-Brenneis Orchard in the Ojai Valley of Ventura County. She worked with UCCE advisor Ben Faber to install a new water-efficient irrigation system. “Irrigation is the only job we really have to do,” Brenneis said, “and we have to get it as right as we can.”

    For a complete list of drought tips, see http://ucanr.edu/drought-tips.

  • CA Citrus Clonal Protection Program Plays a Key Role in Fighting HLB

    As the CA citrus industry works to fight the HLB disease carrying Asian Citrus Psyllid from destroying the industry, the California Citrus Clonal Protection Program is playing a key role in preparing the industry for battle. Watch this interview with Georgios Vidalakis, Director of the program as he explains. Read more in California Fresh Fruit Magazine.