Each year the California Avocado Commission partners with Land IQ to produce a Statewide Avocado Acreage and Condition Analysis report utilizing digital satellite imagery, aerial photography and analytical tools to survey California avocado groves. This data helps the Commission make informed budgeting and marketing decisions and provides industry members with spatial data concerning crop type, location, condition and density. See the full 2023 Report HERE.
According to the report:
In 2023 there were 52,534 planted avocado acres
The majority of growing acreage is located in Ventura, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Riverside and San Luis Obispo Counties with a total of 50,818 planted acres
The five top-producing counties reported 1,059 new/young acres and 3,399 topped/stumped acres
The report also provides acreage data by zip code, county, condition, year planted and density.
The California Avocado Commission’s crop estimating team in conjunction with Land IQ uses the latest in remote sensing techniques to assess avocado acreage in production. As technology continues to advance refinements in our fourth generation of remote sensing techniques were applied to satellite imagery collected during spring and summer months. The imagery processing techniques include; segmentation into homogenous polygons, retention of tree crop polygons, calculation of average crop canopy moisture and vegetation indices, analysis of change maps from previous inventories, and classification of avocado groves into four categories; producing, topped/stumped, new/young, and abandoned. Aerial imagery (for a real-world view), and satellite imagery (for spectral and temporal data) are integrated into previously classified avocado acreage and analyzed for current condition of California avocado acreage statewide.
Pollinating bees are in decline, and those that remain may not be up to the task of pollinating all the crops needed to feed the nation. To help keep food on the table, researchers are looking to native wild bees to take up the slack, especially for blueberries and other fruit crops.
“Honeybees are considered a universal crop pollinator worldwide, but their populations are in trouble, and they do not always pollinate certain crop plants efficiently,” said Blair Sampson, entomologist with the Agricultural Research Service’s Southern Horticultural Research Laboratory in Poplarville, MS. “Therefore, we [are turning] to wild native bees that share a much longer ecological history with our native North American crops.”
Some of these native bees can be managed like the honeybee, which means beekeepers and farmers can relocate colonies from their home regions for deployment to where crops are blooming. Native bees are very docile when being handled and they take care of themselves with little need for human involvement. Sampson is studying such a native bee, the chimney bee (also known as the miner bee).
Male chimney bee resting on a cluster of southern highbush blueberry flowers. (Photo by Blair Sampson, ARS)
Chimney bees are turning out to be an important find for blueberry growers.
In addition to the problem of declining populations, honeybees have difficulty pollinating blueberries due to their relatively short tongue and preference for other plants. Another wild bee, the southeastern blueberry bee, is an abundant and efficient specialist pollinator of blueberries throughout the Gulf Coast states. Unfortunately, many growers in lower-lying areas lack these bees or have too few of them in their fields. These blueberry bees cannot be managed, but the chimney bee, a close relative, can be actively managed and moved in to fill the pollinator void.
While chimney bees are not yet commercially available, relocating them is fairly simple, Sampson said. Gathering chimney bee cocoons from nests in the soil that sticks to the roots of fallen trees or roadside clay outcrops requires careful excavation and skilled handlers, but nesting material can simply be sun-dried clay-rich mud gathered locally. Further, there is no need for specialized tools and costs are minimal.
Chimney bees must be shipped while in a dormant state, then gently warmed to complete their development and emerge from their cocoons. Further, water and additional nesting material should be available to help them thrive.
“These bees do not produce enough honey for us, just enough for themselves, hence, chimney bees’ principal role would be as fruit pollinators,” Sampson explained. “However, the chimney bee does show certain qualities that highlight their ideal candidacy for commercial management: they are flower generalists with a strong homing instinct, and hence will nest in the same location for many years. They also nest in dense aggregations and remain gentle around people near their nest sites.”
Sampson said that adult chimney bees resemble small, fast-flying bumble bee workers, yet they nest and behave very differently.
The bees get their name from their horizontal tubular nests that resemble tiny mine shafts in clay, which they harden into “adobe” with the help of water they collect. As they dig deeper into a clay bank, they use this excess clay to fashion a downward facing tube or “chimney” hanging off the nest entrance.
Locating and relocating chimney bee nests is fairly easy, because they’re easy to find after construction projects or natural weather events disturb the land and give bees easy access to fresh-turned clay. After finding the nests, Sampson gathers earthen cocoons and moves them to where they are tested or released as fruit pollinators.
“Since pollinator habitat is continually declining due to increasing urbanization and crop cultivation, managing wild native bees, such as chimney bees, can help conserve vital natural resources and help farmers increase their yields,” Sampson said. “And, for fruit, nuts, and vegetable crops, native bees will be an essential component for optimizing crop production per acre of land, which is vital for maintaining a stable global food supply.” – By Scott Elliott, USDA-ARS Office of Communications
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that Vietnam has granted market access for California peaches and nectarine effective immediately. Eliminating the phytosanitary barriers keeping California peaches and nectarines out of the Vietnamese market required multiple rounds of technical negotiations over the course of several years.
“This market access is a big win for California’s nectarine and peach producers,” said USDA’s Jenny Lester Moffitt, Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs. “Our APHIS trade team members have worked diligently to make this opened market a reality for Vietnam’s citizens. We are thrilled they will now have access to the fine peach and nectarine fruit that California produces.”
The California Fresh Fruit Association (CFFA) would like to extend its appreciation to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Foreign Agricultural Service, and Agricultural Research Service’s negotiators and experts, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and the Fresno County and Tulare County Agricultural Commissioner offices for their invaluable contributions to this process.
“This is a fantastic example of USDA scientists providing the quality and objective research that was essential for Vietnam’s approval and for future U.S. industry exports,” said Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young, USDA Chief Scientist and Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics. “This new international market access underscores the critical value of federal scientific research and data to the overall food supply system.”
There will be strict production and packing protocols in place but given the enduring success of existing export programs, California stone fruit shippers have already demonstrated a commitment to meeting Vietnam’s requirements.
“The California stone fruit industry identified Vietnam as a strategic export market because Vietnamese consumers value high quality and sweet fruit. Naturally, the varieties California growers have invested in over the years will be popular there. Access to this market is something our industry has been working towards for a significant amount of time, so we are looking forward to introducing the best stone fruit in the world to a new group of consumers” said Caroline Stringer, CFFA Director of Trade.
The California Fresh Fruit Association is a voluntary, public policy organization that represents growers, packers, and shippers of the California table grape, blueberry, kiwi, pomegranate, and deciduous tree fruit communities. CFFA serves as a representative for these growers, shippers, and packers, on issues at both the state and federal levels. More information on the Association can be found at www.cafreshfruit.com.
By Sudan Gyawaly, UCCE Northern Sacramento Valley IPM Advisor — ‘Leaf curl plum aphid’ and ‘mealy plum aphid’ are the key pests of prune orchards in the northern Sacramento Valley. Both aphid species survive the winter in the orchard at egg stage near the base of buds. Once hatched, around bloom time, they vigorously feed on the young foliage and build up their population quickly. From May (leaf curl plum aphid) and June/July (mealy plum aphid), most aphids leave the prune trees and feed on alternate weed hosts outside the orchard.
Mealy plum aphid
Both aphid species infest growing leaves and stems in spring and summer, which can cause curling and stunting of the leaves. Serious aphid infestation can reduce tree growth, vigor, and potentially reduce fruit sugar content. Accumulation of honeydew, which these aphids excrete while feeding, results in the development of sooty mold which can potentially lead to fruit cracking.
Damage caused by plum leaf curl aphid, Jack Kelly Clark, UC IPM
Determining the need to spray for aphids and optimum spray timing.
The decision to spray for aphids depends on the past and present orchard aphid pressure, which also helps determine the optimum spray timing. Also, the need to spray for other prune pests (such as scale or peach twig borer) can influence the selection of materials and application timings for aphids. Several pesticide options are available for aphid control for different application timings (see table, below). An effective aphid management program should always weigh the relative cost, efficacy, and impacts on natural enemies and surface water quality.
If aphids are a consistent problem in an orchard, a late fall/early dormancy (Nov-early Dec) spray with a low label rate of a pyrethroid insecticide provides good control of aphids. Low label rates of these insecticides applied at this time are effective, yet the risk of surface water runoff is reduced. Oil spray during this period can seriously impact parasites (natural enemies) and is not recommended, especially if leaves are still on trees.
Dormant sprays (late Dec-Jan) of pyrethroid or pyrethroid plus oil treatments are effective against aphids and other pests, such as scale and PTB. However, this application timing poses higher risks of surface water contamination.
If a fall/dormant spray is not applied, dormant spur sampling can help decide the need for aphid sprays at bloom. Dormant spur sampling for aphids involves sampling for aphid eggs, and the treatment threshold for aphids is just 1 egg out of 100 spurs. However, aphid eggs can be hard to find on dormant spurs, and not finding eggs on spurs doesn’t mean none are present. Therefore, a spring/summer monitoring is necessary to complement the dormant spur sampling if no eggs were found on dormant spurs. Bloom time sprays of narrow-range oil are effective against aphids.
If aphids are only an occasional problem in the orchard and sprays were not applied at fall/dormant or bloom time, the need to spray for aphids is based on spring/summer monitoring. Spring/summer aphid monitoring involves weekly monitoring (from petal fall until a treatment is applied or July 15) of 40 trees/block for aphid infestation and determining if those trees have significant (aphid covering >10% of tree leaf surface) aphid infestations. Treatment is warranted if a threshold (12 out of 40 trees monitored in a block) have significant aphid infestation. Click this link for details on spring/summer monitoring.
The table below (adopted from Franz Niederholzer) provides a good summary of various prune aphid control materials, their application timings, efficacy against key prune pest and risks to water quality.
Label is the law. Always read the label of the product being used.
Disclaimer: Products listed in this table do not constitute a recommendation, and many of the active ingredients presented in this article can be purchased under multiple trade names.
The National Watermelon Promotion Board (NWPB) is excited to announce the call for entries for their 16th annual Watermelon Retail Merchandising Contest. Retail chains, independent retailers, and commissaries are invited to compete for over $10,000 in cash and prizes. The grand prize winner will receive $5,000, with $2,500 awarded to the second place, $1,000 for third place, and $500 each for three honorable mentions. In addition to starting the contest a month earlier in an effort to capture the early summer market when watermelon demand begins to soar, the first 25 entries will receive a $15 gift card as an early bird incentive.
Thanks to a continued collaboration with Tajín® for the 2024 season, the first 100 entries featuring watermelon and Tajín® seasoning in their in-store displays or across social, digital, print, and web marketing efforts will each receive a $20 Amazon digital gift card. This partnership not only increases the contest’s appeal but also offers retailers a fantastic cross-merchandising opportunity. The combination of fresh watermelons and Tajín’s chili-lime seasoning provides a unique and flavorful experience for consumers.
“We are excited to infuse our contest with an extra ‘zing’ through our partnership with Tajín,” stated Juliemar Rosado, Director of Retail and International Marketing. “Combining watermelons with Tajín enhances a variety of dishes and cuisines, offering a fantastic opportunity for cross-merchandising promotions to showcase the unique benefits of both products.”
Eric Patrick, Partnership Brand Manager, remarked, “Our enduring collaboration with NWPB consistently delights consumers. We look forward to seeing the creative merchandising and marketing strategies from retailers of all sizes this year. The combination of watermelons and Tajín creates substantial interest in both products.”
Retailers can enter by submitting their entries, including photos, links, screenshots, etc., online or via email. All entries must be received or postmarked by midnight Eastern on September 13, 2024. For more information, including official contest rules and entry forms, visit Watermelon Retail Contest or contact NWPB at retail@watermelon.org.
About National Watermelon Promotion Board
The National Watermelon Promotion Board (NWPB), based in Winter Springs, Florida, was established in 1989 as an agricultural promotion group to promote watermelon in the United States and in various markets abroad. Funded through a self-mandated industry assessment paid by more than 700 watermelon producers, handlers and importers, NWPB mission is to increase consumer demand for watermelon through promotion, research and education programs.
A serving of nutrient-dense watermelon provides an excellent source of Vitamin C (25% DV), a source of Vitamin B6 (8% DV), and a delicious way to stay hydrated (92% water), with only 80 calories per 2-cup serving. Watermelon consumption per capita in the United States was nearly 16.9 pounds in 2023. Watermelon consumption in the United States was nearly 5.6 billion pounds in 2023. The United States exported an additional 377 million pounds of watermelon. For additional information, visit www.watermelon.org.
About Tajín Seasonings
Industrias Tajín is a 100% Mexican company, leader in Mexico and United States markets in chili powder, and one of the most important in the production and commercialization of products derived from chili worldwide. It has presence in more than 65 countries around the world. It was founded in 1985, surprising consumers with the perfect blend of lime, chili, and sea salt. In 1993, Tajín exports to the United States for the first time and Tajin International Corporation is established in Houston, TX, from where all the commercial activity of the brand in the U.S. is managed. The brand arrived in the Central American and European markets in 2006.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA) Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Division (CPDPD) has announced that as of May 14, 2024, Victoria Hornbaker, former director of the CPDPD, will transition to her new role as the director of the CDFA’s Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services (PHPPS) Division. David Gutierrez, branch chief of the CPDPD, will serve as interim director while a recruitment process is conducted to find a permanent hire for the role.
During her tenure, Victoria played a pivotal role in the development of the CPDPD, which was officially declared a division of CDFA in 2019. For the past 11 years, Victoria has led efforts to develop and execute innovative strategies to manage various citrus pest and disease threats, including the Asian citrus psyllid and Huanglongbing.
With Victoria’s transition to her new position as director of the PHPPS Division, David Gutierrez has been appointed as the interim director of the CPDPD, bringing his experience of serving as branch chief to the role, and will maintain the CPDPD’s various operations and activities during this transitional period.
CDFA will be recruiting for a permanent director to lead the CPDPD in the coming months. For any questions regarding the CPDPD or this transition, please email cdfa.cpdpd@cdfa.ca.gov.
U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis M. Taylor today announced the availability of funding for the first five projects under the new Assisting Specialty Crop Exports (ASCE) initiative.
The ASCE initiative is part of USDA’s commitment to create more, new and better markets at home and abroad for U.S. producers and agribusinesses. The innovative partnership between USDA and the specialty crops sector will focus on projects to address the non-tariff trade barriers that hinder U.S. exports of fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, horticultural crops and related products.
“Today, USDA is committing more than $20 million to support U.S. specialty crop exporters in their efforts to overcome trade barriers and open overseas markets,” Under Secretary Taylor said. “We’re excited to be accepting proposals from partners interested in implementing projects that will target cross-cutting issues that were identified in our discussions with a diverse set of stakeholders. U.S. specialty crop exports totaled $25.8 billion last year, increasing the bottom line for our producers and driving economic development in their local communities and beyond. With the ASCE initiative, we look forward to expanding specialty crop exports and generating even greater benefits.”
The project opportunities for which USDA is accepting applications are:
Sustainable Packaging Innovation Lab – to support research and implementation projects that advance U.S. specialty crop exports through innovative solutions to emerging overseas regulatory requirements for packaging and labeling;
Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) Regional Harmonization – to address existing and potential trade needs in Asia, Latin America, and Africa related to MRLs for U.S. specialty crops entering these regions, while supporting development of risk-based and trade-facilitative policies that are consistent with international standards such as Codex;
Import MRL Guideline Implementation in Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economies – to support establishment of import MRLs in key U.S. export markets through the adoption and implementation of official APEC MRL guidelines that facilitate trade and are consistent with international standards such as Codex;
Data Generation for Codex and Harmonized MRL Setting – to reduce the number of missing and misaligned MRLs by supporting collaborative research and data generation capacity for the establishment of Codex MRLs; and
MRL Quick Reference Sheets for Specialty Crops – to develop a set of quick reference sheets for specialty crop exporters that include MRLs for the top foreign markets.
After touring the packaging materials lab at the University of Wisconsin-Stout today, Under Secretary Taylor said, “The work being accomplished by these students and researchers will help create innovative, sustainable packaging materials that will help specialty crop exporters meet the requirements of our trading partners and extend the shelf-life of their products to ensure cost-competitive, highly nutritious American products move safely from our farm to consumers’ plates globally.”
California Citrus Mutual (CCM) commends Chairwoman Stabenow of the Senate Agriculture Committee and Chairman Glenn Thompson from the House Agriculture Committee for prioritizing the citrus industry’s fight against Huanglongbing (HLB) in each of their frameworks for the 2024 Farm Bill. Each Chair’s framework continues support of the Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Extension Program at $25 million per year for the life of the Farm Bill.
“This is a significant step towards reaching a bipartisan Farm Bill compromise that will continue critical research to find a cure to Huanglongbing,” said CCM President/CEO Casey Creamer. “While this isn’t the finish line, it clearly signals that Congress supports maintaining citrus funding. We thank the Chairs of the Committee and our California Congressional delegation for championing our needs.”
The $25 million in funding will go to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to fund research to find a cure for HLB. The funding is overseen by grower representatives from California, Texas, and Florida.
This is a big win for the citrus industry as there were significant headwinds with the current fiscal battles in Washington, D.C., including escalating Farm Bill baseline expenditures and competing priorities within agriculture. It proves the strength of the advocacy partnership with Florida and Texas Citrus Mutuals in addition to the strong support received from allied industry organizations.
About California Citrus Mutual (CCM)
CCM is a voluntary, non-profit trade association representing California citrus growers on the economic, regulatory, and political issues that most impact them.
Watch this brief video at the 88th annual conference of the California Fresh Fruit Association featuring the organization’s new President, Daniel Hartwig. Learn about Hartwig and the priorities of the organization moving forward to protect the interests of California table grape, tree fruit and berry growers.
California Avocado Commission — California avocado growers in the San Diego region are among the first to harvest their fruit, providing local grocers and consumers with a first taste of the season’s fresh crop. To generate excitement and build awareness among San Diego area shoppers about the start of the California avocado season, the California Avocado Commission invited nine well known San Diego-focused influencers on a grove tour and retail sampling event.
Starting in the early morning in Del Mar, the influencers traveled to Fairfield Farms in Pauma Valley and enjoyed an informative session about California avocados, sustainable production, grower histories and the upcoming season. Upon their arrival, California avocado grower Spencer Steed took the influencers on a walking and wagon tour of the grove, providing an overview of the operation, his family’s agricultural background and the organic and sustainable growing practices they employ. As influencers toured the grove and picked fresh California avocados, they captured the moments with creatively staged photography that were shared across their social channels to help announce the start of California avocado season.
After the tour, the social media personalities visited the Del Mar location of CAC retail partner for the event, Gelson’s, and participated in the year’s first California avocado sampling event. California avocado grower and packer Jessica Hunter (Del Rey Avocado Company) and Andy Lyall (Lyall Family Farms) were on hand to share their own growing experiences as the influencers captured additional photos and video.
Each of the influencers shared their unique behind-the-scenes California avocado grove tour and sampling experiences with their followers in a visually captivating manner, coupling the imagery with messaging that celebrated the start of the California avocado season, the locally grown nature of the fruit and the sustainable farming practices of the growers.
By partnering with hyperlocal San Diego social media influencers with large followings, the Commission was able to effectively target consumers in regions where they could purchase some of the first California avocados of the season. The campaign, which will continue in the weeks ahead, is expected to generate 1.5 million impressions and build demand for and excitement about the upcoming season.
Additional public relations activity is also now underway in other key California avocado markets and will be reported on at a later date.
