California Ag Network

Category: Livestock

  • USDA California Crop/Weather Report

    Sacramento, Calif., (March 28, 2017) – The week oscillated between warm and wet to dry and cool two separate times last week, as early springtime Pacific systems moved through the State.

    Rain totals were up to a quarter of an inch along the southern coast, increasing gradually to nearly two inches near San Francisco. The southern valley saw one-and-a-half inches, increasing northward to four inches near Napa. An inch was the norm along the southern Sierra foothills, increasing northward to three inches in northern foothills. The Sierras saw two to three inches of liquid-equivalent precipitation, with snow falling above 7,000 feet. A combination of warm temperatures and rain led to a substantial decrease in the snowpack except at the highest elevations in the northern Sierras. Lodgepole, at 6,700 feet in the southern Sierras, remains the thickest snowpack with a report of nearly six feet of snowdepth.

    Temperature highs were in the 40s to 60s in the mountains, 60s to 70s in the valley and along the coast, and 70s to 90s in the desert. The temperature lows were in the 20s to 30s in the mountains, 30s to 50s in the valley, 40s to 50s along the coast, and 40s to the 60s in the desert.

    Winter forage crops were maturing well. Some growers were starting to harvest silage. Spotty lodging was noted due to the heavy rain and wind. Corn seed was being received in advance of planting. Cotton preparation work was almost done for planting.

    Field work in vineyards continued with pruning, tying, berm sanitation, and brush shredding.  Bud break was progressing in vineyards. Cherries and late varieties of stone fruit continued to bloom. Reports of heavy rain and hail may have knocked off petals and affected the bloom. Kiwifruit were being shipped to foreign and domestic marketplaces. The citrus harvest was slowed due to the rain. Late navel orange harvest was underway in some areas.  Navel oranges, Mandarins, lemons, Star Ruby grapefruit, and late harvest Finger limes were being packed and exported for foreign and domestic marketplaces. Valencia orange harvest started. Orange groves were being hedge-rowed and skirted. Seedless tangerine groves continued to be netted to prevent cross pollination by bees during the coming bloom. Blueberries were blooming.  Strawberry fields continued to thrive.  Previously planted onions continued to progress well.

    Almond bloom continued to slow down. Almonds and pistachios continued to be packed and exported mainly to foreign marketplaces. Some walnut trees were blooming.  Bee colonies continued to be moved into nut and stone fruit orchards for pollination.

    In Fresno County, garlic and onions have solid growth, due to excess moisture. In Madera County, tomato bed preparation was ongoing and over half of the tomatoes have been planted.  In Tulare County, new fields were being prepared for spring planting as weather permitted.  Cucumbers were being planted under hot caps.

    Rangeland and dryland pasture quality continued to improve with all the recent rainfall and intervening warm weather. Some cattle ranchers have increased their herd size to take advantage of the improved forage conditions.

  • USDA California Crop/Weather Report

    Sacramento, Calif. (March 21, 2017) – It was a warm week across the State, as most of the area was well entrenched into a dry pattern. Fog developed across the northern central valley early in the week which helped supply a bit of moisture. Rainfall was limited to the northern third of the State late week. Rainfall amounts were very light along Interstate 80, gradually increasing to the north. The heaviest rains fell in the northern mountains, which received around a quarter inch of rain each day. Warm temperatures last week resulted in the first week of significant snowmelt in the mountains. Despite that, mountain snow packs continued to be heavy with Lodge pole still reporting over seven feet of snow depth.

    Temperature highs were in the 30s to 70s in the mountains, 60s to 80s in the valley and along the coast, and 70s to 100 in the desert. The temperature lows were in the 10s to 40s in the mountains, 40s to 50s in the valley and along the coast, and 40s to the 60s in the desert.

    Winter forage crops were maturing well. Some growers were starting to harvest silage. Alfalfa was making good growth as a result of the warmer weather. Drier and warmer weather were ideal for the grains.

    Field work in vineyards continued with pruning, tying, berm sanitation, and brush shredding.  Some bud break has been observed in vineyards.  Cherries and late varieties of stone fruit continued to bloom.  Kiwifruit were being packed and shipped to domestic and foreign markets.  Some persimmons and pomegranates were leafing out.  New orchards were being planted.  The citrus harvest picked up with the improved weather.  Late Navel orange harvest started in some areas.  Navel oranges, Mandarins, Minneola tangelos, lemons, and late harvest Finger limes were being exported mostly to foreign markets.  Star Ruby grapefruit harvest began, with most of the fruit being packed for the domestic market.  Orange groves were being hedge-rowed and skirted.  Growers were starting to net the seedless tangerines to prevent cross pollination by bees during the coming bloom.  Pruning of olives continued.

    Almond bloom was slowing down.  Bee colonies continued to be moved into nut orchards for pollination.  Almonds and pistachios were being exported.  Some walnut orchards were blooming.

    In Tulare County, squash was being planted in hot tunnels.  New fields were being prepared for spring planting.  Cucumbers were being planted under hot caps.  Blueberries were blooming.  Strawberry fields continued to thrive.  Previously planted onions continued to progress well.  In Monterey County, strawberry production was picking up and harvest crews were working.  A few brassica fields were being harvested as well. Flood waters were receding.

    Rangeland and dryland pasture quality continued to improve with all the recent rainfall.  Condition was excellent due to continued rainfall and warmer weather.  Some cattle ranchers have increased their herd size in order to take advantage of the improved forage conditions.  Bees were active in almond and early stone fruit orchards.

  • USDA California Crop/Weather Report

    Sacramento, Calif., (March 14, 2017) – Temperatures warmed up last week between 10 and 20 degrees, with a drier pattern taking hold over much of the State. Rainfall was largely confined to the northern one third of the State, with generally light rains falling along the central/northern valley, central/northern coast, and snow into the central/northern Sierras on Monday through Wednesday.

    Mountain snowpack decreased for the first time since last fall. Although snow showers fell on the central/northern Sierras early in the week with up to three inches of new snow accumulation, warm temperatures helped produce an overall decrease in snowpack by about one to two feet. Very heavy snowpacks continued in the mountains, with Lodgepole in the southern Sierras still reported over four feet of snow on the ground. Deeper snowcover was seen in the central and northern Sierras.

    Temperature highs were in the 40s to 60s in the mountains, 60s to 70s in the valley and along the coast, and 70s to 90s in the desert. The temperature lows were in the 20s to 40s in the mountains, 30s to 50s in the valley, 30s to 60s in the desert, and 40s to 50s along the coast.

    Alfalfa broke dormancy but growth was slow. Alfalfa fields continued to be sprayed for weeds. Growers started preparing ground for the upcoming cotton season by tilling, making furrows, and applying herbicides.

    Pruning, discing, weed control, and pre-bloom spraying continued. Olive groves were pruned. Herbicides were applied to some vineyards to combat the increase in weeds after an exceptionally wet winter. Early varieties of stone fruit, including cherries, apricots, and plums, were blooming in the San Joaquin Valley. Harvest of Cara Cara and Navel oranges, lemons, and mandarins continued. Fungicide applications were made to some citrus orchards. Recent rains impacted the overall quality of the citrus. Orange groves were hedge-rowed and skirted.  A few seedless tangerine groves were netted to prevent cross pollination during the pending bloom.

    As field conditions permitted, walnut and pistachio orchard pruning resumed. Almond bloom was progressing up the state with some areas nearing completion. Fungicides were applied in some almond orchards.

    In Colusa County, harvest began on asparagus.  In San Joaquin County, sunshine and warm weather allowed farmers and growers back into the fields.  In Fresno County, spring carrots were harvested and beds were prepared for summer carrots.  Winter crops of broccoli, cabbages, and cauliflower were harvested and sold in local markets.  Garlic and onions around the county were growing well and had herbicides applied.  Growers planted tomatoes and prepared fields for eggplant.  In Tulare County, squash was planted in hot tunnels.  New fields were prepared for spring planting.  Previously planted onions continued to progress well.

    Warming spring conditions and plentiful precipitation promoted lush forb and grass development. Non-irrigated pasture and rangeland continued to improve with much of the state’s range reported to be in excellent to fair condition. Supplemental feeding of livestock continued to diminish as range conditions improved. Calving was ongoing in Shasta County. Bees were active in almond and early stone fruit orchards. Lambing season in Fresno County was underway. Sheep grazed stubble fields, idle cropland and dormant alfalfa.

  • Groverman Ranch: Veterinarian Keeps Family Property in Ag for 100 Years

     

    Dr. Fred Groverman and his wife Lynge stand on a hill overlooking the family ranch in Petaluma. It’s lambing season at the farm and Groverman had more than 60 lambs at the end of February.

    Petaluma, Calif., (March 14, 2017) – Throughout Sonoma County, the name Groverman is synonymous with a veterinarian who has dedicated his life to the county’s agricultural community. Dr. Fred Groverman, 83, has spent a lifetime as a beloved large and small animal veterinarian but also as a shepherd of his Shropshire flock which he raises on a 50 acre farm that’s been in his family since the early 1900’s.

     

    Groverman’s grandfather emigrated from Germany in the 1800’s and lived in San Francisco before the family relocated to Petaluma. They lived off Liberty Road for a few years before moving to Corona Road in 1908, directly across from what would become the family’s ranch over the next few years. The Grovermans then moved onto their current property which they rented for a couple of years before buying in the 1910’s. The family paid off the property in the 1940’s.

    Like most farms that have been in the family for 100 years, Groverman’s family ranch has changed and evolved over time.

    In the early part of the 1900’s, the family had more than 8,000 chickens. The chickens lived in colony houses which the Grovemans described as free range, a term not used at the time. Groverman’s father, Bernard, primarily sold eggs and hatching eggs.

    While raising the chickens, the family of four (Bernard and his wife Ida, who was from the Petersen farming family in Roblar, had two children: Fred and his older sister Elsa) stayed diversified also raising veal, hay, horses, chickens for meat, milk cows and growing vegetables.

    Groverman started milking the family’s three to five dairy cows at nine years old, and continued to milk by hand for another nine years. The family sold cream to the Petaluma Cooperative Creamery.

    In the 1940’s, the family transitioned from raising chickens to turkeys for meat production. The family usually kept around 1,250 turkeys, but Groverman remembers the turkeys peaking at more than 2,500 at one point in time.

    Rewind a decade to 1934 when Groverman was only six months old and his father made a decision that would shape the rest of his life. Bernard Groverman purchased a handful of Shropshire sheep, a wooly meat breed of sheep developed in England.

    Fred Groverman is still raising Shropshires, and has a flock of more than 150 sheep. He said he has the oldest production flock in the world. He has gained national recognition for his herd, culminating in a prestigious 2011 invitation to judge the National Shropshire Show in the U.K.

    Over the years, Groverman has worked hard to maintain the purebred status of his flock, and in 1992 he stopped buying outside rams and only using rams bred on the farm with two exceptions: he imported semen in 2002 from New Zealand and in 2008 from the U.K.

    In 1951, three weeks after Groverman had started his first semester at UC Davis, Bernard Groverman passed away leaving the burden of the family ranch on Ida. Groverman came back from school and helped his mother take care of the ranch, selling all the turkeys and helping with lambing – a skill that would become very beneficial for his career.

    Groverman went back to Davis the following year and got a place in the veterinary school with only two and a half years of pre-vet experience. Some of this he attributed to his exemplary work with the school’s sheep flock, but he admits that he was also lucky and fortunate. Groverman said everything just fell into place after that.

    In 1958, Bill Kortum, who had graduated four years prior, asked Groverman to join his practice. They worked together to build a veterinary hospital in Cotati, quite literally helping build the building. The hospital continued to grow, and those who have heard of Groverman know his career continued to be a success for years to come.

    As a successful vet, he also became a community fixture. He was a 4-H leader for more than 48 years and has served on the 4-H Foundation board since 1982; he was on the Sonoma County Fair Board for 10 years and involved as a vet for 30. He first became involved with Farm Bureau in the early 50’s when he served as a founding member of the Young Farmers and Ranchers and was inducted into the Farm Bureau Hall of Fame in 2006. He has received numerous awards over the years including two lifetime achievement awards for his work in agriculture from the Sonoma County Harvest Fair and the Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce. This is only the tip of Groverman’s involvement; a full list could form an entire article in its own right.

    “Meanwhile,” said Groverman, “I was always taking care of the sheep.”

    Pat, Groverman’s wife of 54 years, passed away in 2012. Groverman has since remarried, and his second wife Lynge, who had worked for Groverman in the 60’s, lives on the Petaluma property with him and shares in the daily tasks that come with raising sheep.

    Lynge is entrenched in the history of the Groverman Family’s ranch, able to talk about the history of the property as if she’s lived there her whole life. “What amazes me,” said Lynge, “is that in the 40’s, the property was paid for, and the four person family was raising their own food and supporting themselves without an outside job.”

    Together, the couple is working on what will become of the property in years to come.

    They are positive that they want to land to stay in agriculture. They also have a dream that the property could be used to help educate the next generation about agriculture. They are exploring different options and seeking to partner with an organization that has similar ideas about how the property can benefit the community going forward.

     

  • UC Davis Tops World Rankings in Veterinary Science – Ranks No. 2 in Agriculture and Forestry

    Davis, Calif., (March 13, 2017) – The University of California, Davis, held onto its top spot in veterinary science in the latest QS World University Rankings released today (March 7).

    And for the fifth consecutive year, the campus is among the top-ranked universities in agriculture and forestry, taking second place in the ranking this year.

    First in veterinary science since the field was added to the rankings in 2015, UC Davis is renowned for applying a “One Health” approach to addressing critical health concerns on a local and global scale.

    “The energy, passion, knowledge and skills that the UC Davis veterinary medicine community brings to their jobs every day is the secret to our success,” said Michael Lairmore, the school’s dean since 2011. “Our future, supported in part by generous philanthropic partners, will be shaped by our combined efforts as we push the boundaries of research discoveries, provide innovative educational opportunities for our students, bring advanced clinical services to our animal patients, and serve our communities by advancing the health of animals, people and the environment.”

    Ranked No. 2 in agriculture and forestry, UC Davis is the most published and cited U.S. research university in agricultural sciences, environment and ecology, and food science and nutrition. The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences has helped shape California and the world, and remains dedicated to solving critical issues with food, water, energy, climate change and human health to improve the quality of life throughout the world.

    Home of the internationally acclaimed viticulture and enology program, the college offers 29 majors and 43 minors, plus an exploratory/undeclared option, in the fields of agriculture, environment, human needs and social sciences.

    In other recent rankings, UC Davis was named the greenest university in the world by the seventh annual GreenMetric ranking from the University of Indonesia in December 2016 and No. 20 among large schools on the Peace Corps’ Top Volunteer–Producing Colleges and Universities list in February.

    In October 2016, U.S News and World Report’s “Best Global Universities” ranked UC Davis first in programs for plant and animal sciences, second in agricultural sciences, and fourth in environment and ecology.

    Other top showings in the QS rankings

    In this year’s QS rankings, UC Davis is among the world’s elite institutions in 35 of the 46 subjects and all five of the subject areas featured. Among UC Davis’ `highest rankings:

    • environmental sciences remains at 13th
    • biological sciences moves up four spots to 27th
    • anatomy and physiology is 28th in this newly ranked subject
    • earth and marine sciences climbs five spots to 29th
    • development studies, once below 50th, now shows among ranked schools at 47th

    QS rankings are based on reputational surveys and research citations. This year, QS evaluated 4,438 universities, then qualified 3,098 and ranked 1,117 institutions.

    Robust veterinary research and clinical programs

    The veterinary school, also ranked No. 1 by U.S. News and World Report, is home to a robust research program, which last year totaled nearly $76 million in research funds. The school provides clinical services to more than 50,000 animal patients in 34 specialties annually. UC Davis serves as a strong leader in veterinary medical education, providing nearly 550 Doctor of Veterinary Medicine students annually with a curriculum built on sound educational theory designed and delivered by prominent faculty members.

    Making a difference around the world

    The school is involved in improving the lives of people and animals, and the environment in more than 30 countries worldwide through efforts such as:

    • PREDICT, a $175 million multi-institutional program, led by the school’s One Health Institute and funded by USAID to rapidly detect and respond to emerging viruses such as Ebola
    • California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System, which protects public and animal health in partnership with the state’s Department of Food and Agriculture
    • Comparative Cancer Center, where veterinary researchers collaborate with physicians and researchers from the UC Davis School of Medicine to develop therapies for human and animal cancer
    • The 100K Genome Project, which aims to speed the diagnosis of foodborne illnesses by creating a databank of pathogen genome sequences
    • Collaboration among veterinary dental surgeons and biomedical engineers to regrow jawbone in dogs and provide valuable knowledge for human treatment
    • Advanced Imaging Facility (with cutting-edge confocal microscopes), providing researchers with a whole new view of biological specimens to answer questions about health and disease

    The rankings are prepared by Quacquarelli Symonds, a British firm widely considered to be one of the most influential international university rankings providers.

     

    A dog receives treatment in the dentistry lab of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. (Don Preisler/UC Davis photo)

  • Fresno County Department of Agriculture Crop Report for February 2017

    Fresno, Calif., (March 9, 2017) – Across the County, plantings of barley, oats, triticale, wheat, and winter forage are all growing well due to an abundance of rain. Some fields have already started to develop seed heads. Herbicides and fertilizers were applied to fields between storms. Ground preparation was underway for rice fields in Firebaugh.

    Alfalfa broke dormancy but growth is slow. Alfalfa fields continued to be sprayed for weeds, with some having to be by areal application due to wet ground.

    Growers started preparing ground for the upcoming cotton season by tilling, making furrows, and applying herbicides. Alfalfa seed was exported to China, France, Italy, Qatar and United Kingdom.

    Almond bloom started mid-month, accompanied with applications of fungicides to control disease. Some apricot, nectarine, peach, and plum orchards, started to bloom as well. Fungicide treatments began in these orchards as well as being sprayed for weeds. Buds started to swell in cherries. Growers participating in the Mexico Stone Fruit Program hung pheromone traps for the Oriental Fruit Moth as of February 15. Vineyard operators applied herbicides to combat the increase in weeds after all the rain. Stakes and trellis wire were repaired. In some warmer areas, grape buds started to swell. Many vineyards around the County continued to be removed for planting of almond, pistachio, and walnut orchards. In pistachio and walnut orchards application of herbicides took place. Almonds, Asian pears, prunes, and raisins were exported to Algeria, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and Viet Nam. Pistachios were exported to Hong Kong. While kiwi was exported to Japan and Taiwan.

    Strawberry plantings were delayed in some districts due to wet conditions, but where previously planted they showed signs of slow growth. Carrots were harvested and beds where prepared for the next rotation. Garlic and onions around the County were growing well and had herbicides applied. In Kerman district, cilantro, kale, leaf lettuce, and mustard for seed production was growing well. Lettuce and pepper seed was exported to Australia. Growers continued to prepare for tomatoes and eggplant by applying herbicides, cultivating and fumigating to control soil borne pests. Winter crops of broccoli, cabbages, cauliflower, chard, collards, gai lan, and kale were harvested to be sold in local markets. Spring lettuce is growing slowly due to cooler conditions. Blueberries started to bloom around the County and fungicides were applied.

    Cara Cara, lemons, Navel oranges and mandarins continued to be harvested between storms. Nets were placed around mandarins to exclude bees from pollinating. Fungicide applications were made in a few citrus orchards. Grapefruit, lemons, mandarin, Navel, pomelo, tangelo, and tangerines were exported to Belgium, Chile, China, El Salvador, France, French Polynesia, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Peru, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Singapore.

    Cattle and sheep continued to graze on the lush rangeland. Frequent rains have kept the rangeland grasses growing, providing excellent feed. Lambing season started with lots of babies produced in Huron district. Egg production ramped up again after the winter lull. Beehives were placed in lots of orchards and bees were busy pollinating.

  • USDA California Crop/Weather Report

    Sacramento, Calif., (March 7, 2017) – A lot of variation in the weather across the State as a departing Pacific system exerted its influence onto the State. Monday, heavy rainfall across the southern quarter of the State, with areas along the immediate coast receiving up to two inches of rain. Heavier rainfall fell in the coastal mountains immediately inland of the San Diego area, with locations receiving over five inches. Most of the deserts received a quarter inch of rain. Midweek was mostly dry, expect for light rainfall in a few southern coastal areas. By Friday, the next storm system arrived, with light showers falling on the northwestern mountains. Saturday and Sunday brought heavier precipitation, with up to one to two inches falling in the northern portion of the State, and up to one inch falling in the southern parts of the state outside of the deserts. Light snow was reported in the central Sierras on Monday before warming temperatures mid-week resulted in the first significant snowmelt of the season. Heavy snowfall returned by Saturday with twelve to eighteen inches of snow falling in the central and northern Sierras. Further south, three to six inches of new snowfall occurred, maintaining the pre-week snowpack level there. Mountain snowpacks continued to be very heavy with Lodgepole in the southern Sierras and the Tahoe area reporting snowcover of nearly seven feet.

    Temperature highs were in the 30s to 40s in the mountains, 40 to 80s in the desert, 50s to 70s in the valley, and 60s to 70s along the coast. The temperature lows were in the 10s to 20s in the mountains, 20s to 40s in the valley, 30s to 50s in the desert, and 40s to 50s along the coast.

    Growers continued to wait for fields to dry out sufficiently to resume planting winter grain and field crops. Reports of lodging in mature wheat fields due to the recent high winds and rain of last week. Alfalfa fields were flooded and recharging underground water.

    Pruning, discing, weed control, and pre-bloom spraying continued where dry orchard floor conditions permitted. Olive groves were pruned. Pruning, tying, berm sanitation, and brush shredding continued as vineyard floors dried. Herbicides were applied in some vineyards. Early varieties of stone fruit, including cherries were blooming in Tulare County. Citrus harvest continued. Recent rains impacted the overall quality of the citrus. Orange groves were hedge-rowed and skirted.  A few seedless tangerine groves were being netted to prevent cross pollination during the pending bloom.

    As field conditions permitted walnut and pistachio orchards were pruned. Where dry enough cleanup of trees toppled by high winds began. Almond bloom was progressing with the southern portion of the state nearing completion. Rain and wind caused some almond petal drop.

    Recent rains slowed some harvesting but broccoli, romaine, and red lettuce harvest continued in Imperial County.  In Fresno County, winter onion and garlic fields were being fertilized and cultivated.  In Tulare County, squash was being planted in hot tunnels.  New fields were being prepared for spring planting.  Strawberries continued to thrive.

    Non-irrigated pasture and rangeland continued to improve with warming temperatures promoting forb and grass growth. Range was reported to be in excellent to fair condition. Supplemental feeding of livestock continued to wane as range conditions improved. Bees were active in almond orchards. Sheep grazed stubble fields, idle cropland, and dormant, alfalfa.

  • USDA California Crop/Weather Report

    Sacramento, Calif., (February 28, 2017) – Another wet week, with temperatures staying steady. Widespread freezes were reported Thursday through Saturday across the State.

    Rainfall followed a similar pattern Monday through Wednesday, with the heaviest rains falling in the northwestern mountains, and the northern and central Sierra foothills. Four to five inches of rain fell in these places, with two to three inches in the northern and central valley. Rainfall tapered off to the south, with up to one inch in the southern valley and along the coast down to the Los Angeles area. Additional light rains fell on most of the State for the rest of the week and into the weekend. Most areas outside of the far southern coast and deserts received an additional quarter inch to half inch of rain. Cold temperatures and an active weather pattern led to yet more snow in the mountains, with up to two feet falling in parts of the central and northern Sierras. The northern mountains received another foot of snow, with the southern Sierras receiving under six inches. Temperatures were cold enough for an overall increase of the snowpack in the central and northern mountains, while a slight decrease of the snowpack was seen in the southern Sierras.

    Temperature highs were in the 20s to 50s in the mountains, 40s to 60s along the coast, 50s to 60s in the valley, and 50s to 70s in the desert. The temperature lows were in the 10s to 30s in the mountains, 20s to 30s in the valley, 20s to 40s in the desert, and 40s to 50s along the coast.

    The planted grains and field crops continued to mature, reaping the benefit from all the recent rain, and a few sunny days.  Growers waiting for excess water to dry up in the fields.

    Pruning, discing, weed control, and pre-bloom spraying continued where drying orchard floor conditions permitted. Olive groves were pruned. Pruning, tying, berm sanitation, and brush shredding continued in the drier vineyards. The standing water in vineyards and orchards continued to cause concern for the health of the trees and vines. Herbicides were applied in some vineyards. Early varieties of nectarine and peach were blooming in Fresno County. Cherry bloom began in Tulare County. The Navel orange harvest resumed. Recent rains impacted the overall quality of the citrus. Zutano avocados harvest was ongoing. Tangelo harvest continued. Date trees were planted in Imperial County.

    As field conditions permitted walnut and pistachio orchards were pruned. Saturated soils and high winds toppled some walnut and almond trees in the San Joaquin Valley. Almond bloom was progressing well across the State. Rain and wind caused some almond petal drop. As flooded orchards dried and conditions permitted, beehives were moved in to facilitate almond pollination.

    Drying conditions allowed for fields to be prepared for cultivation in Madera, Fresno, and Tulare County. Ground was being prepped for planting tomatoes. Herbicide was being applied to onions. Strawberry fields continued to thrive. Carrots continued to be harvested.

    Non-irrigated pasture and rangeland continued to improve due to the winter’s precipitation and warming temperatures. Range was reported to be in excellent to fair condition. Supplemental feeding of livestock was waning as range conditions improved. Bees were active in the blooming almond orchards. Sheep grazed retired pasture, harvested broccoli fields, and dormant alfalfa.

  • CA Suffers Emergency Drought & Flood Conditions Simultaneously

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    For the first time in recorded history, California is suffering from both an emergency state of drought and flood simultaneously. Watch this video interview with California Ag Network and Aubrey Bettencourt from the California Water Alliance as she describes the current water crisis at hand.

  • Tulare County Reports on Current Crop Status

    Visalia, Calif., (February 24, 2017) – Tulare County Agricultural Commissioner released the current status today of Major crops in the most valued county in the California Ag portfolio. They report that Growers continue to wait for fields to dry out sufficiently so that they can resume planting winter grain and field crops. The planted grains and field crops continue to mature at an excellent rate, reaping the benefit from all the recent rain, and a few sunny days.

    Field work in vineyards and orchards continues with: pruning, tying, berm sanitation, and brush shredding. Some early varieties of stone fruit are beginning to bloom. Cherries are beginning to bloom. Kiwifruit are being exported to El Salvador, Japan, Mexico, and Taiwan. Some almond orchards are beginning to bloom, and bee colonies are being moved in for pollination. Almonds are being exported China, Colombia, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Mexico, South Africa, and Russian Federation. Pistachios are being sent to Belgium, Spain, and Vietnam. In drier locations the removal of older orchards and vineyards continues in preparation for replanting with new varieties.

    The citrus harvest is continuing. All the recent rains are having some impact on overall quality. Navel oranges and Mandarins are being shipped to Australia, China, El Salvador, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Minneola tangelos are sent to Hong Kong, Japan, the Philippines, and Singapore. Grapefruit and pomelos are being exported to Japan. Lemons are being exported to Hong Kong, Japan, and Mexico. Removal of older orchards continues in preparation for replanting to new varieties this spring. The domestic market for citrus fruit remains steady at a good price. Olive groves are still being pruned. Surprise avocados are having the last of the fruit picked. Zutano avocados are still being picked, with a large crop reported.

    New fields are being prepared for spring planting. Strawberries fields continue to thrive.

    Rangeland and dryland pasture quality continue to improve with all the recent rainfall. Condition is excellent due to continued rainfall and warmer weather. The fed cattle price is currently at $120 per hundredweight.

    Bare root rose nursery stock continues to be received, processed, and shipped out. Shipments of wholesale nursery stock are picking up as spring sales begin in earnest. Local bare root nurseries are busy digging stock as weather and soil conditions allow. Some mature olive trees continue to be dug for landscape purposes.