United Dairy Families of California — Yesterday Secretary of Agriculture Karen Ross signed a Decision of Order to hold a referendum on the petition submitted by United Dairy Families of California (UDFC).
The petition is a producer-derived plan to sunset the Quota Implementation Plan (QIP) effective March 1, 2025 and to equalize Regional Quota Adjusters such that the quota premium in all counties equals $1.43/cwt.
The Secretary’s signature confirms the proposed decision from Judge Timothy Aspinwall stating that UDFC’s “petition must proceed to a producer referendum.”
According to information posted on the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) website, “the referendum voting period will be March 4, 2021 – June 1, 2021,” to ensure full participation among dairy producers.
The petition was born out of a multi-year effort led by UDFC, a producer-led organization seeking to unite the California dairy industry. The organization held over twenty meetings around the state and solicited input from hundreds of producers to determine a path forward for the QIP.
UDFC submitted over 300 signed petitions from dairy producers to CDFA, which initiated the referendum process.
United Dairy Families is pleased with the Secretary’s decision to affirm the recommendation, and looks forward to encouraging all California dairy producers to cast a ballot in the forthcoming referendum.
CDFA Secretary Karen Ross and Minister Rasmus Prehn of Denmark’s Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) focusing on dairy innovations and technologies addressing climate change. The signing event, which was held virtually, included agricultural stakeholders from California and Denmark, and featured a presentation from the Center for Policy Research on Energy and the Environment at Princeton University.
“In California, we have invested more than $264 million in Climate Smart Agricultural programs focusing on the dairy sector over the last five years,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross “This has resulted in more than 236 projects that will achieve a reduction in CO2 emissions of more than 23 million metric tons of CO2 equivalents over 10 years.”
“This partnership with Denmark on climate smart dairy collaboration will help to connect farmers, academia and government on the shared challenges related to methane emissions in the agricultural sector – providing the foundation for action and innovation in the future.”
This MOU continues CDFA’s international collaboration on climate smart agriculture activities. Over the last few months, the department has conducted webinars with Portugal (Lisbon and Tagus Valley) and South Africa (Western Cape). This adds to the ongoing work over the last five years which has included more than 10 webinars on climate smart agricultural issues with a variety of international partners.
USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist and director of the Western Regional Research Center (Albany, CA), Tara McHugh and her team in the Healthy Processed Foods Research Unit are experts at solving food-manufacturing problems. Using cutting-edge processing technologies, they have helped numerous small businesses, such as Ripple Foods, turn ideas into products for the consumer.
ARS is helping Ripple Foods optimize its current pea protein drying process to make it more efficient and to further improve its products. The company manufactures its own pea protein by processing yellow split peas into a liquid form and then isolating, purifying, and drying the protein. The pea protein is then made into non-dairy milks, protein shakes, half and half, ice cream, and other products.
The drying step is necessary because producing this clean-tasting plant protein in a wet state comes with challenges: It’s difficult to transport, has a greater risk for microbial spoilage, and has handling issues, McHugh said.
“It’s also expensive to ship all over the country, so we are working to optimize the drying process—looking at a way to dehydrate it so it can be rehydrated to save expenses,” she said. “The drying process also may even improve the quality and flavor of the final product.”
Ripple Foods has a cooperative research and development agreement with ARS, which assists the company in data gathering and analysis on different aspects of its pea beverage. “Ripple’s mission is to make plant-based foods delicious,” said Aminah Johnston, a process engineer with the company. “We are always looking for ways to make our protein and products better. Our collaboration with ARS has been extremely helpful.”
This kind of research not only supports small businesses and U.S. growers, but also reduces waste and increases consumption of healthy foods.—By Sandra Avant, formerly with USDA-ARS Office of Communications.
University of California, Davis, researchers have bred a new walnut variety designed to provide growers a way to harvest earlier and boost the harvest efficiency of California’s $1.6 billion walnut industry. The new “UC Wolfskill” walnut has yield, quality and light color similar to Chandler, which is a late-harvesting walnut and the state’s leading variety. UC Wolfskill was bred in 2003 from a cross of Chandler with the Solano walnut. UC Wolfskill combines the color and shell traits of Chandler with the earlier harvest date and kernel fill of Solano.
“The release of UC Wolfskill means growers can spread out their harvest and still have a really high-quality nut that will fetch top-notch prices and provide similar yields,” said Pat J. Brown, breeder and professor with the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences.
Over 99 percent of the nation’s walnuts are grown in California. More than half of the state’s bearing acres are the late-harvest Chandler walnuts. “The California walnut industry needs earlier harvesting walnut varieties to provide efficient use of harvesting, drying and processing equipment,” said breeder Chuck Leslie, with the UC Davis Walnut Improvement Program. “UC Wolfskill can be harvested 12 to 14 days earlier than Chandler and provides consistently light to extra light color.”
Handlers judge the value of a walnut based on its color and how well it halves while processing. In blind quality evaluations by commercial graders, the UC Wolfskill was often not distinguished from Chandler.
UC Wolfskill was originally planted and evaluated at UC Davis, and field trials with growers began in 2011.
“The commitment of our walnut growers, as collaborators, is the foundation that makes this release possible. The Board is extremely grateful for the long-term partnership of our growers and the UC, in finding innovative solutions that help us solve for critical needs,” said Michelle Connelly, executive director of the California Walnut Board.
The California Walnut Board funded the research. UC Wolfskill is currently available to California nurseries for propagation in California and sales to growers throughout the United States. Nurseries interested in propagating and selling this cultivar may obtain a license from UC Davis InnovationAccess. – By Amy Quinton, UC Davis Food & Ag
Beans in the UC Davis breeding program, whose varieties have been selected to combine excellent culinary with improved yields and resistance to bean common mosaic virus. Credit: Travis Parker
Plant breeders are constantly working to develop new bean varieties to meet the needs and desires of the food industry. But not everyone wants the same thing.
Many consumers desire heirloom-type beans, which have great culinary quality and are visually appealing. On the other hand, farmers desire beans with better disease resistance and higher yield potential.
The bean varieties that farmers want to grow are sometimes different than the varieties consumers want to purchase. Until now.
Travis Parker, a plant scientist at University of California, Davis, has worked with a team of researchers to release five new varieties of dry beans that combine the most desirable traits.
“Our new beans combine the best of both worlds for farmers and consumers,” says Parker. “They combine the better qualities of heirloom-type beans with the better qualities of commercial types.”
Heirloom-type beans often represent older bean types that are known for culinary qualities and seed patterns. These are highly desired by consumers. Heirloom types often fetch a higher market value than other beans.
Commercial dry beans often have higher yields, shorter maturity times, and improved disease resistance. While they possess qualities desirable to producers, they don’t command as high of a market price compared to their heirloom counterparts.
A comparison of the heirloom variety “Tiger’s Eye” (left, with virus symptoms) and the newly released “UC Tiger’s Eye” (right, healthy leaves). These varieties have similar culinary qualities, but UC Tiger’s Eye is resistant to the common mosaic virus and has higher yields. Credit: Travis Parker
“Our goal was to improve field characteristics of the heirloom beans without losing culinary characteristics,” said Parker. “We have an interest in higher-value varieties and want them to grow well.”
Farmers growing the heirloom dry beans often sell the beans to health-conscious consumers or high-end restaurants. This sale often leads to a higher price point. However, these beans are prone to disease and don’t perform well in the field.
“We know that existing heirloom beans don’t usually do well in terms of yield,” said Parker. “Breeding beans for high yields is a major improvement for farmers. The new varieties are high-yielding, heat-tolerant, and are also resistant to bean common mosaic virus.”
Incorporating disease resistance was essential when developing the new bean varieties. Bean common mosaic virus is a well-known problem that is hard to control in the field.
“The only really effective means to handle the virus is through genetic resistance,” explains Parker.
The new varieties, such as UC Sunrise, satisfy the need for farmers to have a bean that is disease resistant while also yielding 50% more than heirloom types. In addition, the beans do not take as long to grow between planting and harvest.
UC Sunrise seeds Photo Caption: A detailed view of UC Sunrise, one of the new varieties of the heirloom-like dry bean. The colorful pattern is desirable to consumers. Credit: Travis Parker
Commercial and heirloom beans come from the same species, but they are in different market classes. The heirloom varieties are bred with intimate knowledge of what tastes good and what works well in the kitchen.
“In recent decades, there has been less attention paid to consumer desires during the bean breeding process,” says Parker. “There are more layers between the breeder and the consumer. We are trying to make sure to keep consumers in mind while incorporating qualities that are beneficial to the farmer.”
With consumer desires in mind, the research team used cross-pollination to breed plants with key characteristics they selected. As Parker and the team continued the breeding process, they performed taste tests to ensure the beans met the level of culinary quality expected of an heirloom-type bean, in terms of flavor and visual appeal.
This research was supported by the Clif Bar Family Foundation, Lundberg Family Farms, the United States Department of Agriculture Organic Agriculture Research & Extension Initiative, and the United States Department of Agriculture Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program.
To learn more about the research behind these new dry bean varieties, watch this video from Travis Parker.
California Avocado Commission — Although the California avocado growing regions are expected to experience a moderate La Niña phase with warmer average temperatures through spring 2021, the lower rainfall amounts associated with this climate phase can lead to sudden cold spells or freezes. As Dr. Ben Faber noted in a recent blog post, some of California’s most severe freezes have occurred during weak La Niña phases.
Advection and radiation freezes pose the most threat to California avocado groves. Advection freezes are caused by the movement of arctic air into the region. Radiation freezes occur at night when clear skies and calm conditions are present that allow cold pockets of air to settle in low areas of the grove.
To prepare for potential frosts or freezes, it’s important to remember that different prevention measures may be used for a frost versus a freeze. A frost is caused when objects cool at night and radiate their heat loss, thus chilling the surrounding air. In Southern California, warm air is typically close to the ground due to a low ceiling, thus causing a temperature inversion that protects orchards. However, windy conditions can disrupt this inversion and press cold air to the ground. In comparison, a freeze occurs when cold air moves in and the air temperature decreases at both high and low levels.
To prevent damage when cold weather events are in the forecast, consider the following.
To protect against frost or freeze, orchard heaters can be used to distribute heat. The downside of heaters is the cost of running them and possible fire hazards.
Wind machines should only be used in frost, not freeze, conditions and should not be used when it is windy. This economical option can be paired with orchard heaters to improve effectiveness.
If frost threatens and no temperature inversion is present, the best practice is to run microsprinklers during the day and turn off the water prior to sunset. If the temperature drops below freezing, restart the water and run it until sunrise. If ice forms on the fruit or leaves, heat will be released as the ice melts and protect the plants.
If watering the entire grove prior to a cold weather event is cost prohibitive, it is recommended that growers opt to water only those portions of their groves that tend to be coldest.
Two of the nation’s great agricultural regions are the focus of new research that aims to head off emerging threats and improve sustainability.
Scientists with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are joining colleagues to create and use artificial intelligence to help farmers in the Colorado River Basin and Salinas Valley, CA, improve their management of irrigation, fertilization, and pests. USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture funded the University of California, Riverside-led project with a 5-year, $10 million grant.
“This project will integrate multiple satellite and meteorological data sets to help farmers in the Southwestern United States,” said Ray Anderson, a research soil scientist with the ARS Agricultural Water Efficiency and Salinity Research Unit in Riverside. Anderson leads the ARS portion of the study, working with ARS scientists Todd Skaggs and Andrew French.
ARS has three primary roles in the project: To calculate project area crop water use and anomalies with crop water use across the entire region; develop tools that help growers avoid salinity damage while minimizing the leaching of fertilizer; and to gather field data to validate satellite algorithms.
Researchers will take advantage of advanced satellite technology to provide more frequent, detailed information to farmers than ever before. The plan is to integrate high-resolution commercial satellite data with established government satellite platforms and meteorological data.
A major advance with this work will be the use of daily, high-resolution (12-foot) satellite imagery, Anderson said. Previously, data have only been available every 1-2 weeks at 60- to 100-foot resolution and were too infrequent or coarse to provide timely and actionable information to farmers.
“By combining the new satellite data with artificial intelligence, we will be able to discover and create tools that will help farmers pinpoint areas that need better irrigation, nutrient, and pest management,” Anderson said.
“One of the major advantages to this project is that the outputs – recommendations and highlights on a smartphone app – will be accessible to all farmers,” he said. “Previously, farmers had to pay for aircraft and specialized processing to get this level of imagery and detail. Soon, high resolution satellite imagery, machine learning, and cloud processing will be available to smaller producers in one easy-to-use tool. These algorithms will help farmers with their field scouting so that they can catch problems early, before significant yield reductions occur.”
Agriculture in the Colorado River Basin and Salinas Valley employs more than 500,000 people and generates roughly $12 billion annually in revenue. Farmers in the regions grow fruits and vegetables that are shipped around the country all year round, particularly in winter.
Water availability and use top the researchers’ priority list because prolonged drought has reduced agricultural water availability in the southwestern United States.
“These valleys consume large amounts of irrigation water, but the amount and quality of irrigation water is decreasing,” Anderson said. “It is important to use existing supplies more efficiently and to protect water sources from nutrient and salinity contamination that can come from poor irrigation management.” — By Scott Elliott, USDA-ARS Office of Communications.
A recent study published in the scientific journal Clinical Infectious Diseases found that a lack of adequate vitamin K levels was associated with poor outcomes in COVID-19 patients.The researchers identified an increased need for vitamin K during a COVID-19 illness and noted that depletion or deficiency of vitamin K can have devastating consequences in the lungs.
Vitamin K, a nutrient found in abundance in fresh grapes, plays a critical role in blood clotting including maintaining the balance of both pro- and anti-clotting factors. Low levels of vitamin K may upset this balance resulting in a greater tendency for blood to form clots. While COVID-19 is known first as a respiratory infection, higher instances of blood clots have been observed and worsen patient outcomes.Vitamin K is also involved in inhibiting soft tissue calcification and elastic fiber degradation. Coronary calcification is linked to a higher risk of blood clots, and elastic fiber degradation can harm the integrity of lung tissue. In addition, vitamin K is known for anti-inflammatory activity; decreased levels have been associated with an increase in inflammatory proteins.
Other research suggests that certain flavonoid compounds found in grapes, green tea, cacao, and dark chocolate may be beneficial against COVID-19 by inhibiting an enzyme that is involved in the infectivity of the virus.This research used computer modeling techniques and a lab study to predict how certain flavonoids – specifically flavan-3-ols and proanthocyanidins – can bind to a critical enzyme that contributes to the infectivity of COVID-19 and inhibit its action.
“Anything that may help offset the negative impact of this devastating virus is worth knowing so the findings that natural components found in grapes – vitamin K and certain flavonoids – may play a beneficial role in the fight is worth sharing,” said Kathleen Nave, president of the California Table Grape Commission. “These recent findings add to the substantial body of research built over 20 years indicating that eating fresh grapes can have significant positive effects on long-term health.”
One piece of equipment changed it all. Ben Martin of Forest Grove, Oregon, served in the Marine Corps. After returning home from war, he pursued a career in winemaking. Ben credits a grant from Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC) for making the difference in his budding wine business early on. Back in 2015, FVC awarded Ben the supplies needed to bottle his first vintage of wine.
“We were just starting out making wine in the back of a horse barn,” acknowledged Ben. “We had no sales, no exposure. And we needed to bottle the vintage of wine. But we had no bottles, corks, or labels. FVC stepped in and gave us a grant for the supplies.
If it weren’t for FVC we wouldn’t have…well actually, I don’t know what we would have done, honestly.”
Ben is not alone. A national non-profit that serves nearly 25,000 veterans turned farmers, FVC creates a new generation of farmers and food leaders while simultaneously offering veterans a place to heal on America’s farms. Through education and resources, FVC helps veterans with their own farming operation or with finding employment in related agricultural professions.
The Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund is their small grant program. It helps veterans in their early years of farming and ranching with the purchase of a piece of critical equipment. Hundreds of farmer veterans across the country who have benefitted from the grant share Ben’s sentiment.
In 10 years, the Fellowship Fund has funded more than 600 veterans with $3 million in equipment.
And now, a new grant cycle is underway.
FVC has opened the application (https://www.tfaforms.com/4870169) for their 2021 funding. This new cycle opened on the first of the year and remains active through Feb 14, 2021.
“These farmer veterans are selfless and service-minded,” vocalizes Michael O’Gorman, who founded the organization and spurred a full military-to-agriculture movement. “They ask for very little, so we have to tell our community what the veterans need us to do for them.”
He acknowledges that finding start-up capital is one of the biggest challenges farmers face. And that’s exactly what this grant is designed to do.
“The Fellowship Fund is one of the most successful ways we help farmer veterans with their agricultural endeavors,” emphasizes FVC’s recently appointed Executive Director, Jeanette Lombardo. She anticipates the opportunity to directly benefit more farmer veterans in her new role and add them into the growing Fellowship family.
Application submissions are reviewed by an advisory committee of agricultural industry professionals. Awards will be granted in the spring. Common equipment requests include All-Terrain Vehicles (ATV), breeding livestock, fencing, and tractor implements.
This year, funding for the grants is coming from several partner organizations – Kubota Tractor Corporation, Tractor Supply Company, Wounded Warrior Project, Tarter USA, Homestead Implements, and Vital Farms.
FVC member Eric Grandon – who previously received a grant himself – is also giving back to the community that has supported his own agricultural journey by donating beekeeping equipment. “I now know what bees can do for anyone with any condition or problem,” the West Virginia beekeeper reveals. “As long as I continue the success of Sugar Bottom Farm, FVC will always be at the top of my list just because I was at the top of [theirs].”
As for Ben, the Marine-turned-winemaker, he too shares a feeling common to veterans who now take on a new role of feeding their country and communities: “I’m much more relaxed these days. I feel more of a sense of a mission, a goal, something to live for, something that I appreciate and that I’m proud of.”
About Farmer Veteran Coalition The mission of Farmer Veteran Coalition is mobilizing veterans to feed America. Established in 2008, 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 national and regional conferences. As the nation’s largest nonprofit assisting veterans and active duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces embark on careers in agriculture, FVC has been successful in getting millions of dollars of USDA funds appropriated for farmer veteran and the groups that support them. Learn more at: www.farmvetco.org or follow along on Facebook at @FarmerVeteranCoalition, on Instagram at @FarmerVeteranCoalition and on Twitter at @FarmVetCo.
To sponsor equipment for the Fellowship Fund, contact Rachel Petitt at rachel@farmvetco.org. To donate to support farmer veterans directly, visit www.farmvetco.org or text GIVE and the dollar amount to 270-838-3276 (270-VET-FARM).
Supporters of the Department of Viticulture and Enology at Fresno State are invited to sign up for a virtual groundbreaking event for a new campus greenhouse that was made possible thanks to a fundraising campaign initiated nearly a decade ago by the Viticulture Club.
Other representatives detailing the importance of the new greenhouse will include Dr. Dennis Nef, dean of the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology; Dr. Anil Shrestha, chair of the Department of Viticulture and Enology; Dr. Stephan Sommer, director of the Viticulture and Enology Research Center; and Dr. Sonet Van Zyl, viticulture faculty and student club adviser.
The event will also feature supporters of the project, including former and current Viticulture Club presidents, industry supporters and project donors like John Duarte (Duarte Nursery), John Arellano, and Oro Agri.
The 30-foot by 30-foot greenhouse will be located at the center of the campus viticulture and enology complex. It will allow students, staff and faculty to grow and graft an array of vines for industry-supported research projects and the University Agricultural Laboratory’s 120-acre vineyard.
Construction is expected to start in February and be completed by fall 2021.
The $250,000 fundraising goal is a collective effort that has included campus, industry, alumni and public support, and was recently completed thanks to a $100,000 gift by Oro Agri, an international agrochemical company known for its biorational crop protection products.
