California Ag Network

Category: Non-Video

  • Turkey On Track to Become Top Dried Fruits and Nuts Exporter to the United States

    Since the beginning of time, Turkey has been the bountiful source of countless different plants and fruits. The warm sunshine, fertile lands and attentive hands of local farmers produce zesty, nutritious and high-quality food products, both fresh and naturally sun-dried. And, according to recent data, Turkey is on track again to become one of the top dried fruits and nuts exporters to the United States this year.

    More than half of world’s dried figs are produced in Turkey and exported to over 150 countries. Almost two-thirds of the dried figs that are exported are Turkish dried figs with top export markets including European Union countries, the United States and the Russian Federation. In 2018, the U.S spent $47.2 million to import 11,472. ton dried figs. 8,640-ton dried figs dried figs, or 75 percent of those dried figs, were from Turkey.

    Turkey is also the number one dried apricot exporter to the U.S. with 12,755 ton and $41.5 million spent in 2018. In that same year, the U.S. imported a total of 13,970 ton dried apricot worth $44.9 million. Interestingly, more than 90 percent of Turkish apricots are produced in the Malatya province alone, also known as the world’s apricot
    capital.

    Turkey is among the top 10 raisin exporters to the U.S. with 11,172 ton and $2.8M in 2018, Last year, the U.S. imported a total 48,327-ton raisins worth $87.5 M. Turkey produces almost 25 percent of the world’s dried grapes.

    With hundreds of years of production and export heritage, Turkey has become the homeland of top-quality dried fruits and nuts.  Owing to high production figures this year, Turkey is on track to dominate the world market in this sector again in 2019. Thanks to its extreme capacity and flexibility to meet international demands, Turkey is primed to offer some of the world’s healthiest products with exquisite product taste and supreme quality.

     

  • UC Davis Releases 5 New Strawberry Varieties

    The Public Strawberry Breeding Program at the University of California, Davis, has released five new varieties that will help farmers manage diseases, control costs and produce plenty of large, robust berries using less water, fertilizer and pesticides. Two of the new varieties could increase yields by almost 30 percent.

    Five new strawberry varieties from the Strawberry Breeding Program at the University of California, Davis will help farmers manage diseases, control cost and produce plenty of large, robust berries using less water, fertilizer and pesticides. These are the strawberries in Salinas and Watsonville on Monday, July 1, 2019.

    “These new varieties are intrinsically different from the ones they replace,” said Steve Knapp, professor and director of the UC Davis Strawberry Breeding Program. “After more than three years of field tests, we’re seeing higher yields, greater disease resistance and better quality after harvest.”

    The new pedigrees should benefit consumers, as well. “The price and quality of strawberries improve when farmers have access to varieties that help them grow better berries more cost efficiently,” said Dave Murray, a farmer and partner in Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce.

    Since its inception in the 1930s, the UC Davis Public Strawberry Breeding Program has developed more than 60 patented varieties, turned strawberries into a year-round crop and increased strawberry yield from about 6 tons per acre in the 1950s to more than 30 tons per acre today. The United States is the world’s largest producer of strawberries, and almost 90 percent of them are grown in California’s cool, coastal climates. About 60 percent of the state’s strawberry fields are planted with varieties developed at UC Davis.

    UC Davis Victor strawberry variety is one of the five new strawberry varieties from the Strawberry Breeding Program at the University of California, Davis that will help farmers manage diseases, control cost and produce plenty of large, robust berries using less water, fertilizer and pesticides. These are the strawberries in Watsonville on Monday, July 1, 2019.

    Each of the new varieties will have its own farming niche — thriving better in certain environments under specific growing conditions. Three of the new varieties — Moxie, Royal Royce and Valiant — will perform well throughout the long, warm days of summer. Two varieties — Victor and Warrior — are bred for cooler climates from Santa Maria south along California’s coast.

    A section where the UC Royal Royce strawberries are grown on Monday, July 1, 2019 in Salinas, Calif. Five new strawberry varieties from the Strawberry Breeding Program at the University of California, Davis will help farmers manage diseases, control cost and produce plenty of large, robust berries using less water, fertilizer and pesticides.

    In general, all the new berries are large, flavorful, firm and disease-resistant. Victor and Valiant perform well in organic systems. Moxie and Royal Royce are showing yield increases of as much as 29 percent over previous UC varieties.

    You can find full descriptions of each variety on the UC Davis Office of Research website.

    Fewer ‘runners,’ less labor  

    Two new varieties — Moxie and Royal Royce — could save farmers up to $5,000 an acre in labor costs because they sprout fewer runners, the vine-like fingers that strawberries send out that produce roots and develop into duplicate plants. Runners are handy when propagating strawberries, but farmers have to continually cut them back during the growing season to help plants conserve energy for producing big, sweet berries.

    “Runners are a huge expense,” explained Greg France, a longtime California Strawberry Commissioner and family farmer from Santa Maria. “We have to hire labor throughout the season just to cut back the runners. These new varieties will be a big deal for us.”

    Disease-resistant berries will also reduce production costs and improve environmental sustainability, farmers say.

    Strawberries are especially vulnerable to soil-borne pathogens, which can destroy an entire crop. Since the 1960s, many strawberry growers have depended on fumigants like methyl bromide to fight disease, but methyl bromide and other fumigants are being phased out by the Environmental Protection Agency.

    Since Knapp took over the strawberry breeding program in 2015, he and his team have been working to develop varieties with genetic resistance to disease to reduce the need for fumigants. All five of the new varieties will be less susceptible to a range of diseases, including Fusarium wilt, Verticillium wilt and Macrophomina.

    Five new strawberry varieties from the Strawberry Breeding Program at the University of California, Davis will help farmers manage diseases, control cost and produce plenty of large, robust berries using less water, fertilizer and pesticides. These are the strawberries in Salinas and Watsonville on Monday, July 1, 2019.

    More Berries in the Pipeline 

    To create a beneficial variety, plant breeders cross plants with desired traits and select the best offspring over multiple generations. UC Davis strawberry breeders are continuing that work on test sites and farms along California’s “strawberry belt,” from Ventura to Watsonville, each with its own particular climate and crop management strategies.

    “Every farmer has his or her own recipe for growing the berries, which is good,” said Glenn Cole, breeder and field manager with the strawberry breeding program. “It helps us see how the crop performs in different environments.”

    The team anticipates releasing one or two additional varieties in early 2020 that can be planted in the summer and harvested in time for the winter holidays.

    In the meantime, farmers can buy the newest UC Davis varieties at nurseries starting this fall. Also, detailed data on how each variety performed throughout the breeding trials is available to everyone at the California Strawberry Commission website.

    “The great thing about UC Davis strawberry cultivars is they are available to all growers,” said strawberry farmer Dave Murray. “The world-class research on which these varieties are based benefits us all.”

    By Diane Nelson

  • EPA Registers Long-Term Use of Sulfoxaflor While Ensuring Pollinator Protection

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a long-term approval for the insecticide sulfoxaflor— an effective tool to control challenging pests with fewer environmental impacts. After conducting an extensive risk analysis, including the review of one of the agency’s largest datasets on the effects of a pesticide on bees, EPA is approving the use of sulfoxaflor on alfalfa, corn, cacao, grains (millet, oats), pineapple, sorghum, teff, teosinte, tree plantations, citrus, cotton, cucurbits (squash, cucumbers, watermelons, some gourds), soybeans, and strawberries.

    “EPA is providing long-term certainty for U.S. growers to use an important tool to protect crops and avoid potentially significant economic losses, while maintaining strong protection for pollinators,” said Alexandra Dapolito Dunn, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. “Today’s decision shows the agency’s commitment to making decisions that are based on a sound science.”

    “Today’s action ensures reduced risk to pollinators and the environment through crop-specific label restrictions and provides farmers with a critical pest-management tool needed to protect crops from invasive sugarcane aphids, plant bugs and other pests,” said Jim Gulliford, Regional Administrator for EPA Region 7. “Here in Region 7, the registration of sulfoxaflor will help prevent significant hardship for producers of sorghum, corn, cotton and other commodities attacked by devastating insects.”

    Sulfoxaflor is an important and highly effective tool for growers that targets difficult pests such as sugarcane aphids and tarnished plant bugs, also known as lygus. These pests can damage crops and cause significant economic loss. Additionally, there are few viable alternatives for sulfoxaflor for these pests. In many cases, alternative insecticides may be effective only if applied repeatedly or in a tank mix, whereas sulfoxaflor often requires fewer applications, resulting in less risk to aquatic and terrestrial wildlife.

    EPA’s registration also includes updated requirements for product labels, which will include crop-specific restrictions and pollinator protection language.

    Background

    Sulfoxaflor is an important and highly effective tool for growers that targets difficult pests such as aphids and tarnished plant bugs (lygus). These pests can cause significant economic loss leading several states to request emergency exemptions in recent years. There are few viable alternatives for sulfoxaflor. In many cases, alternative insecticides may be effective only if applied repeatedly, whereas sulfoxaflor typically requires fewer applications resulting in less risk to non-target pests and plants.

    In 2016, following a 2015 decision of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals vacating the registration of sulfoxaflor citing inadequate data on the effects on bees, EPA reevaluated the data and approved registration that did not include crops that attract bees. The 2016 registration allowed fewer uses than the initial registration and included additional interim restrictions on application while new data on bees were being obtained. Today’s action, adding new uses, restoring previous uses, and removing certain application restrictions is backed by substantial data supporting the use of sulfoxaflor.

  • Five Shades of Gray Mold Control in Strawberry: Evaluating Chemical, Organic Oil, Botanical, Bacterial, and Fungal Active Ingredients

    Botrytis fruit rot or gray mold, caused by Botrytis cinerea, is common fruit disease in California strawberries. Botrytis cinerea has a wide host range infecting several commercially important crops including blueberry, grapes and tomato.  Fungal infection can cause flower or fruit rot.  Fruit can be infected directly or through a latent infection in the flowers.  Moist and cool conditions favor fungal infections and increased sugar content in the ripening fruit can also contribute to the disease development.  Initial symptoms of infection appear as brown lesions and a thick mat of gray conidia is characteristic symptom in the later stages of infection.  As chemical fungicides are primarily used for gray mold control, fungicide resistance is a common problem around the world. In strawberry, cultural control options such as removing diseased plant material or using cultivars with traits that can reduce gray mold infections may not be practical when the disease is widespread in the field or cultivar choice is made based on other factors.  Non-chemical control options are necessary to help reduce the risk of chemical fungicide resistance, prolong the life of available chemical fungicides, achieve desired disease control, and to maintain environmental health.  Although there are several botanical and microbial fungicides available for gray mold control, limited information is available on their efficacy in California strawberries.  A study was conducted in the spring of 2019 to evaluate the efficacy of several chemical, botanical, and microbial fungicides in certain combinations and rotations to help identify effective options for an integrated disease management strategy.

    Methodology

    Strawberry cultivar San Andreas was planted late November, 2018 and the study was conducted in April and May, 2019.  Each treatment had a 20′ long strawberry plot with two rows of plants replicated in a randomized complete block design.  Plots were maintained without any fungicidal applications until the study was initiated.  Table 1 contains the list of treatments, application rates and dates of application, and Table 2 contains the type of fungicide used and their mode of action.  Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae s.l. are California isolates of entomopathogenic fungi, isolated from an insect and a soil sample, respectively.  These fungi are pathogenic to a variety of arthropods and some strains are formulated as biopesticides for arthropod control.  However, earlier studies in California demonstrated that these fungi are also known to antagonize plant pathogens such as Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. vasinfectum Race 4 (Dara et al., 2016) and Macrophomina phaseolina (Dara et al., 2018) and reduce the disease severity.  To further evaluate their efficacy against B. cinerea, these two fungi were also included in this study alternating with two chemical fungicides.

    Table 1

    Table 2

    Treatments were applied with a CO2-pressurized backpack sprayer using 66.5 gpa spray volume.  Five days before the first spray application and 3 days after each application, all ripe fruit were harvested from each plot and incubated at the room temperature in vented plastic containers.  The level of gray mold on fruit from each plot was rated using a 0 to 4 scale (where 0=no disease, 1=1-25% fruit with fungal infection, 2=26-50% infection, 3=51-75%, and 4=76-100%) 3 and 5 days after each harvest (DAH).  Due to the rains, fruit could not be harvested after the 3rd spray application for disease rating, but was harvested and discarded after the rains to avoid cross infection for the following week’s harvest.  Data were analyzed using analysis of variance using Statistix software and significant means were separated using Least Significant Difference separation test.

    Results

    Gray mold occurred at low to moderate levels during the study period.  Along with B. cinerea, there were a few instances of minor fungal infections from Rhizopus spp. (Rhizopus fruit rot) and Mucor spp. (Mucor fruit rot).  Pre-treatment disease ratings were statistically not significant (P = 0.6197 and 0.5741) 3 and 5 DAH.  While the chemical standard treatment with the rotation of Captan, Merivon, Switch, and Pristine (treatment 2) appeared to result in the lowest disease rating throughout the observation period, treatments 3 and 5 after the 1st spray application, treatments 5 and 11 along with 3, 4 and 6 after the 2nd spray application, and treatments 3 and 5 along with 11 after the 4thspray application also had similar disease control at 3 DAH.  When disease at 5 DAH was compared, the lowest rating was seen in treatment 2 after the 1st and 2nd spray applications, and treatments 2, 3, and 11 after the 4th application.  Several other treatments also provided statistically similar control during these days.

    fruit diseases prior

    fruit disease after spray

    fruit disease after spray 2

    fruit disease after IV spray
    When the average disease rating for the three post-treatment observation events was considered, treatment 2, 3, 5, and 11 had the lowest disease at both 3 and 5 DAH. Treatments 4 and 12 at 3 DAH also had a statistically similar level of disease control to treatment 2.
    average fruit disease after 3 sprays
    In general, most of the treatments provided moderate to high control compared to the disease in untreated control when the post-treatment averages were considered. Only treatment 7 and 13 had lower control at 3 DAH.

    post treatment disease

     

    Discussion

    This study compared a variety of registered and developmental products along with two entomopathogenic fungi in managing B. cinerea.  Considering the fungicide resistance problem in B. cinerea in multiple crops, having multiple non-chemical control options is very important to achieve desirable control with integrated disease management strategies.  Since the active ingredients in the botanical and bacterial fungicides used in this study are not public, discuss will be limited on their modes of action and efficacy at this point.  Similarly, the active ingredient of WXF-17001 is also not known, however, an earlier study by Calvo-Garrido et al. (2014) demonstrated that a fatty acid-based natural product reduced B. cinerea conidial germination by 54% and disease severity in grapes by 96% compared to untreated control.  The product used by Calvo-Garrido et al. (2014) is thought to be fungistatic and reduce the postharvest respiratory activity and ethylene production in fruits.

    While chemical fungicides have a specific mode of action, biological and other products act in multiple manners either directly antagonizing the plant pathogen or by triggering the plant defenses.  For example, amending the potting medium with biochar resulted in induced systemic resistance in tomato and reduced B. cinerea severity by 50% (Mehari et al., 2015).  Luna et al. (2016) also showed that application of β-aminobutyric acid and jasmonic acid promoted seed germination and long-term resistance to B. cinerea in tomato.  Burkholderia phytofirmans, beneficial endophytic bacterium, offered protection against B. cinerea in grapes by mobilizing carbon resources (callose deposition), triggering plant immune system (hydrogen peroxide production and priming of defense genese), and through antifungal activity (Miotto-Vilanova et al. 2016).  Similarly, entomopathogenic fungi such as B. bassiana are also known to induce systemic resistance against plant pathogens (Griffin et al. 2006).  Compared to other options evaluated in the study, entomopathogenic fungi have an advantage of controlling both arthropod pests and diseases, while also having plant growth promoting effect (Dara et al. 2017).

    Rotating fungicides with different mode of actions reduces the risk of resistance development and using some combinations will also maintain control efficacy.  This study provided the efficacy of multiple control options and their combinations and rotations for B. cinerea.  This is also the first study demonstrating the efficacy of entomopathogenic fungi against B. cinerea in strawberry.

    By Surendra K. Dara

  • Tulare County Crop Report ( For Week Ending: July 13, 2019)

    SMALL GRAINS, OTHER FIELD CROPS:

    Recently planted corn for silage continues to mature. Black-eyed beans continue to mature. Cotton continues to be irrigated and cultivated. Alfalfa continues to be cut and baled.

    DECIDUOUS TREE FRUITS, NUTS, AND GRAPES:

    The stone fruit season is in full swing. Peaches are being exported to Canada, Brazil, Mexico,Guatemala, Honduras, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Australia. Nectarines are being exported toCanada, Brazil, the Philippines, Guatemala, Honduras, Australia, and Mexico. Plums are beingexported to Canada, Taiwan, Australia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.Apricots are being exported to Australia and Canada. Hand-pruning and mechanical topping continues to take place in some stone fruit orchards, after harvest. Immature stone fruit continues to develop. Some older stone fruit groves are being removed after harvest. Grapes continue tomature and harvest should begin soon. Some vineyards continue to have leaves thinned to allowfor better airflow and light. Irrigation continues for grape vineyards. Almond, pecan, walnut, and pistachio nuts continue to develop. Persimmons continue to develop. Irrigation continues for nutand stone fruit orchards.

    CITRUS, AVOCADOS, AND OLIVES:

    Valencia and navel oranges continue to be harvested. Navel oranges are being sent to domesticmarkets only. Navel oranges are being juiced from the field. Gassing of Valencia oranges toimprove color continues. Valencia oranges are mainly being sent to domestic markets, but they continue to be exported in small amounts to Mexico, Malaysia, Singapore, and Korea. Rubygrapefruit are being exported to Mexico. Finger-limes are now being exported to France and the Netherlands. Some citrus groves are being pruned and hedge rowed. Immature olives continue to develop.

    VEGETABLES, MELONS, HERBS, BERRIES:

    Certified producers are picking tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplant, jalapeno peppers, cucumbers,watermelons, and squash. Summer vegetables continue to be sold at roadside stands andFarmer’s Markets. Strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries are being picked and sold by localgrowers.

    LIVESTOCK AND POULTRY:

    Rangeland forage is of good quality. The fed cattle price is at $109 cwt per 100 weight.

    ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

    Local wholesale nurseries are still shipping small orders of nursery stock to local and out-of-stateretail nursery outlets. Nurseries continue to receive various flowers and plants daily. Bare-rootrose shipments continue to be sent to Florida.

     

  • UC Riverside Scientists Decode DNA of Black-eyed Peas

    UC Riverside scientists have decoded the genome of black-eyed peas, offering hope for feeding Earth’s expanding population, especially as the climate changes.

    Understanding the genes responsible for the peas’ drought and heat tolerance eventually could help make other crops tougher too.

    Black-eyed peas are small beans with dark midsections. They’ve been a global dietary staple for centuries due to their environmental toughness and exceptional nutritional qualities, such as high protein and low fat. In sub-Saharan Africa they remain the number one source of protein in the human diet.

    A genome is the full collection of genetic codes that determine characteristics like color, height, and predisposition to diseases. All genomes contain highly repetitive sequences of DNA that UCR Professor of Computer Science and project co-leader Stefano Lonardi likens to “hundreds of thousands of identical jigsaw puzzle pieces.”

    Lonardi described the process of figuring out how the jigsaw puzzle sequences fit together as “computationally challenging.” In order to do so, Lonardi’s team assembled the genome many times with different software tools and parameters. Then they created new software capable of merging these various genome solutions into a single, complete picture.

    With the success of this project, the black-eyed pea joins only a handful of other major crops whose genomes have been fully sequenced. The team’s work on the project was published in the June issue of The Plant Journal, where it was featured as the cover story, and Lonardi’s free software can be downloaded online.

    Research on black-eyed peas, a legume also known as cowpea, started at UC Riverside more than 40 years ago. But cowpeas’ presence in Riverside predates the university by about 200 years.

    “The cowpea has been here supporting people since early colonial times,” said project co-leader Timothy Close, a UCR professor of botany and plant sciences. ‘It’s nice that we’ve brought this plant with so much local history up to state of the art for scientific research.”

    This is the first high-quality reference genome for the cowpea. Work on it began three years ago, made possible mainly by a $1.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation, or NSF. An additional $500,000 NSF grant also supported the computational efforts.

    A clue to the complexity of the project is the size of the research team. In addition to Close and Lonardi, the many other UCR scientists on the team included María Muñoz-Amatrían, Qihua Liang, Steve Wanamaker, Sassoum Lo, Hind Alhakami, Rachid Ounit, Philip Roberts, Jansen Santos, Arsenio Ndeve, and Abid Md. Hasan. Additional team members inside the U.S. came from UC Davis, the Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute in California, the National Center for Genome Resources in New Mexico, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Iowa. International team members came from Finland, France, Brazil, and the Czech Republic.

    As with humans, there are differences between individual cowpeas. Knowing which genes are responsible for qualities in individuals such as color, size, or pathogen resistance will help breeders develop new varieties even better able to withstand external challenges.

    “Having the genome sequence helps scientists make decisions about the choice of parent plants to crossbreed in order to produce their desired progeny,” Close said.

    One of the cowpea traits that scientists are now trying to understand is its remarkable ability to recover from drought stress.

    “We’re trying to figure out why cowpeas are so resilient to harsh conditions,” said Close. “As we move into a world with less water available to agriculture, it will be important to capitalize on this ability and expand on it, taking the lead from cowpeas to guide improvements in other crops that are vulnerable to climate change.”

    By Jules Bernstein, UCR

  • Fusarium Wilt in Garbanzos

    A little over a month ago, I visited some contiguous garbanzo bean fields in southern San Joaquin County, at the request of the grower. The grower observed that plants were yellowing and dying (Fig. 1) and wondered what might be causing the problem. The grower did not figure that he would be able to do anything about the problem in this year’s crop, but he was thinking ahead for future cropping. He doesn’t have reliable water at this site, so his cropping options (i.e. rotation options) are limited. He would consider growing garbanzos in these fields again next year unless diagnostics revealed a disease problem.

    My observations of the field were that there were patches of several nearby plants with symptoms, but across the three contiguous fields, the patches were widespread. I suspected a vascular disease because of what appeared to be a progression of the disease from yellowing to necrosis to eventually plant death. I submitted samples to the plant pathology lab at UC Davis, and they diagnosed Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris, which is the Fusarium wilt pathogen for garbanzos. Fusarium wilt (also called Fusarium yellows) has the external symptoms previously described, but in addition to these symptoms, splitting the stems may reveal reddish-brown streaking in the vascular system at the center of the stem (i.e. xylem). The roots won’t show discoloration with Fusarium wilt like they will with Fusarium root rot. Fusarium wilt should not be confused with yellowing caused from virus, which will exhibit discoloration in the phloem. Fusarium wilt can reduce yield by reducing seed quantity and size.

    In general, cultural practices are the only ways to manage this disease. Luckily, the Fusarium wilt pathogens are crop-specific, so this pathogen will only infect garbanzos. The pathogen, however, can survive for a long time in the soil (upwards of 6 years or more) because it can survive under wide temperature and pH ranges. Therefore, crop rotation is an important management practice. Crop rotation will help to slow the proliferation of the disease, but it generally won’t eliminate it. Growers should plant certified disease-free seed. They should not save seed for planting because Fusarium wilt (and Ascochyta blight) can live externally on the seed. Growers should also consider planting UC-27, which has disease resistance and is adapted to the Central Valley. Disease management may also include cleaning soil from equipment when moving from an infected field to a non-infected field. In some studies, soil solarizaton has been shown to reduce Fusarium wilt in subsequent garbanzo crops, but to my knowledge, there hasn’t been any work on soil solarization in California garbanzos.

    Garbanzo beans are an important crop worldwide for human and animal nutrition. In California, they are grown during the winter months, like small grains, and provide growers with another crop choice that can be winter rain-fed. Because they are a legume, they can fix atmospheric nitrogen to fulfil some of their nitrogen needs. Garbanzos also are more tolerant of soil salinity than common beans and limas. In California, we annually grow approximately 10,000 acres of garbanzos. California garbanzos are generally a high-quality product grown for the canning industry. More information on garbanzo production in California can be found in the UC production manual.

  • Student Ambassadors Share California Dairy Message with International Audiences

    The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) has selected four students to serve as interns in the second year of the international dairy leadership program. Jessica Brown, Stefani Christieson, KayCee Hartwig-Dittman and Makayla Toste will serve as dairy representatives working with marketing teams representing CMAB during the summer in Mexico, South Korea and Taiwan.

    The interns, selected from students enrolled in agriculture-related programs at colleges and universities throughout the state, were chosen based on academic achievement, connection to the dairy industry and a willingness to travel abroad and learn more about international dairy sales and marketing as well as a plan to work in the California dairy industry in the future.

    Over the six-week period, each intern will spend time with in-country CMAB marketing organizations – Brown in Taiwan, Christieson and Hartwig-Dittman in South Korea and Toste in Mexico – to gain a better understanding of these markets, consumer buying habits and promotional efforts on behalf of California’s dairy industry.

    Jessica Brown

    Brown is currently enrolled at California State University, Fresno majoring in agriculture business. Jessica was raised on her family’s vineyard in Tracy and has always had a passion for agriculture. Her desire to learn about agriculture outside of the U.S. has provided her with opportunities to study abroad, most recently in Spain. Because of her love of travel and learning about other cultures, Jessica is focusing on international marketing at college with plans to work in this field of study upon graduation in 2020. Brown is a member of the agriculture marketing team at Fresno State and will be working with Steven Chu and Associates in Taipei, Taiwan.

     

    Stefani Christieson

    Christieson is a recent graduate of University of California, Davis where she received her B.S. in Political Science and minors in economics and French. She will be attending graduate school in the fall at Sciences Po in Paris, France for a year and then complete the program at Fudan University in Shanghai, China in year two. Christieson plans to complete her master’s degree in international economic policy and pursue a career as agriculture economic policy advisor for an agriculture export market organization to help California farmers continue to expand into emerging and established markets overseas. Christieson will be working with Sohn’s Market Makers, Ltd. in S. Korea.

     

    KayCee Hartwig-Dittman

    KayCee Hartwig-Dittman is currently enrolled at California State University, Fresno where she is majoring in dairy science and is employed at the dairy unit on campus. She has a culinary arts degree from Diablo Valley Community College and has experience working in the restaurant industry in California. Her love of travel and food has allowed her to travel outside of the U.S. where she has learned to use dairy products in new and creative ways with hopes to find innovative ways to introduce dairy to consumers around the world. Hartwig-Dittman will also be working with Sohn’s Market Makers, Ltd. in S. Korea.

     

    Makayla Toste

    Makayla Toste, a second-generation dairy farmer from Newman, received her B.S. degree in Animal Science with an emphasis in dairy science. During her last year at Fresno State, Toste served as the assistant herdsman for the Fresno State dairy unit where she was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the dairy and an officer for the Fresno State Dairy Club. After the internship, she plans to work in the California dairy industry in promotion and marketing to help keep the industry viable for the next generation of farmers. Toste will serve as an intern with the team at Imalinx in Cuernavaca, Mexico.

    “California accounts for more than 33 percent of all U.S. dairy exports so international trade is essential for our continued growth. Over the last decade, the CMAB has worked closely with partners in Asia and Mexico to develop markets for California dairy products. This program is focused on providing insight into international dairy marketing for future leaders like Jessica, Stefani, KayCee and Makayla, who will work in the dairy business and one day serve on dairy industry boards and lead industry groups,” said Glenn Millar, Director of International Business Development for the CMAB.

    The goal of the CMAB International Internship program is to provide agriculture/dairy college students an opportunity to learn about dairy foods and marketing in the international marketplace. The program looks to develop leaders who will serve on dairy industry boards, work in dairy foods production, processing or sales/marketing.

    About Real California Milk/California Milk Advisory Board

    The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), an instrumentality of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is funded by the state’s dairy farm families and is one of the largest agricultural marketing boards in the United States. With a mission to increase demand for products made with Real California Milk, the CMAB is celebrating 50 years in 2019 promoting California’s sustainable dairy products in the state, across the U.S. and around the world through advertising, public relations, research, and retail and foodservice promotional programs. For more information and to connect with the CMAB, visitRealCaliforniaMilk.com, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

  • California Dairies, Inc. and Dairy Farmers of America Create Agency to Ensure Market Stability

    CALIFORNIA DAIRIES, INC. AND DAIRY FARMERS OF AMERICA CREATE AGENCY TO ENSURE MARKET STABILITYCalifornia Dairies, Inc. (CDI) and Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) today announced the creation of a marketing agency in common to benefit and bring efficiency to both cooperatives’ customers and members.

    “Given the significant marketing and regulatory challenges that we’ve seen in California over the last few years, there was a mutual desire to reduce supply chain costs and create additional value and stability for our customers,” said Andrei Mikhalevsky, President and CEO California Dairies, Inc.  “We would also like to help preserve the existing processing asset base in the State.”

    With the establishment of a marketing agency in common, DFA and CDI will combine the raw milk marketing and transportation efforts for both cooperatives in California. The marketing agency in common also will allow both cooperatives to create market stability, milk balancing and enhanced customer service as part of short- and long-term strategies.

    “Our organizations have worked closely over the past decade as the dairy industry in California, the U.S. and the world has become increasingly dynamic,” said Dennis Rodenbaugh, executive vice president of DFA and president of Council Operations. “We have similar goals and see tremendous opportunities with our two cooperatives working together in an increasingly close partnership.”

    About California Dairies, Inc:

    California Dairies, Inc. is the largest member-owned milk marketing and processing cooperative in California producing 40 percent of California’s milk. Co-owned by nearly 400 dairy producers who ship 16 billion pounds of Real California Milk annually, California Dairies, Inc. is a manufacturer of quality butter, fluid milk products and milk powders. In addition, California Dairies, Inc. is the home of two leading and well-respected brands of butter – Challenge and Danish Creamery. California Dairies’ quality dairy products are available in all 50 United States and in more than 50 foreign countries.

    About Dairy Farmers of America:

    Dairy Farmers of America is a national, farmer-owned dairy cooperative focusing on quality, innovation and the future of family dairies. While supporting and serving 14,000 family farmers, DFA works with some of the world’s largest food companies to develop ingredients that satisfy their customers’ cravings while staying committed to social responsibility and ethical farming. For more information, please visit dfamilk.com.

  • California Crop Weather Report (Week ending: July 7, 2019)

    WEATHER

    Temperature highs ranged from the low 60s to low 90s in the mountains, mid 60s to mid 90s along the coast, low 70s to high 90s in the valley, and mid 80s to low 110s in the desert.  Temperature lows ranged from the high 30s to mid 60s in the mountains, high 40s to low 60s along the coast, low 50s to mid 80s in the valley, and low 50s to high 80s in the desert.

     FIELD CROPS

    In Tulare County, corn, cotton, and safflower progressed well. Wheat and oats continued to be harvested. Silage crops were being cut. Safflower progressed well and sorghum was planted in Kings County. Cutting of alfalfa continued. In the Sacramento Valley, winter wheat harvest continued, and rice continued to progress well. Safflower started to bloom, and sunflower continued to be planted.

    FRUIT CROPS

    Stone fruit orchards were irrigated. Apricots, peaches, plums, pluots, and nectarines were harvested. Late season stone fruit were hand thinned. Older stone fruit orchards were pushed out after harvest. Persimmons and olives continued to mature. Grapes were growing well as fruit thinning activities continued. Mechanical vineyard maintenance continued. Grapefruit and Valencia and Navel oranges were packed for export to domestic markets. Citrus groves were thinned, topped and skirted. Some citrus was pushed out in preparation for new plantings.

     NUT CROPS

    Orchards continue to be irrigated. Almonds, walnuts, and pistachios were developing well. Sunburn protective sprays were applied to some walnut groves.

     VEGETABLE CROPS

    Black-eye peas progressed well in Kings County. In Tulare County, bell peppers, cucumbers, eggplant, and tomatoes continued to be harvested. Tomato, cucumber, and zucchini harvests continued in the Sacramento Valley. Cherry tomato harvest began.

    LIVESTOCK

    Foothill rangeland and non-irrigated pasture remained in fair to good condition. Sheep grazed in fallow fields. Bees were active in melon and sunflower fields.