California Ag Network

Category: Non-Video

  • California Farm Water Coalition Statement on New Biological Assessments

    Recognizing the failure of the existing biological opinions issued a decade ago by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for Delta smelt and by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for salmon, the Bureau of Reclamation released a new biological assessment which serves as the basis for new biological opinions that will be released within 135 days. The Biological Assessment details the manner in which the agencies will operate the project and make operations more effective in preserving fish and delivering water to communities and farms. The Bureau of Reclamation is now taking a common-sense approach and applying scientific principles to water supply and fishery protections.
    “The current, outdated biological opinions have been plagued with operational problems that experts determined were largely ineffective at helping the endangered fish they were intended to help,” said Mike Wade, executive director of the California Farm Water Coalition. “In addition, the two outdated biological opinions often worked against one another, such as requiring more upstream storage for salmon to keep temperatures lower and at the same time, requiring more water to be released to the Delta to benefit smelt. These biological opinions have failed all parties – fish and wildlife, communities, and farmers,” he said.
    The Bureau’s new Biological Assessment takes into account the failures of the older biological opinions and creates a new process to modernize operations, utilizing science and operational flexibility to improve the operations and efficiency of the Central Valley and State Water projects. The Biological Assessment makes several changes to the operations of the Central Valley Project, based on the experience with the older biological opinions, the drought, and prior policy decisions. This modern Biological Assessment requires science-based operational changes that respond to actual conditions rather than follow a calendar-based approach to species protections. Using a smarter approach encourages adjustments that will allow for better temperature control for salmon while reducing the impacts on the Delta. It bases flow requirements on a variety of factors rather than using flow as the sole determinant for water project management.
    The Biological Assessment moves away from the failed presumption that water projects are the only cause of the decline in fish species.
    “The new Biological Assessment starts with a “clean slate” and seeks to determine those effects that are unrelated to the projects but are impacting fish populations in order to manage the projects. By focusing on a more integrated and holistic approach, federal and state agencies can utilize science and effective operational measures in the new biological opinions to address all the factors impacting the fish populations, he said.
    The operations analyzed in the new Biological Assessment are intended to allow the projects, designed and built to provide water to California communities, to fulfill that obligation and provide critical information to federal and state agencies that will improve the conditions for fish and wildlife and the Delta habitat.

  • Why do we need to keep breeding new crop varieties?

    Global warming and changes in the amount – and location – of water, are key factors in the need to continue crop breeding programs. In addition, there are many diseases that affect crop yield and quality. We need to continue breeding new disease resistant crop varieties to ensure a healthy, adequate food supply. Below are examples of breeding programs at Oregon State University to portray why breeding new varieties is important.

    Barley

    Why do we need to keep breeding new crop varieties?

    Barley is one of the world’s oldest crops – a truly ancient grain. Today, most barley in the world is used for animal feed, and in some areas barley is a staple food crop. In the US, most barley is used for malting and brewing.

    Barley breeders are working to make barley more robust in the face of climate change. We also work to make it a more profitable crop for farmers, and more available to consumers. Breeders are working on a few innovative approaches. The first involves selecting for varieties that can be planted in the fall, survive the winter, and be ready for harvest early the next summer. At the same time, we are breeding varieties that will make best use of available precipitation, as we face increasing times of drought.

    Most barley grown today is “covered” when it is ready for harvest. A protective hull adheres tightly to the seed, and this hull needs to be removed before the barley can be consumed. However, we have successfully bred “naked” barleys, and continue to look for more naked varieties. Naked barley can be used without further processing after harvest. This qualifies naked barleys as a whole grain.

     

    Beer is an important beverage for many cultures, and barley will continue to be the base of beer. There is tremendous potential for barley to enter the food stream. It can also serve as a locally-available, premium, animal feed grain.

    Wheat

    Winter wheat is one of the major staple crops of the world. It is the primary cereal crop in Oregon.

    Wheat is adaptive across environments and can be used for multiple end-products. The reason behind this is that wheat’s genetic code is “allohexaploid.” That means it can have up to six copies of specific genes for every trait! So, if a disease or climate conditions stress the plants in one of their gene sets, another gene set can take over, and help that year’s crop succeed.

    Current challenges to the wheat are similar to other crops – increasing variation in temperature and moisture availability. These climate changes also expand the regions where diseases and insect pests of wheat are found. The challenge to breeders is to anticipate these climate-induced changes, which is a bit like predicting this year’s flu strains, or the stock market!

    By making better predictions, we can develop cultivars that are disease resistant, insect resistant and tolerant to drought and temperature while still being high yielding. To improve breeding efficiency, we are looking to molecular markers. We have a lot of data collected on wheat’s genetic code, which is shared in various databases. That helps us be creative and look at ways to cross-breed different varieties. The new higher-yielding varieties will carry the desired traits for disease resistance, temperature tolerance and end-use quality.

    Potatoes

    Unlike barley and wheat, potatoes store their nutrition in underground tubers. You might think of potatoes as only the source of chips, fries and other starchy snack foods. In reality, potatoes are the third most important food crop in the world. Potatoes (as a vegetable) are consumed by more than a billion people worldwide and can grow from sea level to 4700 m above sea level. That is a very flexible growing range! Potatoes are grown in over 150 countries. They are a significant dietary source of potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium. They also provide the micronutrients iron and zinc, fiber, vitamins C, B6 and B1, folate and essential amino acids.

    Red potato in Shelley Jansky Hand

    Potatoes, like other major food crops, face a range of abiotic and biotic stresses. Potatoes are a high input crop and need lots of fertilizer and pesticides for a productive crop. Further, potatoes are vulnerable for being regarded as an icon of “junk food” with changing consumer dietary preferences.

    Potato breeders are trying to develop improved varieties with pest and disease resistance with improved nutrient use efficiency. Further, breeders are developing specialty potatoes with increased phytonutrient content. Breeders are using molecular and genomic information to improve breeding efficiency. They are also looking at reinventing potato as a diploid crop. This may help us use genetic resources and minimize losses due to tuber-borne diseases.

    Potatoes are an important food crop for food security. They carry calories for energy, and many essential nutrients. They are a powerful delivery system for nutrition. Potatoes are one of the highest yielding crops per hectare of arable land. For all these reasons, and their delicious taste, the cultivated potato has the potential to address issues of food security.

    Answered by Patrick Hayes, Bob Zemetra, and Sagar Sathuvalli, Oregon State University

    To watch a video about barley breeding, or to read more, visit https://www.crops.org/about-crop-science/at-work/patrick-hayes.

    To watch a video about potato breeding, or to read more, visit https://www.crops.org/about-crop-science/at-work/shelley-jansky.

    About us: This blog is sponsored and written by members of the American Society of Agronomy and Crop Science Society of America. Our members are researchers and trained, certified, professionals in the areas of growing our world’s food supply while protecting our environment. We work at universities, government research facilities, and private businesses across the United States and the world.

  • Josette Lewis Joins Almond Board of CA as Director of Ag Affairs

    In her role, Lewis will leverage more than 20 years of government, academic, nonprofit and corporate experience in agriculture research and policy.

    The Almond Board of California (ABC) welcomes Josette Lewis, PhD, to the organization as new director of Agricultural Affairs. In her position, Lewis will focus on the development, funding and strategy of ABC’s research program. Lewis most recently served as associate vice president of Sustainable Agriculture at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).

    Lewis holds a PhD in molecular biology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and her career in agricultural research and policy spans the government, academic, nonprofit and tech-based corporate sectors. Prior to EDF, she was associate director of the World Food Center at the University of California, Davis. Lewis began her career at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). She currently serves on advisory committees for the James Beard Foundation and the International Life Sciences Institute, and has served on an advisory committee for the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.

    “My colleagues and I are thrilled to welcome Josette Lewis to the ABC team. She not only complements our existing skill sets and experience — she adds many new and valuable dimensions,” said Richard Waycott, president and CEO, ABC. “Her acumen and expertise will serve the California almond industry very well as we navigate the challenges and opportunities that lie before us.”

    Research is an important area of focus for the Almond Board as it fuels key initiatives like the Almond Orchard 2025 Goals, which set industry-wide targets in the areas of water efficiency, zero waste, environmentally friendly pest management and air quality. In her new role, Lewis will oversee ABC’s multi-million dollar annual investment in research projects exploring next-generation farming practices including optimal use of everything almond orchards grow.

    “My career has centered on the interface of research and action — interpreting research findings to create solutions that people can use,” Lewis said. “Building on the strong legacy of Bob Curtis, I look forward to advancing almond research that ultimately puts knowledge, tools and practices in the hands of growers, processors, policy makers and other important audiences. I am fascinated by almond production and excited to join the dynamic group at ABC.”

    Robert Curtis retired in 2018 after spending more than 45 years directing agricultural affairs at ABC. Since 1973, almond farmers and processors have invested $80 million in research through the Almond Board to improve understanding of almonds’ impact on human health, ensure food quality and safety, and improve farming practices while minimizing environmental impacts.

  • Grape Crush Report Rescheduled for April 10 Release

    The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) are rescheduling cooperatively funded reports that were affected by the lapse in federal funding. During the lapse, NASS was not able to collect data nor issue reports, including those funded by state and industry programs.

    The following reports have been rescheduled and others will be announced as soon as they are determined:

    • 2018 California Grape Crush Report will be released Wednesday, April 10, 2019 at Noon Pacific Time, providing that funding remains available for Fiscal Year 2019.
    • There will not be a Grape Crush Preliminary Report this year.
    • 2018 California Grape Acreage Report will be released Friday, April 19, 2019 at Noon Pacific Time, providing that funding remains available for Fiscal Year 2019.

    In order to expedite the rescheduled reports and give producers more time to complete their surveys, NASS requests that anyone who received a survey, please respond as quickly as possible:

    If you have received any of these surveys and have not responded, but no longer have the survey form, please call 800-851-1127 from 7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Pacific Time. NASS representatives may call to collect information as well. NASS surveys provide critical data used by numerous different federal, state and local programs that benefit farmers and ranchers.

    These reports will be available in the May issue of American Vineyard Magazine.

  • Public Invited to Visit SJV Soil Health Demo Site in Five Points

    UC Cooperative Extension cropping systems specialist Jeff Mitchell is issuing a standing invitation to the public to visit the site of an ongoing conservation agriculture research project and see for themselves the results of long-term soil-building practices.

    “Every Friday morning from 9 o’clock till noon, beginning in February and going through June, I invite folks to come to the project site to see up close and personal just what soil health means,” Mitchell said.

    The project, funded by the National Research Initiative, compares plots that have been managed for more than 20 years in an annual rotation of cotton, processing tomatoes and more recently sorghum, garbanzos, and melons, under four different treatments: no-tilled plus cover crops, no-tilled with no cover crops, conventionally tilled with cover crops and conventionally tilled without cover crops.

    “What we’ve got at this site is a very long-term example of exactly what implementation of a small set of soil care, or soil health, principles really means for soil function and management,” he said.

    Mitchell says that the study site in Five Points is a valuable resource for the people of California because of its dedicated adherence to principles that are widely touted to improve production efficiencies, reduce emissions, cycle nutrients more tightly, and reduce inputs over time.

    “I recently heard about the value of publicly showcasing long-term sites such as the one we’ve got in Five Points. It’s being done in several other places, including the Dakotas and in Europe,” Mitchell said. “It just seems to make sense to open up our field more widely to folks who might be interested in seeing the remarkable changes we’ve seen and monitored for a long time.”

    According to Mitchell, the NRI Project field is already “the most visited research field in the state,” but with this new invitation, he is hoping to have an even broader and wider impact.  “We’ve got a simply amazing resource here and I want folks to see it,” he says. The study has also been selected as one of the monitoring sites of the North American Project to Evaluate Soil Health Measurements that has been initiated by the Soil Health Institute of Morrisville, NC.

    More than 30 peer-reviewed scientific articles have been published based on work done in this study field.

    The NRI Project is located at the University of California’s West Side Research and Extension Center, 17353 W. Oakland Ave., in Five Points.

    “I promise to be out there every Friday morning from Feb. 15 through June 26,” he said.

  • Public Hearing on Proposed New “Waters of the United States”

    Hearing will be held February 27-28, 2019 in Kansas City, Kansas

    Following President Trump’s directive to provide certainty to American farmers and landowners so that the economy can continue to expand while waters are protected, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Army (Army) are moving to the next steps in proposing a new definition of the Waters of the United States. EPA and the Army will hold a public hearing on the proposed new “Waters of the United States” definition in Kansas City with sessions on February 27 and 28, 2019. All persons wanting to speak are encouraged to register in advance. EPA and the Army will also hold an informational webcast on February 14, 2019.

    Public Hearing Logistics: The Wednesday session of the public hearing will convene at 4:00 pm (local time) and will conclude no later than 8:00 pm. The Thursday session will convene at 9:00 am and will conclude no later than 12:00 pm.

    The public hearing will be held in the Wyandotte Ballroom of the Reardon Convention Center, 520 Minnesota Avenue, Kansas City, Kansas 66101. Those interested in speaking at the hearing can register for a three-minute speaking slot. The last day to pre-register to speak at the hearing is February 21, 2019. On February 26, 2019, the agencies will post a general agenda for the hearing on the EPA website at https://www.epa.gov/wotus-rule/proposed-revised-definition-wotus-public-hearing. It will list pre-registered speakers in approximate order. Registration for the public hearing is available through the EPA website. Additionally, requests to speak will be taken the day of the hearing at the hearing registration desk, pending availability, and a sign language interpreter will be available for the hearing.

    Webinar Logistics: EPA and the Army will also hold a public webcast to explain the key elements of the proposed “Revised Definition of Waters of the United States” on February 14, 2019, at 3:30 pm EST. A copy of the entire webcast will be made available afterwards. Webinar registration is limited to 2,000 attendees so interested parties are encouraged to view with colleagues. Registration is available at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1548544876509260301.

    Background:

    On December 11, 2018, EPA and the Army signed a proposed rule providing a clear, understandable, and implementable definition of “waters of the United States” that clarifies federal authority under the Clean Water Act while respecting the role of states and tribes in managing their own land and water resources. The agencies have submitted the proposed rule to the Office of the Federal Register for publication.

    Oral comments and supporting information presented at the public hearing will be considered with the same weight as written statements and supporting information submitted during the public comment period. The agencies will take comments on the proposal for 60 days after publication of the proposed rule in the Federal Register. Comments can be submitted online at https://www.regulations.gov. Please follow the instructions for submitting comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2018-0149.
    More information about the public hearing, informational webinar, and the proposed rulemaking, including the pre-publication version of the Federal Register notice, are available at: https://www.epa.gov/wotus-rule/step-two-revise.

  • Organic Farmers Enroute to D.C. to Meet New Lawmakers

    Farm Bill implementation high on list for Organic Trade Association fly-in

    Twenty-two farmer members of the Organic Trade Association’s Farmers Advisory Council, a national coalition of organic farmers and organic farming organizations representing nearly 8,000 organic farms, will come to Washington on Feb. 5 and 6 to meet with new and incumbent members of Congress, to familiarize the freshmen lawmakers with organic and to discuss the implementation of the organic provisions in the 2018 Farm Bill.

    Coordinated by the Organic Trade Association’s Farmers Advisory Council, the event will bring in farmers from 11 states stretching from California to Maryland, from Texas to Minnesota. The diverse group includes dairy farmers, grain and specialty crop growers, egg and livestock producers. The Farmers Advisory Council represents over 8,000 certified organic farmers nationwide.

    “The 116th Congress has 101 new members of the House and 10 new Senators, and many of these new lawmakers aren’t familiar with organic,” said Laura Batcha, Executive Director and CEO of the Organic Trade Association. “It’s important that we help our members get connected to these freshmen Congressional members so they can educate the new policy makers about the benefits of organic agriculture, the unique challenges that organic producers and businesses face, and the importance of federal policies that advance American organic agriculture and the organic sector.”

    Batcha said implementation of the 2018 Farm Bill will be a key discussion point. “The Organic Trade Association and its members worked hard to get top organic priorities included in the Farm Bill, and now we want to ensure that this bill – and all of its gains for organic – is implemented in a timely manner.”

    In addition to scheduled meetings with over 40 lawmakers and national agricultural organizations, the group will host an Organic farmer roundtable for congressional staff on important organic issues. The roundtable will include a moderated discussion with a panel of farmer members who were featured in the recent National Geographic article “We don’t have enough organic farms. Why not?”. They will expand on the themes highlighted in the article and lead a conversation about overcoming challenges of organic transition and closing the gap between consumer demand and domestic acreage.

    The member organizations of the Farmers Advisory Council include California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF), Georgia Organics, Organic Egg Farmers of America, Montana Organic Association, Oregon Tilth Certified Organic, Organic Valley/CROPP Cooperative, Pennsylvania Certified Organic, Western Organic Dairy Producers Alliance and Tilth Alliance of Washington.

  • Reclamation Releases Biological Assessment for CA Water Operations

    The Bureau of Reclamation released late last week the Biological Assessment for the re-initiation of consultation on the coordinated long-term operation of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project. The document was transmitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service for consideration in developing new biological opinions covering CVP and SWP operations. Reclamation and the California Department of Water Resources re-initiated consultation in 2016 based on new information related to multiple years of drought and ongoing science efforts.

    In October 2018, President Donald J. Trump signed the Presidential Memorandum on Promoting the Reliable Supply and Delivery of Water in the West, citing the “diminished…ability” of America’s infrastructure “to deliver water and power in an efficient, cost‑effective way.” To that end, the Memorandum directed the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce to work together to complete the consultation process in a timely manner.

    The Biological Assessment supports Reclamation’s consultation pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973. It was prepared consistent with the timeline outlined in the Presidential Memorandum. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service are expected to issue final biological opinions within 135 days.

    “It has been 10 years since the biological opinions on the coordinated long-term operation of the CVP and SWP were issued. Since then, we’ve experienced extreme drought and invested significant resources to advance the science of the Central Valley and the Delta in coordination with our state and federal partner agencies and stakeholders. The result of our investments is an improved understanding of the system,” said Mid-Pacific Regional Director Ernest Conant. “By expanding our toolkit with the best science and using what we know today, new biological opinions will allow us to maximize water and power benefits while supporting endangered fish populations.”

    The Biological Assessment analyzes potential effects of the proposed action on federally listed endangered and threatened species and critical habitat for these species. The proposed action incorporates the best available science into the operation of the CVP and SWP. Proposed actions outlined in the document include temperature management at Shasta Dam, fall habitat and salinity measures in the Delta, and entrainment management related to water exports. Together, these proposed actions aim to give water operators more flexibility, maximize water supply delivery and optimize power generation consistent with applicable laws.

    The Biological Assessment is available here.

  • Rich Smith Distinguished Service Award Presented to Jerry Lohr

    The third annual Rich Smith Distinguished Service Award for major contributions to the American grape and wine industry, and to research, was given to Jerry Lohr of J. Lohr Vineyards and Wines. Lohr has committed nearly 50 years of leadership and achievement to the wine industry.

    The award was presented to Lohr at the annual Leadership Luncheon of the Winegrape Growers of America (WGA), which co-sponsors the award with the National Grape Research Alliance (NGRA) and WineAmerica. The late Richard “Rich” Smith was a tireless leader and advocate for each of the three organizations. The luncheon was held during the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, the wine and grape industry’s largest conference and trade show.

    Smith was founder and co-owner with his wife, Claudia Alexander Smith, of Paraiso Vineyards and Smith Family Wines in California’s Santa Lucia Highlands AVA. He was widely known and revered for his passion for the wine and grape industry, his commitment to enhancing its future, and his collaboration with colleagues to achieve collective goals. Those three words – passion, commitment and collaboration – are inscribed on the award, which is presented annually to a person who emulates Smith’s defining traits and works as tirelessly for the common good.

    Claudia and Jason Smith, son of Rich and Claudia, stated, “It is an honor to present this award to Jerry. His decades of dedication to the industry and all its facets – research, marketing, policy, science and more – have been integral to the success of our industry nationwide. Jerry and my dad sat on many boards and shared a similar passion to do what is best for the winegrape growing community in a selfless and dedicated way that is hard to replicate. It gives the family great pleasure to share this award with Jerry in my dad’s name.”

    Lohr is respected universally by his peers for his intimate understanding of California winegrowing and for his vast knowledge, with which he can address all facets of winegrowing, from the day-to-day details of vineyard management to leading-edge viticultural research. An industry leader and one of the few remaining substantial independents, he is a fervent advocate both for the Arroyo Seco AVA of Monterey County and for Paso Robles; he is an energetic and articulate champion for these regions.

    Lohr’s dedication goes beyond J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines. His work on behalf of the entire industry has included former posts as director and chair of Wine Institute and chair of the Monterey Winegrowers Council. He is also one of the four founding members of Wine Vision, an industry group that promotes a long-range view of the wine industry. Additionally, Lohr founded the National Grape and Wine Initiative, now known as the National Grape Research Alliance, a coalition representing grape growers, processors, wineries and academic institutions committed to improving the industry.

    Over the course of his career, Lohr served as founding director, four-time president and chair of the marketing committee of the Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association (MCVGA). He served as director and chair of the marketing committee for the Paso Robles Vintners and Growers Association (PRWCA).

    In 2007, UC Davis honored Lohr with its Award of Distinction, and the California State Fair presented him with a Lifetime Achievement Award. The following year, 2008, he was named Wine Industry Person of the Year by the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance. In 2010, Lohr received the Professional Excellence in Oenology Award from the New York Institute of Technology, and in 2011 the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) honored Lohr with a Lifetime Achievement Award. He was also named the 2011 Volunteer of the Year by the District VI Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and was awarded the 2011 Merit Award from the American Society for Enology and Viticulture. And, in 2017 Lohr was honored with Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s American Wine Legend Wine Star Award and with Wine Business Monthly’s Innovator of the Year Award.

    To select the recipient of the Rich Smith Distinguished Service Award, all three organizations and the Smith family submitted nominations and, together with the previous winners, John Martini (Anthony Road Winery) and Pete Downs (Family Winemakers of California), made the final selection. It is not required that the recipient be associated with any of the three organizations, just that he or she has made major contributions to the American grape and wine industry while demonstrating qualities consistent with Rich Smith’s memory. The award sponsors and Smith family are proud to honor Rich and encourage a legacy of service worthy of his name.

  • Blue Diamond Invests in Expansion of Turlock Manufacturing Plant

    Blue Diamond Growers, a nonprofit grower-owned cooperative and the world’s leading processor and marketer of almonds, begins expansion of its award-winning processing facility in Turlock, CA. Today a groundbreaking ceremony will be held at the 200,000 square foot manufacturing plant recognized as the 2014 Plant of the Year by Food Engineering Magazine. The new addition is part of Blue Diamond’s continued plans to expand value-added product lines and deliver the innovations of new almond products worldwide.

    The 52,000 square foot building will be the latest construction of the three-phased project that will eventually yield a total of about 500,000 square feet of building space over the next nine years. This phase of the project is scheduled to be completed in Spring 2020 and will accommodate growth of the cooperative’s business. The expansion consists of new automated processing and packaging equipment that promote Blue Diamond’s commitment to manufacturing excellence.

    “We are pleased to build our partnership with the Turlock community by investing to expand our facilities and workforce,” said Mark Jansen, Blue Diamond President and CEO. “We are creating the healthiest almond products and delivering the benefits of almonds to the world. This project allows Blue Diamond to meet the growing demand for our innovative almond products.”

    Blue Diamond Chairman of the Board Dan Cummings of Chico added, “We are thankful to our growers who own this cooperative for entrusting their almonds to us so we can continue to make valuable investments. This project gives them a secure future in the almond business.”

    Blue Diamond first announced its plans to build a manufacturing plant in the City of Turlock in April 2012 creating more than a hundred jobs.

    “On behalf of the Turlock community, we are tremendously excited about the expansion of Blue Diamond Growers state of the art processing facilities here in Turlock,” said Turlock Mayor Amy Bublak. “We know Blue Diamond has other company locations where they could have placed this expansion, but we are proud they chose Turlock. We look forward to the additional jobs this expansion will bring.”