California Ag Network

Category: Non-Video

  • UC Davis World Food Center Relaunches

    Davis, Calif., (April 24, 2018) – The University of California, Davis, has renewed its World Food Center within the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. The World Food Center’s mission is to mobilize the research, educational and outreach resources of UC Davis to promote innovative, sustainable and equitable food systems.

    “The renewed program intends to work on local, national and global scales to support scientific research, extension and policy developments at UC Davis that address these goals,” said Kent J. Bradford, the newly appointed interim director of the World Food Center. Bradford is also a distinguished professor in the Department of Plant Sciences and director of the UC Davis Seed Biotechnology Center. “We are excited by the opportunity to enable the unique resources of UC Davis to be focused on improving the diverse aspects of food systems.”

    Previously housed in the Office of the Chancellor, the realignment of the World Food Center within the college was first announced in December 2016. Under Interim Director Jan Hopmans, the center has engaged in internal evaluation processes among campus and college leadership, faculty, and staff to determine its most effective role as a college program. In September 2017, the UC Davis Office of the Provost approved a two-year plan created by the World Food Center’s Visioning Committee to pursue new opportunities and begin reforming the center within the college.

    Dean Helene Dillard and Associate Dean David Campbell of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences provide oversight to the World Food Center, along with a steering committee of nine faculty members.

    “As a world leader in agricultural and environmental sciences, we are excited to build on the voices and expertise of our college faculty to seek transformational solutions to critical food-system challenges,” said Dean Dillard. “We look forward to working with partners in the public, private and nonprofit sectors to help provide safe and nutritious food for us all.”

    Community involvement encouraged

    The World Food Center is currently seeking campus and community input to assist in developing new programming and initiatives. The center is developing a strategic plan to implement these ideas while creating networks for greater impact at UC Davis and beyond. Leaders are also planning joint events to foster interaction between the academic and business communities in the region.

    The World Food Center will host its first public events of the year in the coming months. The local community is invited to attend two Food For Thought Showcases in the UC Davis Mondavi Center on May 7 and June 4, 2018, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. These events will congregate dozens of UC Davis research centers shaping the future of food to showcase their work to the greater Davis community. The event is free and open to all, and guests are asked to RSVP here.

  • Produce Safety Program Launches Website

    Sacramento, Calif., (April 24, 2018) – A new website has been launched by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to help California farmers understand how to comply with new food safety regulations known as the Produce Safety Rule, which went into effect nationwide in January.

    The website introduces users to the Produce Safety Program, a newly created unit operating under CDFA’s Inspection Services Division.  The Produce Safety Program is responsible for conducting on-farm inspections on behalf of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to verify compliance with the Produce Safety Rule among California fruit, vegetable and nut farmers.

    “It’s estimated some 20,000 California produce farms are covered under this new regulation,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “The job of bringing these farms into compliance with the Produce Safety Rule is a very large task, and CDFA is committed to working with farmers to give them the information they need.”

    The FDA has determined that on-farm inspections to verify compliance with the Produce Safety Rule will not begin until 2019.  This gives CDFA time to begin getting the word out to farmers about how to comply with the new regulation.

    Via the website, produce farms and industry members can join a mailing list to receive regular updates from the Produce Safety Program.

    “The Produce Safety Program plans to spend the coming year doing everything possible to inform and educate California produce farmers about the requirements of the Produce Safety Rule,” said Natalie Krout-Greenberg, CDFA’s director of Inspection Services. “CDFA’s vision is for 100 percent compliance with the Produce Safety Rule.  Our hope is that required food safety practices will become ingrained in the culture of California produce farming so that our state continues to grow the safest produce possible.”

    Visit the site at https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/producesafety/about.html

    Contact:

    Steve Lyle

    Director of Public Affairs

    California Department of Food and Agriculture

    916-654-0462

  • California Table Grape Shipments Pass 109 Million Mark Again

    Fresno, Calif., (April 23, 2018) – California table grape growers produced 109.1 million boxes in 2017 with a crop value of $1.81 billion.

    A majority of the crop is typically consumed domestically and in 2017 that remained true with 64.2 percent of the crop consumed in the U.S. and 35.8 percent consumed in export markets. California table grapes were shipped to 59 countries around the world in 2017 with the top six volume markets being Canada, Mexico, mainland China, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Japan.

    “After breaking the 100 million box mark only six years ago, a 109 million box crop has become the new normal for California table grape growers,” said Kathleen Nave, president of the California Table Grape Commission. In 2016, 110 million boxes were shipped at a value of $1.85 billion.

    With the 2018 season only weeks away, the commission is gearing up its global campaign for California grapes. “The commission campaign focuses on motivating the trade to promote, and consumers to buy, more California grapes more often,” said Nave.

    Grapes from California are available from May through January.

  • CDFA Fertilization Guidelines Offer Insight On A Number Of Crops

    Davis, Calif., (April 23, 2018) – California grows over 400 commodities that account for one-third of the country’s vegetable production and two-thirds of the country’s fruit and nut production. For many of these crops, there are various research and technical articles available that provide fertilization information. However, this information is often hard to find and can take hours of searching the web.

    It was clear that California needed a comprehensive overview of current research-based knowledge of crop fertilization. That led to the development and production of the  California Fertilization Guidelines, produced in association with UC Davis. The guidelines address this need by providing a summary of relevant nutrient management research on major California crops.

    The guidelines were first published in the summer of 2013 and covered 16 crops.  An additional 12 crops have recently been added. Nutrient management quizzes for many of the crops have also been added to the website.

    The guidelines provide growers and crop advisors with an important decision-making tool to help determine the right time, place, rate and source of fertilizers. They show fertilizer needs based on uptake curves for different crops, so that uptake into the plant is optimized and environmental impacts are minimized.

    With the addition of these 12 crops, the guidelines now provide nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilization information for 28 crops covering 75 percent of irrigated agriculture in California.

    CDFA’s Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP) publishes nitrogen management brochures based on these guidelines. High-quality PDFs and a limited number of printed brochures are available from FREP upon request. PDFs of the brochures are also available on the FREP Resources page

    FREP was established in 1990 to provide funding for research and education regarding the agronomically safe and environmentally sound use of fertilizer in California.

  • In Remembrance of Rick Antle

    Salinas, Calif., (April 20, 2018) – It is with profound sadness that we inform you that Rick Antle, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tanimura & Antle, the largest lettuce and vegetable producer in the Salinas Valley, died Saturday, April 14. He was 61.

    Rick grew up in the family business as the grandson of vegetable pioneer Bud Antle and son of the equally imposing Bob Antle. He began his career at Bud Antle Inc. in the early 1970s and launched Tanimura & Antle with his father and brother and the Tanimura family in 1982.

    That continued a tradition of the Antles selling the crops that the Tanimuras grow dating back to 1949. Together the two families built a powerful and innovative company, with Rick Antle taking a lead role in guiding the course for the past three decades.

    Over the past 35 years, T&A has been every bit the industry leader that its predecessor Bud Antle Inc. was. It has been involved in all aspects of the industry and is the largest grower-shipper in the commodity business.

    He also led the company into many different innovative areas of the industry as it currently has a greenhouse and artisan lettuce operation in Tennessee and is greatly increasing its presence in the organic sector.

    A year ago, the leadership of the organization formed an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) to assure a smooth transition as the company moves forward and also to gives its vast number of employees a material stake in the operation. Tanimura & Antle has always been one of the leaders in the industry with regard to its workforce. Rick was also instrumental in planning and building the Spreckels Crossing farmworker housing project which is home to some 800 T&A employees.

    In 2016, Mr. Antle, along with his wife, Tonya, was honored by the United Fresh Produce Association with its distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award.

    Mr. Antle is survived by his wife, Tonya, and his two sons, Brian and Jeff, both of whom are involved in the company. He is also survived by his mother Sue, brother, Mike, who is currently on T&A’s board of directors, and sisters Kathy and Karen.

    We understand that services are tentatively scheduled to be held at 2:00 p.m., Friday, April 27 at a location to be determined. We will keep you advised on further details regarding services and memorial donations as we receive them.

    Our sincere condolences are extended to Rick’s family at this difficult time. We can all take comfort, however, in that we had the honor to have known, worked with, and been inspired by this agricultural icon.

    Rest in peace, Rick.

    Thank you to Jim Bogart for providing this tribute to our friend Rick

     

  • Tulare County Reports on Current Crop Status

    Visalia, Calif., (April 20, 2018) – Tulare County Agricultural Commissioner released the current status today of Major crops in the most valued county in the California Ag portfolio. They report that Corn is still being planted as weather and soil conditions allow. Some fields are emerging. Winter wheat and oats enjoyed the latest rains, growth is excellent. Alfalfa is maturing and harvest has started. Ground preparation is continuing for spring forage and row crops. Cover crops are being incorporated into the soil.

    Vineyards are leafing-out and some are in the early stages of flowering. Leaf removal is being conducted in some vineyards. Stone fruit has completed its bloom period. Immature fruit on early varieties is being thinned. New orchards are being planted. Cherries are sizing and some are starting to show color. Pomegranates and persimmons are producing flower buds. Walnuts and pistachios are starting to bloom. Pistachio nuts are being exported to Australia, Chile, China, Cyprus, Hong Kong, and Latvia. This season’s almonds are developing nicely. Almonds are being shipped to Belgium, Colombia Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Taiwan, and Trinidad and Tobago.

    The harvest of late variety navel and Valencia oranges continues. Navel orange fruits are showing some grading issues. Navel and Valencia oranges are being exported to China, the Dominican Republic, Fiji, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan. Seedless tangerine groves remain netted for the bloom. Lemons continue to be harvested and packed for export to China and Japan. Grapefruit are being packed and exported to China, Japan, and Korea. Some citrus trees are being planted. Bee keepers are maintaining hives in citrus and olives groves.

    Squash and cucumber seedlings continue to grow in the fields. Greenhouse vegetables continue to be harvested. Strawberry and plantings are progressing well, with bloom and mature fruit being picked. Blueberries are being exported to Taiwan. Additional summer vegetable fields are now being prepared for planting.

    Rangeland forage is in good condition, and recent rains will benefit the new growth of grasses and forbs. The fed cattle market is at $119 per hundred weight this week.

    Retail nurseries are stocking up on both perennial and annual plants for the spring season. Some mature olive trees are being dug for landscape purposes. Bare-root roses are still being processed and shipped to various states and Canada. Local wholesale nurseries are busy shipping nursery stock to local and out-of-state nursery outlets, as the demand for spring plants grows.

  • Encourage Students to Apply for TCFB’s Youth Leadership Program!

    Tulare, Calif., (April 20, 2018) – Tulare County Farm Bureau is seeking applications for the 2018-2019 Youth Leadership Class. The deadline to apply is May 1for this all expense paid eight-month program. TCFB’s Youth Leadership Program is designed to open doors to new experiences for students while providing personal, educational and leadership opportunities within their community and the agriculture industry.

    It is Farm Bureau’s goal to provide this leadership program to students with leadership potential, with an emphasis on those who have not had an opportunity to participate in similar programs. This program is open only to students who will be juniors in the 2018-2019 academic year. The schedule of activities begins in September 2018 and will end in May 2019. Please encourage students to apply! Students may fill out and submit an online application at www.tulcofb.org. We have eliminated paper applications this year.

    Throughout the year, the selected class will experience a team building exercise with an overnight trip to Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo; a community service activity with the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department; a county-wide tour of Tulare County’s agriculture industry; an agricultural careers panel; and a local government seminar with the Tulare County Board of Supervisors. This year, the program culminated with a legislative workshop and an overnight trip to Sacramento to meet with our elected officials, and take part in the California Farm Bureau Leaders Conference.  During the trip, the students also toured the UC Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

    This is a unique and enriching opportunity for students and we encourage you to identify one or more students from your school for this annual leadership program.  Our goal is to have two students from each high school in the county.  We urge you to assist us in making this program available to your students.  Please note that the individual(s) do not have to have any connection with agriculture or Farm Bureau, but should be students with potential leadership qualities and be able to take full advantage of this program.  Students are however required to attend school or reside in Tulare County to be considered for the program.

  • California Dairy Digital Magazine: April 2018 Issue

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    The December issue of California Dairy Magazine is now available to read online! Read the latest California Dairy & Feed industry news and technology.  Here’s a peek of what’s inside:

    • Hanford Junior Dairy Show Grows
    • Achieving High Reproductive Performance
    • Discovery in Isolating Embryonic Stem Cells in Cows
    • USDA Reopens Enrollment For Improved Dairy Safety Net Tool
    • Milk Prices: Hope on the Horizon

    Click Here to view it on Californiadarymagazine.com

  • True to our Roots: NRCS and Soil Conservation

    Washington, D. C., (April 19, 2018) – The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) was built, quite literally, from the ground up. Originally known as the Soil Erosion Service in 1933 then the Soil Conservation Service starting in April of 1935, the agency was created in response to the high rates of soil erosion seen across the Great Plains during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.

    A dust storm rolling across the Littlefield Farm in Swisher County, Texas in 1935. Dust storms were common across the Great Plains during the Dust Bowl, when severe drought and extensive tillage caused unprecedented rates of soil erosion. Photo Credit: Littlefield Family Album, USDA-NRCS Texas

    Then and now, NRCS is comprised of a network of people working together to fulfill one common mission: helping people help the land. As we pause this month to celebrate our roots, we look at where we’ve been, where we’re at and where we’re going to conserve one of our nation’s most valuable natural resources – our soils.

    Dave Hoover, Director of the National Soil Survey Center, provides a unique glimpse into the progression of soil conservation across the nation. Hoover has been a soil scientist with NRCS for over 40 years. He has mapped over one million acres of soils throughout the United States, and has seen more than 50,000 unique soil profiles during his career with the agency.

    Soil Mapping: Past to Present – Soil surveying is a cornerstone of NRCS, both historically and currently. “Technically,” says Hoover, “the National Soil Survey Program has been mapping the soils of the United States since 1899. This included some of the early mapping work done by Hugh Hammond Bennett, Father of Soil Conservation and our agency’s founder, and extends to currently include the majority of land acres across the country.”

    The above soil profile is from a field in North Carolina. The visible layers are called soil horizons. Photo Credit: John A. Kelley, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

    Technology has changed many things since Bennett’s days of mapping, particularly public access to soils information. We now have the Web Soil Survey, a public online tool that provides soil maps and data for over 95 percent of all counties in the United States. Web Soil Survey is designed to help any user, regardless of experience level, find information on soils across a given tract of land.

    Soil Surveys: Tools for Conservation – “Web Soil Survey provides soils data, maps and interpretations for general users and experts alike,” explains Hoover. “If a landowner is interested in finding the soil type of her cropland, for instance, she can use Web Soil Survey on a home computer to access that information. If she then chooses to work with NRCS to adopt conservation practices across her operation, the Soil Conservationist working with her can use Web Soil Survey to learn more. Properties of the soil and associated site characteristics play a large role in determining the appropriate conservation practices we as an agency might recommend to any given landowner.”

    Beyond supporting one-on-one work with producers, NRCS soil scientists use Web Soil Survey data to predict the suitability and limitations of soils for a variety of uses. For instance, critical Gopher Tortoise habitat can be identified for targeted conservation through the use of site suitability rankings based on soils data. This application – interpretation – is a large function of NRCS’s Soil Science Division. Many interpretations are available to the general public through the Web Soil Survey.

    As technology advances, more interpretations will become available for increasingly small land areas. “Eventually,” says Hoover, “we will likely develop tools that provide suitability interpretations based on the exact characteristics of specific sites. We aren’t there yet, but we’re working towards that goal.”

    The Future of Soil Conservation – As the global population grows towards a projected 9.8 billion people by 2050, so too does demand for the food, fuel and fiber grown in America. Our nation’s farmers, ranchers and foresters will rely on the productivity of one common resource – their soil – to meet this need. Put simply, soil conservation has never been more important.

    “Through this work,” says Hoover, “we are helping people understand and better manage one of the most important – but often unseen – resources available throughout the country. We can see air and water, but people rarely see the soil. And, though we don’t always see it, can you name a single thing that isn’t tied to it? I have asked that question to many people; no one yet has been able to give me an answer. The soil is tied, in some way, to every single thing we use as a society. I can think of no charge more important than helping to conserve it.”

    Story by Elizabeth Creech, NRCS – Contact Elizabeth on Elizabeth.Creech@wdc.usda.gov

  • UC Davis Students Breed Beans for Organic Farming

    Davis, Calif., (April 19, 2018) – Graduate students at the University of California, Davis, have begun field tests on very rare commodities: high-yield, disease-resistant bean varieties that can thrive on organic farms.

    “Most crops — about 95 percent — have been bred for conventional farming and can be difficult to grow in organic systems,” said Travis Parker, a Ph.D. student in plant biology who is leading the project. “These new bean varieties could make a big difference in performance and profitability of organic legumes like pinto, black and kidney beans, as well as heirloom-like varieties with high culinary quality.”

    Parker is working with a team of student breeders under the guidance of Professor Paul Gepts, a bean geneticist with the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences. The bean project is part of a larger plant-breeding effort at UC Davis to develop new varieties of tomatoes, peppers, beans and other vegetable crops that can flourish in both organic and conventional systems.

    Why breeding matters – To create a winning variety, breeders cross plants with desired traits and select the best offspring over multiple generations. It takes several years of plot testing to give birth to a variety good enough to name and sell.

    With each new generation of crops, breeders pick plants that perform well in the system in which they are being raised. That’s usually conventional farming, which is the most common system. Conventional agriculture uses some applications that organic farmers don’t use, such as synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. As a result, those crops can be tricky for organic farmers to grow because they are not especially well suited to organic production.

    Parker’s team recently received a $25,000 grant from Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, a U.S. Department of Agriculture program that funds innovative projects in agriculture. The grant will support the team’s ongoing efforts to identify the genetic basis of important traits, develop tools to accelerate the time it takes to measure traits as plants grow in the field and — ultimately — release new varieties specifically bred for high performance on organic farms.

    “We have begun trials on virus-resistant lines in fields on campus and on farms in California,” Parker said. “We hope to have varieties available for commercial production soon after 2020.”

    The beauty (and challenge) of beans – Legumes are nutritious and especially important to sustainable agriculture. They contain symbiotic bacteria in their roots that produce nitrogen compounds, which feed the crop and enrich the soil even after harvest.

    “That’s why beans are so useful in rotation with other crops,” Parker said. “Plus, dry beans have a long shelf life so farmers can store them and sell them according to market conditions.”

    But conventionally bred beans can present a challenge for organic farmers. With limited use of herbicides, organic farmers have a tough time controlling the weeds that battle young crops for water, sun and food.

    To address that, Parker and his team are breeding fast-growing plants that can outcompete weeds. The new varieties will grow tall enough to shade out weeds without tipping over to make it easier for farmers to use tractors to mechanically control weeds.

    More crops in the works   – The bean project is part of a larger effort UC Davis launches in 2015. Funded by a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the UC Davis Plant Breeding Center is working with the Organic Seed Alliance and organic growers in California to set priorities and develop new crop varieties.

    Students are leading the project as part of the center’s innovative efforts to train a new generation of plant breeders.

    “We want to give our plant-breeding students experience with real cultivar development that results in products that growers and seed producers want,” said Professor Charlie Brummer, director of the UC Davis Plant Breeding Center. “This project lets us put those pieces together in a very meaningful and exciting way.”