With a new $20 million federal grant, UC Merced becomes part of a multi-institutional research collaborative to develop artificial intelligence — or AI — solutions to tackle some of agriculture’s biggest challenges related to water management, climate change and integration of new technology into farming.
The new institute is one of 11 launched this year by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and among two funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The newly announced AgAID Institute is shorthand for the collaborative USDA-NIFA Institute for Agricultural AI for Transforming Workforce and Decision Support.
The AgAID Institute features four core institutions: UC Merced; Washington State University (WSU), the lead campus; Oregon State University; and the University of Virginia. The AgAID Institute bolsters UC Merced’s already strong focus on ag-tech solutions for sustainable food systems in California and beyond.
“This is only the second round of AI centers the NSF has funded, so we’re really honored to be contributing to this important and cutting-edge research effort,” environmental engineering Professor Joshua Viers said. Viers is the lead principal investigator from UC Merced and the campus director of the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) and the Banatao Institute, which has been advancing ag-tech solutions for the San Joaquin Valley broadly. “We’ll be working to leverage computational knowledge to arrive at actionable decisions for farmers and water managers, and we’ll be the application test beds for much of what is developed at the other core institutions.”
Much of that testing will be done at UC Merced’s new experimental smart farm, a 40-acre site adjacent to campus that is in the planning stages.
While traditional AI development involves scientists making tools and delivering them to end-users, the AgAID Institute will involve the people who will use the AI solutions — from farmers and workers to policy makers — in their development. This “adopt-adapt-amplify” approach ensures solutions are practical and more likely to be adopted. The researchers will also work to create solutions that can adapt to changing environments and that amplify productivity by combining human skills and machine capabilities to be more effective than either would be alone.
“People are very much part of the agricultural ecosystem. It’s not just plants growing. Humans manipulate crops on a daily basis and make complex decisions, such as how to allocate water or mitigate the effects of an incoming storm,” said Ananth Kalyanaraman, a WSU computer science professor and AgAID Institute director. “We aim to partner human knowledge with AI tools in a way that amplifies the end outcomes where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
The AgAID Institute will be a multi-disciplinary, collaborative effort involving faculty and scientists with expertise in a diverse range of areas in computer science, agriculture and agricultural outreach. In addition to the four core institutions, the collaborative includes Carnegie Mellon University and Kansas State University, and in an effort to train the next generation of educators and farm managers, UC Merced will work closely with other minority-serving institutions such as Heritage University and Wenatchee Valley College. Private sector partners include IBM Research and the start-up innov8.ag.
At UC Merced, School of Engineering professors Reza Ehsani, Jian-Qiao Sun, John Abatzoglou and Josué Medellín-Azuara will all be co-investigators and part of the Institute, as will social scientist Leigh Bernacchi, Ph.D., the CITRIS program director.
With this grant, NSF has made a $220 million investment in AI-based collaborations, building on the first round of seven AI Institutes funded in 2020.
The goal is to develop AI-based technologies that bring about a range of advances: helping older adults lead more independent lives and improving the quality of their care; transforming AI into a more accessible “plug-and-play” technology; creating solutions to improve agriculture and food supply chains; enhancing adult online learning; and supporting underrepresented students from elementary to post-doctoral STEM education to improve equity and representation in AI research.
Led by NSF and in partnership with USDA-NIFA, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Google, Amazon, Intel and Accenture, the AI Institutes will act as connections in a nationwide network pursuing transformational advances in a range of economic sectors, and science and engineering fields — from food-system security to next-generation edge networks.
“AI is an enabling technology that can help us develop the next generation of intelligent farm equipment and implements. These machines could potentially be more efficient, easier to operate and could reduce production costs,” Ehsani said.
For instance, pruning trees is a highly skilled task, but a beginner-level worker could benefit from an AI tool that provides expert guidance to help decide which are the best branches to prune. The task is done better, and the worker starts to learn from the feedback. With a shortage of skilled labor, AI can benefit both the orchard and the worker, bridging a divide between high-skilled and low-skilled workers.
Educating the workforce at all levels is central to the AgAID Institute not just to encourage AI adoption but as a matter of equity, Institute leaders said. The Institute plans multiple education programs from K-12 through higher education and worker training. The goal is to raise AI skill levels and open new career paths, which can improve pay and quality of life for agricultural workers. It can also attract more people to agriculture and computing professions.
The AgAID Institute will undertake several challenging test cases involving specialty crops, many of which grow in the western United States, such as almonds, pistachios, apples, cherries and hops. These crops encompass several major challenges: They require intensive labor and irrigation. They are also vulnerable to weather events and climate change. Specialty crops account for 87% of the U.S. agricultural workforce, and about 40% of these crops are perennial, requiring long-term management and resource planning.
“AgAID seeks to apply advances in computational technology to the long-standing wicked challenge of agricultural lands in the semi-arid West that are constrained by climate, land and people,” Abatzoglou said. “This support will help develop tech-based solutions for ameliorating the cascading impacts of water scarcity in agricultural systems we’ve experienced recently and will continue to face.”
Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz, Ph.D., who champions UC Merced’s leadership in sustainability and its strong integration into the future of the San Joaquin Valley and its communities, addressed the importance of the AgAID Institute for students and the Valley.
“This artificial intelligence institute for transforming workforce and decision support in agriculture speaks to our increasing national and global recognition for cutting-edge research,” Muñoz said. “Sustaining the future of agriculture — the primary economic activity in our region — is paramount. Not only are we building the future in the heart of California, but we are doing it in a way that speaks to our commitment to innovation in research and education that uplifts our region and results in a new generation of leaders for the Valley.” — By Lorena Anderson, UC Merced
A tiny wasp may be the solution for managing an agricultural pest causing major economic damage to fruit, vegetable, and field crops in North America and Europe.
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are currently studying Trissolcus japonicus, commonly known as the samurai wasp, to see if this parasitoid wasp is the right biological control agent for reducing brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) (BMSB) populations outside of Asia.
Biological control is the process of reducing or mitigating pests or pathogens by using the pest’s or pathogen’s natural enemies. The samurai wasp is a known natural enemy for the BMSB in Asia, and researchers are understanding how it behaves in non-native environments.
At the ARS Beneficial Insects Introduction Research Unit in Newark, DE, researchers are observing the behaviors of both quarantined samurai wasps from Beijing and local wild populations. They found these wasps have a strong preference for parasitizing BMSB’s eggs.
“Parasitic wasps have the amazing ability to detect kairomones [chemical substances emitted by one organism and detected by another organism] that are left on surfaces or in the air of their hosts,” said Dr. Kim Hoelmer, research entomologist and research leader at the Beneficial Insects Introduction Research Unit.
“In the field, when a female samurai wasp looks for evidence of her host in the environment, she can detect her host’s kairomones left on a leaf’s surface. The wasp increases her search when she detects the kairomones and that increases her probability of finding the host.”
The research shows promise in that samurai wasps prefer their natural hosts’ eggs over those of other species.
This finding does not surprise researchers since it is common for parasitoid wasps to have close relationships with their hosts.
“The more intimate the relationship is, the better parasitoid wasps are as biocontrol agents,” said Dr. Matt Buffington, research entomologist with the ARS Systematic Entomology Laboratory, located in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC.
Buffington and postdoctoral ARS scientist Elijah Talamas were instrumental in correctly identifying the samurai wasp from other Trissolcus species.
“Parasitoid wasps play major roles in population regulation [of pests]. With this one species, we can explain how biological control works in our environment,” said Buffington.
But do samurai wasps exhibit the same behaviors in the wild?
In addition to laboratory studies, researchers are observing samurai wasps in natural environments, such as orchards and crop fields, where the BMSB is present. These wasps are adventive in North America, meaning they arrived accidentally without any human aid.
At the ARS Appalachian Fruit Research Station in Kearneysville, WV, researchers are studying how samurai wasps reduce BMSB populations across a landscape. The research aims to determine if samurai wasps can survive in areas with other agricultural factors such as pesticides.
According to research entomologist Dr. Tracy Leskey, BMSB populations can disperse and develop in areas outside of orchards and crop fields. The stink bugs constantly reinvade new areas, called wild host habitats, for survival.
“We hope that samurai wasps can reduce those populations in wild host habitats, so we have less pressure in our agricultural areas,” said Leskey.
The wasp is tiny; approximately 1.5 mm or the size of a sesame seed.
Even though the samurai wasp shows promise as a biological control agent, researchers must follow a rigorous process to ensure that the samurai wasp’s impact is limited to its host and is not a threat to animals, humans, and crops.
ARS researchers are in the process of requesting a permit for quarantined samurai wasps from Beijing to be approved for field release. Currently, wild populations of the samurai wasp are in 14 states. The permit would allow states without wild populations to use the wasp as a biocontrol agent for managing their BMSB populations. In addition, the permit would allow states with existing wild populations to introduce new samurai wasps in their management efforts.
BMSB has been detected in 47 states and four Canadian provinces. BMSB is responsible for crop damage costing millions of dollars each year. This pest is also causing agricultural damage abroad after its infestation in European countries.
Researchers from other ARS laboratories are also studying the samurai wasp, including the Invasive Insect Biocontrol & Behavior Laboratory in Beltsville, MD, Southeast Watershed Research Laboratory in Tifton, GA, Horticultural Crop Research Laboratory in Corvallis, OR, Sino-American Biological Control Laboratory in Beijing, China, and USDA-ARS European Biological Control Laboratory in Montpellier, France. – By Jessica Ryan, USDA ARS Office of Communications
Blue Diamond Growers Foundation is pleased to announce its 2021-2022 scholarship recipients. This year, scholarship funding is being awarded to 24 college students who are either dependents of Blue Diamond employees or are members of local communities pursuing agriculture-related fields of study at colleges and universities in California and throughout the country.
“For agriculture to succeed for years to come, it will require the dedication and hard work of the next generation,” said Dan Cummings, Chairman of the Board of Directors for Blue Diamond Growers. “We are so pleased that the Blue Diamond Growers Foundation regularly supports dependents of our own Blue Diamond employees as well as assists students whose goals are to be a positive influence on the future of agriculture and who want to make a difference in their communities.”
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the Blue Diamond Growers Foundation was established in 2011 for the purpose of providing scholarships to students who have demonstrated excellent academic performance and are pursuing a four-year college. Since 2011, the Blue Diamond Foundation has awarded nearly
150 scholarships to help students in our local communities achieve their dreams of a college education.
This year’s Blue Diamond Growers Foundation scholarship recipients include:
| NAME/HOMETOWN | COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY | MAJOR |
| Ashleigh Sorensen Sanger, Calif. |
Fresno State University | Agribusiness |
| Ashlyn Wooldridge Arbuckle, Calif. |
Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo | Plant and Environment Sciences |
| Averie Konefat Patterson, Calif. |
Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo | Ag Science |
| Cal Muxlow Kingsburg, Calif. |
Fresno State University | Agribusiness |
| Gabriela Moreno Winton, Calif. |
Merced Community College then Fresno State University | Ag Education and Communications |
| Gunnar Kale Merced, Calif. |
Morningside University | Ag and Food Sciences (Minor in Agronomy) |
| NAME/HOMETOWN | COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY | MAJOR |
| Jane Saenz Shafter, Calif. |
Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo | Ag Systems Management, Wine and Viticulture |
| Jenna Keller Porterville, Calif. |
Cal Poly or Cornell University | Plant Science and International Ag |
| Kalifornia Kindelt Woodland, Calif. |
Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo | Ag Communications |
| Kathryn Williams Arbuckle, Calif. |
Ag Communications | |
| Lauren McEwen Exeter, Calif. |
Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo | Ag Communications |
| Lauren Schaap Visalia, Calif. |
Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo | Ag Communications |
| Laynee Haywood Maxwell, Calif. |
Texas Tech University | Agribusiness (Concentration in International Agribusiness) |
| Madalyn Nissen Willows, Calif. |
Oklahoma State University | Ag Education and Ag Communications |
| Matthew Freitas Glenn, Calif. |
Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo | Ag Systems Management |
| Michaela Mederos Tulare, Calif. |
Fresno State University | Agribusiness Management |
| M’Lyssa Frago Atwater, Calif. |
Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo | Ag Communications |
| Natalie Machon El Dorado Hills, Calif. |
University of Colorado, Boulder | Psychology |
| Rachel Mancebo Chowchilla, Calif. |
Fresno State University | Ag Education |
| Sarah Williams Madera, Calif. |
Virginia Tech University | Agribusiness
|
| Sydney Vieira Ripon, Calif. |
Oklahoma State University | Agribusiness (Pre-Law Concentration) |
| Tanner Cardoza Hanford, Calif. |
McPherson College | Business
|
| Taylor Trigueiro Caruthers, Calif. |
Oklahoma State University | Ag Education |
| William Vannucci Woodland, Calif. |
American River College | Horticulture
|
Additional information about the Blue Diamond Growers Foundation scholarship program is available at
https://bluediamondgrowers.com/scholarship-program/.
The North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC) on Tuesday presented its Business for Bees Sustainability Award – an honor reserved for standout organizations that go above and beyond to support pollinators – to the Almond Board of California (ABC) and the state’s almond farmers.
“This is about their long-term dedication to supporting all pollinators in their orchards and throughout our ecosystem,” said Kelly Rourke, executive director of Pollinator Partnership, which founded NAPPC 21 years ago. “We’ve worked with them for many years and this is well-deserved recognition of their steadfast commitment to engaging farmers in pollinator conservation on multiple levels. The Almond Board and the entire almond industry have really moved the needle to raise awareness and generate action to protect pollinators.”
NAPPC has only given out its Business for Bees Sustainability Award once before. It is given in years when there is a business taking extra special steps to protect bees and all pollinators and to advance sustainability and innovation.
“ABC’s name is on this award, but it really goes to the 7,600 almond farmers in California,” said Josette Lewis, ABC’s chief scientific officer. “Farmers understand how important pollinators are to growing almonds and to all of agriculture and the environment. They want to be part of the solution.
The reasons for the award, Rourke said, include ABC’s leadership in founding the California Pollinator Coalition, its work promoting on-farm pollinator habitat and its support of years of research and education about the best practices for providing hospitable environments for pollinators in almond orchards and in other habitats.
ABC worked with Pollinator Partnership and the California Department of Food and Agriculture last spring to create the California Pollinator Coalition (CPC) which brought together a broad array of grower organizations across the state’s ag and environmental landscape to help promote the health of wild and managed pollinators.
“The formation of the California Pollinator Coalition was such a big step,” said Laurie Davies Adams, Pollinator Partnership’s Director of Programs, who helped found the CPC. “This is a unique statewide coalition that brings together every grower, farmer and rancher group. I don’t think that’s ever happened before. It’s going to make a real difference on the ground.”
NAPPC is a collaboration of diverse partners from the U.S., Mexico and Canada. It includes respected scientists, researchers, business people, conservationists and government officials. NAPPC works to promote awareness and scientific understanding of pollinators, to find common ground for solutions and to create innovative initiatives that benefit pollinators. NAPPC is administered and supported by Pollinator Partnership, a non-profit headquartered in San Francisco with a mission to promote the health of pollinators through education, conservation and research.
The award was announced during NAPPC’s 21st Annual International Conference, held virtually this year for the second time and hosted by the Pollinator Partnership and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. The conference and award ceremony were planned for the Smithsonian before being forced to remain virtual because of COVID-19.
Rourke and Adams said they would have liked to have given the honor in person to show how much they appreciate ABC’s work. “The strong effort that the Almond Board of California has mounted with the support of the almond industry to engage farmers and the entire agricultural community far beyond almond orchards is really impressive,” Adams said. “Bringing every grower group together to have an agriculturally-led coalition for pollinators is significant. It will provide building blocks for even more engagement and large results. It’s a pioneering effort that other states are seeking to emulate.”
“This is an outstanding honor for our farmers,” Lewis said, “especially considering all the good work that NAPPC and the Pollinator Partnership do. As much as anyone, almond farmers are tuned in to the importance of pollinators to their crops and our ecosystem. That’s why they work so hard to make their orchards healthy places for pollinators.”
Almond farmers across California’s Central Valley sit in what is essentially a flyway for pollinators. In recent years, almond farmers have applied to certify more than 110,000 acres of Bee Friendly Farming®, providing pollinator habitat and integrated pest management across the valley to keep that flyway healthy and create badly needed floral resources that compliment and expand beyond the annual almond bloom.
“Almond farmers have doubled the number of acres of bee friendly habit in California and in that pollinator flyway,” Lewis said. “We’re proud to help lead a broad coalition of agriculture and conservation groups to work together to promote and preserve habitat for pollinators.”
Information contained in this report was supplied by walnut handlers to fulfill reporting requirements of Sections 55601.7 and 55601.8 of the Food and Agricultural Code. The report includes all tonnages of walnuts that were either produced by the handler or purchased from producers. The final weighted average price, including bonuses and allowances, has been reported for all contracts which were finalized.
All 2020 crop transactions completed through the close of business on August 31, 2021 are included in this report. A “good faith” estimate of final weighted average price was reported for those contracts which were not final on the same date. The data are shown by major varieties at the State level only.
SUMMARY OF WALNUT HANDLERS’ REPORTS
Walnuts produced by handlers in 2020 totaled 12,572 tons. This figure does NOT include walnuts purchased from other handlers or producers.
The total 2020 walnut crop purchased from producers, for whom pricing had been finalized, reached 728,746 tons at an average price of 60.5 cents per pound. This price is rounded to the nearest tenth of a cent per pound and includes all bonuses and allowances.
Purchases from producers, for whom pricing was NOT finalized, totaled 45,543 tons. The average “good faith” estimate of the final weighted average price for this tonnage was 56.3 cents per pound.
The quantity of all walnuts purchased from producers was 774,289 tons for the 2020 crop. This figure does not include walnuts produced by the handler or purchased from other handlers. The tonnage produced by the handler plus tonnage purchased from producers for the 2020 walnut crop was 786,861 in-shell tons.
DEFINITIONS
Producer: A person or operator who is responsible for the walnuts in the unprocessed state.
Handler: Firm that processes and markets walnuts.
Finalized Purchases: Tonnage purchased from producers, for which a pricing contract has been completed.
Non-Finalized Purchases: Contracted tonnage, for which a final price has not yet been determined.
Free Tonnage: Tonnage received by a handler, for which the only Federal marketing order regulation is a minimum quality or size standard. Reserve tonnage is the tonnage set aside as authorized by a Federal marketing order.
Weighted Average Price: Weighted average price reflects prices or “good faith” estimates of prices as reported by handlers and include any bonuses or allowances.
Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua (D-Stockton) is being honored as the Almond Alliance of California’s 2021 Almond Champion of the Year for his effective leadership in authoring legislation that supports California’s pollinator habitats, as well as leading efforts to educate his fellow legislators about the importance of a sustainable California almond industry to the state’s economic health.
The legislature this year approved a budget containing funding that will help almond growers implement those important conservation practices that benefit honey bees as they forage for pollen and nectar in the orchard. Assemblymember Villapudua’s leadership on AB 391, which highlighted the need for funds to accelerate the adoption of conservation practices designed to integrate pollinator habitat and forage on working lands, was critical in getting these funds approved.
Almond Alliance Chair Mike Curry praised Villapudua for his work on legislation of importance to the California almond industry. “Assemblymember Villapudua as a freshman legislator has really taken the time to get to know the many facets of our industry,” explained Curry. “As one of the few legislators representing agriculture, he has done a great job of educating his fellow legislators about how important farming is to this state. His most recent efforts in obtaining funding for pollinator habitat conservation practices will benefit honey bees as they forage for pollen and nectar in almond orchards.”
The Almond Champion of the Year Award is presented annually to those who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership in education, coalition building, partnerships and promoting legislation and policies that encourage the advancement and protection of California agriculture and the California almond industry. The award recipient is decided on by our Government Relations committee members. Committee members include:
The award will be presented by the Almond Alliance at the California Almond Industry Political Action Committee’s Annual Modesto Fundraiser at Del Rio Country Club on October 27, 2021, at 5:30 pm. This event brings together members of the almond community as well as FFA students, elected officials and designated special guests. RSVPs can be made to Annie Romero at aromero@almondalliance.org or 209-300-7140.
About the Almond Alliance
The Almond Alliance of California (AAC) is a trusted non-profit organization dedicated to advocating on behalf of the California almond community. California almonds generate more than $21 billion in economic revenue and directly contribute more than $11 billion to the state’s total economy. California’s top agricultural export, almonds create approximately 104,000 jobs statewide, over 97,000 in the Central Valley, which suffers from chronic unemployment. The AAC is dedicated to educating state legislators, policy makers and regulatory officials about the California almond community. As a membership-based organization, our members include almond processors, hullers/shellers, growers and allied businesses. Through workshops, newsletters, conferences, social media and personal meetings, AAC works to raise awareness, knowledge and provide a better understanding about the scope, size, value and sustainability of the California almond community.
Save the date, Friday, November 11th for the annual Grape, Nut & Tree Fruit Expo at the Big Fresno Fairgrounds. Held by Malcolm Media Ag Publishing in cooperation with California Ag Network, Pacific Nut Producer, American Vineyard, and California Fresh Fruit Magazines, it is the ultimate postharvest industry gathering place for regional grape, nut & tree fruit growers and crop advisors. Fresno is the number one Ag County in the state and the center of the Central Valley’s rich and diverse agricultural production. Nearly a thousand growers, PCAs and industry stakeholders attend this expo to enjoy State of the Almond, Pistachio, Walnut, Pecan, Tree Fruit, Raisin, Table & Wine Grape Industry presentations, Continuing Education Credited IPM seminars, great food & company, and an industry trade show featuring over a hundred Ag businesses.
This event is FREE to attend and wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of local industry associations, universities and our sponsors this year: Ag Access, Advancing Eco Agriculture, Almond Alliance of California, American Pistachio Growers, Blue White Robotics, Burchell Nursery, California Fresh Fruit Association, Dave Wilson Nursery, Duarte Nursery, Enterprise, Firman Pollen, Fresno State Viticulture & Enology, Jack Rabbit, JSC Agricultural Supply, Live Earth Products, Orchard Machinery Corporation, Phoenix Renewable Services, Phytech US, Preferred Employers Insurance, Saturas, Sun-Maid Growers, Sunridge Nurseries, Synagro, Wonderful Laboratories, and Wonderful Nurseries.
Online pre-registration for the event is now available HERE and includes the ability to preregister for any CE credits attendees would like to receive. 3 hours of PCA/PA/QAL/QAC credits have been approved for this event, with 5 hours of CCA credits pending.
Also new to this year’s program will be three special panel discussions: one featuring options & incentives for groundwater recharge with Chase Hurley from Triangle T Water District, Dave Krietemeyer from USDA-NRCS and growers Lucas Avila & Karun Samran. In a special presentation for raisin growers this year, Matthew Fidelibus from the UC Cooperative Extension will be discussing prospects of the newest DOV varieties with growers Austin Hubbell and Steven Cardoza. Aubrey Bettencourt from the Almond Alliance of California will also be leading a panel discussion on almond supply chain solutions and the upcoming Farm Bill impact on specialty crop agriculture. The USDA Farm Service Agency will also be conducting a brief workshop to assist growers in signing up for a new round of disaster aid, the tree & vine replant programs and other eligible programs. See the full program below for more details.
This event along with other Malcolm Media Ag Expos has generated nearly $150,000 in scholarship endowments for the agricultural programs at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, Fresno State, Santa Rosa Junior College and UC Davis. Interested in exhibiting/sponsoring? Visit agexpo.biz/exhibit and give us a call at 559-298-6020 to see what options are still available.
Save the date, Tuesday, November 8th for the annual Tree & Vine Expo at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds, in Turlock, California, the heart of North Valley wine grape, tree nut and fruit country. Held by Malcolm Media Ag Publishing in cooperation with California Ag Network, Pacific Nut Producer, American Vineyard, and California Fresh Fruit Magazines, it is the ultimate postharvest industry gathering place for regional grape, nut & tree fruit growers and crop advisors. Nearly a thousand growers, PCAs and industry stakeholders attend this expo to enjoy State of the Almond, Walnut, Pistachio & Wine Grape Industry presentations, Continuing Education Credited IPM seminars, great food & company, and an industry trade show featuring over a hundred Ag businesses.
This event is FREE to attend and wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of local industry associations, universities and our sponsors this year: Ag Access, Air Burners, Almond Alliance of California, Blue White Robotics, Dave Wilson Nursery, Duarte Nursery, Firman Pollen, JSC Agricultural Supply, Live Earth Products, Preferred Employers Insurance, Saturas, Turlock Irrigation District, Turrentine Brokerage, Wonderful Nurseries, and Yosemite Farm Credit.
Online pre-registration for the event is now available HERE and includes the ability to pre-register for any CE credits attendees would like to receive. 4 hours of PCA, PA, QAL and QAC credits have been approved for this event, with 4.5 hours of CCA credits pending.
Also new to this year’s program will be a special panel discussion led by Aubrey Bettencourt from the Almond Alliance of California covering almond supply chain solutions and the upcoming Farm Bill impact on specialty crop agriculture. The USDA Farm Service Agency will also be conducting a brief workshop to assist growers in signing up for a new round of disaster aid, the tree & vine replant programs and other eligible programs. See the full program below for more details.
This event along with other Malcolm Media Ag Expos has generated nearly $150,000 in scholarship endowments for the agricultural programs at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, Fresno State, Santa Rosa Junior College and UC Davis. Interested in exhibiting/sponsoring? Visit agexpo.biz/exhibit and give us a call at 559-298-6020 to see what options are still available.
