California Ag Network

Category: Nut Industry

  • New, Cross-Sector Work Group will Speed CA’s Shift to Safer Pest Management

    Yesterday, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation and California Department of Food and Agriculture launched a broad new work group to accelerate the systemwide adoption of safer, sustainable pest control practices.

    The 25-member Sustainable Pest Management Work Group includes farmers, community members, university researchers and representatives from commodity groups and the pesticide industry. They are charged with identifying pathways to minimize the use of toxic pesticides and expand the use of integrated pest management practices; better protect public and environmental health; and engage, educate and promote collaboration to achieve these goals.

     “Transitioning away from toxic pesticides requires us to speed up the development of effective alternatives,” said CalEPA Secretary Jared Blumenfeld. “By giving our farmers a suite of integrated pest management tools, we can better protect farmworkers and some of California’s most vulnerable communities. This dynamic task force will give us the roadmap to achieve this bold vision.”

    “California agriculture is recognized not only for its quality and quantity, but also for the sustainable, innovative, forward-thinking way it is grown,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “Our farmers have been leaders in adopting integrated pest management and partnering with universities and technical assistance providers to meet our high standards for food, environmental and worker safety. This work group represents a broad array of perspectives to inform the next decade of research and development investment and new partnerships to continue the production of nutritious, delicious food and high quality agricultural products with the least impact to our surrounding communities.” 

    Funded in last year’s budget, the group’s work will build upon the recommendations of the Alternatives to Chlorpyrifos Work Group whose 2020 report identified alternatives to the hazardous insecticide and outlined actions to further support agriculture and the health of local communities, farmworkers and the environment. A new status update details additional actions DPR has taken based on the 2020 report, and how DPR and CDFA are working together to provide additional funding to the University of California and California State University to expand integrated pest management research and education. California prohibited virtually all uses of chlorpyrifos as of Dec. 31, 2020.

    The Sustainable Pest Management Work Group is part of the State’s larger commitment to accelerating the transition away from hazardous pesticides. To support the move, Governor Newsom is proposing to fund additional support for the transition by replacing the current flat-fee mill assessment on pesticide sales with a new risk-based tiered mill assessment, where higher toxicity pesticides are assessed a higher fee.

    The members of the Sustainable Pest Management Work Group include:

     

    1. Jenny Broome, Driscoll’s
    2. Don Cameron, Terranova Ranch
    3. Casey Creamer, California Citrus Mutual
    4. Jim Farrar, UC Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
    5. Chris Geiger, City of San Francisco
    6. Kim Harley, UC Berkeley
    7. Lisa Herbert, Sutter County Agricultural Commissioner
    8. Nina Ichikawa, Berkeley Food Institute
    9. Dan Kaiser, Environmental Defense Fund
    10. Susan Kegley, Pesticide Research Institute
    11. Margaret Lloyd, UC Extension – small farm advisor
    12. Suguet Lopez, Líderes Campesinas
    13. Gabriele Ludwig, Almond Board of California
    14. Pam Marrone, Chestnut Bio Advisors, Formerly Marrone Bio Innovations
    15. Nayamin Martinez, Central California Environmental Justice Network
    16. John McKeon, Taylor Farms
    17. Cliff Ohmart, Pest Control Advisor (PCA)
    18. Scott Park, Park Farms
    19. Margaret Reeves, Pesticide Action Network
    20. Taylor Roschen, California Farm Bureau
    21. Sarah Ryan, Environmental Director Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians
    22. Daniel Sonke, Campbell Soup Company
    23. Paul Walgenbach, Bayer
    24. Ron Whitehurst, Pest Control Advisor (PCA)
    25. Houston Wilson, UC Organic Agriculture Institute

  • Alternative to Ag Open Burning Incentive Program

    Almond Alliance of California – The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (Air District) is accepting applications for the Alternative to Agricultural Open Burning Incentive Pilot Program. This program provides incentives to commercial agricultural operations located within Air District boundaries to chip or shred agricultural material from orchard and vineyard removals and use for soil incorporation or land application on agricultural land as an alternative to the open burning of the agricultural materials.

    The Almond Alliance and Almond Board of California continue to encourage almond growers to utilize this program, especially given the recent Air Resources Board (CARB) approved plan to phase out all open agricultural burning by 2025 in the San Joaquin Valley.

    Applicants must have not chipped, nor can begin chipping, any of the acres and/or orchard to be removed at the location referenced in their application until they have an executed voucher.

    Applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis while funds are available. The review and approval process consists of an application review and site inspection.  A voucher is executed and sent to the applicant upon determination of an eligible and complete application and inspection.  The approval process typically takes 7-10 business days.

    Land conversions intended for non-agricultural purposes are not eligible for funding.

    To be eligible, farmers have to use the material for soil incorporation or land application as an alternative to the burning of the material. Eligible crop types include orchard and vineyard removals.  Applicants who will be chipping the material with soil incorporation may receive up to $600 per acre, for a maximum of $60,000 per year.  Farmers who wish to chip without soil incorporation are eligible for up to $300 per acre with a $30,000 maximum per year.

    Almond Alliance Chairman Mike Curry of Johnson Farms indicated that it was easy to apply stating “It’s very simple paperwork. It’s pretty straightforward.” Adding that growers who have applied for Air District funding to assist with the purchase of low-dust harvesting equipment or to replace diesel pumps will find the application process similar.

    For Program Guidelines, Click Here.

    For Program Application, Click Here.


    San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District Contact Information:
    Phone: (559) 230-5800
    Email: grants@valleyair.org
    Website: www.valleyair.org

  • CA Prune Board Addresses Non-Tariff Barriers for Nuts & Dried Fruit

    As the world leader in prune exports, the California Prune Board is preemptively addressing issues that affect the trade of dried fruits and nuts with a three-year project focused on preserving the use of sulfuryl fluoride. With the support of the Foreign Agriculture Services arm of USDA, the California Prune Board (CPB) has secured funding to lead a Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops (TASC) program titled “Preserving sulfuryl fluoride for dried fruit exports to the European Union.”

    “This project hits on all the major non-tariff barriers,” says Gary Obenauf, CPB Production Research Coordinator and lead on the TASC project. “Exports of nuts and dried fruits require reliable measures that ensure consumers around the world are receiving a safe product and this project is paramount in gathering the information needed, enabling California Prunes and other commodities to retain and expand export markets.”

    While the project specifically investigates the voids in residue data associated with the use of sulfuryl fluoride for treating U.S. dried fruit and tree nuts, the research ultimately addresses the stringent criteria to limit emissions for continued and optimal sulfuryl fluoride use in all export markets for a variety of commodities. The study is being conducted by top experts in their fields from Stanford, Yale, USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), University of California, and DFA of California.

    “Global trade interest in eliminating greenhouse gas emissions is growing, and we’re getting asked about sulfuryl fluoride use in several markets,” stated Spencer Walse, a research chemist for ARS. “This project provides an opportunity to continue sulfuryl fluoride use globally and preserves the quality of products while maintaining food safety and security. If we don’t protect the use of sulfuryl fluoride, the ability to export to various countries, including the EU, diminishes.”

    With new use patterns that need to be reflected globally, efficacy data is generated for market access into new export opportunities. Many countries, including India and Australia, require residue data to accompany the efficacy data to ensure consumer safety.

    “We studied methyl bromide decades ago and found the use patterns didn’t apply, so we had to adapt for sulfuryl fluoride,” added Obenauf. “This project allows us to update regulatory use patterns which have evolved since we started this work.”

    Phytosanitary techniques are vital to the export industry. The benefits of updating regulatory information through this research and gaining data on sulfuryl fluoride scrubbing extend far past the dried fruit and nut industries and will allow continued use of the gas globally.

    California is the world’s largest producer of prunes providing approximately 40 percent of the world’s supply and over 90 percent of the U.S. supply. Today, there are more than 40,000 bearing acres of California Prune orchards concentrated in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys.

  • Leaffooted Bug Species May be Changing

    Almond Board of California — Insect pest management in almond and pistachio orchards largely focuses on reducing damage from navel orangeworm (NOW). Yet, after navel orangeworm, large bugs such as leaffooted bugs (LFBs) and stinkbugs are considered to be among the most damaging insects.

    Leaffooted bug species of particular concern in the past have included Leptoglossus clypealis, Leptoglossus occidentalis, and Leptoglossus zonatus. Leptoglossus clypealis is occasionally noted to be numerous: In 2013, L. clypealis was a particularly abundant LFB in orchards; however, since that time, L. clypealis seems to be less common than another LFB, L. zonatus.

    Recognizing and understanding the differences between these two LFB is key to effective management.
    L. clypealis is shown on the left and L. zonatus on the right. Photo courtesy of Dr. Joyce.

    L. zonatus is a larger LFB than L. clypealis and has longer mouthparts that allow it to feed on developing fruits longer into the growing season. Prior to 2013, L. zonatusdid not appear regularly in almonds in California, and it was not noted in University of California Integrated Pest Management manuals as being a pest of almonds – while this species was present in California, perhaps it was not particularly numerous. Since 2013, L. zonatus has frequently been observed in almonds during the growing season and at harvest, and now seems to occur more regularly in orchards than L. clypealis. It may be that the larger LFB L. zonatus is displacing L. clypealis.

    From 2014-2016, researchers identified LFB collections in almond and pistachio orchards from Chico to Bakersfield as consisting of two species: L. clypealis and L. zonatus. A 2017 study by Dr. Andrea Joyce, an entomologist at the University of California, Merced, investigated population genetics of these two species and found that L. clypealiscollections have high genetic diversity and many genetic types (haplotypes). This suggests that these L. clypealiscollections from the Central Valley are within this insect’s native range. However, the insect collections of the other species, L. zonatus, consisted of two genetically divergent types, or strains. One L. zonatus strain was widespread, and occurred through the Central Valley from Chico to Bakersfield, and the second genetic type occurred in the central and southern San Joaquin Valley. Work to geographically map out where the two genetic types of L. zonatus occur is ongoing.

    The presence of two strains of L. zonatus is important for insect pest management. It is highly likely that each insect strain is susceptible to different parasitoids, predators and pathogens. Two insect strains can also vary in their response to insecticides, as well as their attraction to pheromone lures.

    Currently, pheromone attractants are being developed for this LFB. It is vital to determine if the same pheromone blend will equally attract the two strains of L. zonatus. Dr. Joyce and colleagues will continue research on the two strains of L. zonatus this year, comparing their biological parameters, examining whether the two strains are cross attracted in lab bioassays, and if they cross mate in the field. The hope is that any pheromones and attractants developed for L. zonatus can be used to manage both strains of this species. A monitoring tool such as a pheromone trap for these insects would be particularly useful in a grower’s IPM toolbox.

    Growers can support researchers in determining the distribution of the two strains by collecting any LFBs they identify or notifying Dr. Joyce when large numbers of LFBs are observed. Growers may email Dr. Andrea Joyce if they sight LFBs or have questions about this pest at      ajoyce2@ucmerced.edu.

    Note: Additional Almond Board-funded research is being conducted by Dr. Jocelyn Millar to identify pheromones and related attractants for the two major LFB pests in California nut crops. These tools could potentially be utilized for monitoring or control of these species.

  • Bloom Season Specific Sprayer Calibration Saves Money & Time

    If your sprayer can deliver good spray coverage at hull split, with a little work it can deliver good bloom spray coverage faster and cheaper. How is this possible? With no leaves in the canopy, air movement is less restricted at bloom than hull split. Also, there is less surface area to cover at bloom than hull split so volume needed to cover the susceptible tissue per acre (Gallons per acre, GPA) are less at bloom than hull split.

    How could this work? Assuming your hull split spray set up is for 100 GPA (or more) and 2 miles per hour (MPH), at bloom you can increase ground speed, GPA and reduce power to the sprayer (less tractor engine or sprayer engine RPMs). All this means less time and diesel burned per acre and more acres per tank with no change in pest control. The exact settings should be worked out on the farm, but here are some general guidelines to use before bloom starts. [I am assuming that anyone trying this has a good knowledge of sprayer calibration. For the sake of space in the newsletter, I will not go into all the calibration details. Check the Almond Production Manual for details or call me at 530.218.2359. We do need an airblast sprayer extension publication.]

    -Increase speed and reduce RPMs. Reduce engine RPMs by 15-20% from full speed and shift up a gear or two so that tractor and sprayer speed is somewhere around 3-3.5 MPH. For a PTO sprayer delivering 540 PTO RPMs with engine RPM at 2200, the target is somewhere around 1800 RPM for the tractor engine. This is quickly checked with a GPS unit or a quick pass down a row in the orchard counting trees (2 MPH=176 ft/min, etc.).

    -Check that there will be enough upward air movement at this new speed. Readjust as necessary. Put a length of PVC pipe with a 1.5-2’ long length of flagging tape tied on the end up through the tree so that the top of the pole is roughly 3-4 feet above the top of the tree. Run the sprayer down the row with the fan on, water in the tank but nozzles turned off. Check how much the flagging tape moves as the sprayer goes by the tree? (I use the video function on my phone to capture the flag movement as the sprayer goes by.) If the tape flutters out to 45-90o off the vertical, that is enough sprayer fan air movement to give good coverage. If the flagging kicks straight up, you can speed up more and try it again until the desired 45-90 o movement is reached.

    *If you spray every-other-row (EOR) at bloom, check air movement through the tree (next section) very carefully to make sure spray gets all the way through the tree or don’t use the approach described in this article. Every-other-row spraying delivers acceptable disease control at pink bud, but ineffective on the far side of the tree from the sprayer after 40% bloom. Every row spraying gives the best possible coverage. If you do spray EOR, do it carefully.

    -Figure out the flow rate you’ll use based on your new speed and the product’s recommended GPA. Use your new tractor speed and row spacing to figure out the acres per minute you’ll cover at that speed. Using the measured acres per minute and the gallons per acre you want to spray, calculate the gallons per minute (GPM) needed from the sprayer.If you are using an air shear/electrostatic sprayer (Lectroblast, Windmill, etc.) make sure the system pressure is set to that required by the manufacturer, set the flow rate on each side of the sprayer and you are ready

    -Adjust your nozzles to favor upward movement at this new speed. The general rule is that roughly 70% of the sprayer output (GPM) should come out of the top half of the open nozzles. Because of faster ground speed, larger nozzles will be needed and/or swirl plates changed (45’s used instead of 25’s). Large nozzles (D8-12) are a better choice in my opinion as the obvious nozzle exit hole difference between a D6 and a D8 make it easier to use the right nozzle for the right job if you are using rollover nozzle bodies (Rears or Nelson) or 2-3 nozzles/vane (AirOFan). In the table at the bottom of the page is an example of how a set up might go for a sprayer with two nozzle options per location on the spray boom.

    In the orchard, place the disc/cores on the nozzle bodies that point at the tree. You may need to skip a nozzle body or two along the spray boom to make sure the spray targets the tree. For example, the first (very top) nozzle body on many sprayers basically points straight up and the second body is inches away and slightly angled into the canopy. I usually skip the top one. Lower on the sprayer you may skip a nozzle site, turning off the nozzle body. The goal with fungicide spraying is to aim high; rainwater will recycle the fungicide down through the canopy if it’s placed up high.

    -Make sure your actual flow rate matches your desired flow rate. Ground truth the sprayer output by filling it to overflowing with clean water, running it for a set amount of time (a minute or two minutes) and then refilling it with a hose attached to a flowmeter or buckets marked with gallons/quarts/pints. Calculate gallons per minute sprayed to use in the following equation to check your actual sprayer output and determine how much material to put in the spray tank:

    𝐺𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑐𝑟𝑒 =𝑔𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒/𝑎𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑠 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒

    -Double-check your coverage in the canopy. A final step in the calibration process is to check coverage with water sensitive paper either placed on poles or attached to the canopy.

    If you are interested in this bloom sprayer set up concept and want some help with the setup, please give me a call 530.218.2359. — By Franz Niederholzer, UCCE Advisor, Colusa and Sutter/Yuba Counties

    Example of nozzle selection and position on a standard airblast sprayer (Rears, AirOFan, Nelson, etc)

  • Satellite Imagery Reveals Startling Difference in Pistachio Bearing Acreage

    Knowing how much acreage of a crop has been planted is a very important factor in preparing to bring it to market, and the pistachio industry has recently invested in satellite imagery to get a better picture of how many acres of pistachios and bearing-pistachios are actually out there.  The analysis has recently come in and revealed some interesting adjustments in the stats that growers should know about.  Watch this brief interview with Richard Matoian, President of American Pistachio Growers, as he shares some of the results, and read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Trece for their industry support.

  • Have Pistachios Chilled Enough for the 2021 Season?

    As California pistachio growers head into another season with insufficient rainfall, they are hoping at least that winter will have provided sufficient cold weather to meet the chill requirements their trees need in order to put on a solid crop.  Watch this brief interview with Richard Matoian, President of American Pistachio Growers, as he shares where the industry is at to date, and what they can expect at this point for the 2021 crop.  Read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Trece for their industry support.

  • California Farmland Trust Announces Matching Support to Protect Fiorini Ranch

    Thanks to support from the Henry Mayo Newhall Foundation, California Farmland Trust (CFT) is embarking on a conservation fundraising campaign to protect Fiorini Ranch.

    Located in Merced County, the 60-acre almond operation is owned and operated by a multi-generational farming family, the Fiorini’s. Currently operated by a third-generation family member, Randy Fiorini, the fourth and fifth generation family members are now engaged, and becoming more involved, continuing the family’s legacy. The Fiorini family reached out to the California Farmland Trust to ensure the land and their legacy will remain in agriculture, forever.

    The California Farmland Trust has partnered with farmers for over 16 years to protect farmland from being subdivided and developed into homes and shopping centers, while contributing to agriculture’s unique role in climate benefits. “Working with the Fiorini family to ensure this land will provide food, open space and climate benefits is essential,” said Charlotte Mitchell, CFT Executive Director. The Fiorini family has adopted and embraced sustainable farming practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve the biodiversity of beneficial insects, and further reduce soil erosion.

    In the coming months, CFT will be pursuing a grant that will provide some of the funding needed to purchase the development right and protect the land with an agricultural conservation easement. CFT is required to source matching funds when pursuing grant funding, which is where the Henry Mayo Newhall Foundation (Foundation) support is focused. In late 2020, the Foundation provided CFT with nearly half of the matching funds needed to meet this requirement. Funds from the Foundation will be leveraged by CFT to raise the remaining $85,000.

    “The support from the Henry Mayo Newhall Foundation really made this project achievable,” shared Mitchell. “It’s difficult to obtain the match requirement needed for a grant and the Henry Mayo Newhall Foundation provided funding that will essentially double every other donation we receive for the project, helping us achieve the match requirement.”

    The first step will be launching a campaign that leverages the Foundation’s $80,000 donation to raise the remaining $85,000 needed to obtain the match required. CFT will simultaneously pursue a grant for the remaining seventy-five percent needed to fund the easement. Once secured, the easement will ensure the farmland will never be subdivided and will no longer be subject to development pressures from nearby communities for housing or commercial development.

    “Our family has farmed this land sustainably, and productively for over 100 years. It is threatened by the potential of urban development and our family wishes to preserve the ability to continue to contribute to our nations healthy food needs,” shared Randy Fiorini.

    If you would like to learn more or become involved in this project, please visit: www.cafarmtrust.org/protect-fiorini-ranch.

  • Whole Orchard Recycling and Its Impact on Future Plantings

    Whole orchard recycling is really catching more interest among farmers recently, particularly in the almond industry; and leading the charge in the research/outreach of this practice is UC Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor Brent Holtz.  Watch this brief interview with Brent as he discusses benefits and considerations for implementing this practice in the orchard; and read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Trece for their industry support.

  • How US Pistachio Shipments are Keeping Up After Record Crop

    After bringing in a record billion pound pistachio crop amidst a global pandemic and a continued international trade dispute, growers may be concerned about the global market for pistachios and whether shipments are keeping up with the increased supply.  Watch this brief interview with Richard Matoian, President of American Pistachio Growers, as he shares some optimism in that regard, and read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Trece for their industry support.