California Ag Network

Category: News

  • Never Apologize For Being a Farmer – By Representative Adam Gray

    Sacramento, Calif., (April 4, 2018) – As someone who was born and raised in the Valley, the economic and social values of agriculture are part of who I am. Accountability for our actions is part of our way of life. If you don’t work hard, you don’t get paid. It’s as simple as that.

    Unfortunately, folks in Sacramento don’t always remember the rules of the game. They demonize successful farmers as “Big Ag.” They claim we waste water, forgetting that irrigation is what puts food on their tables. That’s not waste – it’s hard work.

    They want us to make sacrifices they would never ask of other industries, and they want us to make them without any of the help they provide to other industries. When Hollywood started filming more of its movies outside of California, the Legislature provided hundreds of millions of dollars worth of incentives to bring them back.

    I once asked if we could do something similar for the dairy industry, which is being forced to either consolidate or leave the state. My proposal went nowhere.

    Farmers in the Valley know the truth, but even we are guilty of sometimes buying into Sacramento’s untrue narrative. When now-Senator Kamala Harris was running for office, she came to Modesto to meet and discuss agricultural issues at a round-table forum. As local farmers introduced themselves, each one qualified their success by referring to their operations as “small, family farms” even though many were large operations.

    When it was my turn, I felt compelled to share an observation with the Senator: Valley farmers feel the need to apologize for their success. Surely, major companies in the Bay Area are not referring to themselves as “small, family tech firms.”

    These farmers are major employers in a region lacking enough jobs. They are the primary economic engine in a region desperate for investment. They give back to the communities that have given so much to them, and they provide food security for the entire nation.

    We live in truly interesting times when an industry so valuable to the people and history of California is openly attacked. We should not apologize for our success. We should not undersell the value of our industry— and we should not be afraid to stand up for our way of life.

    When we keep our heads held high, farmers, ranchers, dairymen, and agriculture demonstrate our strength. When the governor proposed cutting the Ag Incentive Grant, which funds FFA, the capitol was flooded with over 1,000 FFA members in their blue corduroy jackets. We won that fight. When environmentalists tried to pass a multi-billion dollar water bond without a single cent for new water storage, we stuck together and secured $2.7 billion to build new dams. And last year, representatives from the Valley stood together and passed legislation guaranteeing no future state budgets would leave out a dedicated source of funding for California’s network of 78 fairs.

    We are strong when we stand together, but our strength will be tested. There is an active agenda by some in Sacramento and elsewhere to destroy California agriculture as we know it. We are seeing it now in the California Water Commission’s decision to delay awarding funds to build new water storage. We are seeing it in the state’s continued exclusion of hydro power from being considered clean energy, requiring us to dump the electricity we have in order to buy energy from others. We are seeing it in the State Water Board’s irresponsible and dangerous decision to take our water and flush it out to sea – never mind the harm to our economy and drinking water supplies their plan will cause.

    We must keep up the fight against this agenda. If we are willing to do the hard work to win in Sacramento, we will be rewarded, just like when we work hard back home on the farm.

    Adam Gray represents California’s 21st Assembly District, which includes all of Merced County and a portion of Stanislaus County.

  • California State Board Of Food And Agriculture To Hear Updates On Current Water Conditions

    Sacramento, Calif., (April 4, 2018) – The California State Board of Food and Agriculture will hear updates by federal and state officials on current water conditions and the outlook for this summer at its upcoming meeting on Tuesday, April 3, 2018 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The meeting will be held at the California Department of Food and Agriculture, 1220 N Street – Main Auditorium, Sacramento, CA 95814. In addition to an update on California’s water situation, the board will hear perspective from South Africa on the impending ‘Day Zero’ in Cape Town – where drinking water supplies could run out in the coming months.

    “Over the last two years I’ve had the opportunity to visit several countries impacted by drought as well as limited groundwater supplies,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “What sets California apart, is our forward thinking approach to long term challenges and a commitment by farmers and ranchers to be part of the solution. Water availability is critical to all sectors of our economy, including cities, agriculture and the environment.”

    Invited speakers include: Region Director David Murillo, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Mid-Pacific Region, Director Karla Nemeth, California Department of Water Resources; Erik Ekdahl, State Water Resources Control Board; Ronald Samuelian, Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group; Jason Pucheu, Maricopa Orchards; and Christina Babbitt, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).

    The board will also hear presentations by Jeremy Gorelick (USAID Program/South Africa) and Anton Rabe (HORTGRO) via skype discussing ‘Day Zero’.

    In addition, the board will hear an update on sustainable groundwater management.  Representative from Maricopa Orchards and Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group will provide perspective on groundwater challenges from a critical over drafted groundwater basin.

    “While recent weather conditions have been beneficial, we are still below average on statewide snowpack,” said President Don Cameron, California State Board of Food and Agriculture. “Hearing from federal and state water officials on our water outlook is critical to growers not just in the Central Valley, but throughout the state as we plan for the next water year.”

    The California State Board of Food and Agriculture advises the governor and the CDFA secretary on agricultural issues and consumer needs. The state board conducts forums that bring together local, state and federal government officials, agricultural representatives and citizens to discuss current issues of concern to California agriculture.

    All meetings are open to the public and attendance is welcome.

    Follow the board on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/Cafood_agboard

  • California Ag Mediation Program Here To Help Farmers

    Sacramento, Calif., (April 4, 2018) – Congress Helps Farmers in 1987. In 1987, Congress passed the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987 as a lifeline for producers who have seen their interest rates turn double digit, lost export markets, watched their land values crash and who in some cases took their own lives because they saw no other exit strategy. The Act authorized each state to certify a mediation program to help farmers and ranchers resolve problems with farm loans, credit issues, adverse decisions from the USDA, and several other challenges.

    Still Strong 30 Years Later. Today, 41 states have established agricultural mediation programs and they continue to be a resource for producers. Yet even 30 years later, farmers are still struggling, especially in the dairy sector over the last few years, as well as other sectors, due to continuing water shortages and devastating freezes. Once again, we are seeing articles about how lives are impacted due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control as producers search for ways to preserve their legacy and their lands in an uncertain world.

    A Free Resource for Producers. Despite the fierce independence of the farming community, data shows that when farmers know about resources, they use them. The California Agricultural Mediation Program (CALAMP) is an important resource for farmers to know about. CALAMP is confidential, voluntary and FREE for any farm loan or credit issue or adverse decision from the USDA. We also can address certain federal farm and conservation programs; wetlands determinations; grazing permits on national forest system lands; and rural housing loans. If we are not authorized to mediate a case for free under the Act, we will work on ways to make the cost reasonable. Maintaining positive business relationships with lenders, creditors, and USDA personnel is key. We can facilitate conversations that have become difficult and help you gather the information necessary to make an informed decision about the best path forward.

    Requesting mediation is easy. Visit www.calamp.organd click on “request mediation” or call 916-330-4500 and dial ext. 101 for Matt Strassberg, 103 for the Southern California Program Coordinator Mary Madison Campbell, or 104 for the Northern California Program Coordinator Julia Rose Golomb. You can also email CA Agricultural Mediation Program staff at matts@emcenter.org; maryc@emcenter.org; or juliag@emcenter.org.

     

  • What’s That in Your Cornmeal?

    Davis, Calif., (April 3, 2018) – You’re thinking about making Grandma’s Southern Cornbread.

    You head for your pantry. You remember that six months ago you purchased a bag of cornmeal from a local supermarket and that you immediately emptied the contents into a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid.

    You open the airtight jar and notice something strange. It’s moving. Moving? Moving? Yes! It’s crawling with a transparent carpet of dozens of nearly microscopic critters.

    What? First, what are they? If you’re like me, you grab your camera–in this case, a Canon EOS 7D with an MPE-65mm lens that can magnify an insect five times its life size–and click the shutter.

    You post the photo on BugGuide.Net and request an identification.

    The entomologists all agree: They’re booklice, Liposcelis bostrychophila.

    • Class Insecta (Insects)
    • Order Psocodea (Barklice, Booklice, and Parasitic Lice)
    • Suborder Troctomorpha
    • Family Liposcelididae (Booklice)
    • Genus Liposcelis
    • Species bostrychophila(Booklouse)

    These Liposcelis bostrychophila, or “psocids” (pronounced “so kids”), are common pests in stored grains. They’re usually unseen because they’re about a millimeter long–about the size of a speck of dust–and are transparent to light brown in color. They’re also wingless, but can they ever crawl!

    Fact is, their name, “lice,” is misleading. These tiny insects are not lice; they are not parasitic. And they’re everywhere. They feed on flour, cereals, grits, molds, fungi, papers, books, pollen, dead insects and the like. In fact, you’ve probably unknowingly eaten them–or parts of them–in your pancakes, your oatmeal or maybe even your chocolate birthday cake.

    Entomologist Jeff Smith, who curates the butterfly-moth collection at the Bohart Museum of Entomology at UC Davis, took one look at the photo and commented:  “They’re pretty thick in there!”

    “Booklice can be scavengers and often feed on the bits of mold or fungi that grow on damp materials,” Smith explained. “Very old, neglected food stuffs are also subject to them, and the key to prevention is to use food materials reasonably quickly and not store them for years, store them in a nice dry location and in airtight containers.”

    “They very well could have been in the food already when you bought it, but they’re so common that you probably have some roaming around in the house all the time, just looking for something good to eat. They’ll feed on dead bugs in window sills, stale pet foods, etc.”

    If you’re worried about what’s in your cornmeal, flour, oats, biscuit mix, cake mix and other stored foods, you can pop the contents in your oven at about 120° for a half hour, and then transfer them to an airtight container, Smith says.  “Your food should be okay–albeit perhaps containing a few dead booklice. We had them in an old bag (paper) of rice one time, and in several packages of cornmeal mix that were forgotten in the back of our cupboard.”

    A UC Davis colleague said he’s seen them crawling in his flour, but his wife made pancakes from them anyway. No issues. No problem. “Just protein!” he chortled.

    And from another colleague: “I once had an entire case of instant grits. The grits were completely factory-sealed in unopened plastic bags. I opened the bags and the grits were poured into hot water, but they would not sink and mix with the water.  Instead the grit floated on the top of the water. I opened a second bag and looked at the grits under my stereo microscope. Each and every grain of grit had two or three little six-legged creatures standing on each grit. These creatures were 100 percent transparent, the only color was in their bodies which was the same color as the grits they were eating. I opened every 100 percent factory-sealed bag, and every bag was contaminated in this matter.”

    “There is nothing new about insect contamination of grain products,” she added. “Another personal experience was a biscuit mix. For no particular reason, I sifted the biscuit mix while making the batch of biscuits. After sifting several cups of biscuit mix, in the sifter screen there were 4 worm-like creatures about the diameter of a standard pencil and about an inch long. These worms were 100 percent transparent, each filled with the white biscuit mix. “Consider we all eat insects, spiders, and urine and feces of all sorts of animals.”

    We live in world where we all eat bugs, whether we know it or not. Sometimes we may not want to know!

    Statistics indicate that the average American unknowingly eats one to two pounds of insects a year.  But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration “has very specific tolerances for the amount of residue in food stuffs,” said Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology and professor of entomology at UC Davis.

    Want to know what the action level is? Check out this FDA document.

    And the next time, you’re yearning to make Grandma’s Southern Cornbread, you might want to check for bugs first. Or maybe not. You might not want to know!

  • Bayer Collaborates With UC Davis Venture Catalyst to Support Regional Innovation and Entrepreneurship

    Davis, Calif., (April 3, 2018) – The University of California, Davis, announced today a strategic collaboration agreement with Bayer Crop Science to foster innovation and economic development in the Sacramento region by providing dedicated facility support for university-affiliated startups — particularly those in the areas of agriculture and food-related technologies.

    Located within Bayer’s West Sacramento Innovation Hub for Crop Science, the 3,000 square-foot CoLaborator is designed to house and foster innovative new ventures to transform modern agriculture. It consists of a flexible floor plan that has the capacity for eight to 10 researchers and provides basic equipment for ag-tech startups to quickly begin putting their ideas to the test.

    “Working with Bayer provides our campus entrepreneurs with another tremendous resource and further strengthens the growing regional innovation ecosystem,” said Dushyant Pathak, associate vice chancellor of Research and executive director of Venture Catalyst at UC Davis. “The value of this effort extends much further than addressing the need for appropriate facilities, it creates an opportunity for entrepreneurs to engage with other experts in and outside their field and build relationships critical for their success.”

    As part of the agreement, Bayer joins the university’s Distributed Research Incubation and Venture Engine (DRIVETM) network of startup incubators. The DRIVE netw03ork is part of a platform of resources offered by UC Davis Venture Catalyst to support the successful translation of research and new technologies emerging from the university into new commercial ventures. Venture Catalyst is part of the Technology Management and Corporate Relations division of the UC Davis Office of Research.

    “We are thrilled to be working with the University of California, Davis, to help grow new ventures with the possibility to transform modern agriculture,” said Jon Margolis, head of Research and Technologies Biologics at Bayer. “While we at Bayer are proud of the advances in our own laboratories, we recognize that the challenges today’s growers face will require an open innovation strategy that taps into the larger scientific community.”

    The University of California, Davis, announced today a strategic collaboration agreement with Bayer Crop Science to foster innovation and economic development in the Sacramento region by providing dedicated facility support for university-affiliated startups — particularly those in the areas of agriculture and food-related technologies.

    Located within Bayer’s West Sacramento Innovation Hub for Crop Science, the 3,000 square-foot CoLaborator is designed to house and foster innovative new ventures to transform modern agriculture. It consists of a flexible floor plan that has the capacity for eight to 10 researchers and provides basic equipment for ag-tech startups to quickly begin putting their ideas to the test.

    “Working with Bayer provides our campus entrepreneurs with another tremendous resource and further strengthens the growing regional innovation ecosystem,” said Dushyant Pathak, associate vice chancellor of Research and executive director of Venture Catalyst at UC Davis. “The value of this effort extends much further than addressing the need for appropriate facilities, it creates an opportunity for entrepreneurs to engage with other experts in and outside their field and build relationships critical for their success.”

    As part of the agreement, Bayer joins the university’s Distributed Research Incubation and Venture Engine (DRIVETM) network of startup incubators. The DRIVE network is part of a platform of resources offered by UC Davis Venture Catalyst to support the successful translation of research and new technologies emerging from the university into new commercial ventures. Venture Catalyst is part of the Technology Management and Corporate Relations division of the UC Davis Office of Research.

    “We are thrilled to be working with the University of California, Davis, to help grow new ventures with the possibility to transform modern agriculture,” said Jon Margolis, head of Research and Technologies Biologics at Bayer. “While we at Bayer are proud of the advances in our own laboratories, we recognize that the challenges today’s growers face will require an open innovation strategy that taps into the larger scientific community.”

  • Research Reveals a New Direction for Halting the Citrus Greening Epidemic

    Ithaca, New York, (April 2, 2018) – New clues to how the bacteria associated with citrus greening infect the only insect that carries them could lead to a way to block the microbes’ spread from tree to tree, according to a study in Infection and Immunity by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) scientists.

    Citrus greening, also known as “huanglongbing,” is a serious disease dramatically affecting citrus production across the world. Trees with this disease all die after only a few years. Citrus greening has been detected in every citrus-producing county in Florida, throughout the southern citrus growing states and in isolated spots in southern California. There is no effective prevention or cure.

    The disease is associated with the bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, CLas for short, which is spread from tree to tree only by a tiny insect vector—the Asian citrus psyllid. If CLas cannot infect the psyllid, its ability to spread citrus greening is halted.

    With the long-term goal of disrupting this CLas-Asian citrus psyllid interaction, research molecular biologist and BTI professor Michelle Heck, with the ARS Emerging Pests and Pathogens Research Laboratory, and BTI researcher Marina Mann focused on an important point: not all psyllids spread CLas equally well.

    To be spread by the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) effectively, the bacteria must pass through the cells lining the insect’s gut and multiply. Scientists in Heck’s lab had previously shown that the gut cells of adult ACP show severe stress responses when infected by CLas. The cell nuclei become fragmented, and some cells react to the point of dying, allowing the bacteria to move out of the psyllid and into the tree.

    Now, the researchers have found that, unlike adult psyllids, young psyllid nymphs appear to be resistant to the effects of exposure to CLas, and their nuclei rarely reach the same level of disruption. This means CLas cannot enter psyllid gut cells to multiply.

    The next step will be to identify the mechanism for this resistance in the nymphs so that it might be manipulated to also halt the spread of CLas by the adults. An important clue lies in how psyllid nymphs interact with symbiotic bacteria in their gut, especially Wolbachia pipientis.

    Many insects are hosts for Wolbachia and often depend on these bacteria for important benefits—much like how human health depends on gut bacteria. In their study, Mann and Heck showed that in psyllid nymphs, Wolbachia and CLas are commonly found within the same cells.

    The authors hypothesize that, in accommodating the beneficial bacteria, the nymphs also let in more CLas. This is supported by their finding that CLas levels in psyllid nymphs are strongly correlated with Wolbachia levels. Though this link remains to be tested directly, understanding its mechanism could yield an important target for disrupting CLas-psyllid interaction.

    “CLas exploits the way nymph and adult psyllids differ in their guts to gain entry into its insect vector,” Heck said. “We may be able to use this new foothold in our understanding to develop ways to block transmission by insects in the citrus grove.”

    If this works, “citrus growers will be in a much better situation in terms of disease control and saving the U.S. citrus industry,” said Dan Dreyer, Chairman of the California Citrus Research Board, which funds this and other research aimed at developing a management strategy for citrus greening.

    “There are still many unanswered questions about CLas, how it is acquired and transmitted via the Asian citrus psyllid, and how it causes the disease,” continued Dreyer. “The more we learn about CLas and its vector, the closer we will get to moving citrus production past the threat of citrus greening.”

    The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.

  • UC Agricultural Issues Center Releases Cost Estimates For Growing Processing Tomatoes

    Davis, Calif., (April 2, 2018) – A new study on the costs and returns of producing processing tomatoes in Fresno County and the central San Joaquin Valley has been released by the UC ANR Agricultural Issues Center. Growers contemplating crops to grow may use the estimates to help decide whether to plant processing tomatoes.

    The cost study for processing tomatoes can be downloaded for free at http://coststudies.ucdavis.edu.

    The report estimates costs and returns and provides an overview of common production practices related to irrigation, fertility and pest management of processing tomatoes. In this report, some specifics are assigned and calculations are based on a hypothetical well-managed farming operation, which is described in detail.

    Net profits are calculated relative to a range of yields and prices. Monthly cash costs, hourly equipment costs, operational annual equipment, investment and business overhead costs are included. The authors received input and reviews from UC Cooperative Extension vegetable crops advisors and other agricultural associates.

    Processing tomato harvest. A new report estimates costs and returns for of processing tomatoes in Fresno County and provides an overview of common production practices related to irrigation, fertility and pest management.

    The new study, “Sample Costs to Produce Processing Tomatoes in the San Joaquin Valley South, Fresno County – 2018,” can be downloaded for free from the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics website at http://coststudies.ucdavis.edu. Sample cost of production studies for many other commodities are also available.

    For additional information or an explanation of the calculations used in the study, contact Jeremy Murdock at the Agricultural Issues Center at (530) 752-4651 or jmmurdock@ucdavis.edu, or Tom Turini, UCCE farm advisor for Fresno County, at taturini@ucanr.edu.

  • Fresno State Appoints Esqueda To Lead Water And Sustainability

    Fresno, Calif., (April 2, 2018) – In its quest to solidify its reputation as a national leader in applied research on water, Fresno State has appointed Thomas C. Esqueda as its first associate vice president in Water and Sustainability. Esqueda is a native of the Central Valley.

    “Thomas Esqueda brings a wealth of water experience in private industries, local and state government and higher education,” said Fresno State Provost Lynnette Zelezny. “A high-energy leader, he is eager to champion our quest to be ‘the Water University.’”

    Partnering with industry and government agencies, Fresno State incorporates new technologies—satellite, infrared and computer—into its applied water research. Faculty, students and staff study water quality, conservation, delivery systems, supply development, recycling and drought-tolerant crops. The campus houses the Center for Irrigation Technology (CIT), the International Center for Water Technology (ICWT) and the Water and Energy Technology (WET) Center. The University also is a partner in Blue Tech Valley – an ambitious initiative to create a Silicon Valley-like hub of water research and development.

    “Fresno State is at the heart of the most important agricultural region in the nation, and is committed to positively addressing water and agricultural issues,” said President Joseph I. Castro. “The challenges that we’re facing in those areas are increasingly formidable, and it is more important than ever that we align our academic resources with the needs of California’s Central Valley.”

    Under the general supervision of the provost, Esqueda will lead the University’s efforts in developing, institutionalizing and strengthening water and sustainability programs across the campus and in the community. In addition, he will assist in coordinating established academic, research and outreach activities that address critical agricultural, urban and environmental water and sustainability issues in the Central Valley.

    The AVP will also provide leadership for building and enhancing strategic partnerships with stakeholders including federal, state and local agencies; various groups within the water industry; and business leaders, community groups and regional organizations dedicated to promoting environmental sustainability.

    Esqueda currently serves as the director of Public Utilities for the City of Fresno, where he leads a team of 580 employees to provide water, wastewater, solid-waste and utility-billing services for 525,000 residents inside and outside the city’s municipal-corporate limits.

    “Throughout my 29-year career, I have worked with communities around the country to solve water challenges, and this opportunity to combine my experience with the commitment and passion of the Fresno State community is an ideal match,” said Esqueda.

    During his 29-year professional career, Esqueda managed water-related programs and projects for four of the largest consulting firms in the United States including Black & Veatch, CH2MHILL, Camp, Dresser & McKee, and Brown and Caldwell. His public-sector experience also includes four years as the director of Environmental Services for Wake County Government in Raleigh, North Carolina, and two terms as a commissioner for the State of North Carolina Sediment Control Commission.

    Esqueda was born in Sanger, CA; raised in South San Francisco; and graduated from San José State University with a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering and a minor in humanities.

     

  • New Early ‘Gumdrop’ Pistachio Variety is Finally Here

    Special Thanks to This Video’s Sponsor

    What if you could have a pistachio variety that you could harvest earlier to reduce the chances of having Navel Orangeworm damage and concern for Aflatoxin levels?  Well, the new early ‘Gumdrop’ pistachio is here.  At the Annual American Pistachio Growers Conference, Bob Klein from the Pistachio Research Board talked about this new variety that is now available to growers on a small scale.  Read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

    Enjoy our Ag video news?  Be sure to let our sponsor Duarte Nursery know & thank them for their industry support!

  • Start off your Orchard Right with Minimal Weed Issues

    Special Thanks to This Video’s Sponsor

    With all the new tree nut orchards being planted in California, it’s important to remember that weed management is a priority, and it starts even before the planting process. Watch this brief interview with UCCE Farm Advisor Kurt Hembree as he explains, and read more in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

    Enjoy our Ag video news?  Be sure to let our sponsor Duarte Nursery know & thank them for their industry support!