California Ag Network

Category: News

  • CDFA Announces Vacancies On The Avocado Inspection Advisory Committee

    Sacramento, Calif., (March 8, 2018) – The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is announcing two vacancies on the Avocado Inspection Advisory Committee (AIC). This committee makes recommendations to the CDFA secretary on all matters pertaining to the California Avocado Inspection Program.

    This program ensures that avocados purchased by consumers have met standards established by the industry to provide a quality product in the marketplace. The California Avocado Inspection Program protects consumers and growers by providing uniform inspections of avocados, ensuring that the product meets size requirements and contains minimal defects.

    The AIC vacancies are for active handlers of avocados. The term of office is up to two years. Members receive no compensation, but are entitled to payment of necessary traveling expenses in accordance with the rules of the California Department of Human Resources.

    Individuals interested in being considered for an appointment should complete a Prospective Member Appointment Questionnaire, available at https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/is/i_&_c/pdfs/CAIC-PMAQ.pdf, and attain a letter of recommendation from industry. Nominations will be accepted until the positions are filled. Applications should be sent to Thomas Osborn, CDFA Inspection and Compliance Branch, 1220 ‘N’ Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 or via e-mail to thomas.osborn@cdfa.ca.gov.

    For further information on the AIC and vacancies, please contact Sam Santander at (760) 743-4712 orSamuel.santander@cdfa.ca.gov.

  • Native Wildflowers Bank on Seeds Underground to Endure Drought

    Davis, Calif., (March 8, 2018) – Native wildflowers were surprisingly resilient during California’s most recent drought, even more so than exotic grasses. But signs of their resilience were not evident with showy blooms aboveground. Rather, they were found mostly underground, hidden in the seed bank, according to a study from the University of California, Davis.

    For the study, published March 1 in the journal Ecology, researchers analyzed more than 22,000 seedlings from soil cores collected at UC’s McLaughlin Natural Reserve in Northern California during the fall of 2012 and 2014. They found that seeds from native wildflowers increased 201 percent underground, while aboveground growth increased 14 percent.

    Meanwhile, seeds from exotic grasses decreased 52 percent belowground, while aboveground growth decreased 39 percent.

    “Even wildflowers that are considered intolerant to drought appeared resilient to a single extreme drought event,” said lead author Marina LaForgia, a graduate student in the lab of professors Susan Harrison and Andrew Latimer in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences. “However, more frequent, severe or prolonged future droughts could eventually exceed these native species’ capacity to put more and more seeds into the seed bank for their long-term survival.”

    Seed banking for survival – Seed banks are a clever survival tool native wildflowers use to weather highly variable climates like California, where one year can be extremely dry and the next extremely wet. To take advantage of both of those climates, they keep a portion of their seeds dormant in the soil rather than spending them all at once. This helps ensure their long-term survival.

    Lead author Marina LaForgia, a graduate student at UC Davis, takes a break at her field site at McLaughlin Natural Reserve. Photo: Sasha Vafaei/UC Davis

    During the drought, the wildflowers operated like someone who has kept their job during an economic crisis but is wary of losing it. The person continues to produce and make money, but they save a greater proportion of it in the bank rather than spend it as they may have before the crisis. Similarly, native wildflowers were still germinating and producing seeds, but they saved a greater proportion of that seed underground, waiting for more favorable conditions to emerge.

    “Seed banking is a form of bet-hedging,” LaForgia said. “Wildflowers take on low risk but also low reward, whereas grasses are high-risk, high-reward plants. They’re not savers. They increase dramatically during wet years and decrease in dry years. Wildflowers are less dramatic. They are there, but they’re switching where they place the highest proportions of their population.”

    Tolerance levels – While nearly all wildflowers added to their seed banks during the study period, the increases were especially striking among drought-tolerant wildflowers:

    • Aboveground, drought-tolerant wildflowers increased by about 13 percent, while drought-intolerant wildflowers decreased slightly.
    • Belowground, drought-tolerant wildflowers increased seed banks by 263 percent, while wildflowers considered intolerant to drought increased their seed bank by 119 percent.

    The spike in native wildflowers and drop in grasses was fairly consistent across species and not due to any particular “breadwinner.” Eleven of 15 grasses declined, while 65 of 81 wildflower species increased the amount of seeds they stored.

    California wildflowers, such as these miniature lupine and denseflower Indian paintbrush flowers, were more resilient to the recent drought than they may have appeared. Photo: Marina LaForgia/UC Davis

    Look out below – The study indicates that native annual wildflowers should be an integral part of future restoration strategies, even though their emergence might not be immediate.

    “When looking at how plant communities respond to disturbance, we mostly just think about what goes on aboveground,” LaForgia said. “But if you really want to think about how a plant community is responding, it’s important to keep the entire life cycle of that population or individual in mind. You get a very different answer by just looking at the aboveground community.”

    UC Davis professors Harrison and Latimer are the study’s senior authors. Additional co-authors include Marko Spasojevic of UC Riverside and Erica Case of UC Davis.

    Research for the study was supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship grant, a UC Davis Jastro Shields Research Grant, and the Hatch Project.

     

  • Young California Farmers, Ranchers Earn Recognition

    Sacramento, Calif., (March 7, 2018) – Service to community and Farm Bureau earned awards for participants in the California Young Farmers and Ranchers program, and a student from Fresno State University won the national Collegiate Discussion Meet, during the annual American Farm Bureau Federation YF&R conference in Reno.

    California Young Farmers and Ranchers earned three national awards related to food donations through the Harvest for All program—a partnership with Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization.

    California earned first place in the number of volunteer hours donated, at more than 10,000 hours; placed second in the number of pounds of food donated, at 15 million pounds; and was among three national winners of the Most Innovative Award. That honor was awarded to California for a food donation partnership between the Kern County YF&R Committee and the Kern County Fair, which led to the collection of 100,000 pounds of meat and 54,120 pounds of other food. Each award included a monetary prize from sponsor Nationwide®.

    Tim Truax of Turlock, who majors in agricultural education at Fresno State, emerged as the winner of the national Collegiate Discussion Meet, which simulates a committee meeting with active participation and discussion. As national winner, Truax earned a $2,200 prize sponsored by the CSH Foundation.

    The California YF&R Committee also distributed statewide awards during the Reno conference.

    San Joaquin Farm Bureau member Katie Veenstra of Escalon received the Star YF&R Award, which recognizes an outstanding young farmer or rancher in California who goes above and beyond in service to agriculture.

    The Kern County YF&R Committee earned the YF&R Committee of the Year Award for its activities during 2017. Composed of 50 members, the committee volunteered at many Farm Bureau and agricultural events. It raised money for people in need, such as for local food banks and the homeless, spent volunteer hours gleaning and developed the partnership with the Kern County Fair for food donations.

    The Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers program works with active agriculturists between the ages of 18 and 35 who are involved in production, business and many other areas of agriculture. For more information, see www.cfbf.com/young-farmers-ranchers.

  • Fresno County 4-H Corner

    Fresno, Calif., (March 7, 2018) – Have you ever wondered who owns the animals at the Big Fresno Fair or who exhibits items in the different buildings? Chances are, those exhibitors are 4-H members.

    4-H is a hands-on youth development organization whose motto is “to make the best better.” Our club, Blossom Trail, is an excellent example of this motto, having great participation and success at the fair this past year. Three of our members – Rachel Rusconi, Hannah Rusconi, and Faith Gatley – showed their dairy goats, with Rachel and Faith both winning first in their showmanship classes and Rachel also winning Junior Large Animal Round Robin.

    In addition, both Rachel and Hannah had many achievements for their dairy goats. Six of our members showed their market goats, with Hannah winning Reserve Supreme Champion Dairy-Market Goat. Eight of our members showed sheep and all did well in their categories. Four of our members showed pigs and all did extremely well.

    In terms of rabbits, Chloe Riley won Best of Breed Holland Lop. Three of our members showed poultry, with Seraphina Bedoyan winning Supreme Grand Champion Pen-of-Layers. A big recognition to Saro Bedoyan, who was awarded Outstanding Ag Exhibitor in the livestock building.

    Next door, 11 of our members exhibited in the Junior Exhibit Building, with several walking away with major awards. For example, Asa Chester won a first place for his painting and Seraphina Bedoyan, Saro Bedoyan, and Loren Parley all got Best of Shows.

    Finally, Blossom Trail’s feature fair booth won second place overall. This was an exciting year for Blossom Trail at the Big Fresno Fair, and we are looking forward to seeing our members continue their success in the years to come.

    By Faith Gatley, Blossom Trail 4-H Reporter

  • UC ANR Receives Innovations In Networking Award For Broadband Applications

    Parlier, Calif., (March 6, 2018) – The nonprofit organization CENIC has awarded the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources its 2018 Innovations in Networking Award for Broadband Applications. The award recognizes work to extend high-speed broadband to University of California researchers in rural communities across California by connecting UC ANR sites to the California Research and Education Network (CalREN).

    “The internet at Kearney was like a drinking straw delivering and retrieving information, when what we needed was a fire hose,” said Gabe Youtsey, chief innovation officer for UC ANR. “High-speed, broadband Internet at our Kearney Research and Extension Center, just south of Fresno, will allow UC ANR to lead innovative, on-farm agriculture technology research and extension for UC in the Central Valley. It will allow UC researchers to share big data and big computing with colleagues at campuses and globally.“

    Project leaders being recognized include Tolgay Kizilelma, chief information security officer; Tu Tran, associate vice president for business operations; and Youtsey.

    Until now, UC ANR facilities have been hamstrung by poor Internet connectivity, hindering their ability to support campus-based researchers and UC Cooperative Extension scientists who are engaged with community and industry partners to ensure that California has healthy food systems, environments and communities.

    Extending from the Oregon border in the north, through the Sierra foothills and Central Valley, along the Pacific Coast and south to the Mexican border, UC ANR’s research and extension facilities are situated among California’s rich and unique agricultural and natural resources. This allows for the application of scientific research to regional challenges and issues. Today, nearly all research and data analysis involves remote collaboration. To work effectively and efficiently on multi-institutional projects, researchers depend heavily on high-speed networks and access to large data sets and computing resources. The high-speed broadband connection also provides a new way for Cooperative Extension advisors to collaborate with farmers, naturalists and others in these rural regions.

    In 2016, CENIC began working with UC ANR to connect its nine research and extension centers to CalREN, equipping them with internet speeds comparable to those found on UC campuses. For example, the UC Hopland Research and Extension Center in Mendocino County and the UC Desert Research and Extension Center in Imperial County are both connected at 500 Mbps, five times their previous level of connectivity.

    Due to the remote location of most of these facilities, the work involved in identifying suitable pathways for connections between each site and the CalREN network has been extensive. Engineers from CENIC and UC ANR collaborated on network design, deployment, and troubleshooting to equip these facilities with the high-speed internet they need. High-speed connectivity with significant bandwidth now allows researchers to use equipment like infrared cameras to collect data on how crops respond to heat, among many other electronic tools. Farmers who are unable to visit the Research and Extension Centers can now connect virtually and tune in to real-time video streams, gaining access to the latest knowledge.

    In addition to the Research and Extension Centers, the Citrus Clonal Protection Program in Riverside is now connected to CalREN. Elkus Ranch, the environmental education center for Bay Area youths, the UC ANR administrative offices in Davis and 30 UC Cooperative Extension sites are in the process of being connected.

    “You can’t do big data with dial-up Internet speed,” said Jeffery Dahlberg, director of Kearney Research and Extension Center. “Before this upgrade, our internet was slower than my home internet speeds. Now we have speeds more like you will find on UC campuses.”

    Dahlberg noted that high-speed internet will become a powerful research tool allowing researchers to collect and share data in real-time. “For instance, a researcher can use an infrared camera in a field collecting readings to determine how a crop responds to heat as it changes throughout the day, but even this modest instrument needs significant bandwidth,” he said. “We now have the bandwidth to do that.”

    “The impact of these newly established broadband connections is significant,” said Louis Fox, president and CEO of CENIC. “UC ANR researchers and educators can now enhance and share the creation, development, and application of knowledge in agricultural, natural and human resources, bringing practical, science-based answers to Californians and California industry.”

    Innovations in Networking Awards are presented each year by CENIC to highlight the exemplary innovations that leverage ultra-high bandwidth networking, particularly where those innovations have the potential to transform the ways in which instruction and research are conducted or where they further the deployment of broadband in underserved areas.

  • Farm Bureau Calls for Clarity on Exemptions for Agricultural Haulers

    Washington, D. C., (March 6, 2018) – While again urging the Department of Transportation to grant agricultural haulers a waiver and limited exemption from the electronic logging device mandate, Farm Bureau in recent comments responded to the department’s efforts to provide clarity to the 150-air mile agricultural commodity exemption and the hours of service regulations.

    Until recently, very few Farm Bureau members or agricultural haulers were aware of their ability to use the newly interpreted 150-air mile agricultural commodity exemption, which provides exceptions from the HOS rules for the transportation of agricultural commodities within a 150-air mile radius from the source of the commodities. Enforcement officials, too, likely have very little knowledge about this exemption. This lack of awareness, combined with the unforgiving realities of ELD technology, makes the need for clarity all the more pressing, Farm Bureau emphasized.

    In terms of what products are categorized as agriculture commodities, all nonprocessed food, feed, fiber, livestock and nursery and greenhouse crops qualify, according to Farm Bureau. Agricultural commodity “sources” are farms, ranches and other locations where agricultural commodities are loaded for transport, including livestock markets and grain elevators.

    “Animals are unpredictable at livestock markets. Just like at a ranch, they can balk at the loading chute, be uncooperative, and need to be loaded carefully in accordance with appropriate animal husbandry techniques. All of this coupled with oftentimes long post-sale or load-out lines makes applying the flexibility afforded to a ‘source’ of livestock to livestock markets or agricultural commodity at a grain elevator a logical conclusion,” Farm Bureau said.

    Had congressional lawmakers wanted to exclude grain elevators or livestock markets from the definition of an agricultural commodity source, they could have easily done so, the group noted.

    Farm Bureau is also urging the department to expand its interpretation of the 150-air mile exemption. Current informal Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration guidance limits a driver’s use of the exemption to once per trip. However, the concept of such a “trip” is not defined in either the statute or the related regulation, so limiting the exemption only to the first “source” of any given “trip” is a narrower interpretation than the statute calls for.

    “Such an interpretation also opens the use of the exemption to additional confusion in situations where some agricultural commodities or livestock are unloaded and others are picked up and calls for further subjective interpretation as to when a ‘trip’ is started and concluded,” according to Farm Bureau.

    In a similar vein, the organization challenged proposed guidance that indicates once the hours of service rules have begun to apply on a given trip, they continue to apply until the driver crosses back into the area within 150 air-miles of the original source of the commodities and is returning to that source.

    According to Farm Bureau, the law clearly indicates that each farm, ranch, grain elevator, livestock market or other location where an agricultural commodity is loaded for shipment is a “source” of an agricultural commodity and, as such, each act of “transporting agricultural commodities from the source” is entitled to the 150-air mile radius exemption described in the applicable regulation.

    In addition, time spent operating unladen vehicles traveling to or from the source of an agricultural commodity should be considered exempt time, as the proposed guidance states.

    As Farm Bureau continues to encourage the administration to give agricultural haulers relief from the ELD mandate, the organization is also working with Capitol Hill lawmakers on a legislative solution to the ELD mandate and HOS challenges.

  • UC Davis Leads World in Veterinary Science, Second in Agriculture

    Davis, Calif., (March 6, 2018) – The University of California, Davis, continues to be ranked first in the world in veterinary science and second in agriculture and forestry, according to the 2018 QS World University Rankings by subject released today (Feb. 28).

    Among 48 disciplines, UC Davis ranked in the top 50 in seven. In addition to veterinary science and agriculture and forestry, they are environmental sciences (13th), anatomy and physiology (26th), biological sciences (29th), earth and marine sciences (tied for 29th), and developmental studies (31st).

    “I’m proud to see UC Davis recognized for our long-standing global leadership in these fields,” said UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May. “We’re eager to continue building our research, teaching and public service contributions here in California and around the world.”

    Attesting to its world-class status and comprehensive offerings, the university was ranked in all of the five broad subject categories included: life sciences and medicine, natural sciences, engineering and technology, arts and humanities, and social sciences and management.

    UC Davis has been ranked first in veterinary science since the field was added to the rankings in 2015 and second in agriculture and forestry since it was added in 2013.

    The School of Veterinary Medicine has more than 700 students pursing the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and other professional and graduate degrees, and offers the nation’s largest veterinarian residency program with more than 30 specialties. The school leads the nation with more than $85 million in annual research funding (21 percent from the National Institutes of Health), and its faculty and highly trained staff treat more than 50,000 patients each year.

    The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences has more than 7,300 undergraduates in 28 majors and 1,125 graduate students in 29 graduate groups and programs. The college’s researchers generate more than $140 million in government, corporate and foundation awards. UC Davis is among the most published and cited U.S. research universities in agricultural sciences, plant and animal sciences, environment/ecology, food science and nutrition, and soil sciences.

    About the rankings

    With some variation by subject area, the rankings consider reputation among academics, reputation among employers, and the citations of academic papers from the university. In all, more than 1,130 institutions were ranked.

    The rankings are prepared by Quacquarelli Symonds, a firm widely considered to be one of the most influential international university rankings providers.

    Other rankings

    In other rankings:

    • Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Educationrankings recognize UC Davis as the sixth best public university in the United States (September 2017).
    • Washington Monthlymagazine ranks UC Davis ninth overall among 303 public and private national universities for contributions to the public good (August 2017).
    • In its 2018 rankings of the nation’s best colleges, S. News and World Reportplaced UC Davis 12th among public national universities.
    • S. News and World Reportplaced UC Davis 52nd in the world in its 2018 ranking of best global universities.

  • Western Growers Board of Directors Votes Unanimously to Oppose Flawed Immigration Bill

    Irvine, Calif., (March 5, 2018) – Legislation that would worsen the worker shortage crisis for farmers throughout the country has received unanimous opposition from the board of directors of Western Growers, whose members supply more than half the fresh fruits, vegetables and tree nuts, grown both conventionally and organically, in the United States.

    Western Growers members are based in California, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. Member companies have farming and other operations in 28 states. The fresh produce industry employs the largest share of agriculture workers in the nation.

    The bill would force long-time existing workers in agriculture to return to their countries of origin in order to apply for a new H-2C visa or stay in the shadows. Western Growers directors believe few of their employees would leave spouses and children behind in the U.S., many subject to deportation, on the questionable assumption that the federal government will efficiently readmit them as temporary seasonal guest workers. Additionally, those who do raise their hands to return to a country they no longer know may face difficulty with reentry after so many years.

    The bill also imposes an unworkable cap on new visas – effectively 410,000 the first year and 820,000 the second year for fresh produce and other sectors – which would be insufficient for the estimated need. Studies indicate that there are currently two million undocumented farm workers in the U.S., with 400,000 to 500,000 in the west alone.

    Western Growers President and CEO Tom Nassif issued the following statement following the board of directors’ vote: “We will remain engaged with any and all legislators who seek workable solutions to our labor crisis, but given the harm that would come to our growers from provisions of H.R. 4760, we must oppose the bill.”

    About Western Growers:
    Founded in 1926, Western Growers represents local and regional family farmers growing fresh produce in Arizona, California, Colorado and New Mexico. Our members and their workers provide half the nation’s fresh fruits, vegetables and tree nuts, including half of America’s fresh organic produce. For generations we have provided variety and healthy choices to consumers. Connect with and learn more about Western Growers on our Twitter and Facebook.

  • CDFA Now Accepting Applications For Healthy Soils Program Technical Assistance Grants

    Sacramento, Calif., (March 5, 2018) – The California Department of Food and Agriculture is now accepting grant applications from non-profits, universities and California Resource Conservation Districts (RCD) offering technical assistance to farmers and ranchers who are interested in applying to the state’s Healthy Soils Program (HSP).

    “If we are to meet our greenhouse gas reduction goals and improve the health of California’s soil, we must do everything we can to help our farmers and ranchers apply to our programs,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “Leveraging our partnerships with the academic community, non-profits and RCDs is key in getting more individuals to apply.”

    Applicants may apply for funding up to $5,000 and must meet several requirements, including: one-on-one application assistance, technical assistance and internet access for application submission.

    Detailed information on funding, eligibility and program requirements can be found at:www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/healthysoils/IncentivesProgram.html
    Applications must be submitted by email no later than March 9, 2018 5:00 p.m. PST. Grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

    The HSP is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide program that puts billions of Cap and Trade dollars to work reducing GHG emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment – particularly in disadvantaged communities. The Cap-and-Trade program also creates a financial incentive for industries to invest in clean technologies and develop innovative ways to reduce pollution.  California Climate Investments projects include affordable housing, renewable energy, public transportation, zero-emission vehicles, environmental restoration, more sustainable agriculture, recycling, and much more.  At least 35 percent of these investments are located within and benefiting residents of disadvantaged communities, low-income communities, and low-income households across California.  For more information, visit the California Climate Investments website at: www.caclimateinvestments.ca.gov.

  • Bakersfield Dairy Farmers Embrace Climate Smart Technology

    Left – Ross Buckenham, CEO, CalBio and right – Felix Echeverria, Carlos Echeverria & Sons Dairy

    Bakersfield, Calif., (March 5, 2018) – For second generation dairy farmer Felix Echeverria, dairy farming is a family affair. His father, an immigrant from Spain’s Basque country, began milking cows in Southern California in the early 1950’s. Since then, Mr. Echeverria and his brother Johnny, have spent most of their mornings on dairy farms, waking early to milk the cows, put out the feed and check the water.

    Yet for the next generation of Echeverria dairy farmers, there will be a new addition to the sights and sounds of an early morning on the farm – the humming of a dairy digester producing electricity.

    Located outside Bakersfield, California, the Carlos Echeverria and Sons (CE&S) Dairy Biogas project will use anaerobic digester technology to produce energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, comply with environmental regulations and increase nutrient availability to crops. The project is funded through CDFA’s Dairy Digester Research and Development Program (DDRDP) and the California Energy Commission.

    The CE&S digester will work by using a high-density synthetic cover to capture methane from the dairy’s manure lagoon. The captured methane will be stored and then combusted in a high-efficiency generator, producing renewable electricity. By using this system, the CE&S Dairy Biogas is expected to cut its methane emissions by approximately 75 percent and reduce energy costs by 15-20 percent.

    Although initially cautious of digesters, Mr. Echeverria says he was ultimately convinced by his trust in neighboring farmers already embracing digesters and the partnership developed with California Bioenergy (Cal Bio), who will own, operate and maintain the digester system.

    “At first, we were very skeptical because this is something we knew very little about,” said Mr. Echeverria. “But having trust in my neighbors and seeing the changes that digesters bring led us to building our own.”

    Alongside reducing emissions, the CE&S Dairy Biogas project also advances California’s efforts to connect energy providers and fuel created by state supported incentive programs. In this case, the CE&S digester will deliver approximately 7.6 million kWh of renewable electricity annually to PG&E, enough energy to fully power 705 homes.

    The CE&S project is also part of the Kern County Dairy Biogas cluster, a group of sixteen dairies with approximately 100,000 cows, that would collectively produce 2.5- 3 million cubic feet of biogas per day and 1.5- 2.5 million diesel gallon equivalents per year. The renewable energy created through the cluster would support the state’s sustainable transportation efforts and generate enough fuel to power 100,000 cars across the country every year.

    Mr. Echeverria applauds the state’s desire to work collaboratively with industry in developing digester projects. To date, the DDRDP has helped fund 24 projects across California, capturing an estimated 5.7 million metrics tons of CO2e over ten years.

    “I am truly delighted about the partnership between industry and government.” said Mr. Echeverria. “It’s a huge step in the right direction.”

    Click here to learn more about the DDRDP.