California Ag Network

Category: News

  • Tulare County Reports on Current Crop Status

    Visalia, Calif., (February 9, 2018) – Tulare County Agricultural Commissioner released the current status today of Major crops in the most valued county in the California Ag portfolio. They report that Winter forage crops, such as wheat, barley, other cereal grains, and forage mixes continue to be planted. Overall, grains and field crops are showing good signs of germination and growth. Alfalfa fields are progressing well, and some growers are continuing to plant new alfalfa fields. Pre-emergent herbicides are being applied to fields, and weed control is expected to pick up in the next few weeks. As always more rain is needed to maintain good growth and avoid irrigation.

    Stone fruit, pecan, walnut, and pistachio orchards, along with grape vineyards, continue to be pruned and debris shredded. Some old orchards and vineyards are being pushed out to make way for new plantings. Tree fruit growers are applying fertilizers to prepare for the upcoming bloom. Dormant sprays are being applied as the weather permits. Some early varieties of tree fruit are beginning to show bud swell and a few of the earliest are starting to bloom. Bee colonies are now being moved into almond orchards in anticipation of the coming bloom.

    Navel orange, Mandarin, and lemon harvest continues, while grapefruit and pomelo harvest is nearly finished. Some pruning and skirting of orange groves is occurring. Navel oranges continue to be packed and shipped domestically and exported to Australia, Chile, China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore. The warm weather is starting to impact navel orange quality. There is a steady demand for Minneola tangelos going to Japan and Korea. Lemon exports continue to Japan, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. Avocado trees are showing some early bloom. Olive groves continue to be pruned.

    Some late winter vegetable crops continue to grow well and are being harvested. Harvesting of broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and onions are steady. Greenhouse vegetables continue to be harvested. Field preparations for spring planting have begun. Strawberry and blueberry plantings are progressing well and some are starting to bloom.

    The recent rainfall has been beneficial for rangeland forage, but conditions are fair until more growth is seen. More rain is needed to help with germination and growth of rangeland forage. The fed cattle market traded at $126.00 per hundred weight this week.

    Retail nurseries are receiving more shipments of stock for spring planting. Bare-root roses are being received and processed for reshipment out-of-state, with most shipments going to Florida and Canada. Wholesale nurseries are shipping out bare-root trees and shrubs to domestic and export markets. Camellias are being sent to local and out-of-state nurseries.

    Preparations are underway for next week’s World Ag Expo, happening from February13-15 in Tulare, CA.

  • Ag Day Presenters Invited!

    Tulare, Calif., (February 9, 2018) – International Agri-Center along with the Tulare County Farm Bureau, and University of California Cooperative Extension, partner on AgVentures Day, a unique farm day experience set each spring to host approximately 1,500 fourth grade students from Visalia and Tulare City Schools. This year’s event date is Friday, May 11 from 9am to 2pm, approximately.

    Call for presenters, demonstrators, and volunteers are going out soon.  If you can help with any of these efforts, please let Brittney know at 732-8301, or bblankenship@tulcofb.org and she will mail you a packet of information.

    Opportunities include:

    • 10 minute brief educational lesson, ag topic of choice, repeated up to 9 times with a class size group of students (20-30 kids at a time)
    • 30 minute longer demonstration with 200-400 students per session, outside
    • Display equipment for the event for children to see as they enter and exit the grounds

    Some of the presenters and topics of the past have included:

    • Bee keeping with a demonstration hive
    • 4-H and FFA Members giving short lessons on raising livestock for show
    • Equestrian sports
    • Rural Crime and Drone Technology
    • Safety with Electricity
    • Forestry Demonstrations
    • Livestock / Veterinarian Talks
    • Sheep dog herding demonstration with sheep and dogs
    • Pest Detection Dogs with CDFA and County Ag Commissioners
    • NRCS and USDA Presentations on Soil Health
    • Seed Planting
    • Mobile Dairy Classroom

    Help us find new and exciting topics to add to this year’s AgVentures Day lineup.

  • UC Launches Drought Video Series Feb. 2

    Oakland, Calif., (February 8, 2018) – Because periodic droughts will always be a part of life in California, the UC California Institute for Water Resources (CIWR) produced a series of videos to maintain drought awareness and planning, even in years when water is more abundant.

    The first of the three videos premieres Feb. 2 on the UCTV Sustainable California channel. Subsequent videos will be launched March 2 and April 6. View the trailer here.

    The videos are inspired by a collection of 19 drought tips produced by CIWR in collaboration with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources researchers during the drought of 2010-16. The tips cover a broad spectrum of California crops, from alfalfa to walnuts. Topics also include salt management, use of graywater in urban landscapes, and the use of shallow groundwater for crop production. Three topics – alfalfa, almonds and citrus – are featured in the three-episode CIWR video series.

    The drought tips collection and the drought tip videos were sponsored by the California Department of Water Resources. Following is the schedule for the video releases:

    Friday, Feb. 2: Drought strategies for alfalfa

    UC Cooperative Extension alfalfa specialist Dan Putnam wrote the drought tip ‘Drought Strategies for Alfalfa,’ on which the first video in the series is based. The video is on the UCTV Sustainable California channel, http://www.uctv.tv/sustainable-cal/.

    The CIWR drought tip series opens with Cannon Michael of Bowles Farming in Los Banos. The alfalfa grower works with UCCE specialist Dan Putnam. “There’s a lot of misunderstanding about alfalfa as a crop,” Michael said. “It does take water to grow it, as with anything, but you get multiple harvests of it every year.”

    Friday, March 2: Drought management for California almonds

    The second episode features almond producer Raj of Meena farms. He works with David Doll, UCCE advisor in Merced County. “One positive of this drought,” Meena said, “is that it has forced us all to be more efficient in how we use our water.”

    Friday, April 6: Irrigating citrus with limited water

    The series finale features Lisa Brenneis of Churchill-Brenneis Orchard in the Ojai Valley of Ventura County. She worked with UCCE advisor Ben Faber to install a new water-efficient irrigation system. “Irrigation is the only job we really have to do,” Brenneis said, “and we have to get it as right as we can.”

    For a complete list of drought tips, see http://ucanr.edu/drought-tips.

  • Bees and Almonds: A Mutually Beneficial Relationship – From the Almond Board of California

    Modesto, Calif., (February 8, 2018) – Almonds depend on bees and bees depend on almonds. In fact, the link between bees and almonds is so important that the relationships between almond growers and their beekeepers often go back years or even generations.

    Between February and March each year, almond tree buds burst into beautiful light pink and white blooms in preparation for pollination. As the trees blossom, honey bees forage for pollen and nectar in the orchard. When the bees move from tree to tree, they pollinate almond blossoms along the way. Each fertilized flower will grow into an almond. After almonds, beekeepers bring their honey bees to different locations across the United States, pollinating over 90 other crops and making honey.

     

    While bees are essential to pollinate the almond crop, the bees benefit too. Almond orchards help strengthen bee hives because:

    • Almond orchards provide honey bees with their first natural source of food each spring.
    • Just like almonds are a nutritious snack for us, almond pollen is very nutritious for honey bees.
    • Honey bee hives routinely leave stronger after visiting during almond bloom.
    • Beekeepers can then split many of the hives to grow their apiaries

     

    Committed to Health

    A variety of factors have led to a widely documented and concerning decline in honey bee health, including activities associated with both beekeeping and crop production, putting at risk many of the foods we count on for a stable, nutritious food supply. While the total number of honey bee hives in the U.S. has remained stable for the past 20 years, maintaining healthy, stable hives is beekeepers’ big challenge. That’s why the Almond Board of California has taken extraordinary steps to be good partners to beekeepers in promoting bee health. We have funded more honey bee health research than any other crop group with more than 100 research projects since 1995.

    Almond industry-funded research, along with that of other universities, government agencies, and non-profits informed the Honey Bee Best Management Practices (BMPs) for California Almonds. Guidelines for everyone involved in the pollination process, the Honey Bee BMPs provide recommendations ranging from making the orchard a safe and welcoming place for honey bees to how to treat for pest and disease without harming bees.

    The Almond Board of California web site

     

     

     

  • Sutter-Yuba-Colusa Counties – Walnut Day

    Yuba City, Calif., (February 8, 2018) – Mark the date on your calendar for the Annual Walnut Day for Sutter, Yuba, and Colusa counties to be held Thursday February 22, 2018. Topics include: 2017 flood damage and recovery; walnut tree growth characteristics; rootstocks; thousand cankers disease; laws & regs; California Walnut Board activities.

    The event is sponsored by: University of California Cooperative Extension, Sutter/Yuba/Colusa Counties and Co-Sponsored by: Sutter County Agricultural Department.

    2.0 hours PCA credit (.5 is Laws) approved and 2.5 hours CCA approved

    For more information, please see the Pacific Nut Producer Industry Calendar

     

  • Forage Crops Yield More Successful Almond Pollination

    THANKS TO THIS VIDEO’S SPONSOR

    As growers get into the 2018 almond growing season, they hope for a successful pollination period. According to Billy Synk from Project Apis m., almond growers can achieve better pollination when they plant a forage cover crop in the fall to trigger the bees into activity come spring. Watch this interview as Billy explains, and read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

  • Announcement of the Passing of Past FCFB President Norman Fries

    Norman Fries

    Fresno, Calif., (February 7, 2018) – On Wednesday, January 24, FCFB lost one of its past leaders and advocates, Norman Fries, at the age of 99. Fries served as FCFB president from 1963-1968 and was an active member on both the Raisin City School Board and the Mid Valley Fire Protection District Board.

    Born on August 30, 1918, Norman was a second-generation farmer in the Raisin City area whose passion for agriculture went far beyond his own farming operation. During Fries’ tenure, he witnessed several movements that would shape the future of agriculture. From the Williamson Act and San Luis Reservoir construction, to the start of farmworker unionization and President Johnson’s war on poverty, Fries witnessed and participated in the evolution of agriculture.

    In an excerpt from a past interview with former FCFB Director of Public Relations Liz Hudson, Norman recalled the progress of agriculture:

    “We moved from horses to a two-row cultivator, then to a four-row and eventually a six-row. In 1949, I bought my first cotton picker – a one-row version. Now they have six-row pickers,” recalls Fries. “We also used to level land with stakes; now they use lasers,” he said, adding the advancements made in irrigation and computers. Jackrabbit drives were commonplace in years past, and much of the land west of Raisin City was “prairie land” back then,” said Fries.

    “With what I’ve seen in the last 70 years, I don’t see how much more can change. But, it will,” said Fries.

    Norman was married to his wife, Alice, for 56 years; and to his second wife, Ellenore, for six. Both of them preceded him in death. He was also preceded in death by his son-in-law, Hans Smith. Norman is survived by his daughter, Janet Smith; son, Ralph Fries and his wife, Narda; grandsons, Chris Smith and his wife, Courtney; and Esben Smith and his wife, Susanna; and granddaughter, Yvette Helberg and her husband, Phillip. He also leaves behind five great-grandchildren: Jared, Jacob, Esben, Nolan, and Isla.

  • International Agri-Center prepares for 51st World Ag Expo

    Tulare, Calif., (February 7, 2018) – The International Agri-Center will hold its 51st World Ag Expo farm show on February 13-15.

    The largest annual agricultural exposition of its kind, World Ag Expo boasts more than 1,500 exhibitors displaying cutting-edge agricultural technology and equipment on 2.6 million square feet of exhibit space. In 2017, 105,780 people came from 43 states and 71 countries to attend the 50th anniversary of World Ag Expo.

    The World Ag Expo Arena will once again offer daily Equipment Showcases, where exhibitors will perform live demonstrations of their latest products. Seminars will be offered in a variety of categories, including dairy, irrigation, international trade, business and farm management, marketing and media, and general agriculture. These seminars are presented by professionals in the industry and provide attendees with valuable information to improve their operations.

    The Top-10 New Products Competition, sponsored by Bank of America, is back with products offering new technology and increased efficiencies. From unmanned spray systems and remote monitoring, to new tire traction solutions and ag film recycling, the Top-10 New Products has something to offer every type of farming operation.

    The 2018 World Ag Expo will host daily events, including the Wednesday evening Bud Light After-Hours Party in the Arena, with a free concert by Craig Campbell.

    Attendees can look forward to a few new events this year, including a livestock seminar and demonstration on Wednesday afternoon in the Arena, a woodworking demonstration, the Italian Trade Agency pavilion, and a wide variety of new seminars that cover everything from Organic farming to new technology in the ag industry. Attendees will also be able to enjoy the 20 new acres of parking to the south side of the International Agri-Center grounds. This new addition will allow for easier parking and greater attendance.

    World Ag Expo attendees can get the latest news, information and updates about the show by downloading the new 2018 mobile app. The free app provides mobile access to the schedule of events, an exhibitor directory, map of the show grounds and other visitor resources. The app is available for download from the app store by searching “2018 World Ag Expo.”

    For a full schedule of events, more information about the show or to purchase tickets for 2018 World Ag Expo, visit www.WorldAgExpo.org.

    Source: International Agri-Center, Press Release, January 30, 2018

     

  • Central Valley Soil Emissions a Large Source of State’s Nitrogen Oxide Pollution

    Davis, Calif., (February 7, 2018) – A previously unrecognized source of nitrogen oxide is contributing up to about 40 percent of the NOx emissions in California, according to a study led by the University of California, Davis. The study traces the emissions to fertilized soils in the Central Valley region.

    Lead author Maya Almaraz samples soils for NOx emissions in Palm Springs in January 2018. (Courtesy Maya Almaraz/UC Davis)

    In the study, published Jan. 31 in the journal Science Advances, the authors compared computer models with estimates collected from scientific flights over the San Joaquin Valley. Both the model and flight data suggested that between 25 and 41 percent of NOx emissions comes from soils with heavy nitrogen fertilizer applications.

    Rural smog source

    Smog-forming nitrogen oxides, or NOx, are a family of air-polluting chemical compounds. They are central to the formation of ground-level ozone and contribute to adverse health effects, such as heart disease, asthma and other respiratory issues. NOx is a primary component of air pollution, which the World Health Organization estimates causes 1 in 8 deaths worldwide.

    Fossil fuels have long been recognized as a major contributor to NOx pollution. Technologies like the catalytic converter have helped greatly reduce NOx emitted from vehicles in urban areas. But some of the state’s worst air quality problems are now in rural areas, particularly the Central Valley region, which is home to some of the poorest communities in California.

    More food, less pollution

    The Central Valley is also one of the world’s most highly productive agricultural areas. Roughly half of the fruits and nuts produced in the United States are grown there. This includes nearly all the nation’s almonds, walnuts, raisins, avocados and tomatoes.

    “We need to increase the food we’re making,” said lead author Maya Almaraz, a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow in UC Davis Professor Ben Houlton’s lab. “We need to do it on the land we have. But we need to do it using improved techniques.”

    These maps indicate levels of NOx emissions (left) and fertilizer applications (right) in California. (UC Davis)

    Potential solutions

    The study suggests potential solutions for reducing NOx soil emissions, primarily through different forms of fertilizer management.

    Only about half of the nitrogen fertilizer applied to crops is used by the plant. But slow-release fertilizers that deliver nutrients in a way that more closely mimics nature have been shown to greatly improve nitrogen use efficiency of crops, reducing emissions of nitrogen in the environment.

    Healthy soils programs that restore carbon in the soil can also help fight climate change and are likely to increase nutrient retention and cycling to crops.

    And precision agriculture practices help improve water and fertilizer efficiencies, particularly in perennial crops, such as almonds.

    Building upon work in motion

    The state also began a program this year in which growers work in coalitions to gather information on efficient uses of nitrogen so they can evaluate how and where the state needs to manage nitrogen in agricultural areas. This work aims to reduce nitrate in the groundwater, but it may have a double benefit in reducing NOx emissions.

    “Since this source of NOx can remain local, largely in rural farming communities, we need to develop a kind of ‘catalytic converter’ for soils and farms,” said senior author Houlton, a professor with the UC Davis Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, and director of the John Muir Institute of the Environment. “It’s critical that new policies focus on incentives to bring the latest nutrient management technologies to farms so that growers can produce food more efficiently, increasing their bottom line and improving rural health.”

    Additional co-authors include Justin Trousdell, Stephen Conley and Ian Faloona from the UC Davis Department of Land, Air and Water Resources; Edith Bai from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Northeast Normal University in China; and Chao Wang, also from Northeast Normal University.

    The research was supported by the National Science Foundation, Major State Basic Research Development Program of China, Dave and Lucile Packard Foundation, California Agricultural Experiment Station, Bay Area Air Quality Management District and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

     

  • CA Groundwater Legislative Update from CAWG

    California State Legislature never ceases to keep growers on their toes with new proposals, laws & regulations coming down the pipeline — many of which are detrimental to our agricultural industry, but with all the confusion of the evolving legislation pending in Sacramento with regards to groundwater management, it’s great to have organizations like the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) to keep us current on what’s going on in the political arena and how it will impact our growers. Watch this brief update with Michael Miiller, director of Government Relations at CAWG for some important information on CA groundwater.