Tulare, Calif., (February 6, 2018) – The Tulare County Agricultural Commissioner will host an important training coming up for growers to learn about new laws and regulations related to pesticide applications. For more information call the TC Ag Commissioner’s office at 559-684-3352.
Thursday, February 22 – A morning meeting will be hosted for growers near schools to learn about new laws and regulations that limit application of restricted materials. Invitations will be sent to all growers in close proximity to schools. The seminar will be held February 22, 9:00 am-11:30 am, and will take place at the Int’l Agri-Center in Tulare. Call 684-3352 to register and to learn more. First priority for registration will be offered to those growers in the 1/4 mile proximity range of sensitive sites.
The new DPR regulation took effect January 1, 2018 and will:
Ban growers from making certain pesticide applications Monday thru Friday, 6am to 6pm within a 1/4 mile of a school site or licensed child day care facility.
Growers must provide annual notification by April 30 each year, for all pesticides expected to be used during the upcoming July through June period. This must be provided to the principal or day care facility administrator by April 30 annually.
Report must include name of pesticide products, and when expected to be used
A map showing the location of the field to be treated
Contact information for the grower/operator and county AG commissioner
An alternative written agreement between the grower, the individual school or day care site and the County Ag Commissioner can be developed as long as all three parties consent, and the agreement provides equal or more protection as the regulation.
Long Beach, Calif., (February 6, 2018) – UC Agriculture and Natural Resources is hosting a four-day Rice Technical Working Group Conference February 19-22 in Long Beach. The conference will provide participants with the latest information and research from experts on plant breeding and genetics, rice culture, weed control, economics and marketing, and many other topics
“California is very excited to host the 2018 RTWG (Rice Technical Working Group) conference, which brings together over 300 researchers from all over the U.S. and the world to discuss the latest developments in rice research,” said Bruce Linquist, UC Cooperative Extension specialist and conference chair.
Keynote presenters are Ken Cassman, emeritus professor of agronomy at the University of Nebraska; John Eadie, professor in the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology at UC Davis; and Susan McCouch, professor of plant breeding and genetics, plant biology, biological statistics and computational biology at Cornell University.
The conference will be at the Westin Long Beach, 333 East Ocean Blvd. Registration is $475; $300 for students. Registration includes conference attendance, the welcome reception, the industry luncheon, the awards luncheons, and technical sessions. Current registration prices valid until the day of the conference. Register at http://ucanr.edu/sites/2018RTWG/Registration/.
California Department of Pesticide Regulation credits are pending.
Hopland, Calif., (February 5, 2018) – During 2017 over 3800 hours of volunteer time were offered at HREC! Our incredible volunteer team helps across all areas from citizen science on our phenology project to working with children and adults at our educational events. The California Conservation Corps also volunteer their time and enjoy learning new skills such as chainsaw safety and technique with us.
We are thrilled to welcome a number of new youth volunteers to this program at the beginning of 2018, including 16 year old Hercules Almond who comes to us with a sharp mind and wonderful way of expressing himself and the world around him, enjoy this, the first blog post from Hercules as he expresses his first experiences on our site:
“Driving up through the light mid-morning mist that envelopes the hilltops on the way to the Hopland Research and Extension Center (HREC) is ever a joyous and smile-inducing trip to undertake from my home in Hopland. While I’ve only begun to truly frequent it, it has always been a place that I have enjoyed venturing to immensely, with its landscape rolling at points, being steep in others, sheep spotting the various fields and pastures as the sun may begin to shine through the cloud cover and bathe it all in a warm glow.
I find myself slightly taken aback by the sheer scope of activities and goings-on that occur here… between the vast diversity of flora, the myriad of fauna that can call it home, the enormous plethora of sheep, and how the local ecosystem works in concert with the factors that contribute to its development and evolution, the entire acreage holds so much potential for all manners of research, study, and boundless expansion upon our understanding of the natural world out here and all around us.
To be completely honest, I’ve been ecstatic about almost everything to do with nature and the wilderness since I was a small child, fascinated by the most miniscule of insects and most gargantuan of trees at the very same time, loving nothing better than to live out away from all the noise and congestion of both cities and towns in general. I’m at peace with little but the sounds of the wind and birds surrounding me as I stand in a damp forest or on the top of a high cliff that overlooks beauty that can seldom be found elsewhere outside places such as HREC… I feel genuinely lucky to have the opportunity to volunteer here and be in the midst of working side-by-side with the remarkable individuals who devote time to helping here.”
Mifflintown, PA., (February 5, 2018) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Bill and Legislative Principles for 2018 during a town hall at Reinford Farms in Mifflintown, Pennsylvania.
“Since my first day as the Secretary of Agriculture, I’ve traveled to 30 states, listening to the people of American agriculture about what is working and what is not. The conversations we had and the people we came across helped us craft USDA’s Farm Bill and Legislative Principles for 2018,” said Secretary Perdue. “These principles will be used as a road map – they are our way of letting Congress know what we’ve heard from the hard-working men and women of American agriculture. While we understand it’s the legislature’s job to write the Farm Bill, USDA will be right there providing whatever counsel Congress may request or require.”
Secretary Perdue holds a town hall meeting at Reinford Farms where he rolled out USDA’s 2018 Farm Bill and Legislative Principles.
USDA’s 2018 Farm Bill and Legislative Principles:
Farm Production & Conservation:
Provide a farm safety net that helps American farmers weather times of economic stress without distorting markets or increasing shallow loss payments.
Promote a variety of innovative crop insurance products and changes, enabling farmers to make sound production decisions and to manage operational risk.
Encourage entry into farming through increased access to land and capital for young, beginning, veteran and underrepresented farmers.
Ensure that voluntary conservation programs balance farm productivity with conservation benefits so the most fertile and productive lands remain in production while land retired for conservation purposes favors more environmentally sensitive acres.
Support conservation programs that ensure cost-effective financial assistance for improved soil health, water and air quality and other natural resource benefits.
Trade & Foreign Agricultural Affairs:
Improve U.S. market competitiveness by expanding investments, strengthening accountability of export promotion programs, and incentivizing stronger financial partnerships.
Ensure the Farm Bill is consistent with U.S. international trade laws and obligations.
Open foreign markets by increasing USDA expertise in scientific and technical areas to more effectively monitor foreign practices that impede U.S. agricultural exports and engage with foreign partners to address them.
Food, Nutrition, And Consumer Services:
Harness America’s agricultural abundance to support nutrition assistance for those truly in need.
Support work as the pathway to self-sufficiency, well-being, and economic mobility for individuals and families receiving supplemental nutrition assistance.
Strengthen the integrity and efficiency of food and nutrition programs to better serve our participants and protect American taxpayers by reducing waste, fraud and abuse through shared data, innovation, and technology modernization.
Encourage state and local innovations in training, case management, and program design that promote self-sufficiency and achieve long-term, stability in employment.
Assure the scientific integrity of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans process through greater transparency and reliance on the most robust body of scientific evidence.
Support nutrition policies and programs that are science based and data driven with clear and measurable outcomes for policies and programs.
Marketing & Regulatory Programs:
Enhance our partnerships and the scientific tools necessary to prevent, mitigate, and where appropriate, eradicate harmful plant and animal pests and diseases impacting agriculture.
Safeguard our domestic food supply and protect animal health through modernization of the tools necessary to bolster biosecurity, prevention, surveillance, emergency response, and border security.
Protect the integrity of the USDA organic certified seal and deliver efficient, effective oversight of organic production practices to ensure organic products meet consistent standards for all producers, domestic and foreign.
Ensure USDA is positioned appropriately to review production technologies if scientifically required to ensure safety, while reducing regulatory burdens.
Foster market and growth opportunities for specialty crop growers while reducing regulatory burdens that limit their ability to be successful.
Food Safety & Inspection Services:
Protect public health and prevent foodborne illness by committing the necessary resources to ensure the highest standards of inspection, with the most modern tools and scientific methods available.
Support and enhance FSIS programs to ensure efficient regulation and the safety of meat, poultry and processed egg products, including improved coordination and clarity on execution of food safety responsibilities.
Continue to focus USDA resources on products and processes that pose the greatest public health risk.
Research, Education & Economics:
Commit to a public research agenda that places the United States at the forefront of food and agriculture scientific development.
Develop an impact evaluation approach, including the use of industry panels, to align research priorities to invest in high priority innovation, technology, and education networks.
Empower public-private partnerships to leverage federal dollars, increase capacity, and investments in infrastructure for modern food and agricultural science.
Prioritize investments in education, training and the development of human capital to ensure a workforce capable of meeting the growing demands of food and agriculture science.
Develop and apply integrated advancement in technology needed to feed a growing and hungry world.
Rural Development:
Create consistency and flexibility in programs that will foster collaboration and assist communities in creating a quality of life that attracts and retains the next generation.
Expand and enhance the effectiveness of tools available to further connect rural American communities, homes, farms, businesses, first responders, educational facilities, and healthcare facilities to reliable and affordable high-speed internet services.
Partner with states and local communities to invest in infrastructure to support rural prosperity, innovation and entrepreneurial activity.
Provide the resources and tools that foster greater integration among programs, partners and the rural development customer.
Natural Resources & Environment:
Make America’s forests work again through proactive cost-effective management based on data and sound science.
Expand Good Neighbor Authority and increase coordination with states to promote job creation and improve forest health through shared stewardship and stakeholder input.
Reduce litigative risk and regulatory impediments to timely environmental review, sound harvesting, fire management and habitat protection to improve forest health while providing jobs and prosperity to rural communities.
Offer the tools and resources that incentivize private stewardship and retention of forest land.
Management:
Provide a fiscally responsible Farm Bill that reflects the Administration’s budget goals.
Enhance customer service and compliance by reducing regulatory burdens on USDA customers.
Modernize internal and external IT solutions to support the delivery of efficient, effective service to USDA customers.
Provide USDA full authority to responsibly manage properties and facilities under its jurisdiction.
Increase the effectiveness of tools and resources necessary to attract and retain a strong USDA workforce that reflects the citizens we serve.
Recognize the unique labor needs of agriculture and leverage USDA’s expertise to allow the Department to play an integral role in developing workforce policy to ensure farmers have access to a legal and stable workforce.
Grow and intensify program availability to increase opportunities for new, beginning, veteran, and underrepresented producers.
Visalia, Calif., (February 5, 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 crops continue to be planted; last week’s rain was beneficial for previously planted crops. However, irrigation is still needed to statin ideal growth.
Table grapes stored are mostly done with a small remainder exporting to China and Mexico.
Persimmon harvest continues to be exported primarily to Mexico. The Kiwi demand is steady, receiving fruit from out of the county and re-exporting to Mexico, as well as domestically.
Pistachio nuts continue to be primarily exported to Austria, Hong Kong, India, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Turkey, and Vietnam. Almonds continue to be shipped to Argentina, Belgium, Chile, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, Sweden, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Walnut exports have increased, specifically in the Chinese market. Field activities continue in stone fruit and nut orchards. Vineyards continue to be pruned, brush is being shredded and dormant sprays continue to be applied. Pruning of stone fruit trees continues across the county.
Citrus harvest continues with high demand in the domestic and exports market. Navels and mandarins are being exported to Australia, Korea, New Zealand, Mexico, Peru, and Japan. Pomelos continue to be shipped domestically with exports to Japan and China. Melogold hybrid grapefruit are be exported to Japan. Lemon exports are in high demand in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, and New Zealand. The volume of navel oranges being packed continues to be lower than previous years but has recently picked up in various areas. Navel sizes continue to be an issue as larger sizes are trending, making sales difficult to fulfill orders for smaller sizes. Olive growers continue pruning groves.
Fields continue to be prepared and planted. Lettuce harvested is in full swing. Strawberry growth looks ideal.
Rangeland forage remains fair as rain is needed. Supplemental feeding continues to be required.
Bulk bare root rose nursery stock shipments continue to be received from out of county and interstate shipments continue. Export shipments of bare root roses are being sent to Canada; the market is thriving.
Nursery shipments have started to pick up.
Sacramento, Calif., (February 5, 2018) – The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has awarded $9.64 million in grant funding to 17 alternative manure management projects across the state. These projects, part of the Alternative Manure Management Program, or AMMP, will reduce greenhouse gas emissions on California dairy farms and livestock operations by using manure management practices that are alternatives to dairy digesters (i.e. non-digester projects).
When livestock manure decomposes in wet conditions, it produces methane, a greenhouse gas 72 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. Changing manure management practices so that manure is handled in a dry form can help significantly reduce methane emissions. These reductions contribute to the state’s overall short-lived climate pollutant strategy under Senate Bill 1383, which aims to reduce California’s methane emissions to 40 percent below 2013 levels by 2030.
“California dairy farmers are leading the way in proactively addressing greenhouse gas emissions” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “I am excited to see both the diversity of farms and the variety of non-digester manure management practices being adopted through these projects that will help meet the state’s climate goals.”
Financial assistance for the implementation of non-digester practices comes from California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that uses Cap-and-Trade program funds to support the state’s climate goals. CDFA and other state agencies are investing these proceeds in projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide additional benefits to California communities. AMMP grant recipients will provide an estimated $2.7 million in matching funds for the development of their projects.
The Alternative Manure Management Program 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.
Save the date for the American Pistachio Industry 2018 Annual Conference to be held at JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa, in Palm Desert, CA on March 5-7. Watch this brief interview with Executive Director of APG Richard Matoian to learn more. Pacific Nut Producer Magazine is a proud sponsor of this event, so be sure to come and see us there!
Turlock, Calif., (February 2, 2018) – Stanislaus County Farm Bureau has announced the details for their four remaining regional meetings. Regional meetings are typically held in February and March leading up to the larger meeting of members, to be held this year on April 19 in Modesto.
These smaller meetings are a great opportunity for members to get to know the directors of your region or for non-members looking to learn more about joining Farm Bureau. Board directors for the coming year are also nominated during regional meetings.
Please consider attending a regional meeting near you and RSVP to the Farm Bureau office at (209) 522-7278.
Southern Region – Thursday, February 8, 2018 at 7:30 a.m., Location: Latif’s – Turlock, Guest Speaker: SCFB Programs Director/Grower Relations for ESJWQC Caitie Campodonico, Directors with expiring terms: Trevor Cordova, Arby Hoobyar & Ted Reimers
Northeast Region: Wednesday, February 21, 2018 at 6 p.m. – Location: Oakdale Golf and Country Club – Oakdale, Guest Speaker: Sheriff Adam Christianson – Directors with expiring terms: Pete Dykzeul, Kurt Hoekstra & Ray Lial, Jr.
Westside Region: Thursday, February 22, 2018 at 6 p.m., Location: Apricot Wood – Patterson, Guest Speaker: TBD, Directors with expiring terms: Rob Brooks, Bill Cox & Jerry Goubert
Eastside Region: Thursday, March 1, 2018 at 6 p.m., Location: The Fruit Yard – Empire, Guest Speaker: Supervisor Vito Chiesa, Directors with expiring terms: Dave Absher, Corinne Santos & Randy Weststeyn
SAVE THE DATE! – SCFB’s 104th Annual Meeting of Members, April 19, 2018, Double Tree, Modesto, Details TBA
Merced, Calif., (February 2, 2018) – An ongoing effort to collect, digitally preserve and share 100 years of historical records by the UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) has earned the UC Merced Library a more than $300,000 grant.
“We’re extremely proud to be able to further the work already begun on the UCCE project,” UC Merced Chancellor Dorothy Leland said. “Our library is producing a collection that demonstrates the organization’s lasting effects on the state, the work it has done in the past and its potential for the future.”
The work is especially relevant to the San Joaquin Valley, said Emily Lin, the UC Merced Library’s Head of Digital Curation and Scholarship.
“We have a lot of archives and historic records based around urban centers, but we haven’t been collecting the records of rural California in any systematic way,” she said. “But rural California has had an incredible influence on the state’s history. California was transformed by agriculture over the past century.”
The Archivist of the United States approved the $308,900 grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission for “A Century of Impact: Documenting the Work of the Cooperative Extension in California’s Counties.” The three-year project will begin in the summer, after Lin and others hire a group of undergraduate students to help with the work. Additionally, the project will be part of an informational booth at the World Ag Expo in February in Tulare — UC Merced’s first appearance at the exposition, which draws more than 100,000 people from all over the world.
“We were convinced the history of Cooperative Extension in California was worthy of preserving when we launched the pilot project four years ago,” said Glenda Humiston, vice president of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR), the organization that oversees UCCE. “The federal grant to continue this work confirms the value of UCCE history and its contribution to California’s prosperity.”
A pilot project, begun after the 2014 centennial of the UCCE, looked at Merced, Ventura and Humboldt counties’ UCCE records, and produced a stack of material 70 linear feet long — just for Merced County. A banker box is about 1 linear foot.
Records from Humboldt County included disaster responses from the 1955 and 1964 historic floods, while Merced County’s records were mainly about crops, irrigation, the beginnings of the Merced Irrigation District and 4-H. Each county’s records provide insight into its unique characteristics, Lin said.
The new project will collect 100 years’ worth of reports and historic photographs from 20 California counties — in the Valley, along the coast, up north at the edges of the Sierra and along the southern border — and will geocode all the records.
“This project is of great potential value in supporting a number of lines of existing research, as well as in opening up new and fruitful areas of inquiry into the interrelated topics of democracy, technology and community,” said David Campbell, a political scientist and the associate dean for social/human sciences in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at UC Davis. He wrote a letter of support for the project that was included in the application.
The digitization project will help researchers at all levels, Professor Mario Sifuentez said.
“It provides access to a trove of documents that shed light on the nature and development of agriculture in the region, which amazingly has been understudied,” he said. “Despite living in the heart of one of the most productive agricultural regions of the world, few people really understand how agriculture in the Central Valley works. I am invested in producing work and helping students produce work that explains the historical trajectory of how the Valley ended up as ‘The Valley,’ and agriculture is the main component of that story.”
The archives set the stage for many research projects across many disciplines. Historians will find the records helpful, but so will people studying progressive era institutions, immigration, race relations, social movements, technological change or the rich history of food and agriculture in California, Campbell said. There are also implications for political science and public policy scholarship; environmental and climate studies around such topics as water and pesticide use; material for economists and labor market scholars; and geographers.
The library is working with the San Joaquin Valley Historical Society, and San Diego State University will also have a set of the records digitized when the project is completed. In addition, regional 4-H students will be part of the project, helping tag and digitize the material.
Cornell University Professor Scott Peters, a historian of higher education who wrote a letter of support for the project, said engaging with local students and their families through a 4-H project is particularly valuable.
“It’s always important to help young people connect with the history of their communities,” Peters said. “These historical materials will enrich their understanding of the vision, values, ideals, tensions, dilemmas and struggles that the work of building a democratic culture in partnership with higher education requires and involves. And it helps them understand their own role in history and ask themselves what they are creating and leaving that will be part of history 100 years from now.”
After the 2014 centennial, UC ANR allocated funds to locate a professional archivist at the UC Merced library, which is becoming known for creating comprehensive digital collections of historical materials.
Archivist Lisa Vallen began work with the three pilot counties. She found UCCE records in the National Archives as well as pictures, negatives and documents spread throughout the state.
“Ideally, historical records should be kept in a space that’s climate controlled,” Vallen said. “In Ventura, they have some in a container on a farm. That’s not ideal at all.”
The ANR hopes this project will help not only researchers, but will educate the public and policy makers about UCCE.
“There’s no question about the value of this project and the richness it brings to the whole state, not just UC,” said UC Merced University Librarian Haipeng Li.
A four-year pilot archive project begun after the UCCE centennial in 2014.Part of the archive collection, a vintage photo of a UCCE Merced County vehicle.
Sacramento, Calif., (February 2, 2018) – The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA) Pest Exclusion Branch is announcing two, mid-term vacancies on the Nursery Advisory Board. The Board is composed of twelve voting members, each representing an establishment with a valid California License to Sell Nursery Stock. No two members shall represent the same organization. Members will represent a wide spectrum of the nursery industry, and the Board will be geographically representative of the nursery industry in California.
The term of office for Board Members is four years. These positions are mid-term appointments. Members typically meet twice per year but can meet more frequently if needed. The 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.
In addition, the Board includes eight non-voting ex officio members from the County Agricultural Commissioner and Sealers Association, the University of California, and groups affiliated with the nursery industry.
The mission of the Nursery Advisory Board is to grow and maintain a strong relationship between CDFA and the nursery industry in order to secure the industry’s future. The Board facilitates communication between state and federal regulators and the nursery industry, and it advises CDFA’s Nursery Services Program on policies, fees, and other issues concerning nurseries and nursery stock.
Individuals interested in being considered for this Board appointment should send a brief résumé to Erin Lovig, Board Manager, by February 12, 2018 at:
California Department of Food and Agriculture
Pest Exclusion Branch
1220 N Street, Room 344
Sacramento, CA 95814
Attention: Erin Lovig
For additional information, you may contact the Nursery Services Program at (916) 654-0435.
