Sacramento, Calif., (October 6, 2017) – Nick Papadopoulos wants to create a culture of infectious enthusiasm in the farm and food world. This year he’s hit the road with a cell phone and eight-
Nick Papadopoulous shows the selfie pole he fashioned from a selfie stick and gutter cleaner to shoot folksy food videos as he travels the state.
foot selfie pole, digging into communities to find everyday people who are having a positive impact on farms, gardens, markets and food banks.
He found his passion as a small-scale organic farmer dismayed by a cooler full of wholesome food without a buyer. Just miles away families were suffering food insecurity. The dilemma sparked the creation of CropMobster Community Exchange, a social media and crowd sourcing online platform for food, farmers and consumers. People who have extra food can post, and the crowd gives ideas for distribution. CropMobster became a community connector.
“It’s amazing what can happen with you stick your Nick out,” Papadopoulous joked.
Nick Papadopoulous brought his passion for food and stories to the International Food Bloggers Conference in Sacramento.
Papadopoulous was the keynote speaker at the 2017 International Food Bloggers Conference in Sacramento, encouraging the writers to find ways to collaborate and make a difference in the world.
“Think about the power of impact you can have,” he said. “You can have fun, do your work, but carve out time to be a team. Team up to make impact happen.”
Today CropMobster is in 18 of 58 California counties. “We’ve had millions of dollars of economic impact and saved millions of pounds of food because thousands of people believe in our vision and are joining the tribe,” Papadopoulous said. “4-H’ers are selling product, someone found a job, a health provider connected fresh veggies with a client.”
The remarkable stories shared by CropMobster users sparked another innovation: CropMobster TV. Adopting the persona “Nicky Bobby,” Papadopoulous travels the state interviewing wise elderly citizens, young leaders, farming families, immigrant workers, and food and agriculture scientists to produce twice-weekly online videos in a non-commercial, folksy tone.
“We are highlighting stories that are feeding our families,” Papadopoulous said. “We’re tying to untangle the caring economy, what it is that makes people so generous.”
Central Valley raisin growers experienced two brief rainstorms during harvest of an already short crop. Time will tell the true extent of the damage and ultimate size of the crop this year. The rain also put price negotiations at a halt. Watch this brief interview with Kingsburg raisin grower Jaswant Bal as he shares his perspective, as his crop was harvested just days before the most recent rainstorm. Read more about it in American Vineyard Magazine.
Pullman, Wash. (October 5, 2017) – Soft Svevo, a new soft durum wheat variety developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and their collaborators, could expand the market for wheat.
Traditional durum wheats are primarily grown as a source of semolina—a coarse meal used to make pasta, couscous and other products. However, producing semolina requires specialized mills that can grind durum wheat’s rock-hard kernels. This, in turn, has limited the food uses for durum wheat, which comprises 3 to 5 percent of the total U.S. wheat crop.
Craig Morris, an ARS chemist in Pullman, Washington, has a soft spot for durum which, despite the hard nature of its kernels, is better adapted to hot, arid growing regions of the United States than the more commonly grown bread wheat varieties. Over the past 20 years, he and colleagues have delved into the genetics of wheat kernel development for clues that could broaden the number of products made from durum.
Along the way, the team determined that durum’s hard kernel texture has no relationship to pasta quality. Rather, it is durum’s yellow kernel color and high-protein content that gives pasta its desirable firmness. Additionally, these features have nothing to do with the particle size of semolina made from the kernels, according to Morris.
Based on that premise, the researchers set out to create a soft durum wheat with kernels easily milled into a fine flour instead of semolina. Finding two genes that control kernel texture in soft bread wheats—Puroindoline a (Pina) and Puroindoline b (Pinb)—proved a breakthrough. The team moved these genes into a prized Italian durum variety to eventually produce Soft Svevo, marking the first soft durum of its kind.
Tests show Soft Svevo’s flour is similar to soft bread wheat flour. According to Morris, it imparts an appealing aroma, flavor and color to pizza crusts, baguettes and other baked goods.
Read more about this research in the September 2017 issue of AgResearch magazine.
For more information contact Jan Suszkiw, ARS Office of Communications.
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.
Sacramento, Calif., (October 5, 2017) – California agriculture joined together in September to raise donations for the state’s annual Farm to Food Bank Month. More than 245-thousand pounds of food–in excess of 122 tons–were donated to the California Association of Food Bank’s Farm to Family Program for needy families in Southern California – from holiday turkeys to olive oil and rice; and tens of thousands of pounds of fresh produce.
CDFA secretary Karen Ross gathered last week in Orange County with leaders in the food bank sector to honor that commitment and to remind farmers and ranchers that the need is year-round, and therefore donations can be, as well.
California Ag has shown strong support for the Farm to Family Program statewide, increasing contributions to 214 million pounds–more than 100,000 tons–in 2016
However, hunger continues to be a substantial problem in California. More than two-million children in our state live in food-insecure households. All told, one in eight Californians struggles with hunger – roughly 5.4 million people. The fact that this occurs in a state with such an enormous bounty of food makes the problem even more glaring.
The generosity of California agriculture during Farm to Food Bank Month is very much appreciated, and it will be a lifeline for a number of needy Southern California families, but it’s clear there is still a great deal of work to do.
Sacramento, Calif., (October 5, 2017) – The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is seeking a contractor to provide food safety training for California produce growers. Interested parties can learn more and submit proposals through a Request for Proposals (RFP) that has been posted by the Department on the Cal eProcure website. Proposals are due October 16, 2017.
“The Department has received funding for 2018 in the amount of $450,000 from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA),” explained Natalie Krout-Greenberg, Director of CDFA’s Inspection Services Division. “The funds are meant to provide farmers with affordable access to food safety training courses required under new FSMA (Food Safety Modernization Act) laws.”
The Division is working with the FDA to bring produce farmers in California into compliance with FSMA, which becomes effective January 2018. More than 20,000 produce farms in California are expected to be covered under what is called the Produce Safety Rule, one of several sections of the new law. As part of this Rule, each of these 20,000 farms must employ at least one individual who has completed an approved food safety training course.
To facilitate the training, CDFA has divided the state into four regions. Contractors who submit proposals must provide a plan to conduct classes in each region. Classes must be open to any grower who wishes to attend and the course curriculum must be accredited by the Produce Safety Alliance, located at Cornell University.
Much more detailed information is available in the official RFP, which can be accessed by registering atwww.caleprocure.ca.gov and searching for bids under Department Number 8570. The official RFP title is “Environmental Auditing Unit, Standardized Grower Training” and there are four different RFPs – one for each training region. A hard copy of the RFPs can also be accessed by contacting Valerie Roberts, Contract Analyst at (916) 403-6518.
Davis, Calif., (October 4, 2017) – Each year, the couple makes three trips to Mexico and two to Nicaragua to support local veterinarians and care for donkeys, or burros, still heavily used for transporting goods and people. Summers find them visiting Native American reservations across North and South Dakota to treat horses that otherwise have no access to veterinary care. Eric has made the trip to the Dakotas more than 20 times, with Cindy aboard for 15 of them.
Each journey also introduces veterinary students from UC Davis and across the United States to the needs of underserved, rural communities and allows them to practice critical, hands-on skills first introduced in vet school.
Near the edge of California’s Delta where the pavement turns to gravel before disappearing into native grasslands, University of California, Davis, veterinarian Eric Davis and his wife, Cindy, live with three horses, five donkeys, a pair of scrappy Chihuahuas and a pond-full of koi.
They are horse people in the best sense: sun-weathered, energetic, frank and compassionate. Their modest country home is a gateway to the world and what Eric calls “its most forgotten creatures.”
Dakotas bound – On a hot, late-spring day, Eric, who teaches in the School of Veterinary Medicine, and Cindy, a veterinary technician experienced in field anesthesia, were rapidly fitting out their 25-year-old Thomas Built school bus for this year’s trip to the Dakotas. Hand-painted two shades of gray with royal blue trim, the vehicle would once again serve as their summer home and the hub of mobile veterinary clinic.
“Rule number one: You do not load the day before you leave — but here we are,” said Eric wryly, relieved just to have the vintage vehicle back from the mechanic. “We should be castrating horses in Winnemucca this time tomorrow.”
Upon arriving in the Dakotas, he, Cindy and their team of veterinary students tend to cuts, bruises, dental problems and countless castrations of fairly wild, adult horses.
When Eric began visiting the Dakotas in the early ‘90s, he arrived to find that one Native American ranching family had 300 un-castrated colts in need of his surgical skills. Each subsequent trip has been a bit different but long, exhausting days have been a constant.
“I have literally been in the New Town rodeo arena in North Dakota at 2 a.m., castrating a horse by the light of a headlamp,” he said.
Because they would be so far away for so long, and dealing with so many unexpected variables, they spent three weeks in concentrated preparation for the Dakotas trip. But for Cindy, coordinating the logistics for all of their domestic and international trips has become a fulltime, year-round job.
“This is our life,” Eric said. “Not just something we do in our spare time.”
Not your average road trip – Meticulous packing is always critical for the bus trips to the Dakotas, some 1,300 miles away.
“I’m worried as hell about forgetting something,” Eric said. “I even dreamed about packing the bus the other night.”
Their cargo ranged from a dozen plastic bins with snap-on lids, tool chests and a super-sized metal water jug to a lariat for roping horses, a mobile ultrasound unit, liquid nitrogen for biopsying tumors and, of course, the indispensable dart gun.
“You hope you don’t have to use it but some of the horses are so wild, they’ll go over a 7-foot fence,” Eric said. Last year he had to dart five horses with sedatives in order to treat them.
Concern for the forgotten ones – Starting out his career as a farrier, Eric came to UC Davis in 1967, earning a bachelor’s degree in animal science in ‘71, a master’s in ’72 and a doctor of veterinary medicine in ’77. After working for a decade in private veterinary practice, he returned in ’87 for a two-year residency in equine medicine.
Having served at three other universities and with two rural veterinary outreach programs, he again returned to UC Davis in 2008 to teach and work with the veterinary school’s International Animal Welfare Institute. He and Cindy also have founded the non-profit RVETS, or Rural Veterinary Education, Teaching and Service, through which they coordinate their trips to the Dakotas and Central America.
Eric is experienced in treating horses, donkeys and mules, but has a soft spot in his heart for the donkeys that continue to be beasts of burden in the remote regions of the developing world. They are exquisitely adapted to the desert environment and its sparse vegetation. In general, they are in better health than most pet donkeys in the United States, he said.
“In the U.S., we are recognizing that there are a lot of donkeys in the world — over 40 million by some estimates — and they are important to the quality of life,” he said. “If you’re going to care about the world, those are things you should know.”
In the Dakotas, however, where the prairie and sky seem to race out to meet at the horizon, the expansive grasslands are too rich for a donkey diet and far better suited for horses.
Natural resources are abundant there but names like Little Big Horn, Wounded Knee, Pine Ridge, and Standing Rock speak of the region’s history of conflict and heartbreak for Native Americans. Today, many of the surrounding counties are among the poorest in the U.S.
The rural horse owners are committed to their animals but lack resources to pay for veterinary care, which is scarce, at best, in these sparsely populated regions. When the Davises and their team of students arrive, clients cover the costs of medication and supplies, but the veterinary team donates their time and labor.
Narrowing the gap – For the Davises each trip yields its own rewards, including the satisfaction of training up a new generation of veterinarians.
“There are those moments when a student really catches on to things or you can show them how to do something they’ve never seen before,” Eric said.
There also is the pure joy of watching the horses in their native, prairie environment.
“And I like their owners,” Eric said. “Some of the reservation residents who live way out on the prairie are really great to work with — very grounded in reality.”
“We just love our clients,” said Cindy, who admits that coming home is, nevertheless, a highlight of each grueling summer trip. “A couple of years ago, we said that we were not going back but then we realized we can’t not go back.”
She and Eric hope that their service in the Dakotas yields benefits for UC Davis and its School of Veterinary Medicine.
“I can’t overemphasize the importance to our work of having access to the vet school’s analytical laboratory and clinical research faculty,” he said. “In return, I hope I bring back to campus an appreciation of the gap between what is known in veterinary medicine and the veterinary care that is provided in these different parts of the world.
“Even in this enormously wealthy country, there are still rural communities that are without veterinary care,” he said. “The challenge to our profession is to make that gap smaller.”
Video: Treating Horses on Native American Reservations
UC Davis veterinary student, Olivia Stonehouse, inspects the teeth of a horse at the McLaughlin Rodeo Grounds in McLaughlin, SD. Photo by Joe Proudman / UC Davis.Eric Davis, a UC Davis veterinarian, and Tarek Isham, a UC Davis veterinary student, perform a quick surgery in Little Eagle, SD. Photo by Joe Proudman / UC Davis.Students unload the bus at the Pow-Wow Grounds in Little Eagle, SD on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. Local horse owners from the area met the group there for animal treatment. Photo by Joe Proudman / UC Davis.
Modesto, Calif., (October 4, 2017) – The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has extended the grant application deadline for the Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP), from October 2, 2017 to October 16, 2017 at 5 P.M. PDT.
The AMMP is one of two programs designed by CDFA to reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions. The program will provide between nine and 16 million dollars in grants to California dairy and livestock operators to implement non-digester manure management practices that reduce their methane emissions.
For detailed information on eligibility and program requirements, prospective applicants should visit the CDFA AMMP website at https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/ammp/. To streamline and expedite the application process, CDFA is partnering with the State Water Resources Control Board, which hosts an online application tool, the Financial Assistance Application Submittal Tool (FAAST). All prospective applicants must register for a FAAST account at https://faast.waterboards.ca.gov. Applications and all supporting information must be submitted electronically using FAAST by Monday, October 16, 2017 at 5:00 P.M. PDT.
Due to the very short timeline for submitting applications to this new grant program, Western United Dairymen worked with Dairy Cares to request this extension of the deadline. The concerns of our members were at the forefront and were heard. If you have questions regarding this grant program, call Paul Sousa at the WUD office.
NOTE – THE AMMP is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide program that puts billions of cap-and-trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas 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 Investment 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 made in disadvantaged and low-income communities. For more information, visit California Climate Investments.
Sacramento, Calif., (October 3, 2017) – A warmer and drier pattern returned last week. A dry week prevailed across the State with no sites reporting widespread measurable precipitation. A few isolated sprinkles were associated with localized marine stratus events between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Warm afternoon highs resulted in near total snowmelt at elevations below 10,000 feet. Local snowfields, both a remnant from last winter’s snowpack as well as the snows that fell during the previous week, still exist at elevations above 10,000 feet, most notably in the Stanislaus National Forest, the Lassen Volcanoes National Park, and the peak of Mount Shasta. Deepest snow cover is estimated to be near one foot.
Temperature highs were in the 50s to 70s in the mountains, 60s to 70s along the coast, and 80s to 90s in the valley and the desert. Temperature lows were in the 20s to 40s in the mountains, 50s to 60s along the coast, and 50s to 60s in the valley and the desert.
Alfalfa fields continued to be cut and baled. Sorghum fields were being harvested. Corn silage continued to be harvested. Cotton bolls continued to develop; fields were being defoliated and having borders knocked down in preparation for harvest. Black-eyed beans continued to be harvested.
Stone fruit harvest was slowing down as the season draws to a close. Gypsum and potash were applied to harvested stone fruit orchards. Some wine, table and raisin grapes were harvested. Finished raisin trays were rolled up for pickup. Asian Pears, pears, figs, and pomegranates were harvested. Kiwifruitharvest began. Persimmons continued to gain size and coloring. Citrus packing houses were getting ready for the new navel orange season. Lemons were harvested and packed. Some orange groves were pushed out to make way for new plantings. Apples were harvested. Olive harvest was underway.
The almond harvest was winding down across the state. Walnut harvest was underway. Pistachioharvest continued.
In Colusa County, the tomato harvest wound down while the honeydew harvest continued. In Sacramento County, the tomato harvest was in full swing. In San Joaquin County, Farmers’ Market vegetables were harvested and offered for sale. Fall field work and ground preparation were done. In Monterey County, the Salinas Valley season wound down with typical fluctuations of cooler and warmer cycles. Production and cultivation were still going strong and late season crops were planted. In Fresno County, jalapenos were harvested. Carrots were recovering from heat damage. Soil was prepared for planting organic garlic and onions. In Tulare County, tomatoes, sweet corn, okra, cucumbers, squash, and peppers were picked by certified producers. Commercial plantings of yellow squash,eggplant, Bell peppers, green chili peppers, and cucumbers were harvested and shipped domestically. Fall vegetables were planted and developing well. Pumpkins were prepared for harvest.
Non-irrigated and foothill rangeland were reported to be in poor to very poor condition. Supplemental feeding of cattle continued. Some cattle were moved down from high elevation range.
Santa Rosa, Calif., (October 3, 2017) – When the book is closed on the 2017 Sonoma County winegrape harvest, “weather” will need to dominate the conversation as Mother Nature continues to impact the efforts of local farmers as they harvest this year’s crop. The year began with record winter rainfall, followed by a mild spring, a scorching summer and finally cooler weather in mid-September. That respite helped bring order to the harvest, though it did not last long as rain showers turned to thunderstorms in late September creating new concerns for farmers.
Reports from the vineyards indicate that this year’s extreme weather, particularly the sustained heat waves, will likely impact the size of the harvest. Early estimates were for an average size crop of excellent quality. However, in the past few weeks, farmers are reporting some significant weight loss in grape numbers due to the heat, which caused some growers and vintners to pick grapes earlier than they had planned. Around the middle of the month, rain arrived forcing farmers to check their grapes, open up the canopy, and in some instances, use larges blowers in the vineyards to dry out certain varieties prior to harvesting. Currently, about 70% of the Sonoma County grapes have been harvested.
The other ongoing challenge facing Sonoma County winegrape growers is the availability of labor and the logistics of moving crews and equipment around the county. While there is not a critical shortage this season, the labor supply remains very tight to the point that some growers are not harvesting on the day they want because workers are not available. Despite all the weather fluctuations and current labor supply, most growers still anticipate harvest being completed by mid-October.
Russian River Valley – With the Pinot Noir harvest almost complete and Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Merlot and other varieties winding down, growers in the Russian River AVA have experienced two different harvests. For early ripening varieties that matured and were picked, nearly every grower cited excellent quality and better than average yields. For varieties ripening during or after the extreme heat wave in the beginning of September, growers experienced a noticeable drop in yields but were impressed by the outstanding quality.
Dry Creek Valley – Zinfandel, Cabernet, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot are currently being picked or will soon begin being harvested. The growing season had it all – perfect growing conditions, a number of searing heat waves and late summer rains, while cooler weather in September helped return schedules back to normal.
Alexander Valley – Harvest has been completed for Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. Other varieties in the AVA, including Cabernet, Zinfandel, Merlot and Malbec, should be completed in the next two to three weeks. Like elsewhere in Sonoma County, the 2017 harvest has been intense with conditions changing every few days while the struggle to find enough labor remains constant.
Pine Mountain-Cloverdale Peak – Harvest should be completed in the next two weeks. Tonnage is down slightly while quality is average to excellent depending on the variety and the vineyard. Much of the Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon is being harvested this week. Labor is tight, optimism is high.
Sonoma Coast – Growers are taking advantage of the cooler weather to prolong the time on the vine. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah and Riesling are or will soon be harvested. A common refrain has been that brix levels are steady but not quite ready for harvest. Along with labor concerns, weather has been the greatest challenge facing growers, especially over the past two months of the season.
Sonoma Valley – Growers throughout the AVA are racing to complete harvest within the next week to ten days. Varieties were impacted differently by the heat throughout the AVA. One grower reported his Chardonnay was picked 30% light while his Malbec and Merlot were the same yield levels as last year. Other growers reported both exceptional quality and yields. Growers are hoping that hand labor will be freed up to enable Sonoma Valley growers to access crews when they need it since the harvest is winding down in other parts of Sonoma County.
Sonoma Mountain – Harvest is winding down for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with most harvested around the heat wave over Labor Day weekend at exceptional quality. Harvest is currently beginning for Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel on Sonoma Mountain with completion likely around the end of October. Sugar levels and flavors are close. The summer’s heat waves did burn leaves and desiccated some fruit particularly among Merlot. With that said, quality looks good with overall yields slightly below normal.
Follow the Harvest – If you want up-to-the-minute updates on Sonoma County’s harvest activities directly from our grape growers and wineries, the Sonoma County Winegrowers have created an online Harvest Tracker to help everyone stay informed on what’s happening in our vineyards and cellars.
San Luis Obispo, Calif., (October 3, 2017) – The Cal Poly Dairy Judging Team won first place in oral reasons and fourth place overall in the All-American Dairy Show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Fourteen teams representing the top dairy and animal science college programs throughout the nation, including universities in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Virginia and Indiana, competed in the All-American Dairy Show Youth Judging Contest on Sept. 18.
Four of the Cal Poly team’s 16 members competed: dairy science juniors Elise Regusci and Elisabeth Regusci, both of Modesto, California; animal science major Hannah Neer of Bishop, California; and dairy science major Alexandra Gambonini of Petaluma, California. Those same students will compete in the largest national competition of its kind at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin on Oct. 2.
Contestants judged 10 classes of cattle then gave oral reasons on four or five of the classes depending on their division. The top five individuals and teams were recognized in each division for specific breed performance, oral reasons and overall results.
The team’s individual placings included: Gambonini, first in Guernseys and fourth in Ayrshires, third in reasons and third overall; Elisabeth Regusci, fourth in reasons; Elise Regusci, fourth in Jerseys. The team placed first in Jerseys and second in Guernseys.
Cal Poly’s dairy cattle judging team is coached by dairy science Lecturer Rich Silacci and assisted by retired Professor Stan Henderson.
“The team’s accomplishments at this competitive event are a testament to the students’ extremely strong work ethic, dedication and collaboration,” Silacci said. “I am very proud of what they have achieved and look forward to their performance at the World Dairy Expo.”
About the All-American Dairy Show
The 54th All-American Dairy Show was held Sept. 17-21 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It featured 23 shows in six days, the nation’s only all-dairy antiques show, nearly 2,000 animals and more than 1,000 exhibitors from across the nation. For more information, visit www.allamerican.pa.gov.
