California Ag Network

Category: News

  • AFBF Fall Harvest Marketbasket Survey

    Washington, D. C., (October 2, 2017) – Higher retail prices for several foods, including bacon, chicken breast, orange juice, sliced deli ham and flour resulted in a slight increase in the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Fall Harvest Marketbasket Survey.

    The informal survey shows the total cost of 16 food items that can be used to prepare one or more meals was $51.13, up $1.43, or about 3 percent, compared to a survey conducted a year ago. Of the 16 items surveyed, 12 increased and four decreased in average price.

    Several foods showed significant retail price increases from a year ago, including bacon, chicken breast and orange juice, according to Dr. John Newton, AFBF’s director of market intelligence.

    “Bacon was up significantly because of the lower inventory and higher prices of pork bellies. We saw a rally in wholesale bacon prices this summer and fall which is being reflected at the retail level,” Newton said. “Bacon is a sexy food item in restaurants and everywhere else, creating an inventory decline and thus a price increase.”

    The following items showed retail price increases from a year ago:

    • bacon, up 19 percent to $5.24 per pound
    • chicken breast, up 9 percent to $3.13 per pound
    • flour, up 7 percent to $2.37 per 5-pound bag
    • orange juice, up 6 percent to $3.46 per half-gallon
    • vegetable oil, up 5 percent to $2.52 for a 32-ounce bottle
    • sliced deli ham, up 3 percent to $5.62 per pound
    • sirloin tip roast, up 3 percent to $5.17 per pound
    • whole milk, up 3 percent to $2.93 per gallon
    • white bread, up 2 percent to $1.61 for a 20-ounce loaf
    • toasted oat cereal, up 1 percent to $2.84 for a 9-ounce box
    • shredded cheddar, up 1 percent to $4.11 per pound
    • apples, up 1 percent to $1.61 per pound

    These items showed moderate retail price decreases compared to a year ago:

    • bagged salad, down 16 percent to $2.41 per pound
    • ground chuck, down 3 percent to $3.99 per pound
    • eggs, down 3 percent to $1.44 dozen per dozen
    • potatoes, down 2 percent to $2.68 for a 5-pound bag

    “Supply and demand for chicken breasts is tight, which is why retail prices are higher,” Newton said. In addition, he said the price increase for orange juice is related to the lower supply of oranges, which could worsen due to the impact of Hurricane Harvey.

    Consumers saw a slight decline in egg prices. “Egg supplies are fully rebuilt from what we saw a few years ago and we are seeing egg prices continue to come back to where they were prior to the bird flu a few years ago,” Newton said.

    Price checks of alternative milk choices not included in the overall marketbasket survey average revealed the following: 1/2 gallon regular milk, $2.07 and 1/2 gallon organic milk, $4.27.

    For many food items, the year-to-year direction of the marketbasket survey tracks with the federal government’s Consumer Price Index report for food at home. As retail grocery prices have increased gradually over time, the share of the average food dollar that America’s farm and ranch families receive has dropped.

    “Through the mid-1970s, farmers received about one-third of consumer retail food expenditures for food eaten at home and away from home, on average. Since then, that figure has decreased steadily and is now about 15.6 percent, according to the Agriculture Department’s revised Food Dollar Series,” Newton said.

    Using the “food at home and away from home” percentage across-the-board, the farmer’s share of this $51.13 marketbasket would be approximately $8.00.

    AFBF, the nation’s largest general farm organization, began conducting informal quarterly marketbasket surveys of retail food price trends in 1989. The series includes a Spring Picnic survey, Summer Cookout survey, Fall Harvest survey and Thanksgiving survey.

    According to USDA, Americans spend just under 10 percent of their disposable annual income on food, the lowest average of any country in the world. A total of 81 shoppers in 25 states participated in the latest survey, conducted in September.

    Source: American Farm Bureau Federation, News Release, September 25, 2017

     

  • 34th Annual Professional Women and Leading Business Awards

    Fresno, Calif., (October 2, 2017) – Marjaree Mason Center will host its 34th Annual Professional Women and Leading Business Awards on Friday, October 13, at 11 a.m., at the Fresno Convention Center, 2233 Venture St., Fresno.

    This event pays tribute to 10 women who have served as role models and given back to their communities, all while making strides in their professions. MJR Creative Group will be honored as the Leading Business of the Year for its support of women and women’s issues. This year’s top 10 professional women honorees include:

    • Mendy Laval Alkotob, partner at Laval Family Consulting and business instructor at Fresno State
    • Angie Barfield, student intervention and prevention coordinator at the Fresno County Office of Education
    • DeDe Darnell, interior designer and principal at Darden Architects
    • Katherine Flores, director at UCSF Fresno Latino Center for Medical Education and Research
    • Linda Gleason, executive director at Fresno Cradle to Career Partnership and founding director at the Children’s Movement Fresno
    • Debbie Jacobsen, co-owner at J&L Vineyards
    • Catherine Lumsden-Dvorak, MediCare account manager at DiBuduo and DeFendis Insurance Brokers, LLC.
    • Karen Musson, managing partner at Gar Tootelian Inc. and CEO at Gar and Esther Tootelian Charitable Foundation
    • Diane Phakonekham, executive director at Big Brothers Big Sisters
    • Kathryn Phillips, children’s grief support group facilitator at Hinds Hospice

    During the awards ceremony, the keynote speaker is two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and former WNBA Sacramento Monarch player, “Mighty” Ruthie Bolton. Ruthie’s personal experience with domestic violence was told in an ESPN documentary last year and has propelled her into the spotlight as an advocate against domestic violence. Ruthie hopes that by sharing her story, it will make others feel empowered to turn their pain into power.

    To register for individual tickets or sponsorship, click here. For additional information, contact the Marjaree Mason Center at 559-237-4706 or mmc@mmcenter.org.

     

  • Back to the Drawing Board on Wetlands for Water Board

    Fresno, Calif., (October 2, 2017) – In California, nothing succeeds like success except – perhaps – failure. Take as one case in point California’s State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) in the matter of wetlands management.

    According to the SWRCB – California’s governor-appointed czars endowed by our legislature with broad authority to protect our state’s waters – the eight regional water boards under its umbrella are so dysfunctional at protecting wetlands that their parent board must redefine what wetlands are in order to straighten out their confusion and conflicts.

    What’s more, the SWRCB also claims its prior and continuing efforts to protect, preserve and grow California’s wetlands have been managed so poorly and with such unsatisfactory results that they should now create and manage vast new swaths of wetlands, including areas that the federal government does not recognize as wetlands at all.

    In the Board’s mind, the answer to these shortcomings is a bevy of new rules imposed not on its own organization in an effort to reform and straighten itself out, but on the public that has done nothing wrong to deserve their regulatory attention.

    The SWRCB’s proposed rule is just a pretext by the Board to vastly expand its empire at a huge cost to California’s taxpayers.

    The SWRCB claims, “There is no single accepted definition of wetlands at the state level.” To remedy this, the Board would impose a new definition, ignoring the perfectly serviceable and constitutionally binding federal definition already recognized by California and 49 other states.

    Without distinction or exception the Board would instead define “wetlands” as follows: “An area is wetland if, under normal circumstances, …the area lacks vegetation.” Just think for a moment about all the areas of the state that lack vegetation and have standing water for a week or more at a time.

    If the SWRCB gets their way large desert areas of California, most of the Sierra Nevada Mountains above tree line and many more square miles of other lands that most Californians would agree aren’t wetlands at all would have a new designation and the restrictions that go along with it.

    There are millions of acres of private, public and federally owned lands at risk here. The SWRCB is chomping at the bit to reclassify all these, making them subject to new regulatory oversight, imposing vast restrictions on their uses and forcing major changes to their value.

    What is the purpose of this massive self-expansion of authority that would grab lands almost beyond measure into the state’s regulatory grasp? Language taken from the new rule gives the answer: “The Water Boards are committed to increasing the quantity, quality, and diversity of wetlands that qualify as waters of the state” [emphasis added]. As waters of the state, newly-classified wetlands are subject to the Clean Water Act and other federal water laws, as well as to the state’s own Water Code, all under the guiding regulatory hand of the SWRCB.

    At its core, the Board is conducting a naked land grab, one designed apparently from inception to strip private and public landowners of their rights to access, enjoy, use or alter their property and its attached rights – including water and mineral rights – without due process, compensation or remedy.

    The new rule is also a handy tool for empire building by a board of political appointees who have previously demonstrated their lack of restraint while imposing regulatory drought-conservation and landscape watering mandates on Californians.

    With millions more acres of “wetlands” to manage (or mismanage, as the SWRCB admits it has done in its proposal package for the rule), the Board can soon be counted on to present the California Legislature its new and expanded budget proposal, complete with staffing additions, greater resources, new facilities and other budget-busting government expansion.

    California’s responsible legislators and the public should disappoint these enterprising bureaucrats, not reward them with millions of acres of land to manage as “state waters.” The SWRCB must be held to account for their past failures and forced to answer questions at public hearings about their true goals.

    Until then, taxpayers, hold onto your wallets.

    By Assemblyman Jim Patterson who represents the 23rd Assembly District which covers portions of Fresno and Tulare counties.

  • Tulare County Reports on Current Crop Status

    Visalia, Calif., (September 29, 2017) – 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 Alfalfa fields continue to be irrigated, cut, and baled. Sorghum fields are being harvested. Corn silage continues to be harvested. Some cotton is still being irrigated, and bolls continue to develop. Some fields are being defoliated and having borders knocked down in preparation for harvest. Black-eyed beans continue to be harvested and exported to Korea.

    Peaches, nectarines, and plums continue to be picked and shipped to both domestic and export markets. Stone fruit is being exported to Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, New Zealand, and Taiwan. A few old stone fruit orchards are being pushed out. Pistachio harvest is continuing, with exports to China, the European Union, Germany, Hong Kong, Mexico, Poland, Turkey, and Vietnam. Almond harvest continues throughout the county. Almonds are being exported to Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Germany, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Mauritius, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, and the United Arab Emirates. Walnuts continue to be harvested. Pears are being exported to Mexico. Asian pears are being shipped to Colombia and El Salvador. Table grape harvest continues, with exports going to Australia, China, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, the United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam. Thompson seedless grapes are being rolled and picked up. Pomegranate harvest continues, with exports going to Brazil and Australia. Kiwifruit are being harvested. Persimmons are now coloring.

    Most citrus packing houses are getting ready for the new navel orange season. Some orange groves are being pushed out to make way for new plantings. Finger limes are being exported to Japan and the Netherlands. The olive crop is heavy and being picked.

    Certified producers are picking tomatoes, sweet corn, okra, cucumbers, squash, and peppers. Commercial plantings of Yellow squash, eggplant, Bell peppers, green Chili peppers, and cucumbers are being harvested and shipped domestically. Fall vegetables have been planted and are developing well. Strawberries continue to grow. Pumpkins are being prepared for harvest.

    Low elevation rangeland continues to dry and conditions are poor. Feed costs for cattle remains high. The fed cattle market price is at $106.00 per hundred weight. Harvested grain fields continue to be sheeped-off in the southern portions of the county.

    Nursery shipments continue to be slow. Wholesale nurseries are shipping small amounts of stock to local and out-of-state retail outlets. New wells continue to be drilled.

  • Tax Incentives for Exported Products

    Walnut Creek, Calif., (September 29, 2017) – Doug Wright is the partner‐in‐charge of International Tax Services with Burr Pilger Mayer, Inc., the largest California‐based CPA firm and CalCPA’s leading IC‐DISC services provider. Doug is a former PricewaterhouseCoopers international tax partner with over 30 years of IC‐DISC consulting and implementation experience. He is a nationally‐recognized authority on the use of “shared IC‐DISC” arrangements and maximization of IC‐DISC benefits through IRS‐ accepted strategies.

    As a leading U.S. expert on the IC‐DISC export tax incentive, Doug was the invited speaker on IC‐DISC at the CalCPA Society’s 2011 annual state‐wide international business and tax conference. He has also been an invited speaker on IC‐DISC at various national conferences, and has authored numerous articles on IC‐DISC in national publications.

    Doug currently has over 400 IC‐DISC clients throughout the U.S., including top‐five U.S. agriculture exporters in the grain, rice, cotton, and beef industries. He has a very large IC‐DISC client base in the California agriculture, farming and related processor communities. These IC‐DISC clients include an extensive number of California’s almond growers and processors, many of whom have benefited from Doug’s expertise in maximizing their IC‐DISC benefits for many years.

    BPM respects and maintains the proprietary and confidential business information of its separate IC‐DISC clients. BPM also provides direct IC‐DISC support to other CPA firms throughout California and the U.S., fully respecting the existing client relationships other CPA firms have with the IC‐DISC clients they refer to BPM.

    Doug can be contacted by e‐mail at dwright@bpmcpa.com or by phone at (925) 296‐1044.

    A frequently overlooked U.S. tax provision known as the “IC‐DISC” can offer substantial permanent U.S. tax savings for U.S. growers, farmers and processors whose products
are ultimately exported from the U.S. The IC‐DISC tax savings are achieved from a
reduced 23.8% rate (U.S. qualified dividend plus NIIT rate) on at least half of the income 
derived from qualifying products, in lieu of the normal Federal tax rate which can be almost 40%.

    Example of IC‐DISC Tax Savings

    The following simple example illustrates the potential tax savings from use of an IC‐DISC. Without IC‐DISC

     Taxable income from sales of qualifying products: $ 1,000,000
     Federal tax burden without IC‐DISC (39.6% rate): $ 396,000

     

    With IC‐DISC

    Taxable income from sales of qualifying products: $1,000,000
    Portion eligible for IC‐DISC benefits (at least 50%): $500,000
    Federal tax burden on qualifying IC‐DISC portion (23.8%rate): $119,000
    Portion not eligible for IC‐DISC benefits: $500,000
    Federal tax burden on portion not eligible (39.6% rate): $198,000
    Total Federal tax burden with IC‐DISC: $317,000
    Total IC‐DISC tax savings: $79,000

    In this example, $79,000 is the minimum annual IC-DISC tax savings.
the IC‐DISC tax savings on 70% or more of the income from qualifying products.

    Background on IC-DISC

    The IC‐DISC stands for “Interest Charge – Domestic International Sales Corporation,” a tax incentive which was introduced by Congress in its current form in 1984. It was designed to provide a U.S. tax incentive to stimulate U.S. export activities. The IC‐DISC is relatively unknown and often overlooked because other alternative tax incentives were more often used until the last remaining alternative was eliminated in 2006.

    Basic Structure of an IC‐DISC

    To utilize the IC‐DISC tax incentive, a separate IC‐DISC corporation must be established. IC‐DISC benefits cannot begin to accrue until this happens. This means that no IC‐DISC tax savings can be derived on product sales made prior to the establishment of the separate IC‐DISC entity. Establishing an IC‐DISC is a relatively inexpensive requirement, however, and can be accomplished very quickly by a qualified professional services firm.

    As designed by Congress, the IC‐DISC corporation is merely a “paper” entity without any actual operations, employees, office space or assets. It remains virtually invisible to employees and customers. It serves solely as a Congressionally‐mandated vehicle needed to qualify for the IC‐ DISC tax benefits. It is required to have separate books and records, and it is through the related booking entries that IC‐DISC benefits are tracked and determined.

    The “Shared IC‐DISC” Alternative

    Participation in a “shared IC‐DISC” is a convenient, less costly and equally effective manner in which to obtain IC‐DISC benefits. A shared IC‐DISC is simply an IC‐DISC that has been established for shared use by two or more participants who can be related or entirely unrelated. Each participant in a shared IC‐DISC derives the same tax benefits they would have derived from their own separate IC‐DISC. The costs of implementation and annual maintenance are simply less on a shared basis. No information is shared between the participants in a shared IC‐DISC.

    Increased Cash Flow and Liquidity

    It is critical to understand that income is shifted to an IC‐DISC merely through bookkeeping entries. No cash is moved to the IC‐DISC or into a separate bank account. In fact, the operating cash flow of the grower, farmer or processor will actually increase from use of the IC‐DISC, due to the substantial reduction in U.S. tax that would otherwise be incurred on such income.

    Ownership and Operation of the IC‐DISC

    Any form of operating entity can participate in an IC‐DISC, including a sole proprietorship, TIC, general partnership, limited partnership, LLC, S Corp or C Corp. The specific IC‐DISC ownership structure varies based upon each company’s specific circumstances, and whether it is participating in its own or a shared IC‐DISC. Similarly, the operation of an IC‐DISC and the determination of resulting tax savings varies based upon specific company circumstances.

    Choosing an IC‐DISC Advisory and Services Firm

    A fully‐qualified professional services firm (such as Burr Pilger Mayer) with relevant experience should handle all of the actions needed to set‐up the IC‐DISC and then maintain the separate accounting books for the IC‐DISC to ensure that all technical requirements are met. Failure to properly establish or maintain the IC‐DISC could result in “disqualification” of the IC‐DISC and/or loss of IC‐DISC tax savings. Equally important, a qualified firm can significantly increase and maximize IC‐DISC tax savings in accordance with established IRS rules.
    In recent months, less experienced and even under‐qualified firms and advisors have attempted to perform the IC‐DISC advisory and implementation roles. In some such cases, potential users of IC‐DISC have been misinformed or not fully informed, leading to situations where potential IC‐DISC benefits may be overlooked or promised IC‐DISC benefits may be lost in their entirety under future IRS audit scrutiny.

    In selecting an IC‐DISC advisory and implementation firm, you should carefully consider the following:

    • How many years of IC‐DISC and export tax incentives experience does an advisor have?
    • How large is an advisor’s existing IC‐DISC client base?
    • Does an advisor provide full turn‐key IC‐DISC services, from start‐up thru tax return?
    • How large is an advisor’s IC‐DISC team, and are its members fully‐dedicated to IC‐DISC?
    • Does an advisor stand fully behind its IC‐DISC services, including signing IC‐DISC tax returns as “paid preparer” and assuming IRS responsibility for their IC‐DISC results.
    • Can an advisor provide relevant references to other long‐standing IC‐DISC clients?
    • Can an advisor provide relevant references to other CPA firms that have referred their clients for IC‐DISC services?
    • Conclusion 
S. growers, farmers and processors whose products are ultimately exported from the U.S. can derive substantial U.S. tax savings from the IC‐DISC. It is not necessary for a grower, farmer or processor to be the actual exporter, or even to be selling to the exporter, in order to qualify for IC‐DISC tax savings. It is simply necessary to determine what portion of products is ultimately exported, and for a qualified firm to confirm that the product sales otherwise meet all IC‐DISC requirements.
    • 
IC‐DISC tax savings are truly a great opportunity for those who are properly‐ But time is of the essence in establishing the IC‐DISC company, since IC‐DISC tax savings cannot be claimed on income earned from sales made before the IC‐DISC is established (or participation in an established “shared IC‐DISC” is confirmed).
    • The experts at Burr Pilger Mayer, Inc. can quickly confirm the viability of the IC‐DISC in your specific circumstances and establish appropriate IC‐DISC arrangements. With many years of IC‐DISC experience, our international tax team can help you take advantage of this powerful tax incentive. We frequently work collaboratively with clients otherwise serviced by other CPAs and advisors, so welcome questions from your CPAs or other advisors.

  • California’s FREP/WPHA Conference Comes To Modesto On November 1-2, 2017

    Sacramento, Calif., (September 29, 2017) – The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA) Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP) and the Western Plant Health Association (WPHA) are hosting their 25th annual fertilizer research conference at the DoubleTree Hotel in Modesto, California, on November 1 and 2, 2017.

    This event brings together industry professionals and academic researchers to learn about the latest research and sound management of fertilizing materials.

    This year’s conference agenda includes information on nitrogen and irrigation management, as well as micronutrients, soil salinity, the role of nutrients in pest management, nitrogen reporting, nutrient education projects, and more. In the afternoon of the first day of the conference, a poster session will showcase a dozen ongoing research projects across California.

    Continuing education units (CEUs) for Certified Crop Advisers (CCAs), Pest Control Advisers (PCAs), and Central Valley growers are available for the conference. Registration is $110 per day or $180 for both days; currently enrolled students pay only $75 per day or $110 for both days.

    To view the agenda, register online, and see the approved CEUs, please visit the conference website: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/IS/ffldrs/frep/FREPConference.html.

    For more information about the 2017 conference or FREP, please contact program staff at frep@cdfa.ca.gov or (916) 900-5022.

    Since 1990, the Fertilizer Research and Education Program has funded more than 200 research projects focusing on California’s vital and environmentally sensitive cropping systems. A database of completed and ongoing research is publically available at: www.cdfa.ca.gov/go/frep.

  • CDFA Announces Extension Of Grant Application Deadline For The 2017 Alternative Manure Management Program

    Sacramento, Calif., (September 28, 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.

    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.

    Contact:

    Steve Lyle

    Director of Public Affairs

    California Department of Food and Agriculture

    916-654-0462

  • War on Weeds Takes Toll on Beneficial Bacteria in the Soil

    Ithaca, N. Y., (September 28, 2017) – As farmers battle in their above-ground war on weeds, they may inadvertently create underground casualties – unintentionally attacking the beneficial bacteria that help crops guard against enemy fungus, according to Cornell University research.

    Specifically, Cornell researchers found negative consequences of the weed-killing herbicide glyphosate on Pseudomonas, a soil-friendly bacteria.

    “Beneficial Pseudomonas in the soil can help crops thrive. They can produce plant-stimulating hormones to promote plant growth and antifungals to defeat problematic fungi – such as Pythium and Fusarium – found in agricultural soil, but previous studies reported that the abundance of beneficial bacteria decreased when the herbicide glyphosate seeps underground,” said Ludmilla Aristilde, assistant professor of biological and environmental engineering. “Our study seeks to understand why this happens.”

    Soil bacteria require their proteins – composed of amino acids – and their metabolism to support cellular growth and the production of important metabolites to sustain their underground fight. But glyphosate applied to crops can drain into the soil and disrupt the molecular factories in the bacterial cells in some species, interfering with their metabolic and amino acid machinery.

    The new findings show that glyphosate does not target the amino acid production and metabolic gadgetry equally among the Pseudomonas species. For example, when Pseudomonas protegens, a bacteria used as a biocontrol agent for cereal crops, and Pseudomonas fluorescens, used as a fungus biocontrol for fruit trees, were exposed to varying glyphosate concentrations, the researchers noted no ill effects. However, in two species of Pseudomonas putida, used in soil fungus control for corn and other crops, the bacteria had notably stunted growth, said Aristilde, who is a faculty fellow at Cornell’s Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future.

    “Thus, if a farmer is using Pseudomonas fluorescens as a biocontrol, then it is probably okay to use glyphosate,” Aristilde said. “But if the farmer uses Pseudomonas putida to control the fungus in the soil, then glyphosate is more likely to prevent the bacteria from doing its job.”

    The study offers molecular details for why glyphosate adverse effects on Pseudomonas are species-specific. “That’s actually good news because – as a society – we will likely not stop using herbicide completely,” said Aristilde. “If that is the case, farmers need to know which beneficial soil biocontrol they’re using can be susceptible. If they’re using a strain that is susceptible and conflicting with their herbicide application, then it is a problem. That’s the bottom line.”

    “Glyphosate-Induced Specific and Widespread Perturbations in the Metabolome of Soil Pseudomonas Species” was published in Frontiers of Environmental Science. The research was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture; the National Science Foundation; and the Academic Venture Fund at Cornell’s Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future.

  • State Board of Food and Agriculture to Discuss DACA’s Impact On Farmworker Community at October 3 Meeting

    Sacramento, Calif., (September 28, 2017) – The California State Board of Food and Agriculture will hear perspectives from stakeholders within the agricultural community concerning recent federal changes to immigration policy which will end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 3 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), 1220 N Street, Main Auditorium, Sacramento, CA 95814.

    “California’s farmworkers are an invaluable part of our agricultural community,” said President Craig McNamara, California State Board of Food and Agriculture. “Recent federal actions on immigration underscore the need for comprehensive reform, not just for farmworkers, but for all undocumented immigrants that contribute to California’s economic and cultural diversity.”

    Invited speakers include: Daniel Torres, Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr.; Daniel Costa, Economic Policy Institute; Diana Tellefson, United Farm Worker Foundation; Abigail Solis, Earlimart School Board; Javier Zamora, JSM Organics; President Joseph I. Castro, California State University, Fresno; Maria Echaveste, Farmworker Justice; and Senator Bill Monning.

    In addition to issues related to DACA, the Board will hold a discussion with Senator Bill Monning about efforts to address safe and affordable drinking water in communities throughout the state.

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

    All meetings are open to the public.

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

  • Big Fresno Fair, Fresno State Partner For ‘Feed The Need’ Food Drive

    Fresno, Calif., (September 27, 2017) – The Big Fresno Fair is proud to announce its continued partnership with Fresno State to lead an on-campus food drive Monday, Sept. 25, to benefit the Fresno State Student Cupboard. The event is part of the ninth annual Big Fresno Fair “Feed the Need” Food Drive effort.

    Community members and Fresno State students, staff and faculty are asked to bring 10 or more canned food items per person to Fresno State’s Red Lot (Barstow Avenue, just west of Cedar Avenue) from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. in exchange for one free admission ticket to The Big Fresno Fair, good any day.

    Food drive participants will also have the opportunity to meet Victor E. Bulldog, Fresno State First Lady Mary Castro and Fresno State coaches and players who will be giving away game tickets at random to participating donors. New Rock 104.1, 99.3 Now FM and 95.7 The Fox will be broadcasting live during the food drive.

    The Fresno State Student Cupboard, an initiative of the Fresno State Food Security Project, provides free food and hygiene items to current Fresno State students in need. Since its inception in 2014, there has been approximately 8,400 unique student visitors and 96,295 total visits to the Student Cupboard. During the core school year, the Student Cupboard serves an average of 3,000 student visitors each month who benefit from foods grown and processed at Fresno State as well as food donated by businesses and the community.

    “Food insecurity among college students is a well-studied crisis throughout the California State University and University of California campuses alike,” said Dr. Frank Lamas, Fresno State’s vice president for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. “At Fresno State, one of every three students does not know where their next meal will come from. Student academic success is our No. 1 priority and food insecurity is one of the biggest challenges our students face; therefore providing healthy food assistance has become a driving force for us. With community support, feeding the growing need is both realistic and possible. Our students are being educated to become the next generation of leaders in the region – and we ask for the community to help provide nourishment for our students who work so hard to achieve and generously give back to the community in so many ways.”

    “Last year the ‘Feed the Need’ Food Drive at Fresno State raised 18,786 pounds of food and we hope to more than double that amount on Monday, Sept. 25,” said John C. Alkire, CEO of The Big Fresno Fair. “Our fair proudly employs many Fresno State graduates and volunteers who work both year-round and during our annual fair. We are honored to help current students through the efforts of the Student Cupboard, and we are equally proud of our continued partnership with Fresno State.”