California Ag Network

Category: News

  • UC Stone Fruit Day at Kearney Ag Center, August 9

    UC Stone Fruit Day

    Wednesday, August 9, 2017

    9:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M.

    Kearney Agricultural Center

    9240 S. Riverbend Ave, Parlier, CA

    This meeting is free and all are encouraged to attend

    TOPICS

    • Tour of the 21st Century Peach Orchard Planting, including discussion of rootstock, tree architecture and density, pruning and light management
    • Design and management of subsurface drip systems for fruit trees
    • Water and nutrient movement in subsurface drip systems
    • Tree monitor and remote sensing
    • Water management to reduce fruit doubling

    SPEAKERS

    • Kevin R. Day, Pomology Advisor, UCCE
    • Becky Phene, Pomology Research Associate, UCCE
    • Claude Phene, Water Scientist Emeritus, USDA
    • Caleb Crawford, Pomology Lab Assistant, UCCEFor further information please contact Kevin R. Day at krday@ucanr.edu or 559-684-3300.

  • Plant Sap Analysis Technology to Better Meet Crop Needs

    There are many different ways to measure crop water and nutrient levels, such as through plant tissue and soil analysis; but to better identify and meet crop needs, researchers have recently developed plant sap analysis technology that is now available to growers to maximize yields and increase profitability. Watch this video interview with David Miller from Advancing Eco Agriculture as he explains this new technology.

    Sponsored By:

    Calagnet & YARA

  • Plant Science Students Receive National Agronomy Awards

    Fresno, Calif., (August 8, 2017) – Fresno State senior Nancy Valdez and junior Georgina Reyes Solorio were honored as Greenfield Scholars by the American Society of Agronomy and the International Certified Crop Adviser program.

    The plant science students were among four selected nationally based on their grade point averages, experience and awards, career goals and educational and certification plans to become crop advisers or professional agronomists.

    Recipients will be honored at the associations’ annual conference Oct. 22 to 25 in Tampa, Florida, that will include 7,000 scientists, professionals, educators and students, and will be matched with Certified Crop Adviser mentors to develop leadership skills.

    Both students are founding members of the Fresno State soil judging team that advanced to the national competition the past two years.

    Reyes Solorio (of Livingston) finished second in the regional soil judging competition in February and led the six-member Fresno State team. The former plant science club president also serves as a vice president for the California Women for Agriculture area chapter, agricultural ambassador for the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology and as a FFA field day and state conference committee member. She has worked for SynTech Research and assists with agricultural research and product development, field trials, crop and soil sampling and crop and pest evaluation.

    Valdez (of Wasco) has gained practical experience through internships with Wonderful Citrus and Grapery Inc. She also assists in campus research on oomycete water molds found in irrigation water that have damaging effects on pistachio seedlings. She has helped organize student career fairs and dinners, assisted with the state FFA field day judging competition and worked with the Fresno Chaffee Zoo, 4-H, FFA and plant science club community education programs.

    Plant science senior Vivian Maier (of Belmont) was one of 22 ASA Golden Scholar honorees chosen nationally based on her contributions to agronomy through education, service and research. She will also attend the ASA national conference in October.

    In February she was one of 28 college students selected to attend the USDA Outlook Forum in Arlington, Virginia, as part of its student diversity program and met with federal and state, agency and industry leaders. She serves as legislative director of the California Women for Agriculture area chapter and president of the campus plant science club. This summer she is conducting research on hydroponics and will make a research presentation at the University of Jonestown in Guyana.

    Fresno State students have previously received four Greenfield Scholar honors: Sarah Parry in 2015 and Aldo Garcia, Yie Wu and May Nhia Yang in 2016 plus two Golden Opportunity Scholar awards in 2015 (Sarah Parry and Julie Pedraza).

    For more information on the American Science of Agronomy and its college student awards, visit www.agronomy.org/awards/view.

     

  • USDA California Crop/Weather Report

    Sacramento, Calif., (August 8, 2017) – Summer heat continued to prevail across the State last week, with a few isolated reports of rain. Monday thru Friday brought scattered showers and thunderstorms across the deserts, with most areas receiving up to a quarter of an inch of rain in one day. A few heavier thunderstorms just east of San Diego dropped nearly 2 inches of rain through the end of the week. Elsewhere, moisture advection combined with orographic lifting led to scattered light showers in the Sierras on multiple days. On Sunday, a southern-track system managed to clip the northern tier of California, dropping about a quarter of an inch of rain from Redding northward. Most areas in the State were finally devoid of snowcover, but sheltered areas at higher elevations in the Lassen National Park area still contained patchy snow, along with the peak of Shasta.

    Temperature highs were in the 60s to 70s along the coast, 70s to 90s in the mountains, 90s to 100s, in the valley, and 90s to 110s in the desert. Temperature lows were in the 40s to 60s in the mountains, 50s to 60s along the coast, 60s to 70s in the valley, and 60s to 80s in the desert.

    Corn and sorghum for silage was being cultivated and irrigated. The corn silage crop was in various stages of development from tassels to developing ears. Cotton continued to be irrigated, cultivated, and was growing well. Cotton was blooming and forming bolls. Black-eyed beans continued to be irrigated and cultivated.

    Mid-season peaches, nectarines, and plums continued to be harvested and packed. Summer pruning and topping of harvested stone fruit groves occurred.  Asian pears were being packed and exported.  The table grape harvest continued with grapes packed and shipped to foreign markets.  Valencia orange harvest continued, primarily for the domestic market.  Regreening continued to be a problem, due to high temperatures.  Valencia oranges, Meyer lemons, variegated lemons, and finger limes were being harvested, packed, and shipped for foreign markets.  Olives continued to develop.

    In San Joaquin County, almond orchard ground prep continued for upcoming harvest.  Almond hull split was underway.  In Tulare County, last season’s almonds and pistachios were being packed and exported.  Walnut, almond, and pistachioorchards continued to be irrigated.

    In Colusa County, temperatures came down to the mid-to-high 90s, which provided a break from the triple digit heat recorded previously.  Processing tomato harvest continued and quality was reported as good.   In Yolo County, the processing tomato harvest was underway.  In San Joaquin County, harvest continued for cucumbers, honeydew melons, watermelons, cantaloupes, Bell peppers, and sweet corn. In Monterey County, the Salinas Valley was in a flurry with harvesting and shipping trucks.  All commodities were in production and market prices were holding steady at baseline cost.  Warm weather promoted seed-stem and decay in iceberg lettuce negatively affecting quality.  In Fresno County, harvest continued foronions and tomatoes.  The carrot harvest was about half completed.  Quality was reported as good, though yields were lower than expected.  Additional carrot planting was expected to start soon.  Yellow peppers were prepared for harvest.  In Tulare County, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and peppers were picked by certified producers and sold at the local Farmers’ Markets.  Yellow squash, zucchini, eggplant, Bell peppers, green chili peppers, and cucumbers were harvested and shipped domestically.  Sweet corn harvest continued and was sold at roadside stands and local Farmers’ Markets.  Melons were irrigated and prepared for the upcoming harvest.  In Kings County, the tomato harvest continued with a decent harvest reported.

    Non-irrigated pasture and rangeland quality continued to decline as condition reports across the state shifted into more poor and very poor categories. Supplemental feeding increased as the nutritional quality of grasses diminished. Sheep grazed on retired pasture and dormant alfalfa. Bees were active in melon and sunflower fields.

     

  • Fungal Hunter Prowls Soil for Plant Pathogen

    Beltsville, Maryland, (August 7, 2017) – Viewed through a microscope, the fungus Trichoderma asperellum resembles little more than delicate branched filaments. But make no mistake; it is a formidable hunter—of other microorganisms, that is.

    Since 2006, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) plant pathologist Tim Widmer and colleagues have conducted laboratory and field tests to gauge T. asperellum’s potential to biologically control Phytophthora ramorum. A plant pathogen, P. ramorum is the culprit behind sudden oak death, a disease of oak and other hardwood trees in coastal forests of California and Oregon.

    Nursery growers are familiar with a different manifestation of P. ramorum, known as “ramorum blight.” The disease afflicts rhododendron, viburnum, camellia, and other woody ornamental plants.

    Chemical fumigation and soil sterilization are two common methods of keeping nursery stock blight free-and compliant with federal and state quarantine regulations meant to prevent the pathogen’s spread.

    Now, in collaboration with BioWorks, Inc., of Victor, New York, Widmer is evaluating ways to commercially formulate the T. asperellum fungus as a biobased alternative to such soil treatments, which can be costly (upwards of $3,900 an acre for some fungicides), dangerous to use, and harmful to beneficial soil organisms. The effort includes trials funded by the U.S. Farm Bill.

    “This fungus, T. asperellum, is a mycoparasite, meaning it will actually attack and kill P. ramorum. It does this by penetrating different spore forms that the pathogen uses to survive and reproduce,” says Widmer, who is with the ARS Foreign Disease-Weed Science Research Unit in Fort Detrick, Maryland.

    In petri dish experiments at Widmer’s laboratory, and later in trials with potting mix at the National Ornamentals Research Site at Dominican University of California in San Rafael, the biocontrol fungus reduced P. ramorum levels by 60 to 100 percent, depending on which of the 12 strains of T. asperellum were tried. A chemical fungicide achieved similar results, but its effects proved temporary: 8 weeks later, the pathogen reemerged in the potting mix. Widmer suspects the fungicide temporarily halted the growth of the pathogen, but didn’t kill it.

    Under unfavorable soil conditions, P. ramorum can survive within thick-walled survival pods called “chlamydospores.” But T. asperellum specializes in breaching such defenses. In its branched form, called “mycelia,” the fungus coils around the chlamydospores and degrades their cell walls with powerful enzymes. The biocontrol fungus then enters the chlamydospores to feed, germinate, and start the cycle over again until little or no pathogen remains in the soil.

    Indeed, in small-scale nursery trials conducted with the California Department of Food and Agriculture, drench treatments of the fungus reduced the pathogen to undetectable levels during the study’s entire 3-month monitoring period.

    Buoyed by those results, Widmer and his colleague Gary Samuels, a now-retired ARS mycologist, applied for and received a patent on the top-performing fungal strain, known as “04-22.”

    BioWorks has since licensed the strain and is collaborating with Widmer on developing and registering formulations that can be applied to nursery soils and potting mixes. Developed commercially, it could give growers another tool for battling ramorum blight, helping to safeguard vulnerable ornamental crops and forests alike. — By Jan Suszkiw, ARS Office of Communications.

     

    Left: Microscopic image of a Phytophthora ramorum spore. Right: Microscopic image of the Trichoderma asperellum fungus attacking a Phytophthora ramorum spore. (Photo by Tim Widmer D3826-1 | D3827-1)

    Tanoak tree leaves killed by Phytophthora ramorum. (Joseph O’Brien, USDA Forest Service, D3825-1)

  • Borba Family Salute Raises $850,000 For Fresno State Ag Students, Programs

    Fresno, Calif., (August 7, 2017) – The family was also presented with a painting of Tina and her late husband Ross Borba Sr. that was created by David Hembree, Fresno State director of development for student affairs and enrollment management.

    “The Jordan College is so fortunate to have the Borba family’s commitment to supporting the next generation of agriculture industry and community leaders,” Witte said. “It was such a wonderful evening for such a deserving family.”

    Borba Farms, Inc. was established in 1976, but its Central Valley roots date back to the early 1900s when A.J. Borba started a family dairy near Hardwick with 40 cows and 120 acres, then moved it to Riverdale in the 1940s. Today’s 9,000-acre operation grows almonds, tomatoes, garlic, melons, lettuce, wheat and cotton and the Rancho Vista del Rio horse ranch near Fresno.

    Since 1987, the Community Salute has honored extraordinary individuals for their devoted service to California agriculture as well as their unwavering commitment to the community.

    Past honorees include Antonio “Tony” Campos (2015), John P. “Phil” Larson (2014), Stewart Resnick (2012), Ed Baloian (2010), Fred R. Ruiz (2007), Jack Woolf (2006), Virgil E. Rasmussen (2005), Fernando C. “Fred” Machado (2003), Bill Jones (2003), Sidney B. “Sid” Cox (2001), Rodger B. Jensen (1999), Vernon Conrad (1996), Vince Petrucci (1994), Harry Kubo (1991), Dick Markarian (1990), Joe Souza (1988) and Fred Rau (1987).

    The Ag One Foundation, which started in 1979, encompasses more than 100 named funds totaling more than $19.5 million and will provide nearly $600,000 to deserving students and programs in 2017-18.

     

  • Tulare County Reports on Current Crop Status

    Visalia, Calif., (August 4, 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 are making excellent progress; and continue being irrigated, cut, and baled. Corn and sorghum for silage is still being cultivated and irrigated. The corn silage crop is in various stages of development, from already producing tassels to developing ears. Cotton continues to be irrigated, cultivated, and growing well. Cotton is blooming and forming bolls. Black-eyed beans continue to be irrigated and cultivated.

    Mid-season peaches, nectarines, and plums continue to be picked and shipped to both domestic and export markets. Domestic demand is strong enough to cause the number of export shipments to continue to be significantly less than that of previous years. Stone fruit is being exported to Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, French Polynesia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, and Taiwan. Summer pruning and topping of harvest stone fruit groves is occurring. Last season’s almonds and pistachios are being exported to the Chile, China, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, Trinidad & Tobago, and the United Arab Emirates. Walnut, almond, and pistachio orchards continue being irrigated. Both mechanical and chemical weed control continues in orchards. Asian pears are being exported to Mexico. Table grape harvest continues throughout the county, and grapes are being exported to Australia, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, French Polynesia, Guatemala, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam.

    Valencia orange harvest continues, primarily for the domestic market. Regreening continues to be a problem, due to the high temperatures. Valencia oranges are being exported to China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan. Valencia oranges and Meyer lemons are being bagged for export to Mexico. Variegated lemons are being exported to China. Finger limes are being harvested and exported to France, Italy, Japan, and the Netherlands. Olives continue to develop.

    Certified producers are picking tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and peppers for sale at the local Farmer’s Markets. Yellow squash, Zucchini, eggplant, Bell peppers, green Chili peppers, and cucumbers are being harvested and shipped domestically. Sweet corn harvest is continuing and available at roadside stands and the local Farmer’s Markets. Melons are being irrigated and prepared for the upcoming harvest.

    Low elevation rangeland continues to dry and conditions are fair to good, but quality is continuing to decrease. Cattle are still being moved to higher elevations. The higher elevations are providing more grass than previous years. Feed costs for cattle remains high. The fed cattle market price is at $119.00 per hundred weight. Harvested grain fields are being sheeped-off in the southern portions of the county.

    Nursery shipments are slowing overall. Wholesale nursery shipments to Canada and domestic markets have decreased due to the hot summer temperatures. Small amounts of citrus nursery stock continue to be sold. New wells continue to be drilled, with many existing wells showing higher levels due to increases in the water table.

  • How to Check Your Citrus Trees for a Deadly Disease and the Pest that Spreads It

    Riverside, Calif., (August 4, 2017) – The incurable citrus tree disease huanglongbing, or HLB, has been detected in Los Angeles and Orange counties and most recently in Riverside. The citrus disease is spread from tree to tree by Asian citrus psyllids, the insects that move the bacteria that cause huanglongbing.

    There is no known treatment for huanglongbing, which kills citrus trees.

    Citrus trees infected with huanglongbing develop mottled leaves and produce fruit that is misshapen, stays green and tastes bitter. There is no known treatment for the disease, which usually kills the tree within three to five years, according to UC Cooperative Extension specialist Beth Grafton-Cardwell.

    Huanglongbing, which is also known as citrus greening, has already devastated the citrus industries in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina and Texas.

    You can help prevent this disease from destroying California’s citrus as well as your own trees.

    Look for yellowed leaves on citrus trees. Nutritional deficiencies can also cause citrus trees to have yellow leaves so it is important to know the difference. Nutrient deficiency causes a similar pattern of yellowing on both sides of the leaf. HLB causes blotchy yellow mottling and is not the same on both sides of the leaf.

    To identify the Asian citrus psyllid and the disease symptoms of HLB, see the fact sheets, videos in English and Spanish and other resources at http://ucanr.edu/acp.

    If you see any trees that display symptoms of huanglongbing, contact your local agriculture commissioner.

    To learn about the latest research, visit UC ANR’s new Science for Citrus Health website at http://ucanr.edu/sites/scienceforcitrushealth.

    More resources on Asian citrus psyllids and huanglongbing:

  • Fresno County Ag Crimes Report

    Fresno, Calif., (August 7, 2017) – Hello summer! As the weather has heated up, so have ag-related thefts. Particularly over the last month, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Department Ag Task Force (AGTF) has seen an increase in agricultural thefts. One specific case described below is a strong example of how a victim can help themselves and lead us to arrest those responsible for the crime.

    It’s not uncommon for ATVs to be stolen from ranches and farms. Recently, one was stolen off of a shipping container in a pistachio field near the intersection of American and Santa Fe Avenues. The unknown suspect(s) did about $2,000 worth of damage to the shipping container to steal an ATV worth about $5,000. What the offender(s) didn’t know was the farming operation had equipped the ATV with a GPS tracking device. The victim tracked the stolen equipment with an app on his phone to the area of San Mateo and Floral Avenues. The owner contacted the Fresno County Sheriff’s Department and the AGTF. As the AGTF detectives arrived, they saw the suspect in possession of the stolen ATV. The offender quickly fled the scene, and a patrol deputy in a marked unit pursued the suspect until he crashed and was arrested. The AGTF checked the scene where the ATV was found and discovered a stolen John Deere Gator from a separate burglary. The suspect was charged with both thefts. We were able to recover the ATV and the Gator because the victim worked with us. The offender thought we dropped out of the sky and couldn’t believe his “luck.” It wasn’t luck; just a great example of crime prevention measures community member can take.

    On another note, CHP Officer Nate Calk, who has been with the AGTF for over 12 years, has been reassigned. He has been of great service to the Ag community and a valued member of our team. He will be missed. Nate, thank you for service and be safe.

    As always, we are here to serve. Please contact if we can be of service. The AGTF can be reached at 559-600-8150 and AgCrimes@fresnosheriff.org.

    By Sgt. Arley Terrence, Fresno County Sheriff’s Ag Task Force

  • County Releases Draft Groundwater Ordinance that Impacts Extractions

    Tulare, Calif., (August 4, 2017) – The County of Tulare has released a DRAFT proposal of a groundwater ordinance that will impact groundwater extractions and property rights.  If approved, it would be a prohibition on groundwater usage in unincorporated areas of that county that takes effect as an interim measure before the enforcement of the new Sustainable Groundwater Management Act laws set to take effect in 2020.

    Linked here is the draft ordinance, which addresses extractions of groundwater in Tulare County. To date, this attached draft has not been presented to the Board of Supervisors. It will next be discussed at the County Water Commission meeting on August 14 at 3:00 pm, the public may attend.

    Staff to the Board anticipate the draft will be presented to the Board of Supervisors for their first look at a regular scheduled Board meeting in September. At yesterday’s County Ag Policy Advisory meeting, the committee decided to submit a comment letter to the Board in opposition.

    Members of the public, concerned landowners, and all stakeholders are encouraged to submit comments anytime through the day of the public hearing, which will likely be held at a Board of Supervisors meeting in September. When the topic is placed on the Board’s agenda, there will be a public hearing held.

    Water Rights in California are unique in many respects, and this type of prohibition on extractions may impact agricultural users in adverse ways, we encourage you to study this closely.  The Tulare County Farm Bureau board of directors and staff will also be reviewing this in the weeks ahead.