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Get ready for American Pistachio Growers’ Annual Conference in Palm Desert next week, February 22-24. Watch this interview with APG Executive Director Richard Matoian as he shares what attendees have to look forward to at this year’s conference.
By Pat Bailey
And, following in the footsteps of traditional breeding, gene editing has tremendous potential to boost the sustainability of livestock production, while also enhancing food-animal health and welfare, argues UC Davis animal scientist Alison Van Eenennaam.
She examines the potential benefits of genome editing today, Feb. 17, at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, held in Boston’s Hynes Convention Center. Her presentation is part of a session titled “The Potential of Gene Editing to Revolutionize Agriculture,” moderated by acclaimed molecular biologist Nina Federoff.
Van Eenennaam also will participate in a news briefing on this topic at noon EST on Saturday, Feb. 18, in Room 103 of the convention center.
Thanks to improvements made in the dairy industry through traditional breeding, a glass of milk today is associated with just one-third of the greenhouse gas emissions linked to producing a glass of milk in the 1940s, says Van Eenennaam, a UC Cooperative Extension biotechnology specialist in the UC Davis Department of Animal Science.
That was accomplished as traditional selective breeding improved the productivity of dairy cows so much that the number of dairy cows in the United States dropped from a high of 25.6 million in 1944 to about 9 million today, even as the country experienced a 1.6-fold increase in total milk production, she says.
“A number of breeding methods, including artificial insemination, embryo transfer, crossbreeding and, more recently, genomic selection, have been used to achieve these improvements,” Van Eenennaam says. “Now, genome editing promises to complement traditional breeding programs by precisely introducing desirable genetic variations into livestock breeding programs.”
She notes that genome editing has already been used to prevent livestock disease, including making pigs resistant to porcine reproductive and respiratory virus, and to improve animal welfare by developing dairy cows that don’t require horn removal.
Additionally, research is underway to extend applications of gene editing in the future. Gene editing might, for example, make it possible to produce offspring of only one gender, such as only hens for egg-laying operations.
The potential for applying gene-editing techniques to make improvements in food-animal production largely hinges on future regulatory processes, according to Van Eenennaam.
“It’s not yet clear what regulatory status food-animals produced with gene editing will have,” Van Eenennaam says, noting that gene editing does not transfer novel DNA into an animal, but can be used to make changes within the animal’s own genes.
“The resulting DNA sequence may be identical to existing, naturally occurring DNA sequences,” she says. “The prospect that gene-edited animals would be subject to the same type of regulations that apply to an animal drug — even though their genetic modifications might be indistinguishable from those obtained through conventional breeding — is a concern for animal breeders who are eager to employ genome editing to complement traditional genetic improvement programs.”
Alison Van Eenennaam, UC Davis Dept. of Animal Science, 530-902-0875, alvaneenennaam@ucdavis.edu
Pat Bailey, UC Davis News and Media Relations, 530-219-9640, pjbailey@ucdavis.edu
Davis, Calif., (February 17, 2017) – UC Davis has two new fellows of the Ecological Society of America:
Joh has been a member of the King Hall faculty since 2003, teaching criminal procedure, criminal law, law and society, and other courses. Her scholarly interests include policing, technology and surveillance.
She holds her undergraduate degree from Yale University, J.D. from the New York University School of Law and Ph.D. in law and society from New York University. In 2002-03, she served as a law clerk for Justice Stephen Reinhardt of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
The 2017 Celebrating King Hall event will feature a keynote address by Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg ’84, recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award presented by the UC Davis School of Law Alumni Association board of directors, as well as recognition of scholarship donors and outstanding achievements.
The Greek Diaspora Fellowship Program is designed to help avert Greece’s brain drain and develop long-term, mutually-beneficial collaborations between universities in Greece and the United States and Canada.
Drakakaki will work on “chemical genomics research, training and education in plant growth and productivity” in collaboration with Professor Polydefkis Hatzopoulos at the Agricultural University of Athens.
Drakakaki has a research focus on endomembrane trafficking in plant cells. During this fellowship, a technology transfer in the emerging area of chemical biology, drug discovery and advanced cell biology techniques will be established.
She will participate in an M.Sc. program on Systems Biology and provide workshops on cell imaging and concepts of chemical biology.
Hutmacher, who works in disease management and water efficiency, is a Cooperative Extension specialist and the director of UC’s West Side Research and Extension Center, operated by Agriculture and Natural Resources
“Bob is a highly respected leader who California growers depend on to navigate the ups and downs of the cotton industry in their state,” said Gaylon Morgan of Texas A&M. “He has helped growers find the path to profitability. He has earned this honor many times over. Bob is well deserving and has been for a long while.”
Davis, Calif., (February 17, 2017) – As urban coyote numbers rise, the animals are increasingly crossing paths with residents. There have been police reports of coyotes attacking pets and even people, but there has been no place to report casual coyote encounters. Now there is a new mobile app to help keep track of where those wily coyotes are coming into contact with people. Hikers and people walking their dogs can use Coyote Cacher, created by the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, to report coyote sightings.
“I’m so excited about this app because it will help us to collect better information on coyote conflict in California,” said Niamh Quinn, UC Cooperative Extension advisor, who studies human-wildlife interactions. “Coyote conflict appears to be particularly high in Southern California and it seems to be emerging in other areas. The information people provide through Coyote Cacher will help inform government agencies, wildlife researchers, park managers and residents to make better coyote management decisions.”
By reporting encounters with coyotes in their neighborhoods, residents can share information to help neighbors keep their pets and children safe.
“There is a coyote encounter map that will allow the public to keep track of what is happening in their areas,” said Quinn, who is based in Orange County.
Individuals can use the app to check a map to see locations of coyote sightings. Pet owners may decide not to let their pets out at night unsupervised in areas where coyotes have been reported.
“The app allows users to sign up for email alerts,” Quinn said. “These alerts – green, yellow and red – notify users when there is a coyote encounter reported in their zip code.”
Green is the lowest alert level and will give alerts for all coyote encounters in the user’s zip code, from sightings to a person being bitten. Yellow will not alert users about sightings, but will let them know about all levels of pet interactions, including pets being chased or attacked off-leash by coyotes, and red alerts. Red is the highest alert level and allows for users to be informed only about the more serious incidents, for example, a coyote attacking a pet on a leash or biting a person.
“This app will also allow me to gather baseline information on coyote activity and the success of community hazing,” Quinn said.
Community hazing involves people shouting and waving their arms at coyotes and generally being obnoxious to make the nuisance animals afraid of humans.
“It would be great if everyone would do this when they see a coyote, but at the moment this is not really happening,” Quinn said. “Also, coyotes in Southern California appear to take a lot of risks and come in close contact with humans so community hazing may not deter them.”
More intense hazing, like shooting them with paintball guns, might be more effective techniques for government agencies to manage urban coyotes, she said.
To find out if any of these techniques work, the UC wildlife scientist would like to put collars on urban coyotes to study whether the animals move away from locations after hazing.
“We are seeking funding to collar coyotes to find out more about their activity and social structure and how they react to different types of management,” Quinn said. “We would need to figure out if the effects of the hazing are long-lasting, or if the coyotes just revert to ‘bad behavior’ when the hazing is stopped.”
Although Quinn’s research is focused on California, Coyote Cacher can be used anywhere in the United States. The website also offers information about urban coyotes.
Coyote Cacher can be used on a computer or on a mobile device at http://ucanr.edu/CoyoteCacher.
The Coyote Cacher app was designed by UC ANR’s Informatics and Geographic Information Systems and funded by UC Cooperative Extension in Orange County.
Visalia, Calif., (February 17, 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 Growers continue to wait for fields to dry out sufficiently that they can resume planting winter grain and field crops. The planted grains and field crops continue to mature at an excellent rate, reaping the benefit from all the recent rain, and a few sunny days.
Field work in vineyards and orchards continues with: pruning, tying, berm sanitation, and brush shredding. Some early varieties of stone fruit are beginning to bloom. Kiwifruit are being exported to El Salvador, Japan, and Taiwan. Some almond orchards are beginning to bloom, and bee colonies are being moved in for pollination. In drier locations the removal of older orchards and vineyards continues in preparation for replanting with new varieties.
The citrus harvest is continuing. All the recent rains are having some impact on overall quality. Navel oranges are being shipped to Australia, China, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates. Cara Cara oranges continue going to China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore. Mandarin oranges continue being shipped to Australia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Japan, and Korea. Tangleos are being harvested and exported to Japan, the Netherlands, and Puerto Rico. Grapefruit and pomelos are being exported to Japan. Lemons are being exported to Japan and Mexico. Removal of older orchards continues in preparation for replanting to new varieties this spring. The domestic market for citrus fruit remains steady at a good price. Olive groves are still being pruned.
Winter vegetables continue to mature ideally. The drier weather is allowing the harvest to resume. New fields are being prepared for spring planting. Strawberries fields continue to thrive. Blueberries continue to be planted, weather permitting.
Rangeland and dryland pasture quality continue to improve with all the recent rainfall. Condition is good to excellent.
Bare root rose nursery stock continues to be received, processed and shipped out. Shipments of wholesale nursery stock are picking up as spring approaches. Local bare root nurseries are busy digging stock as weather and soil conditions allow.
Oroville, Calif., (February 16, 2017) – When a fear of imminent disaster on February 12 led to a mass evacuation order in communities along the Feather River beneath Oroville Dam, tens of thousands of people were forced to clear out in a hurry, many with no place to go.
A number of Northern California fairs stepped-up at a moment’s notice to provide shelter for people and animals, including pets, horses and a few head of livestock. At the evacuation’s peak nearly seven-thousand people were housed at fairs in Chico, Grass Valley, Orland, Woodland, Colusa, Roseville, Auburn and Sacramento. Partnering with agencies like the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and local law enforcement, the fairs were able to provide a range of urgently needed services while people awaited the all-clear signal to head home.
There were plenty of examples of the resilience and generosity of the human spirit. At the Silver Dollar Fair in Chico, members of the Chico State University soccer team stopped by for a friendly work out with evacuees. At the Placer County Fair, a wedding was held. A dedicated crew of volunteers saw to it that an evacuated Olivehurst couple could get married as planned on Valentine’s Day.
The crisis at Lake Oroville is yet another example of how California’s network of fairs partners with local communities. The fairs are much more than a place to congregate and celebrate. They are bonafide public assets; essential institutions that serve Californians in many important ways.
Sacramento, Calif., (February 16, 2017) – This winter’s record-breaking storms have tested our state and its infrastructure in ways no one could have predicted.
The past week has been particularly frightening for people in and around the City of Oroville. We’d first like to say how glad we are that hundreds of thousands of people were able to safely evacuate and that the emergency spillway helped provide the necessary time to do so.
There has been a lot of finger-pointing and talk about whether the structure should have been made even stronger.
Unfortunately, facts sometimes get lost in a crisis. As was pointed out by Jeffrey Mount of the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California, the Oroville structures had successfully handled the big flood of 1997. The emergency spillway as well as the dam itself were re-checked and re-licensed a decade ago, and deemed safe and capable of handling what at the time, experts believed would be the worst-case scenario.
It’s also important to point out that the spillway in question was an extra precaution taken in addition to the regular overflow mechanisms. The licensing agency, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), even noted that in an extreme event, some erosion of the emergency spillway would be likely. In other words, it performed as expected.
California is facing an unprecedented amount of rain and snowfall this year, well above the wettest year in the state’s recorded history. Precipitation in the Northern Sierra this year is 221% above average.
We applaud the swift work of government officials, are delighted to hear the evacuees are now returning home and look forward to rolling up our sleeves and working with all involved toward an even more secure water future.
San Francisco, Calif., (February 16, 2017) – U.S. wine exports, 90% from California, reached $1.62 billion in winery revenues in 2016, a new record. Despite challenges from a strong dollar, winery revenues were up 1% from 2015. Volume was 412.7 million liters or 45.9 million cases.
“California wine exports continue to reflect the trend toward premiumization with the dollar value of our wine sales outpacing volume shipments. California wines are well positioned for this trend—our vintners are offering quality, value, diverse styles and environmental stewardship in their winemaking. Combined with the state’s iconic lifestyle, innovative cuisine and beautiful destinations, California wines continue to gain attention from consumers worldwide,” said Robert P. (Bobby) Koch, Wine Institute President and CEO.
The top 10 export markets for California wines are: the European Union’s 28-member countries, accounting for $685 million, followed by Canada, $431 million; Hong Kong, $99 million; Japan, $87 million; China, $82 million; Mexico, $24 million; South Korea, $23 million; Switzerland, $19 million; Singapore, $14 million; and Philippines, $13 million.
“California wine exports have grown 78% by value in the last decade despite heavily-subsidized foreign competitors and high tariffs. Our global trading partners are increasingly acknowledging the high quality of wine from the Golden State and responding to our California Wines marketing efforts throughout the world,” said Wine Institute Vice President International Marketing Linsey Gallagher. Gallagher manages Wine Institute’s California Wine Export Program, involving more than 170 wineries that export to 138 countries, and 15 representatives and offices in 25 countries across the globe.
“Trade agreements, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), have helped to dramatically grow U.S. wine exports yet discriminatory non-tariff trade barriers continue to be crafted by foreign governments at a steady pace,” said Tom LaFaille, Wine Institute Vice President and International Trade Counsel. “We applaud U.S. government efforts to eliminate these barriers and strengthen our competitiveness globally, including the World Trade Organization (WTO) challenge against Canada which seeks to ensure that British Columbia grocery store consumers can choose from the vast array of the world’s great wines.”
Wine Institute’s Regional Trade Directors in key export markets reported on 2016 exports:
Canada
“Canada remains a strong market for California wines and despite a slowdown in momentum, U.S. wines were still #1 in the table wine category in Canada in 2016. Retail sales of U.S. wines are now at a record 6.5 million cases and $1.1 billion dollars with the strongest increases in the provinces of Ontario, New Brunswick, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. We anticipate continued growth and are also hopeful that provincial governments will extend to California wineries equal access to retail distribution channels,” said Rick Slomka, Wine Institute Trade Director for Canada. “Canadian consumers have confidence in the quality and value offered by California wineries whose wines are successful in all price segments. Recent price increases resulting from exchange rate fluctuation may lead to slower growth.”
Continental Europe
“As the dollar moves towards parity with the Euro, export volumes to Europe are down in most countries, mainly in the lower priced segment. The good news is that the dollar value of California’s exports to the EU countries (excluding UK) is up 2.7% as the interest in premium California wines continues to be strong,” said Paul Molleman, Wine Institute Trade Director for Continental Europe.
United Kingdom
“It’s a fantastic result for California wine in the UK, continuing three years of accelerating growth. There is a very clear trend towards premiumization with +18% value growth and rising volumes (+5%). The conversation is increasingly about exceptional wine quality from California across both powerful and elegant styles. Volume shipped exceeded 13 million 9-liter cases to the UK, making it the top volume export destination for California wines globally. With the value of California exports to the UK now worth $337 million, the industry is on track to meet its target of $400 million in export sales by the end of the decade,” said Wine Institute United Kingdom Trade Director Justin Knock.
Japan
“U.S. bulk wine exports to Japan have been growing as major Japanese importers are now importing popular-priced California wine brands in bulk and then bottling in Japan. This reduces the burdensome import duty to a limited extent and makes inventory control easier. In 2016, we saw the last major generic California wine brand switch to local bottling,” said Ken-ichi Hori, Wine Institute Japan Trade Director. “Japanese importers of U.S. wines were disappointed to learn of the U.S. withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. They now hope the U.S. will establish a Free Trade Agreement with Japan as soon as possible to abolish the heavy import duty on U.S. wines, which will help the entire American wine category grow in Japan. This is critical for the U.S. wine industry, since our competitors, Chile and Australia, already have free trade agreements with Japan and benefit from a duty advantage over U.S. wines.”
China
“The significant growth in U.S. wine exports to China in 2016 is particularly important because it demonstrates a meaningful growth in higher value products. A 47% increase in value in one year, coupled with an 11% increase in volume, speaks to the inherent strength in consumer acceptance of California wines in China, despite the rising value of the U.S. dollar versus the Chinese RMB currency throughout the year. Additionally, according to research firm Wine Intelligence, the total number of imported wine consumers in China increased by 26% over the last two years. These concurrent developments signal an increasing healthy market in China and Chinese consumers’ burgeoning interest in California wines,” said Christopher Beros, Wine Institute Trade Director for China and Pacific Rim.
Since 1985, Wine Institute has served as the administrator of the Market Access Program, a cost-share export promotion program managed by the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. Wine Institute’s Export Program supports California Wines worldwide with a consumer website discovercaliforniawines.com in eight languages, social media campaigns in 16 countries, an educational California Wines PowerPoint tool and videos, and a strong partnership with Visit California to increase tourism to California wine regions. Wine Institute organizes California’s participation in international trade shows and trade missions, offers master classes and seminars as well as tastings for trade, media and consumers worldwide. Last year, the program hosted 150 international media and wine buyers from 15 countries for visits to California wine country. For information, see: Wine Institute’s California Wine Export Program
Sacramento, Calif., (February 15, 2017) – The California State Board of Food and Agriculture will be hosting a 2018 Farm Bill Listening Session at the World Ag Expo in Tulare on Thursday, February 16th. The session will be held from Noon to 3:00 p.m. at the International Agri-Center/Heritage Complex, 4500 S. Laspina Street (Theater) in Tulare, CA 93274. Individuals interested in providing public comment on the farm bill are encouraged to attend.
“The farm bill provides the foundation for our nation’s food and agricultural policy. It is legislation that benefits everyone, including California’s farmers and ranchers,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “This legislation supports our rural communities, provides nutritional assistance for those that need it most and fosters innovations within our farm economy that benefits our environment, food safety and health.”
The current farm bill, the Agricultural Act of 2014 will expire next year necessitating action by Congress. The farm bill provides an estimated $489 billion in federal funding nationwide to support a variety of food and agricultural programs including crop insurance, conservation, nutrition and trade.
“California needs a farm bill that recognizes our diversity as a region and as a farm state,” said President Craig McNamara, California State Board of Food and Agriculture. “We need to invest in beginning farmers, end food waste and provide greater recognition for the on-farm conservation practices that California is well known for.”
The California State Board of Food and Agriculture advises the governor and the 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 current issues of concern to California agriculture.
All meetings are open to the public and attendance is welcome.
Follow the board on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/Cafood_agboard
Tulare, Calif., (February 15, 2017) – World Ag Expo and E.M. Tharp, Inc. have teamed up again to provide the “We Believe in Growing” scholarship, which supports local high school students who will be attending four-year universities to major in an agricultural field. This year’s winners, Grace Guthrie and Derrick Nunes, will each receive $2,500 scholarships to be renewed up to four years, totaling $10,000 per student.
“We are thrilled to join again with World Ag Expo to support agricultural education,” said Casey Tharp, Vice President of E.M. Tharp, Inc. “There is so much ambition and talent within our younger generation. I am optimistic about the future of agriculture, because of students like Derrick and Grace.”
Grace Guthrie, a student at Harmony Magnet Academy, plans to study Agricultural Business at California State University, Chico this fall. Grace comes from a long line of farmers and ranchers, and hopes to continue on with the family business. She has been a member of numerous agriculture associations, including the Tulare County Farm Bureau’s Youth Leadership Program.
“I am excited about my future in agriculture,” said Guthrie. “I have worked diligently in my studies and will continue to do so, in preparation to contribute to solutions for my family, my community and my industry.”
Derrick Nunes, a student at Tulare Union High School, plans to study Dairy Science at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Derrick is the Chapter Vice President for Tulare FFA and is involved in various youth organizations. He hopes to one day own a dairy and specialize in genetics.
“Anything in life is possible as long as we work hard, have motivation and want to be successful,” said Nunes. “I look forward to one day hiring and mentoring future students who have my same passion for the dairy industry.”
To be considered for the scholarship, students from across the Central Valley submitted letters of recommendation, high school transcripts, and ACT or SAT scores. The winners will be recognized at the World Ag Expo Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, February 14, 2017.