California Ag Network

Category: Tree Fruit

  • CA Prunes Introduces New Brand to Inspire all to Choose CA for Prunes

    The finest prunes on Earth have a new brand with a familiar name: California Prunes – representing all that makes California Prunes premium: world-famous growing conditions, generations of expertise among our growers and handlers, a perfected drying system, and the highest quality agricultural standards of any other nation.

    “The world comes to California for prunes, and we take that seriously,” said Donn Zea, Executive Director, California Prune Board. “California is the most reliable and consistent source in the industry for quality, size, and taste.”

    CA Prunes Introduces New BrandThe new brand is a positive embrace of California Prunes for their premium nature and an expansive view of all their benefits. The new logo design transforms a statement of origin into a reflection of market leadership and a dual message emerges through the tagline: Prunes. For life. signifying that California Prunes are good for your life, at every stage of your life.

    “It moves prunes away from an occasional food choice to a daily pleasure. This is ideal since California Prunes are good for your gut, heart and bones,” said Zea.

    He explains that consumers care more than ever about their food and the time is right to promote California Prunes in a fresh way.

    “Gut health has gained more interest and relevance, and clinical trials suggest that eating five or six prunes a day may support healthy bones,” said Zea. “In addition to the nutritional benefits, market research has shown that the only thing holding people back from eating more prunes isn’t negative perceptions, but rather the simple need for more top-of-mind awareness.”

    CALIFORNIA PRUNES DRIVE GROWTH WORLDWIDE
    “For more than three decades, we have opened markets globally for California Prunes, and we continue to do so today,” said Zea. “California has invested in premium growing processes and quality control along with nutrition and crop research, all while being committed to sustainable agriculture and ethical labor practices.”

    “When it comes to prunes, California delivers. California Prunes have earned a premium reputation in global markets,” said Zea. “The message of our new brand is clear: Choose California for prunes.”

    Joe Turkovich, Chairman of the California Prune Board and California Prune grower from Winters, Calif., said the new brand represents the premium qualities of California Prunes.

    “California’s lush valleys, ancient soils, and endless sun are ideal for growing a delectable-tasting fruit that is like none other,” said Turkovich. “California Prunes are handcrafted with care to ensure each piece of fruit is harvested at its peak for optimal size, exceptional texture, and a signature sweetness.”


    Turkovich explains that California Prunes taste – and pair – like no other prunes in the world.

    “They are fresh and sweet with a rich, smooth mouthfeel that is reliably consistent,” said Turkovich. “We are eager to encourage everyone to enjoy California Prunes today and every day.”
    CA Prunes Introduces New Brand

    GROWN IN CALIFORNIA, SAVORED AROUND THE WORLD

     California Prunes are delivered into more than 60 countries around the world. The new brand will be integrated extensively into markets including the United States, Canada, the European Union, Japan, China, and South Korea.

    To access the new California Prunes logo, photos, and recipes, visit the newly re-designed California Prunes website at www.CaliforniaPrunes.org. For additional information, visit the California Prunes’ Facebook, Twitter and Instagram social media channels at @CAforPrunes.

    ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA PRUNE BOARD 
    Created in 1952, The California Prune Board aims to amplify the premium positioning and top-of-mind awareness of California Prunes through advertising, public relations, promotion, nutrition research, crop management and sustainability research, and issues management. The California Prune Board represents approximately 800 prune growers and 28 prune, juice, and ingredient handlers under the authority of the California Secretary of Food and Agriculture.

  • Kiwifruit Administrative Committee Board of Directors Nominations Underway – Industry Members Sought to Serve

    The California Kiwifruit Administrative Committee will conduct its annual election of kiwifruit growers to serve as members and alternates for a two-year term from August 1, 2019 to July 31, 2021. Nominations are being for Districts 1 and 2. District 1 encompasses production areas in Butte, Sutter and Yuba Counties and District 2 encompasses Tulare County.

    Nomination forms were mailed to growers in each district on April 18 and should be returned to the Kiwifruit Administrative Committee postmarked no later than May 13.

    Eligible candidates include kiwifruit growers who produce kiwifruit for the fresh market, and employees of growers. Ballots will be mailed to all growers in early June.

    The Kiwifruit Administrative Committee is the official body that administers the federal marketing orderfor kiwifruit. The Kiwifruit Administrative Committee has made a commitment to enhance the diversity of the organization and is working in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to encourage eligible women, minorities, persons with disabilities, organic or non-conventional producers, small businesses, and individuals who have never served on the Committee to serve as committee members or alternates. All eligible candidates are encouraged to participate in the nomination process.

    If you have any questions please call the Kiwifruit Administrative Committee office at (916) 441-0678.

    Nomination forms are available at the office at 1521 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814, or via email at calkiwi@agamsi.com

  • Wawona Begins Promotable Stone Fruit Volumes

    Wawona Logo Wawona Packing Company, a leading grower and shipper of organic and conventional tree fruit, today announced the start of its 2019 stone fruit season. Beginning with proprietary varieties of organic and conventional peaches and nectarines, the program will expand to include additional commodities and varieties as the season progresses with plums, pluots and apricots available by mid-May.

    Wawona Ranch

     

    Wawona anticipates a large, promotable volume of stone fruit throughout its full 26-week season. Several of the varieties included in this year’s program are a result of the company’s acquisition of the stone fruit breeding assets of Burchell Nursery last summer.

    “Our proprietary breeding program allows us to start earlier and finish later than our competitors, while maintaining exceptional quality throughout the season,” said Mark Berlinger, tree fruit sales manager at Wawona. “We always have had an extensive research and development program, and our partnership with Burchell Nursery has further expanded our ability to provide the most flavorful, high-quality varieties to our customers.”

    With more than 9,000 acres of farmland in production in California’s central San Joaquin Valley, Wawona’s stone fruit program is the most diverse of its kind, offering organic and conventional varieties for yellow and white peaches, yellow

    and white nectarines, black and red plums and pluots, along with conventional apricots.

    For more information about Wawona Stone Fruit programs please call (559) 528-4000 or email sales@wawonapacking.com.

    About Wawona Packing Company
    Founded in 1945, Wawona Packing Company currently farms more than 9,000 acres in California’s central San Joaquin Valley. Wawona offers organic and conventional tree fruit and citrus and is the largest grower of organic tree fruit in the United States. The company’s brands include Sweet-2-Eat, Sweet-2-Eat organic, Harvest Sweet and Wawona. For more information visit wawonapacking.com.

  • Navel Orangeworm Management in Figs

    Navel Orangeworm is widely known as a serious pest in tree nuts; however, it is also becoming quite the nuisance in California’s fig crop as well.  Check out this brief interview with Brad Higbee, now Field Research & Development Manager for Trece, Inc. as he talks about the work they are doing to help fig growers, and read more about it in California Fresh Fruit Magazine.

  • Musco Family Olive Co. Offers New Contracts to California Olive Growers

    Looking to strengthen the market for California-grown olives, Musco Family Olive Company, the #1 branded olive company in America and the largest packer of ripe olives in the world, recently announced it is offering new contracts to growers impacted by the recent decision of a competitor to cancel its contracts with California farmers.

    “We want every farmer impacted by this decision to know that Musco Family Olive Company is committed to the California ripe olive industry.  Our gates are open to purchase this year’s crop to meet our increased supply needs from any grower who commits to our modern growing and harvesting goals,” said Felix Musco, the company’s Chief Executive Officer.  He added, “Additionally, while preference will be given to those growers who commit to planting mechanically harvestable acreage, we will also offer a one-year contract to as many acres as we can to provide everyone with more time to consider this opportunity.”

    The California olive industry has suffered for years from unfair trade benefitting Spanish ripe olives.  Using what was later determined to be unfair trade practices, Spanish olive exporters years ago seized the U.S. foodservice market and then moved on to capture the U.S. retail market.  The California industry filed a trade action against Spain in 2017, which led to final anti-dumping and countervailing duty rulings last year in favor of the California ripe olive industry.  The U.S. Government’s strong enforcement of the trading rights is now providing the California ripe olive industry the care and attention it needs to grow.

    As a result of that ruling, the California ripe olive industry has quickly regained substantial market share lost to unfair imports from Spain. With the California industry having regained the U.S. retail segment, Musco Family Olive Company believes the time has come for the domestic industry to turn its sights on becoming the primary provider to the U.S. foodservice market which is, in total, larger than the retail market.  Unfortunately, California has lost the lion’s share of that segment in recent years.

    “Regaining the lost sales in foodservice is a huge opportunity for the domestic ripe olive industry and could provide a home for 10,000 acres of new plantings in California,” said Felix Musco.  He added, “California has long been the largest and most modern producer of agricultural products in the world.  We are proud that olives have been a part of this strong industry for many years and we look forward to investing in our future so the California ripe olive industry will thrive and grow for generations to come.”

    For many years, Musco Family Olive Company has practiced a long-term, sustainable model focused on the development of modern growing and harvesting techniques.  The company was the first to demonstrate and utilize mechanical harvesting as a viable option for picking olives in California.  It is committed to modern planting to ensure competitively-priced fruit and strong grower returns.  The company has a long-term perspective on the California ripe olive industry and looks forward to working with like-minded growers to build a strong future for the industry. Musco Olive Company recently unveiled its incentive program for planting mechanically-harvestable acreage to its existing growers.“I firmly believe these monumental events can strengthen an industry.

    Rather than surrender, I know as a grower and as a packer, now is the time to invest in our California olive industry,” said Dennis Burreson, Musco Family Olive Company’s Vice President of Field Operations and Industry Affairs.   He added, “My family’s modern mechanically harvested olive orchards have generated revenue exceeding any other crop we are involved with, including almonds.  Because of this, we are now planting additional olive acreage. ”

    Musco Olive Company looks forward to sharing and discussing these programs with all interested growers.  For growers interested in learning more about Musco Family Olive Co.’s contract offerings they can contact field personnel at (530) 865-4111.

    About Musco Family Olive Co.:

    Musco Family Olive Co. is a third-generation privately held family owned business and holds the #1 branded market share of ripe olives in the U. S.  Musco partnes with hundreds of multi-generational family farmers throughout California’s Central Valley growing premium Manzanilla variety black olives developed and grown in the state for decades.  Musco Family Olive Co. is proud of its industry-leading environmental stewardship program and has been recognized with numerous awards.  The company is committed to its California growers, long-tenured employees, and countless valued vendors and business partners.

    History of the Olive Industry in California:

    The California ripe olive industry has a long and storied history. The black ripe olive process was developed in California over 120 years ago by Freda Ehmann of Oroville, California. Thanks to her entrepreneurial spirit and the dedication of 1000 hard-working California ripe olive grower families, consumers can continue to enjoy this traditionally American olive as they have for many generations. For more information about California olive growing family farms, please look here: http://calolive.org/meet-our-growers/

  • Farm Bureau Seeks Action for Olive Growers

    The recent announcement of table olive processing contracts being cancelled by Bell-Carter Foods on nearly 4,500 acres of olives grown in Tulare County has Tulare County Farm Bureau paying attention. Farm Bureau is asking state and federal officials to take action to assist those growers impacted by these contract cancellations.

    Specifically the ask from growers is to help close a loophole that has allowed a foreign company to acquire ownership in a US based olive processor, and flood the market with cheap foreign olives while displacing California olive growers.  What happens in this commodity can certainly happen in others.

    In Tulare County approximately 4,500 acres of olives will be impacted by this action, prompted by the announcement that a European conglomerate, Dcoop, has acquired a 20% ownership interest in Bell-Carter Foods and will be shipping cheaper grown Spanish and Argentine olives into the US for processing under a loophole that will allow the company to avoid paying tariffs on their imported raw unprocessed olives.

    The impacts to our local economy will be felt by many, including the olive growers who have lost their processing contracts, and the 1500 estimated farm workers who could find their annual income severely impacted by the loss of the harvest work that is traditionally done in September and October when olive picking occurs.  “These are highly skilled workers that will lose some of their most lucrative earning opportunity with this acreage going out of production,” stated olive grower Bill Ferry.

    Significant impacts that concern Farm Bureau and local growers are:

    • loss of farm revenue to the olive growers who lost their processing contracts;
    • abandonment of groves causing nuisance, and pest and disease concerns for adjacent landowners;
    • farm labor contractors reducing hours available to their workers during the pruning and harvesting periods for olives, loss of those jobs and workers leaving the sector entirely;
    • consumers being sold products from foreign countries with less strenuous food safety regulations;
    • farm land acreage being lost, which may cause premature development in rural areas;
    • excessive costs to growers on redevelopment of land into other agriculture crops
    • uncertainty with Sustainable Groundwater Management Act reductions in groundwater supplies;
    • loss of tax revenue to the county and region generated by these job.

    While there is one other major table olive processor in California, Musco Family Olive Co. is not able at this time to ensure that all of this contracted acreage could be processed in their facilities.  Until it is known, the displaced growers face great financial uncertainty.

    Olive growers also have less than one week to determine if they will renew their crop insurance for the 2019-20 growing season.  It would be difficult to incur the expense for crop insurance for a crop they cannot sell.

  • Top 2019 Ag Issues – California Fresh Fruit Association

    George Radanovich, California Fresh Fruit Association President

    The California Fresh Fruit Association (CFFA) recently announced their Top Issues for 2019. Members were surveyed in December 2018 and ranked the top issues for CFFA to concentrate on in 2019.

    President of the California Fresh Fruit Association, George Radanovich, stated, “As in years past, our membership has given us strong direction in identifying their top priorities for 2019. The issues of labor, water, and food safety, will lead our list of issues,” said Radanovich. “CFFA will continue to serve as the primary liaison between regulatory and legislative authorities by acting as the unified voice for our members on these and many other issues.”

    Here are the results:

    •  Federal Immigration Policies Addressing Current and Future Labor Force
    •   Increasing Wage Costs (Base Wages/OT Thresholds)
    •   Water Supply Availability and Curtailment
    •   Immigration Enforcement (ICE)
    •   Groundwater Management Requirements (S.G.M.A.)
    •   Labor Regulatory Compliance
    •   Water Quality Requirements and Clean Drinking Water Liability
    •   Federal and State Food Safety Compliance Requirements
    •   Health Care Costs (Policy Costs/Paid Sick Leave)
    •   Plant Health Materials (Pesticide, Herbicides, Fungicides, etc.)As always, it will be the Association’s goal to work on behalf of its members to address these issues and many more, in an effort to create a better working environment for their businesses.

      ABOUT THE ASSOCIATION

      The California Fresh Fruit Association’s purpose is to advocate for its members on a daily basis, which is made possible through the voluntary support of growers, shippers, marketers and associate members. The organization was created in 1936, mainly to negotiate railroad rates for shippers, and has since evolved into filling the industry’s need for public policy representation. Visit www.cafreshfruit.com or call (559) 226- 6330 to learn more.

  • California Fresh Fruit Magazine – December Issue – Read It Here!

    The PDF File may take a minute to load.  Thank you for your patience!

    [flipbook pdf=”http://www.californiaagnet.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/FF-LOW-RES-PROOF-1.pdf”]

  • Introducing the Mega Kiwi with California Grower Jerry Kliewer

    Jerry Kliewer and his family have been growing kiwifruit in the Central Valley since the 1970s, but they are on to something really BIG now with a new variety they have introduced to America, known as the Mega Kiwi. Watch this brief video interview as Jerry talks about growing this new variety, and read more about it in the November issue of California Fresh Fruit Magazine Here.

    Would you like to receive the magazine in print for FREE? Fill out this digital Subscription Form.

  • California Fresh Fruit Magazine – November Issue – Read It Here!

    The PDF File may take a minute to load.  Thank you for your patience!

    [flipbook pdf=”http://www.californiaagnet.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/CFF-LOW-RES-PROOF-1.pdf”]