Fresno, Calif., (June 6, 2017) – The first day of sales for the 2017 harvest of Fresno State sweet corn, Friday, June 2, produced record results with 38,586 ears sold (the previous high was 36,892 ears in 2016).
This includes 36,134 ears of yellow corn and 2,452 ears of white corn in 77 bins for a record total corn sales of $15,834, reported Jeremy Lewis, manager of the Rue and Gwen Gibson Farm Market on campus.
The sweet corn for the first day sold out at 5:01 p.m., two hours before closing time yesterday. Sales resumed today at 8 a.m. until closing at 6 p.m. or supplies run out and again 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday before summer hours begin on Monday.
Corn is scheduled to be available everyday through Labor Day. The student-run market is located at 5368 N Chestnut Ave north of Shaw.
Fresno State’s campus-grown sweet corn will be available for the first time this year at 7 a.m. Friday, June 2, at the Rue and Gwen Gibson Farm Market (5368 N. Chestnut Ave.).
Customers can choose from the traditional yellow and white varieties of the market’s most popular product.
Corn will be sold at 40 cents per ear throughout the summer with supplies expected to move fast. A dozen-count bag of yellow corn will also be available for $6 during opening weekend to save customers time.
The product was first grown on campus fields in 1981 and was first sold to the public in 1982.
Sweet corn is raised on the 1,000-acre University Agricultural Laboratory that sponsors 22 enterprises and provides student-made dairy, food processing, fruit, horticulture, livestock, meat, nut and wine products to the Gibson Farm Market.
About $1 million in products are sold each year at the market to support Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology students and programs.
The store will resume its normal summer hours on Monday, June 5: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays.
Seedcorn maggot has been a significant problem for processing onion growers in the Tulelake area. Watch this brief video interview with Rob Wilson, UC Farm Advisor & IREC Director, as he shares the latest chemical and cultural practices to minimize this pest in the field. Read more in Vegetables West Magazine.
This one-day conference is organized in conjunction with the 50th Annual Meetings of the Society for Invertebrate Pathology (SIP) at UC San Diego, La Jolla. The objective of the 2nd Ag Innovations Conference: Microbial Control is to bring applied microbial control research concepts from around the world to growers, PCAs, and agriculture and ornamental industry partners in Southern California. This extension-focused event will also allow growers to learn more about the potential of microbial control and new products or techniques that can help address local issues. This event will also give researchers an opportunity to understand growers’ needs and develop their future projects based on these needs.
Since seating is limited at this venue, early registration is highly encouraged. Please register at http://ucanr.edu/AIC2017. Registration fee: $25.00 until June 15 and $50 from June 16 to August 6. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.
A mini agricultural exposition will also be organized at this event where different industry partners will showcase their biopesticides products and microbial control technologies. Contact Surendra Dara at skdara@ucanr.edu or 805-720-1700 for additional information.
Review summary of nitrogen fertilization and irrigation of CropManage treatment
Observe differences between treatments on replicated plots
Discuss strawberry irrigation and nitrogen fertilizer management with UC Cooperative Extension, grower and farm manager
Breakfast burrito and Spanish translation will be available (courtesy of the California Strawberry Commission)
2 CCA CEUs applied (1h Nutrient Mgt and 1h Soil & Water Mgt) VCAILG hours applied
CropManage is a free online decision support tool for water and nutrient management of coastal crops. Even with the wet winter, water conservation will continue to be of concern in Ventura County, and water regulations will continue to be tied to efficient nutrient management. CropManage can play an important role in providing quick decision support on water and nutrient management on a field-by-field basis.
Who should participate: strawberry growers, ranch managers, farm staff and technical service providers are welcome.
Date: Thursday, Jun 15, 2017 9:00am – 11:00am
Location: Rosamond Ranch
2705 E Pleasant Valley Rd, Oxnard, CA 93033
AGENDA (subject to change)
9:00 – 9:15 Project description and context of irrigation and nitrogen management for strawberries in Oxnard
9:15 – 9:30 CropManage’s performance: yield, water and fertilizer use data Observation of research plots and data discussion
9:30 – 10:00 Observation of research plots and data discussion
Visalia, Calif., (June 2, 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 The last of the winter wheat is being dried and baled. Alfalfa fields are making excellent progress; and being cut, dried, and baled. Last year’s Black-eyed beans are being exported to Hong Kong, Korea, and Malaysia. Corn continues being planted, and earlier planted fields are growing well. Corn field are being injected with nitrogen to promote growth. Cotton is emerging and being irrigated.
Stone fruit harvest is going strong, with a strong domestic market. Peaches are being exported to Australia, Canada, Mexico, and Taiwan. Nectarines are being shipped to Brazil, Canada, Japan, and Mexico. Apricots are being exported to Canada and Mexico. Summer pruning of stone fruit has begun. Orchard floors continue to be lined with reflective plastic to improve color prior to harvest. Cherry harvest continues. Last year’s almonds are being exported to Belgium, Colombia, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam. Pistachios in storage are being exported to Australia, Bulgaria, France, Hong Kong, Israel, Korea, Lithuania, and the United Kingdom. Both mechanical and chemical weed control continues in orchards. Grapevines continue to have leaves removed to allow for improved air circulation and light around the developing bunches to improve color.
Valencia oranges continue to be harvested and exported to China, Japan, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Grapefruit harvest is finishing up, with Star Ruby grapefruit being exported to Guatemala, Japan, and Mexico. Old citrus trees are being pulled to make way for new citrus varieties. Seedless tangerines are still netted. Olives are still blooming.
Summer vegetables are being harvested and shipped domestically. Melons are being irrigated, and cantaloupes are being picked. Zucchini is being harvested. Blueberries are being harvested, with exports to Canada, Japan, Mexico, and Taiwan. Strawberries are being harvested and sold at roadside stands.
Low elevation rangeland continues to dry, and cattle are being moved to higher elevations. Fed cattle prices are at $138.00 per hundredweight.
Wholesale nursery shipments to Canada and domestic markets continue.
Sacramento, Calif., (May 31, 2017) – Last week brought an upper-level ridge over the area leading to hot and mostly dry conditions. During the week, only a few locations received any measurable precipitation, Santa Rosa reported 0.03 inches on Thursday. For the weekend, a weakening of the ridge led to cooling statewide and a few more sprinkles across the northern third of the State.
The southern Sierras were now devoid of snowcover below 9,000 feet. The central Sierras still had about two to four feet of snowcover above 7,500 feet elevation. In the northern mountains, snowcover was largely limited to the peak of Shasta, where upwards of six to eight feet of snow. A few of the higher peaks in the northwestern mountains as well as the northern Sierras also had some remnant snowcover.
Temperature highs were in the 60s to 70s along the coast, 60s to 80s in the mountains, 90s to100s in the valley, and 90s to 110s in the desert. The temperature lows were in the 20s to 50s in the mountains, 40s to 60s in the desert, and 50s to 60s in the valley and along the coast.
Winter wheat was chopped for silage, and some was dried, as harvest was approaching completion. Harvested fields were being disced and planted to silage or other forage crops. Alfalfa fields were making excellent progress; and being cut, dried, and baled. Corn planting continued, and earlier planted fields were growing well. Corn fields were being injected with nitrogen to promote growth. Cotton was emerging at various stages of growth, and being irrigated.
Apricots, plums, early peaches, and nectarines were harvested. Cherry harvest was in full swing with good yields reported. Grapes were developing well with the favorable weather. Some grape leaves were removed to promote air circulation and light access to developing bunches. Thinning of immature stone fruit continued. New fruit tree orchards and vineyards were irrigated. Pomegranate and olive bloom continued. Mechanical and chemical weed control continued in orchards. Late Navel orange harvest was finishing up for the season. Valencia orange harvest continued. Old citrus orchards were pulled to make space for new citrus plantings.
Almond nut development was progressing well. Pistachio, walnut, and almond orchards were irrigated and fertilized. Mite control sprays were applied in mite impacted walnut groves. Some orchard floors were sprayed with herbicides and fungicides.
In Colusa County, the organic asparagus harvest ended. Processing tomatoes were growing rapidly due to good weather. In Yolo County, the snap pea harvest finished. There was more blight than usual due to the high humidity and continued wet weather, but yields were above normal due to good bloom set and excellent growing conditions. Organic fresh market tomatoes were staked and treated with copper for fungus. In Stanislaus County, planting was finished for most processing tomatoes. Production was strong with transitions from first planting to second. The weather was typical for the Salinas Valley with warm days and cool nights. In Fresno County, herbicide was applied to carrots and onions. Tomatoes were cultivated and weeded. Broccoli for seed was cut and prepared for harvest. In Tulare County, summer vegetables continued to grow and the fields were prepared for harvest. Early planted melons were picked and shipped domestically. Zucchini was harvested. In Imperial County, melons and sweet corn were harvested and sold locally.
Foothill rangeland and valley dryland pasture forage quality was primarily in fair to good condition. Drying out of grasses continued in the foothills of the southern Sierras. Sheep grazed on retired pasture and dormant alfalfa. Bees were active in melon and vegetable fields.
San Francisco, Calif., (May 25, 2017) – A federal jury has ruled in favor of the University of California in its lawsuit with two former UC Davis strawberry breeders and the private breeding company they created with UC-owned plants. A separate jury is expected to decide issues related to damages at a later time.
These strawberry plants are part of the research collection of some 1,700 strawberry plants managed by the UC Davis Public Strawberry Breeding Program. (Courtesy/UC Davis)
The jurors unanimously decided that Douglas Shaw and Kirk Larson willfully infringed UC patents, breached duties of loyalty and fiduciary duty and used plant material owned by the UC Davis Public Strawberry Breeding Program to develop berries for California Berry Cultivars, or CBC, a corporate breeding firm they established along with several large commercial nurseries and growers.
“This federal jury decision is good news for public strawberry breeding at UC Davis and all strawberry farmers throughout California and the world,” said Helene Dillard, dean of the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “Our revitalized public strawberry breeding program will continue to develop affordable, high-quality varieties and train the next generation of breeders to serve every strawberry farmer, shipper, processor, and consumer.”
During the five-day trial, the jury heard evidence that Larson and Shaw — while still employed by the university — used both patented and unpatented strawberry breeding stock developed by generations of UC strawberry breeders to make crosses in Spain for their private company. Evidence showed they harvested the seeds from those UC varieties and unreleased plant material and sent them back to California to produce pedigree plants without the university’s knowledge or permission.
Shaw and Larson retired from the UC Davis Public Strawberry Breeding Program in 2014 after decades of successful breeding for the university, working with plant material they inherited from university breeders before them. Shaw and Larson sought a license from the university to use the UC varieties in their new business. The university ultimately decided not to grant a license to Shaw and Larson, but the evidence showed that Shaw, Larson and CBC decided to use university varieties and germplasm anyway.
Shaw, Larson and CBC filed a lawsuit against the University of California, charging the university with “breach of contract, conversion, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and unfair competition” by attempting to patent the material rather than license it to CBC.
In a summary judgment decision issued in early May, District Judge Vince Chhabria threw out all but the claim of breach of good faith for the university’s decision to patent the plants. The jury ruled against that one CBC claim.
Especially important was testimony from Stephen Dellaporta, an expert in plant genetics at Yale University, who conducted DNA analysis for CBC plants grown in California from seeds imported from Spain.
“Ninety-nine percent of the genetic diversity of UC Davis patented varieties was captured by CBC’s breeding activity,” said Dellaporta, professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology at Yale. “Also, CBC’s seedlings contain genetic material from five university-patented varieties that had not been released at the time they were bred, and 19 that had never been released.”
California is a leading producer of both fresh and processed strawberries, providing more than 87 percent of the strawberries consumed in North America. Strawberry varieties developed at UC Davis produce about 60 percent of the strawberries consumed worldwide and generate $2.5 billion a year.
California growers pay lower rates than other farmers for strawberries developed by the UC Davis Public Strawberry Breeding Program and get access to new varieties before growers elsewhere. Fees from licensing strawberry varieties go back to the program to support the research, training and innovation on which the industry relies.
“We appreciate the great varieties the university has produced over the years, and we look to what the future holds,” said Neil Nagata, a third-generation strawberry grower from San Diego County.
Professor Steve Knapp took over the UC Davis Public Strawberry Breeding Program in February 2015 and has several new varieties in the works, focusing on improved strawberry yield, flavor, shelf life, production efficiency and disease resistance.
The case is scheduled to return to court next Wednesday, May 31, when the judge will consider remedies that were not for the jury to decide.
Visalia, Calif., (May 19, 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 Winter wheat is being green chopped for silage; some is being dried, with harvest nearing completion. Harvested fields are being disked and planted to silage or other forage crops. Alfalfa fields are making excellent progress; and being cut, dried, and baled. Corn continues being planted, and earlier planted fields are growing well. Cornfields are being injected with nitrogen to promote growth. Cotton is emerging and being irrigated.
Early peaches, apricots, and nectarines are being harvested and exported to Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, and Mexico. Plums are be pick for the domestic market and shipped to Canada. Some orchard floors are being lined with reflective plastic to improve color prior to harvest. Cherry harvest is going strong, with exports to Colombia, Mexico, Pakistan, the Philippines and Vietnam. The almond and walnut crops for this year look good so far. Walnuts are being sprayed for pests and blight. Last year’s almonds are being exported to Belgium, China, Colombia, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, South Africa, and Taiwan. Walnuts in storage are being shipped to Germany, Thailand, and the United Kingdom. Pistachios are being exported to Belgium, Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands. Both mechanical and chemical weed control continues in orchards. Grapevines continue to have leaves removed to allow for improved air circulation and light around the developing bunches. New orchards and vineyards are being planted and irrigated.
The late navel orange harvest is finishing up, with most going to the domestic market. Valencia orange harvest continues. Valencia oranges are being exported to China, Japan, Malaysia, and Taiwan. Old citrus trees are being pulled to make way for new citrus varieties. Seedless tangerines are still netted. Olives are still blooming.
Summer vegetables continue to grow and the fields are being prepped for harvest. Early planted melons are being picked and shipped domestically. Zucchini is being harvested. Blueberries are being harvested, with exports to Canada, Japan, and Mexico. Strawberries are being harvested and sold at roadside stands.
Range and pasture conditions at the lower elevations are drying and good to fair. Some cattle are being moved to higher elevations.
Wholesale nursery shipments have slowed down, with less demand from retail outlets as summer approaches. Mature olive trees are being dug from groves and sold for use in landscaping.
Sacramento, Calif., (May 16, 2017) – There was bit more variation in the weather pattern this week across the west coast with two separate storm systems developing and moving through the area. Each system brought a couple of rounds of light precipitation to various parts of the State.
Saturday was the only completely dry day across the State, with no reports of measurable precipitation. Every other day of the week saw very light and isolated showers at specific locations. On Tuesday, the interior deserts and southern tier received up to a quarter inch of rainfall. Thursday saw comparably widespread rain, as well, with showers falling on the northwestern mountains/coast, the northern mountain, and the northern and central Sierras. Friday and Sunday saw light showers in the central Sierras. Another late spring week led to additional snowmelt in the mountains, with snow cover limited to 7,500 feet and above in the southern Sierras. Up to 2-3 feet is likely above this elevation. The northern Sierras are also snow-free below about 5,500 feet, with six to eight feet above 5,500 feet.
Temperature highs were in the 50s to 70s in the mountains and along the coast, 70s to 80s in the valley, and 70s to 90s in the desert. The temperature lows were in the 20s to 40s in the mountains, 40s to 50s in the valley and along the coast, and 40s to 60s in the desert.
Winter wheat was being green chopped for silage; some was being dried, with harvest nearing completion. Alfalfa fields were making excellent progress being cut, dried, and baled. Corn continued being planted, and earlier planted fields were growing well. Cotton was up and being irrigated. Soil preparation and planning for rice was ongoing.
Grapes and stone fruits were developing well with the favorable weather and water conditions. Thinning of immature stone fruit continued in some orchards. New fruit tree orchards and vineyards were irrigated. Pomegranates were blooming. Mechanical and chemical weed control continued in orchards. Cherries, apricots and some early peach and nectarines were harvested. The Valencia orange harvest continued. New citrus orchards were planted. Olive bloom was drawing to a close.
Almond nut development was progressing well. Pistachio, walnut and almond orchards were irrigated and fertilized. Some orchard floors were sprayed with herbicides, and fungicides were applied as needed.
Early planted summer vegetable were progressing well. New fields were prepared for planting. Cucumbers, zucchini, eggplant and melons were planted in Tulare County. Sweet corn, peppers and melons were also planted. Processed tomato planting continued in Yolo County. Tomato planting was essentially complete in Fresno County and some early plantings were setting fruit. Some early summer vegetables were harvested. In the San Joaquin Valley, some vegetable fields were irrigated and fertilized. Herbicides and fertilizer were applied to onions for seed. In Imperial Valley, melons, sweet corn, and onions were harvested. Strawberry and blueberry harvest continued.
Foothill rangeland and valley dryland pasture forage quality was in fair to excellent condition. Supplemental feeding of livestock continued to decline. Sheep grazed on retired pasture and dormant alfalfa. Bees were active in kiwi vineyards, melon, and vegetable fields.
White Rot is a serious enemy to garlic & onion production in the Central Valley, and the California Garlic & Onion Research Advisory Board continues to fund research to find a viable alternative solution to DADS, a material that is no longer available to the industry. Watch this interview with UC Fresno County Farm Advisor Tom Turini as he provides an update on the search for a treatment to eradicate white rot from these vegetable fields. Read more about it in the May issue of Vegetables West Magazine.
