California Ag Network

Category: Vegetable Industry

  • Inaugural Global Harvest Automation Report Reveals Grower Investment

    Growers are keen to adopt automation to bridge the growing labor gap and ensure that their crops can be picked in time, according to the Global Harvest Automation Report, a first-of-its-kind study commissioned by Western Growers. The report is the first in a new annual series that will track, measure and report on industry progress in harvest automation across the fresh produce industry.

    The Global Harvest Automation Report is part of WG’s Global Harvest Automation Initiative, which aims to accelerate ag automation by 50 percent in 10 years.

    “One of the main aims of the report was to take a comprehensive look at the entire harvest ecosystem and provide a quantitative look to the Western Growers membership at how much harvest innovation is impacting their operations across fresh products for specialty crops, where the most progress is occurring, and why,” says WG VP of Innovation Walt Duflock. “Second, we wanted to provide an in-depth view of the innovators who are doing the heavy lifting by crop type, so growers would know who to contact based on the crops they grow.”

    Among the findings of the report, which was prepared in collaboration with consultants at Roland Berger:

    • 65 percent of participating growers have invested in automation over the past three years
    • The average annual spend on automation was $350,000-$400,000 per grower
    • Spending occurred in pre-harvest and harvest assist activities, including weeding, thinning, harvesting platforms and autonomous ground vehicles. It is anticipated that 30-60 percent of these activities will be automated by 2025.
    • Harvest automation itself remains limited because of the technical difficulties in replicating the human hand to harvest delicate crops. It is anticipated that 20 percent of harvest activities will be automated by 2025.

    Full print copies of the Global Harvest Automation Report will be available at the Western Growers booth at the World Ag Expo Feb. 8-10, 2022 in Tulare, Calif.; to download a complete digital copy please click here.

  • CA Tomato Processors Forecast Larger Crop In 2022

    USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service — As of January, California’s tomato processors reported they have, or will have, contracts for 12.2 million tons in 2022, which is an increase of 10% compared to 11.1 million contracted tons forecast in the August 2021 California Processing Tomato Report. Processors estimate that the contracted production for 2022 will come from 245,000 acres, generating an average yield of 49.8 tons per acre. The contracted planted acreage forecast is 7% higher than the 2021 acreage of 229,000 reported under contract in August.

    The USDA-NASS Pacific Regional Office surveyed California’s tomato processors for their intended contract acreage and tonnage for the upcoming 2022 season. The data reported by processors was either tonnage with derived acreage, or acreage with derived tonnage.

    This early processing tomato estimate is funded by the California League of Food Producers.

  • Scientific Literature Review Confirms Watermelon’s Health Potential

    Watermelon is a unique fruit with compounds that may have health effects throughout the body, supporting normal cardiovascular and metabolic health. According to a new comprehensive review of the scientific literature on watermelon, eating watermelon regularly may help promote health. This research paper, authored by Britt Burton-Freeman, Ph.D., and colleagues from Illinois Institute of Technology was recently published in the journal Current Atherosclerosis Reports.

    “Research is unveiling the health-promoting potential of watermelon. The current literature review provides evidence that watermelon intake and citrulline supplementation lower blood pressure in human trials. Although more research is needed, favorable effects on lipids/lipoprotein metabolism are emerging based on the data we reviewed and reported in preclinical models,” said lead author Burton-Freeman.

    According to the research, watermelon contains essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and amino acids. It also contains the amino acids citrulline and arginine, which both act as a precursor to nitric oxide, a molecule that plays a role in blood pressure regulation, lipid reduction and glucose control. Polyphenols and carotenoids, particularly lycopene, are also abundant in watermelon. The nitric oxide benefits of citrulline and arginine coupled with the bioactivity of polyphenols and carotenoids found in watermelon suggests that this fruit may support normal cardio-metabolic health.

    Burton-Freeman and colleagues reviewed the preclinical and clinical trial evidence published from 2000 to 2020 to assess watermelon intake and citrulline (a signature compound found in watermelon) on cardiovascular and metabolic outcomes, and to identify future directions important for establishing dietary guidance and recommendations. They explored studies related to the whole fruit as well as citrulline supplementation, focusing on key cardio-metabolic risk factors. More research is needed to confirm findings of the studies identified in this literature review.

    The investigators concluded that watermelon provides a combination of nutrients and phytochemicals working across multiple mechanisms to induce biological effects. Citrulline and arginine are central to these cardio-metabolic effects, and polyphenols, lycopene, potassium and magnesium contribute as well.

    Continued research is needed to determine the level of sufficient intake for clinical outcomes and will also need to be studied in a variety of populations. Research on the whole fruit and its products (i.e., juice) is also needed to help determine the level of sufficient intake. The research identified additional potential benefits from watermelon consumption that warrant further research, such as body weight control (possibly through satiety mechanisms), glucose control, and brain and gut health.

    Low fruit intake is one of three dietary factors associated with death from cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes (T2DM), as are high salt intake and low whole-grain intake. These dietary factors affect people regardless of age, sex and other socio-demographic variables.1 Recent research also

    shows that eating a variety of fruit helps reduce the risk of T2DM2, while the amount of fruit and the type of fruit selected provide cardiovascular benefits.

    About National Watermelon Promotion Board

    The National Watermelon Promotion Board (NWPB), based in Winter Springs, Florida, was established in 1989 as an agricultural promotion group to promote watermelon in the United States and in various markets abroad. Funded through a self-mandated industry assessment paid by more than 800 watermelon producers, handlers and importers, NWPB mission is to increase consumer demand for watermelon through promotion, research and education programs.

    Watermelon packs a nutritious punch, with each serving providing an excellent source of Vitamin C (25% DV), a source of Vitamin B6 (8% DV), and a delicious way to stay hydrated (92% water), with only 80 calories per 2-cup serving. Watermelon consumption per capita in the United States was an estimated 16 pounds in 2020. Watermelon consumption in the United States was approximately 5.3 billion pounds in 2020. The United States exported an additional 359 million pounds of watermelon. For additional information, visit www.watermelon.org.

    References

    1. Afshin A, Sur PJ, Fay KA, Cornaby L, Ferrara G, Salama JS, et al. Health effects of dietary risks in 195 countries, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Lancet. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(19)30041-8.

    2. Cooper AJ, Sharp SJ, Lentjes MAH, Luben RN, Khaw K-T, Wareham NJ, et al. A prospective study of the association between quantity and variety of fruit and vegetable intake and incident type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2012. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(19)30041-8.

    3. Bhupathiraju SN, Wedick NM, Pan A, Manson JE, Rexrode KM, Willett WC, et al. Quantity and variety in fruit and vegetable intake and risk of coronary heart disease. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.113.066381

    4. Burton-Freeman B, Freeman M, Zhang X, Sandhu A, Edirisinghe I. Watermelon and L-Citrulline in Cardiometabolic Health: A Review of the Evidence 2000-2020 

  • Organic Certifiers Recognized for Data Partnership and Collaboration

    The USDA National Organic Program (NOP) today recognized the work of accredited organic certifiers with awards for extraordinary support of the National Organic Standards. The awards were presented at the annual NOP Certifier Training for organic inspectors from around the world, held virtually. Ten certifiers were recognized for exceeding requirements for delivering high quality data to the Organic INTEGRITY Database in 2021. Two Certifiers were also recognized with a Director’s Award for outstanding contributions to work in organic certification.

    “These awards recognize the success of our public-private partnership and demonstrate the close collaboration between certifiers and the program to protect consumer confidence and maintain a level playing field for organic farmers, ranchers and businesses,” said NOP Deputy Administrator Jennifer Tucker. “The work of these certifiers really stood out, even at a time when the overall quality and timeliness of the data being provided voluntarily continues to improve each year.”

    Up-to-date public information about organic operations helps buyers and sellers find each other in the marketplace, making data an important market development tool. The USDA Organic Integrity Database makes it easy for anyone to look up the status of a certified organic operation and see the products that each farm and business has to offer.

    The fifth annual Investing in INTEGRITY Data Quality Award winners are (listed alphabetically):

    • CCOF Certification Services, LLC (CCOF) – Santa Cruz, CA

    • Certificadora Mexicana de Productos y Procesos Ecologicos SC (CMEX) – Oaxaca, Mexico

    •Clemson University (CU) – Pendleton, SC

    • Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) – Des Moines, IA

    •LACON GmbH (LACON) – Offenburg, Germany

    • Marin Organic Certified Agriculture (MOCA) – Novato, CA

    • MOFGA Certification Services, LLC (MCS) – Unity, ME

    • New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food (NHDAMF) – Concord, NH

    •Primus Auditing Operations (PAO) – Santa Maria, CA

    • Quality Certification Services (QCS) – Gainesville, FL

    Exceeding Data Requirements

    The federal organic regulations currently require that certifiers annually submit a set of basic facts regarding all certified operations to the Organic Integrity Database. The database also includes many optional fields, like acreage and head count for cattle or poultry, that can aid in oversight. The Strengthening Organic Enforcement rulemaking underway will increase accreditation and certification oversight, in part, through additional reporting and training requirements for certifiers and inspectors.

    The ten certifiers recognized today significantly exceeded the minimum requirements by supplying additional detail on their certified operations and submitting updates on a rolling basis throughout the year.

    Over the past year, two certifiers stood also out for their consistent, effective communication and collaboration with NOP staff on a wide range of issues and day-to-day operations, including fraud investigations. Their regular, open collaboration with the Program provided increased insight into the real-world application of the organic standards, while allowing the NOP to more effectively ensure certifiers are consistently applying the standards for USDA certified farms and businesses located in the U.S. and around the world.

    For their outstanding contributions to work in organic certification, the 2022 National Organic Program Director’s Award winners are:

    • Oregon Tilth Certified Organic (OTCO) – Corvallis, OR

    • MOFGA Certification Services, LLC (MCS) – Unity, ME

    Organic Oversight

    The NOP develops and enforces voluntary standards for organically produced agricultural products sold in the United States. Congress established the NOP as a regulatory program that operates as a public-private partnership. The NOP currently accredits and oversees 76 certifiers operating around the world.

    These third-party organizations inspect and certify organic farms and businesses to the USDA organic regulations. USDA also invests significant resources to develop certifier and inspector capabilities and oversee their work year-round.

    The Organic INTEGRITY Database makes information on current and former certified organic operations publicly available online from anywhere in the world. It allows users to quickly confirm the organic certification status and other details of a farm or business and helps certifiers support the organic community in market development and fraud prevention.

    More information on organic enforcement and oversight is available on the NOP website at www.ams.usda.gov/organic.

  • National Watermelon Promotion Board Seeks Directors

    The National Watermelon Promotion Board (NWPB) will hold a nomination teleconference on Wednesday, February 16th, 2022 at 8:00 A.M. (PT) for district 4 and Wednesday, February 16th, 2022 at 10:00 A.M. (PT) for district 5 to nominate qualified watermelon producers and watermelon handlers to fill open positions as directors of the Board.

    District 4 — The States of: Connecticut, Delaware,Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, NewHampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont,Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Washington, DC.District 5 — The States of: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

    The NWPB encourages all women, minorities and persons with disabilities who qualify as watermelon producers and handlers to attend the meeting and run for nomination to the NWPB.

    All watermelon producers and handlers in District 4 & 5 are encouraged to attend and vote to nominate their representatives to the NWPB. Nominations are submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Secretary of Agriculture makes the final appointments to the NWPB. The newly appointed Board members term of office will begin on January 1st, 2023, and end December 31st, 2025.

    The Board members administer promotion and research programs for watermelon. The NWPB works to increase consumer demand for watermelon and expand domestic and foreign markets through its marketing, consumer public relations and education programs. The non-profit Board works with an administrative staff to enact retail, foodservice and media promotions and research programs.

    All Board members are required to attend two meetings each year to become familiar with and develop the Board’s variety of marketing, research and education programs.

    The NWPB represents about 800 commercial watermelon producers, handlers and importers that finance all of the Board’s programs through assessments on watermelons as authorized by the Watermelon Research and Promotion Act. The 30-member Board is currently comprised of 10 producers, 10 handlers, 9 importers, and a member who represents the public.

    Board members are nominated by their peers, and nominations are submitted to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, who makes final appointments to the Board. These board members oversee all aspects of the Board, including setting policies and deciding how the Board’s budget is invested in promotion, research and education programs. The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service monitors the Board’s operations.

    To be eligible for nomination, producers must grow 10 or more acres of watermelon, and handlers must be the first handler of watermelon, according to §1210.306 and §1210.308 of the Watermelon Research and Promotion Plan.

    Consistent with §1210.403, the NWPB will allow proxy voting for Board nominees. Individuals wishing to vote by proxy should prepare signed, dated statements, including the proxy voter’s printed name, address, telephone number, identity as a producer or handler, and the name of the individual authorized to cast the proxy vote. These statements should be given to those authorized to cast the proxy vote, who will then provide the statements to the NWPB no later than Wednesday, February 2nd, 2022.

    The producers and handlers appointed to the Board will represent the NWPB’s interests throughout the district in meetings and other forums, and should be dedicated to supporting the Board’s marketing, promotion, research and education programs.

    Additional information regarding the elections and nomination procedures may be obtained by contacting NWPB Director of Operations & Industry Affairs Rebekah Dossett (407) 605-5984 or Industry Affairs Manager Andrea Smith (407) 613-2972.

  • Black Beans Help Fix Insulin Resistance and Gut Bacteria Balance

    USDA ARS — Adding cooked black beans to a high-fat diet improved sensitivity to insulin and other measures often related to diabetes and restored gut bacteria balance in obese mice, according to a USDA Agricultural Research Service study.

    As little as the mouse-size equivalent of a single serving a day of black beans—about a half cup for a human—lowered insulin resistance 87 percent in obese mice compared to obese mice eating the same high-fat diet without the black beans. Insulin resistance is when a body’s response to the hormone insulin is impaired so glucose in the blood cannot be used for energy, resulting in high blood sugar, a factor often leading to diabetes.

    Mice on the high-fat plus black beans diet also decreased low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the so-called bad cholesterol, 28 percent and triglyceride levels 37 percent compared to mice eating the high-fat diet without black beans. These are both risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

    Other diabetes-related biomarkers such as the levels of leptin, glucagon, and a group of inflammatory biochemicals were all significantly better in the mice on the high-fat plus black beans diet.

    The researchers also found that adding black beans to the high fat diet restored the balance of healthier bacteria in the gut, particularly decreasing the ratio of Firmicutes bacteria to Bacteroidetes bacteria in the gut by 64 percent compared to mice on the high fat diet without black beans  and mice on a low fat diet. High ratios of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes are associated with obesity. Intestinal bacteria associated with inflammation such as Blautia and Clostridium all were significantly reduced in mice fed the high fat plus black beans diet compared to mice on the high fat diet without beans.

    “This research suggests that eating even a small amount of black beans can have multiple health benefits,” said ARS research chemist Wallace Yokoyama with the Healthy Processed Foods Research Unit of the Western Regional Research Center in Albany, California. Yokoyama led the study, which was published in the scientific journal Foods.

    “We also tested if supplementing the high fat diet with individual components from black beans would have the same beneficial impacts on the obese mice and didn’t find the same effects at all. It was only adding whole black beans, and cooked whole beans at that, which had the benefits,” Yokoyama said.

    Perhaps the most interesting scientific information coming from this study, according to Yokoyama, is data to begin determining just how black beans improve insulin resistance. It appears that black beans may inhibit the JNK/c-Jun pathway, a key metabolic pathway that has many but not necessarily well-defined functions including regulating inflammatory responses. Chronic inflammation is believed to be the basis for insulin resistance and other metabolic diseases.

    Black beans, or more precisely black turtle beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), are generally low in fat and high in fiber and protein. They are popular in Latin American, Mexican and Caribbean cuisines as well as in Cajun and Creole cooking. Like all common beans, black beans are native to the Americas. Today, they have been introduced around the world to become known as frijoles negros or poroto negro in Spanish, feijão preto in Portuguese, and karuppu kaaramani and kala ghevada in various regional cuisines of India.

    The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in agricultural research results in $17 of economic impact.

  • New Economic Analysis Underscores Impact of Pandemic on Farmers, Agriculture

    We have all felt the seismic shift from the pandemic and its impact on our lives and livelihoods. Throughout the pandemic farmers and farm workers have worked diligently and continually to deliver healthy and safe fruits and vegetables to consumers. But the pandemic further exposed the tight margins of farming and the intense cost pressures being faced in agriculture today.

    The Grower Shipper Association of Central California (GSA) commissioned a new analysis by economists to examine the cost impacts of the pandemic as well as other factors, such as supply chain issues, which are putting pressure on agriculture’s ability to sustain food production in the region.

    The mission of GSA is advancing families, food and farming in Central California. These types of analyses are an important way to assess vulnerabilities associated with increasing costs as well as identify potential areas where better solutions may be necessary to advance our mission. It also allows GSA to assess their role in supporting members and ag employees by relieving or alleviating economic burden through solution-driven work.

    This analysis provides a short and long-run outlook and focuses on current, continuing and impending cost pressures within a landscape of the economic fundamentals of supply and demand. While there are numerous crops produced in our region, the economists determined their analysis would focus on one crop specifically in order to appropriately identify industry cost pressures. Therefore the analysis examines the per carton costs of growing and shipping iceberg lettuce.

    The economists determined the total cost to produce a carton of iceberg lettuce is over $17 per carton. The average baseline production budget for Salinas Valley iceberg lettuce shows typical costs to grow, harvest, and pack is around $15 per carton. According to the analysis, the estimated increase in direct lettuce production costs identified is $2.12 per carton. This includes a $0.68 increase to growing costs and a $1.44 increase for harvest, packing, and cooling costs including a $0.67 increase due to operational changes related to COVID-19.

    At an average price of $15 to $17 per carton, grower-shippers are not able to cover production costs. The economists state that an increase of $2.12 per carton with 24 heads of lettuce may seem immaterial from the consumer perspective – this would work out to $0.09 per head. However, they point out that this change is quite significant for farmers and shippers.

    These findings are sobering and reinforce GSA’s commitment to support our mission through results oriented efforts. As an example, GSA’s work to protect employees from the spread of COVID-19 included the creation of a model quarantined housing program as well as a mass vaccination program responsible for having immunized a majority of the farm workers in the region. While the primary objective of this effort was to keep farm workers and their families healthy, the development and operation of this vaccination program, in partnership with Clinica De Salud Del Valle De Salinas, also likely lowered the economic burden of COVID-19 on ag employers since it allowed the region to continue consistently harvesting and shipping produce.

    As we address the economists’ findings, GSA and the farmers and farming companies we represent understand their responsibility to grow safe food, protect farm workers, nurture and sustain our farms and the environment around them and be good neighbors and stewards of our communities where we live and work. We acknowledge that thoughtful, outcome-oriented regulations can provide necessary baseline uniformity that govern practices in the workplace including environmental and food and worker safety protections that benefit our community and consumers. However, when new regulations or legislation that impacts agriculture are being considered, farmers should have a seat at the table and cost impacts should be discussed and evaluated, especially in light of the profit margins identified in this analysis.

    While a safe workplace, a healthy environment and safe food are of paramount importance, a strong economy creates important opportunities and support that benefits our communities and should remain a priority as well. In fact, 77% of Bay Area and Central Coast residents agree that agriculture was most or very important to the quality of life and the economy of California in a survey conducted by GSA. This reflects the value of agriculture, including job-creation, support of community initiatives and charities, preservation of green and open spaces and local food production.

    Learn more about the findings from this economic analysis on our new page in the Our Work section of the GSA website. On this page you will find a white paper outlining the findings of the analysis as well as a link to the full report.

  • USAID Awards UC Davis $15 Million for Global Horticulture Research Program

    The U.S. Agency for International Development will provide a base $15 million investment over the next five years, with up to $34.5 million total funding possible, to support a global research program led by the University of California, Davis, that advances fruit and vegetable production, handling, and consumption.

    The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture will work with and promote local leadership in communities across the globe to advance horticultural and social innovations for nutritional and financial security. This competitive five-year program was first awarded to UC Davis in 2009 and renewed in 2014.

    “Horticulture offers big health, economic and environmental benefits,” said Elizabeth Mitcham, program director and a UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Plant Sciences. “UC Davis will be leading an outstanding global consortium that will be able to make big impacts on developing sustainable, local expertise and innovative technical and social solutions to empower horticulture producers and their communities.”

    UC Davis will be joined in a consortium with Florida A&M University, Michigan State University, Texas A&M, and World Vegetable Center, along with subject matter experts from Penn State University and Making Cents International, to help manage this program.

    The Horticulture Innovation Lab will focus their efforts in West Africa, East Africa, South/Southeast Asia and Central America. At the forefront of their research will be the development of environmentally sustainable, market-oriented production and post-harvest handling methods that provide smallholder farmers and other stakeholders in fruit and vegetable value chains more income, as well as improved access to fruits and vegetables to better nourish their families and communities.

    Locally led, globally supported

    Within the UC Davis-led consortium are partners and specialists with expertise in horticulture, agronomics, agri-sociology, agribusiness and agri-policy. The Horticulture Innovation Lab will convene these global, regional and local experts to determine research needs in each geographical area. Once these research needs are defined, the team will emphasize a holistic, locally led approach to build community resilience and to support inclusivity. 

    “We asked ourselves, ‘how do you effect change in a system now that overcomes immediate challenges and those yet to present themselves?’” said Erin McGuire, associate director of the Horticulture Innovation Lab. “We need to understand the implications of our projects and to work closely with local leaders and community members to ensure a pipeline of appropriate innovations now and in the future.”

    Building on fertile grounds

    Fruits and vegetables provide vital nutrients for healthy communities, empower women and youth, and improve overall sustainability in production systems — this was the central tenet informing all of the work that the Horticulture Innovation Lab did during its first 10 years.

    As a direct result of the Horticulture Innovation Lab’s work, more than 750 horticultural technologies are now available for transfer and scaling in communities across the globe. More than 32,000 farmers are applying or using these technologies as a result of the lab and its network’s collective work, and more than 13,000 hectares of land are under new management practices.

    The Horticulture Innovation Lab produced a number of innovative technologies, including a chimney solar dryer that more efficiently dries and preserves fruits and vegetables for long-term storage, and a simple tool called the DryCard that lets farmers know if food is safe for dry storage.

    Additionally, researchers facilitated the adoption of improved agricultural methods, such as drip irrigation in Guatemala, and conservation agriculture for vegetable production and a packinghouse in Cambodia, that led to climate and social resilience.

    The Horticulture Innovation Lab is a part of Feed the Future, the U.S. government’s initiative to combat global hunger and poverty. It brings partners together to help some of the world’s poorest countries harness the power of agriculture and entrepreneurship to jump-start their economies and create new opportunities.  — By Matt Marcure, UC Davis

  • Half Moon Bay’s World Heavyweight Championship Of Godzilla Gourds, Oct. 11

    No weigh? Weigh! Bring it on burly, beefy, bodacious behemoths!
     
    The excitement is building in Pumpkintown as the World’s Greatest Gourd Growers and their mind-blowing, Volkswagen-sized orange orbs hope to squash the world record on Monday, October 11 at the 48th Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off — the “Super Bowl of Weigh-Offs” — in the World Pumpkin Capital of Half Moon Bay, California and and this year organizers, in association with title sponsor Safeway, are upping the ante big time to celebrate the world’s greatest gourd growers.
     
    The world’s biggest top prize has been increased to $9/pound (from $7/pound) for the 2021 weigh-off champion. Also at stake are thousands of dollars in super hefty prize money doled out to the top 20 plus the big carrot: a $30,000 total mega-prize for a new world record pumpkin entered at Half Moon Bay.
     
    The weighing of pumpkins will begin around 7am and anticipate ending the weighing around 11am followed by the awards presentation and luncheon.
     
    Defending champion Travis Gienger’s rhinoceros-sized 2,350-pound mega-gourd (he named it The Tiger King) handily won the 2020 Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay CA. It was the heaviest pumpkin weighed in North America in 2020.
     
    Beauty will share center stage with beefy brawn — a special $1,000 prize will be awarded to the “Joe Cotchett Family Most Beautiful Pumpkin”.
     
    Additional special bonus prizes include: Biggest California Pumpkin — $1,000; Biggest Coastside Pumpkin — $1,000.
     
    Using forklifts and special harnesses, the gargantuan gourds will be carefully placed on a 5-ton capacity, industrial-strength digital scale under the watchful eye of officials from the San Mateo County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office of Weights, Sealers, and Measures. Half Moon Bay’s Weigh-Off will serve as an officially sanctioned Great Pumpkin Commonwealth (GPC) site.

    Spectators are welcome. Admission is free.
     
    WEIGH-OFF LOCATION:
    IDES Grounds, 735 Main Street, Half Moon Bay CA.
     
    COVID PANDEMIC RESTRICTIONS: 
    The event will be held in accordance with State, County and City Health and Safety guidelines at the time of the weigh-off. Health guidelines strongly recommend that attendees be fully vaccinated. If not fully vaccinated, guidelines strongly recommend that attendees obtain a negative COVID-19 test prior to attending the event and wear a face covering at the event.

    LIVESTREAM ON FACEBOOK: Follow the weigh-off Livestream on Facebook.
     
    OFFICIAL RULES:
    • This event is open to growers of giant competition-sized pumpkins only.
    • Pumpkins must be grown, cared for, and entered by the weigh-off contestant.
    • Each contestant is limited to one entry.
    • Pumpkins that have won prizes in any other weigh-off competitions are not eligible.
    • In the event of a tie, prize money will be distributed equally among the tied parties.
    • Decisions of the judges are final in all cases.
    •Pumpkins must be in healthy and undamaged condition, free of rot, holes and cracks through the cavity, chemical residue, and soft spots.
    •To be classified as pumpkin, specimen must be 75% yellow/orange in color; all others will be classified as squash.
    •The vine must be trimmed to one inch from the stem. No foreign material is permitted in the weighing.
    •All pumpkins will be weighed without the use of tarps or other carrying devices.
    •Pumpkins will be classified by division based on where the specimen is grown, not the residence of the grower.
    •The weigh-off will be conducted in accordance with GPC rules.
     
    DELIVERY OF ENTRIES:
    Growers are responsible for bringing their entries to the weigh-off by 7:00 a.m. Weigh-off staff will move using brute strength manpower, special harnesses and forklifts. ALL entries will be handled with care.
     
    WEIGHING:
    The weighing and inspection will be officiated by the GPC and San Mateo County Department of Agriculture Office of Weights and Measures. The official weighing will be conducted using a 5-ton capacity digital scale.
     
    GROWER PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED:
    This event is open to growers of giant competition-sized pumpkins only. Growers are required to pre-register online on through this Eventbrite page. This will help us manage and control the event and provide an accurate count of entries. Participating growers are allowed to have a limited number of family and assistants (max. 4 including grower). Your cooperation will help us run a well-organized event.This event is open to growers of giant competition-sized pumpkins only.
     
    GROWERS AWARDS LUNCHEON:
    There will be an awards luncheon to honor all contestants immediately following the weigh-off.
     
    GROWERS VIP WELCOME PARTY, SUNDAY EVENING (OCT. 10) AT CAMERON’S INN & PUB:
    Registered weigh-off growers and their small traveling party (4 max.) are cordially invited to a VIP (Very Important Pumpkin) Party with complementary food and beverage at Cameron’s Inn & Pub on Sunday, Oct. 10 from 5-8pm. Please bring your weigh-off pumpkins to the VIP party for news media on-site to preview the weigh-off entries.
     
    WORLD’S BIGGEST TOP PRIZE – $9/Pound
    1st place prize money will be awarded in a “pay-by-the-pound” system with the champion receiving a hefty $9 per pound.
     
    WORLD RECORD MEGA-PRIZE – $30k
    The Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off is offering a special $30,000 mega-prize for the world record breaking pumpkin at the prestigious Half Moon Bay event. To receive the $30,000 mega-prize, the grower must break and hold the world record at the conclusion of the Half Moon Bay weigh-off. If two or more growers happen to break the world record at Half Moon Bay, the prize money would go to the grower of the heaviest pumpkin. The current world record heavyweight champion pumpkin is 2,703 pounds held by Stefano Cutrupi of Italy just set in late September, 2021! Magnifico!! Here’s how the $30,000 breaks down: the winner receives a world’s biggest $9 per pound plus plus the difference to get to a total of $30,000.
     
    PRIZE MONEY:
    1st Place — $9 per pound
    2nd Place — $3,000
    3rd Place — $2,500
    4th Place — $2,000
    5th–10th Place — $1,000 each
    11th–20th Place — $200 each
     
    SPECIAL PRIZES:
    World Record Pumpkin — $30,000 (total)
    Biggest California Pumpkin — $1,000
    Biggest Coastside Pumpkin (Montara to Pescadero) — $1,000
    Most Beautiful Pumpkin — $1,000
    Special GPC plaques and ribbons will also be awarded.
     
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    2021 PUMPKIN FESTIVAL SIDELINED AGAIN BY CITY COUNCIL VOTE 
    For the second year in a row, the world-famous Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival will not be allowed to take place after the Half Moon Bay City Council voted unanimously to deny organizers the required special event permit for this year’s carefully planned, months-in-the-works, single day HMB Pumpkin Minifest 49.5 that had been slated to bring back the uniquely joyous, feel-good Pumpkin Fest vibe to Main Street on October 16. Heartbreak beyond words x two now for our non-profits, our local artists and musicians, our suppliers, vendors and sponsors, local businesses and the entire Coastside community and festival fans everywhere.

  • Yeast and Bacteria Together Biosynthesize Plant Hormones for Weed Control

    Plants regulate their growth and development using hormones, including a group called strigolactones that prevent excessive budding and branching. For the first time, scientists led by UC Riverside have synthesized strigolactones from microbes. The work is published in the open-access journal, Science Advances.

    Strigolactones also help plant roots form symbiotic relationships with microorganisms that allow the plant to absorb nutrients from the soil. These two factors have led to agricultural interest in using strigolactones to control the growth of weeds and root parasites, as well as improving nutrient uptake.

    These root-extruding compounds don’t come without risks. They also stimulate germination of witchweeds and broomrapes, which can cause entire crops of grain to fail, making thorough research essential prior to commercial development. Scientists are still learning about the physiological roles played by this diverse group of hormones in plants. Until recently, manufacturing pure strigolactones for scientific study has been difficult and too costly for agricultural use.

    Yanran Li

    “Our work provides a unique platform to investigate strigolactone biosynthesis and evolution, and it lays the foundation for developing strigolactone microbial bioproduction processes as alternative sourcing,” said corresponding author Yanran Li, a UC Riverside assistant professor of chemical and environmental engineering.

    Together with co-corresponding author Kang Zhou at National University Singapore, Li directed a group that inserted plant genes associated with strigolactone production into ordinary baker’s yeast and nonpathogenic Escherichia colibacteria that together produced a range of strigolactones.

    Producing strigolactones from yeast turned out to be very challenging. Although engineered yeast is known to modify the strigolactone precursor, called carlactone, it could not synthesize carlactone with any of the specific genes used by the researchers.

    “This project started in early 2018, yet for over 20 months there was basically no progress. The gatekeeping enzyme DWRF27 is not functional no matter how we try in yeast,” Li said. “Kang developed a microbial consortium technique to produce a Taxol precursor in 2015 and that inspired this wonderful collaboration.”

    The team turned toward E. coli, which had already been shown capable of producing carlactone. The carlactone it produced, however, was unstable and could not be further modified by engineered E. coli into any strigolactones. Li’s group managed to optimize and stabilize the carlactone precursor.

    To their delight, when the yeast and bacteria were cultured together in the same medium, the E. coli and yeast worked as a team: E. coli made carlactone, and the yeast transformed it into various final strigolactone products. The method also produced enough strigolactones to extract and study. Using this platform, the group identified the function of multiple strigolactone biosynthetic enzymes, showing that sweet orange and grape have the potential to synthesize orobanchol-type strigolactones.

    The team also engineered microbe metabolism to boost strigolactone production threefold to 47 micrograms per liter, enough for scientific study. Though commercial production of strigolactones is still a long way off, the new method for biosynthesizing them from a yeast-bacterium consortium will help scientists learn more about this important group of plant hormones, especially the enzymes involved.

    Enzymes are protein catalysts and are responsible for modification of carlactone by yeast. Because carlactone is unstable, it cannot be purchased from commercial sources. As a result, many plant scientists have difficulty studying new enzymes that may work to transform carlactone into strigolactones.

    “The new yeast-bacterium co-culture provides a convenient way for scientists to complete such works because the bacterium makes carlactone in situ,” Zhou said. “With discovery of more enzymes and optimization of the microbial consortium, we can manufacture strigolactones in quantity in the future.”

    Li and Zhou were joined in the research by Sheng Wu, Anqi Zhou, and Alex Valenzuela of UC Riverside; and Xiaoqiang Ma at the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology. The paper, “Establishment of strigolactone-producing bacterium-yeast consortium,” is available here. — By Holly Ober, UC Riverside