California Ag Network

Category: Vegetable Industry

  • Organic Produce Members Team Up with New National Produce Council

    The American organic produce sector is big and complex. It accounts for more sales than any other organic sector, and its production regions stretch across the United States reaping a dizzying array of fruits and vegetables. The issues facing organic produce growers, processors and distributors are equally wide-ranging: food safety, labor issues, labeling/packaging issues, climate change.
     
    Driven by the desire for the sector to collaboratively work together to address its most urgent challenges, inspired by the success of other sector councils at the Organic Trade Association, and wanting to take advantage of the association’s deep knowledge and expertise in organic, leading produce members initiated a drive earlier this year that has resulted in the trade association’s Board of Directors’ official approval to establish an Organic Produce Council.

    “We whole-heartedly welcome the formation of this sector council and look forward to problem-solving and collaborating with our colleagues throughout the organic produce supply chain,” said Board member Ben Diesl of Grimmway Farms. “This council will give Organic Trade Association member companies that are involved in the organic industry an organized opportunity to benefit from the association’s expertise, to network with diverse stakeholders and to influence the overall agenda of the association. We invite other produce members to join.”
     
    “The new Produce Council, as with all of our sector councils, will be supported by the Organic Trade Association’s expert staff,” said Laura Batcha, CEO and Executive Director of the trade association. “Our staff has deep expertise in organic standards, food safety, farm policy, government advocacy and international marketing. Today’s organic produce sector is robust and thriving, but it faces many challenges. We are thrilled that our produce members are coming together and tapping into their association’s bank of knowledge to help them deal with those challenges.”
     
    Organic produce sales hold the top position in the U.S. marketplace. In 2019, organic fruit and vegetable sales reached $18 billion, as the category continued to be the star of the organic sector. Organic produce currently makes up almost a third of all organic food sales, and organic fruits and vegetables, including fresh, frozen, canned and dried, have now captured 15 percent of the total fruits and vegetable market in the U.S.
     
    The produce sector has been profoundly tested by COVID-19 as it has struggled to keep its workers in the fields, plants and trucks safe, and at the same time meet exploding demand. Wanting to hear how the pandemic was affecting their businesses, Organic Trade Association’s Farm Policy Director Johanna Mirenda and Diesl of Grimmway Farms earlier this year convened produce members for a COVID-19 listening session. Everything from how to keep workers safely socially distanced and maintain planting and harvesting schedules to keeping processing lines filled and store deliveries on time were discussed.

    Working together to address challenges

    “Our members taking part in this discussion found it very valuable to connect with other of our produce members” said Mirenda, who is staff liaison for the new council. “Since then, individual members have come forward with other organic produce issues–such as food safety–that could serve as work plan projects for the new council to take on.” The interest from members was significant enough that the trade association hosted an exploratory meeting in early September to highlight the opportunity for a new sector council among all Organic Trade Association produce members. Nearly two dozen members attended. 
     
    Produce stakeholders said that besides food safety, they are interested in working together, with the support of the trade association’s regulatory and legislative staff, to advance outcomes relating to other key issues in organic produce, such as: implementing the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s new rule on strengthening organic enforcement, guaranteeing workforce safety and availability, supporting development of organic seeds and planting stock, and identifying tools for measuring and promoting biodiversity. Establishing organic labeling and packaging best practices, adapting to and mitigating climate change and developing resources on market data and research information were also identified as key needs.
     
    Members also indicated the following priorities for their engagement:

    • Amplifying the needs of the produce community within the trade association
    • Developing and sharing information resources among those in the organic produce industry
    • Learning about emerging regulatory issues that impact organic produce
    • Networking with other organic produce businesses across the value chain
    • Creating opportunities for leadership development opportunities

    Sector Councils within the trade association build community among groups of like members to provide ongoing opportunities for networking, leadership development, education, information development, and sharing. They are not policy-setting groups. The trade association previously has established such entities as its Farmers Advisory Council, Dairy Council, Dietary Supplements Council, Fiber Council, Grains Council, and Retailer Council.
     
    Initial companies signing up for this council include Ag. Valles del Sur SpA, Awe Sum Organics, Bolthouse Farms, Bridges Organic Produce, Cal-Organic/Grimmway Farms, Charlie’s Produce, Columbia Marketing International/CMI Orchards, Duncan Family Farm, Earl’s Organic Produce, Heath & Lejeune, Homegrown Organic Farms, Jacobs Farm/Del Cabo, Munger Farms, Naturesweet, Naturipe, Organically Grown Company, Organic Produce Network, Page’s Organics, Taylor Farms, Thermiculture Management, Vitalis Organic Seeds and Wholesum Family Farms.
     
    The first meeting of the council is scheduled for December 8.
     
    Other members of the trade association in this sector are encouraged to join. The council’s membership will be diverse. The technical scope of membership for the council will be very inclusive – vegetables, fruit, mushroom, herbs, tree nuts, floriculture and other horticultural crops.
     
    For more information on the council, contact Johanna Mirenda.

    The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America. OTA is the leading voice for the organic trade in the United States, representing over 9,500 organic businesses across 50 states. Its members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers’ associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and others. OTA’s Board of Directors is democratically elected by its members. OTA’s mission is to promote and protect ORGANIC with a unifying voice that serves and engages its diverse members from farm to marketplace. The Organic Trade Association does not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, national origin or ancestry, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, political affiliation or military status. Persons with disabilities who require alternate means for communication of program information can contact us at info@ota.com.

  • Is COVID-19 Aid Reaching Farmers?

    The second iteration of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP-2) developed by USDA to help compensate farmers for losses due to the coronavirus pandemic is working much better and reaching more farmers than the first round of aid launched earlier this year. Since CFAP-2 opened to farmers on September 21, 2020 participation has been brisk and as the program application window has only one month left (closing December 11, 2020), it is time to revisit how the program is benefitting farmers, questions and concerns that have arisen, and if there are any lessons to draw upon for future aid to farmers as the pandemic continues to spread unchecked through most parts of the country.

    This blog will highlight some elements of CFAP-2 but for a far more authoritative treatment, please see the Farmers’ Guide to Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2recently published by our colleagues at the Farmers’ Legal Action Group (FLAG).

    Who Is Benefitting?

    The original CFAP-1 program had severe shortcomings but one in particular limited its utility for many farmers. CFAP-1 had a single payment option – the price loss payment – where farmers received a formula payment based on the national average price decline of a crop or commodity. The payment rates were extremely low and the number of commodities that were eligible was limited. While some payment rates were increased and the list of eligible commodities expanded over time, the basic formula remained.

    Because the formula employed a national average price decline to calculate payment rates, the checks farmers received did not necessarily reflect what they would have earned in their own market. This was especially true for farmers and ranchers that sold directly to their customers – restaurants, institutions, schools, and everyone at local farmers markets – as they often earn a price premium on these products. So too for producers of organic farm goods or any other products, such as pasture raised meats, that typically command a higher price compared to conventional products.

    By the time the CFAP-1 program ran its course, 651,099 farmers had received more than $10 Billion in payments, but it was widely acknowledged that the primary beneficiaries were cattle producers ($4.3 Billion) while diversified specialty crop growers ($834 Million) came up short.

    This is where CFAP-2 is a marked improvement over CFAP-1. While CFAP-2 retains the price loss payment for some commodities (a major problem for producers that are still required to take this payment option because of the crops they grow) it also includes two new payment options for farmers – the flat rate and the sales commodities payment. The flat rate payment option pays $15 per acre and is targeted to a wide variety of small grains and other similar non-commodity row crops. This opened the program to many diversified small grain growers and oil seed producers who were excluded from CFAP-1.

    The more significant change was the addition of the sales commodity payment, which is open to producers of specialty crops, nursery crops, tobacco, some minor livestock species, and aquaculture products. This payment is based on a producer’s revenue derived from those farm products in 2019 and mirrors the revenue based payment program proposed in the Local and Regional Farmer and Market Support Act (Local Farmer Act), that was developed with support of NSAC and Coalition member the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association. This payment option has been especially important for diversified growers, farmers who grow organic or otherwise higher valued farm products, and producers who sell directly to their customers. Payments based on historic revenue, rather than wholesale price declines, better reflect farmers’ real losses due to market disruptions.

    Nearly all crops and products not covered under the other two payment options are eligible for the sales commodity payment and although the payment rates are relatively modest (approximately 10%) they have been well received by diversified growers and specialty crop and livestock producers. With nearly a month left to sign up for the program, CFAP-2 has already paid 576,399 farmers more than $9.5 Billion in payments, well ahead of the CFAP-1 program during the same time period.

    What is more telling is the distribution of those payments. While row crop and cattle producers continue to derive the greatest payments, specialty crop and specialty livestock payments have increased from $833 Million under CFAP-1 to $1.2 Billion under CFAP-2 and the rate of payments to farmers for eligible sales commodities continues to grow even as claims for other payments slow. This is particularly remarkable given that early projections of CFAP-2 payments anticipated that specialty crops would likely receive only $313 million in payments.

    Are there problems with CFAP-2?

    Yes, but there is progress. In the process of helping farmers understand CFAP-2 through webinars and developing supporting materials, a number of questions and concerns have been raised about the structure and administration of the program. NSAC has worked with USDA to get answers to some of the farmer questions which are summarized below.

    1. Will farmers be required to obtain an FSA number to apply for CFAP-2?

    Yes. An acreage report is required for the acreage-based assistance, which includes both price-trigger and flat rate payments. To file an acreage report, a farm must be established with FSA. 

    • Is there any reservation of funding, or other mechanism, to ensure that farmers who apply late in the application cycle will receive the payment for which they are eligible?

    No. The funding allocated for CFAP-2 is based on USDA’s rigorous analysis of the impacts of market disruptions and associated costs caused by COVID-19 (farmers.gov/cfap) and is anticipated to meet the applications submitted by farmers and ranchers. However, there is no contingency in place if demand exceeds existing funding. 

    • What material will be accepted as documentation of 2019 sales from farmers who are subject to a USDA ‘spot check’?

    The USDA CFAP-2 handbook contains several examples. If selected for spot check, participants will be required to provide documentation to support their certification. The Department recognizes available documentation will vary significantly by commodity as well as method of sale and will work with participants, as appropriate, on any concerns with documentation to support certifications.

    • How will USDA determine which farmers will be ‘spot checked?’ Will this selection process be random, a set percentage of applications made to each program payment option, or based on payment amounts, familiarity of the FSA office staff with the farmer/applicant, or on a perceived risk of fraudulent activity? There is a serious concern that any selection criteria used by the agency be uniform and that the standards applied not increase the probability that small, diversified operations are audited or that applications submitted by historically underserved farmers, including Black, indigenous, and producers of color, are reviewed at higher rates than the total pool of applicants reviewed.

    Spot checks will be based on a statistically-sound, random sample with additional selections identified to ensure a sufficient sample of all types of commodities is completed to meet program integrity requirements.

    • Who will conduct the ‘spot checks’ of program eligibility? What is the role of FSA field staff and central office staff in identifying cases for review or in conducting the reviews? There is a serious concern that the review of eligibility by agency staff be uniform and equitable.

    The national office outlines and oversees the spot check process. Spot checks will be completed by FSA staff, which may be the local office staff, regional staff, or staff from within the state and/or neighboring state.

    • When will USDA make Spanish language versions of all CFAP-2 application materials (including supporting documents CCC-902, AD-1026, etc.) available and will both online and paper forms be available? In what other languages will the application documents be available?

    Translations for the CFAP 2 application (AD-3117) and CCC-902I (for individuals) will be available soon. The CCC-902E (for entities) is available in Spanish, as is the CCC-902 Continuation. The AD-1026 is currently available in Spanish, Chinese, Russian, and Vietnamese.

    • What is the process that USDA will use to inform producers that their CFAP-1 and CFAP-2 applications were denied or that the amount of the payment for which they were approved was “adjusted” by USDA, and is therefore different from that on the farmer’s application? Has USDA sent any denial letters to farmers for either CFAP-1 or CFAP-2?

    If an application is disapproved or any information on the application is adjusted from what is certified by the applicant, the local FSA office provides written notification to the applicant and provides appeal rights. This is the process with CFAP-1, CFAP-2, and all other programs administered by FSA. 

    • Producers that do not have current records on file at their FSA offices will likely need to demonstrate their conservation compliance when applying for CFAP-2 through the submission of Form AD-1026 “Highly Erodible Land Conservation (HELC) and Wetland Conservation (WC) Certification.” Is there a process in place to ensure that farmers that need NRCS determinations of HELC and WC can receive them quickly so that their applications can be submitted and considered before the program closes on December 11th?

    CFAP payments will be processed in advance of the determination being completed for any producer certifying in compliance with the highly erodible land and wetland provisions. The determination will still need to be completed but will not result in delaying issuance of payments.

    How can future coronavirus aid work better for farmers?

    At this moment, the prospects for another coronavirus response bill are dim until the new Congress convenes in January. Control of the Senate is still outstanding, pending runoff elections in Georgia, and the transition between the Trump and Biden Administrations is more fraught than any in living history. This makes the bipartisan work necessary to craft a coronavirus aid package that could help farmers during this difficult year extremely hard to achieve. However, this dynamic is likely to change in the next Congress as rates of coronavirus continue to increase and the spread into rural communities changes the political calculus of some legislators.

    In a future coronavirus package (C4), there are a number of actions that could help across all Americans across the entire food system and NSAC recently wrote to Congressional leadership to detail these priorities. In addition to those urgent needs, the next version of CFAP direct farmer aid should be improved by:

    • Opening the sales commodity payment program to all direct marketing farmers and other producers who grow products that command a price premium such as organic, pasture raised, or similar.
    • Making contract producers eligible for payments CFAP payments.
    • Increasing the payment rates for the sales commodity payment program and including a mechanism for farmers to demonstrate – and be eligible to be compensated for – costs they have incurred to adapt to marketing their commodities during the pandemic.
    • Ensuring greater training and resources – particularly farmer oriented materials in a variety of languages – for FSA fields staff so that they can better serve all farmers and expand outreach efforts to ensure that all eligible farmers – particularly Black, Indigenous, and Farmers of Color – understand the program and how to apply for assistance.
    • Conducting a rigorous analysis of the farmers who applied for, received, or were deemed ineligible to receive assistance under CFAP-1 and -2 to ensure that the programs were administered equitably and that any future program actively counters any bias or discriminatory practices that may be discovered.

    The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition remains committed to ensuring that any future coronavirus response supports farmers, farmworkers, food system workers and all who rely on them for healthy, safe, nutritious food and that it align with the long term goal of creating a more just, equitable, and sustainable food system. — By National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

  • Farmer’s Inspiration Leads to Squash Donation to Central CA Food Bank

    West Side farmer John Diener had flash of inspiration. Why not plant butternut squash?

    Diener is a long-time research cooperator with UC Cooperative Extension specialist Jeff Mitchell, who has studied innovative, sustainable farming practices for 21 years at the UC West Side Research and Extension Center under four different treatments: no-till plus cover crops, no-till with no cover crops, conventionally tilled with cover crops and conventionally tilled without cover crops.

    Since it was established, the research plots have been managed in an annual rotation of cotton, processing tomatoes and, more recently, sorghum, garbanzo beans and melons. When trying to decide what crop to bring into the rotation for 2020, Diener thought of butternut squash, a relatively large, thick-skinned squash that has little pest and disease problems and a long-shelf life. He suggested the squash could be donated to the Central California Food Bank and made available to local families in time for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

    CCFB provides food to more than 220 agencies in Fresno, Madera, Kings, Kern and Tulare counties, serving more than 280,000 people each month. Last year, CCFB supplied over 40 million pounds of food in all.

    Diener arranged for butternut squash seed to be donated by David Bodine of AgSeeds. He generously paid for several days of labor to harvest the crop. Diener contacted family friend Joan Minasian, who serves on the Food Bank board, to make arrangements for delivering 101 bins of squash – more than 70,000 pounds – to the food bank’s Fresno distribution center.

    The front entrance to the Central California Food Bank in Fresno

    “The Central Valley Food Bank is working on diversifying the food we offer in meal boxes and distributions,” Minasian said. “I’m really proud of the food bank’s efforts to increase healthy foods. We’re always looking for farmers to partner with.”

    Butternut squash, a winter squash, has a 90-day shelf life without refrigeration. It is grown in the summer; the name is derived from the fact that the mature vegetable can be stored for winter eating.

    In addition to supporting farmers with research and advice, UC Cooperative Extension offers nutrition education programs to low-income Californians. Deepa Srivastava – UCCE nutrition, family and consumer sciences advisor for Kings and Tulare counties – manages two programs that extend information to families on healthy eating, food safety, food resource management, gardening, physical activity and youth engagement.

    Srivastava said butternut squash is a nutritious addition to family diets. The vegetable is a good source of vitamin A and vitamin C, and also supplies vitamin B-6, protein, fiber, magnesium, potassium and iron.

    The squash’s buff exterior protects golden flesh that is nutty and sweet. It can be baked, boiled or grilled whole or chopped. Cooked squash can be pureed for soup or baby food, added to casseroles, pies, salads and stuffing. The cooked flesh adds beautiful fall color to everyday meals or holiday spreads.

    Roasted butternut squash

    One easy way to prepare butternut squash is roasting in the oven. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees. Carefully cut the squash in half and scrape out seeds and strings with a spoon. Place cut side up in an oven-safe pan, then brush the flesh lightly with olive oil. Season to taste with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, fresh or dried herbs and spices. Bake for one hour, or until it can be easily pierced with a fork. — By Jeannette Warnert, UCANR Communications Specialist

  • Quarantined Housing Program for Farm Workers in Imperial/Yuma Growing Regions

    In April, the Grower Shipper Association of Central California (GSA) established a first-of-its-kind housing program for farm workers in the Salinas Valley who were exposed to COVID-19, tested positive for the virus or were symptomatic.  To assist its members in protecting farm workers as the growing season transitions to the Yuma and Imperial areas, GSA has established a similar quarantined housing program in that region.

    Quarantined housing in Yuma and Imperial was accessible as of November 1.  It will offer the same services to farm workers as the Central Coast program, including safe and comfortable rooms, daily deliveries of meals and other necessities as well as daily health checks with a team of nursing professionals.

    “We learned a great deal over the last several months and we were happy to lend our expertise to setting up and managing this program to ensure farm workers in the Yuma and Imperial areas have access to quarantined housing whenever needed,” says Christopher Valadez, President of GSA.

    GSA’s program earned praise from Governor Gavin Newsom who modeled the state’s “Housing for the Harvest” program on the organization’s efforts. In Newsom’s housing program announcement in July, the governor thanked the Monterey County farming community for the work they have done in their region to protect workers describing these efforts as “an incredible job in this state supporting ag workers and farm workers.”    

    The quarantined housing program not only provides farm workers with a comfortable environment where they can rest and recover, but it protects their families and housemates by limiting their exposure to the virus.

    In addition to the quarantined housing program, GSA was also part of a collaborative group that created among the first workplace protection standards to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in agricultural operations, accessed and distributed over a million face masks; developed a program with local hospitals to provide on-site prevention training for farm workers by health professionals and partnered with Clinica de Salud del Valle de Salinas to provide expedited COVID-19 testing which allowed more timely results and more convenient locations for workers.

    Farmers and farming companies in the Yuma and Imperial areas who want more information on the quarantined housing program should contact Christopher Valadez.

  • Thank a California Cantaloupe Farmworker

    Once again, a successful California Cantaloupe season has just about come to an end. While we’ll miss having our favorite sunny, sweet and safe melon this Winter and Spring, it’s nice to know we can count on seeing them in stores once again come April.

    Another thing we’ve learned we can count on is the return of our hardworking farmworkers each season. Cantaloupes are 100% harvested by hand. That means that without the hard work of farmworkers these melons would not make it out of the field and into your homes.

    “Farmworkers are critical to what we do”, says Garrett Patricio, President of Westside Produce.  “When you look at the food you eat, whether it’s melons, leafy greens or other vegetables, most of them are still hand harvested. So if you enjoy fresh produce I think you should go out and thank a farmworker.”

    California farmworkers are truly essential to us all. With over a third of the country’s vegetables and two-thirds of the country’s fruits and nuts grown in California, our farmworkers play a critical role in feeding the nation.

    And our California cantaloupe farmworkers do so in a way that ensures only the safest melons end up on your table. California cantaloupe farmworkers follow strict food safety guidelines and all California cantaloupe growers, packing operations, and cooling facilities in the state undergo mandatory government food safety audits.

    “Our farmworkers follow all food safety policies and general safety policies to ensure you’re getting the safest melons harvested that day”, says Salvador Alaniz, Director of Harvest and Quality Control at Westside Produce.

    Getting cantaloupes to consumers isn’t an easy task. There’s no denying the fact that it’s hard work harvesting melons and it takes a whole team to successfully complete the job each season.

    Rosa Meza, Director of Food Safety says that the key to success is mutual respect. She explains that she has earned the respect of the farmworkers by making frequent, in person visits to the fields to talk with workers and lead by example.

    “The one thing that everyone needs to take away from this is that we can’t do this alone”, says Meza. “I’m a part of this group. I’m a part of the farmworkers, I’m a part of the facility workers. It takes everyone to come together, be the example, follow the rules and do it as a team.”

    Watch and share the following video tribute to farmworkers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWHTB6hBuYY&feature=emb_logo

  • UC Cooperative Extension Investigates the Reality of Steam-Weeding Lettuce Fields

    Despite the tremendous need, there are currently no preemergence herbicides that are organic-compliant. Steam injected into the soil such that the soil temperatures reach >140°F for 15-20 minutes will kill weed seed in the soil. The effect of this reduction in the seedbank viability results weed control in the treated area that persists for several weeks or months, similar to the effects of a preemergence herbicide.

    Two studies were conducted at the USDA Hartnell Farm at Salinas, CA during July to September 2020. Steam was applied to raised beds using a custom-built steam injector. Prior to seeding lettuce, steam was applied in a 4-inch wide band to a depth of 3 inches deep. The steam was supplied by a SF-20 Sioux steam generator at approximately 6 to 9 PSI. Soil temperatures in the treated zone were monitored overnight with Hobo temperature monitors. Treatments tested were steam, steam plus 1% w/w peroxide, and nontreated. Treatments were replicated 4 times and arranged in a randomized complete block design. Peroxide was included as it releases heat when injected into soil, i.e., an exothermic reaction, based on the premise that it supplements the heat released by steam. Data collected were soil temperatures following steaming, weed control, hand weeding times, diseased plant counts, and lettuce yields. Trial 1 was initiated July 1 and harvested August 31, 2020. Trial 2 was initiated July 21 and harvested September 25, 2020. Soil temperature intervals >140°F in the top 4 inches of soil for steam were 88 and 67 minutes for trials 1 and 2, respectively. Similarly, soil temperatures >140°F in the steam + peroxide treatment were 76 and 80 minutes for trials 1 and 2, respectively. In trial 1 steam and steam + peroxide resulted in 90% and 92% weed control relative to the nontreated. In trial 2 steam and steam + peroxide resulted in 66% and 84% weed control, respectively. Steam alone reduced hand weeding times 22% to 35% compared to the nontreated, and steam + peroxide reduced hand weeding times 36% to 40% compared to the nontreated. There were no differences in numbers of plants with lettuce drop (Sclerotinia minor) in trial 1. Compared to the nontreated, lettuce drop incidence in trial 2 was 66% and 59% lower in steam and steam + peroxide treatments, respectively. Lettuce plant diameters in trial 1 found that lettuce grown on steamed soil was 16% larger, but there were no differences in trial 2. Lettuce plants grown on steam + peroxide treated soil were 12% and 23% larger in trials 1 and 2, respectively. There were no treatment effects on yields in either trial 1 or 2.

    We are not aware of any commercial scale applicators for lettuce that apply steam in a band to the lettuce bed. However, we are working with Dr. Mark Siemens, an agricultural engineer with the University of Arizona to design a commercial scale applicator. Mark has a prototype applicator built and will be demonstrating it during the winter season in the Yuma Valley. It appears that the design for a steam applicator is not complicated and is well within the capabilities of machine shops in California to build. — By Nelly Guerra & Steven Fennimore, UC Cooperative Extension

  • Survey Asks Californians About Views on Agriculture

    In February 2020, the Grower Shipper Association of Central California (GSA) conducted a survey of residents in the Bay Area and in our local farming regions.  While this survey was conducted prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the results and responses still have value and provide important information to GSA as we work to advance families, food and farming in our region.

    Among the most gratifying result was how much Northern Californians valued agriculture.  Seventy-seven percent stated that agriculture was most or very important to the quality of life and the economy of California.  “We were very pleased to see that so many residents recognized the important work of farmers and farm workers, even before the pandemic,” says Chris Valadez, GSA President.

    The survey shows residents also appear to understand some of the issues facing agriculture, including labor and potential shortages.  Seventy-seven percent of respondents supported the employment of guest workers by agriculture under the H-2A visa program to offset domestic labor shortages and 71% agreed guest worker programs are important to California’s economy.  However, 54% said they were concerned about the impact of guest workers on housing in the region, a concern shared by the agricultural community.

    “While new farm worker housing projects along the Central Coast are in process now, we must continue to work to find innovative solutions to ensure adequate and safe housing is a priority for our community,” Valadez says. “The pandemic further underscored the need for more affordable housing in our region.”

    Food safety is where survey respondents indicated they want agriculture to advance efforts to continuously improve and better protect public health. Respondents generally agreed they want farmers and government agencies to work jointly to improve food safety.

    The survey also explored views on water quality and water supply.  Almost 70% of respondents stated that their water quality was good to excellent.  And, seventy-eight percent agreed that their biggest water concern was an adequate supply and impacts from another drought.  While water was a less important issue among respondents overall, when probed, 64% of respondents stated that agricultural runoff was a concern.

    Finally the survey looked at residential, industrial and agricultural use of pesticides. Interestingly 42% of respondents said they understand the benefits of pesticide use with 23% stating they were unsure about those benefits. This may convey a need for agriculture to continue to provide more information about the safety standards and use of pesticides in organic and conventional production.

    Conclusions:  

    As it did for every one, the pandemic severely shifted the focus of the farming community and GSA.  Significant time and resources were devoted to protecting essential farm workers from COVID-19 exposure while working to ensure a consistent supply of safe and healthy foods reaches consumers.  As the pandemic evolves, GSA’s work to facilitate the availability of protective equipment for farm workers, in-field training by medical professionals, quarantined housing and adequate COVID-19 testing programs continues and remains of primary importance.

    However, the survey findings as well as conversations with media, residents, regulators, elected officials and labor groups throughout the pandemic show that Californians want and need more information about issues impacting agriculture and our industry’s response.  It is also clear respondents greatly value farming in California and its importance to a healthy economy.

    After examining the survey results, GSA’s focus will be on the continuance of solution-based programs, enhanced and transparent external communications about farming practices as well as continued dialogue and engagement with residents, elected officials, labor and environmental advocates.  This survey will help GSA prioritize its attention and efforts on the issues of key importance to Bay Area and Central Coast residents.

    GSA is preparing a white paper with complete survey results as well as a new webpage called “Our Work” which will provide information on these specific issues as well as GSA solution-based programs and activities.  The Our Work webpage will go live in the coming weeks.

    The online survey was conducted in eight counties in the Bay Area and Central Coast from February 7 through February 10.  The survey margin of error was 4.0. 

  • Watermelon Board Fall-Winter Marketing Tactics

    On the heels of strategic planning and virtual Board meeting, which took place October 23, National Watermelon Promotion Board (NWPB) is entering in to the fall and winter months well-positioned to strengthen demand for watermelon. Considering more than 30% of watermelon is consumed in the fall/winter months, year-round promotion is an integral part of NWPB programs.

    While each department at the Board has a different audience – including consumer, foodservice, retail and international – consistent programming strategies throughout the fall and winter months will focus on leveraging partnerships, serving as a resource, educating about watermelon’s health and versatility benefits, and maximizing social platform engagement. Not an exhaustive list, activity highlights by department include:

    Communications

    “How do you WINTERmelon” consumer social campaign utilizing influencer partnerships and earned media PR tactics to visualize watermelon in the winter usage ideas and versatility benefits

    • National paid feature syndication with winter-focus “Add Fruit Flavors to Fun Holiday Desserts” suggesting watermelon in nontraditional winter kitchen dishes
    • Dietitian education, inspiration and “edutainment” through FNCE virtual expo and culinary demo, highlighting RD Toolkit, Zero Food Waste and Watermelon Flavor Pairings
    • New launch of Jump with Jill multimedia educator portal with lesson worksheets built on existing watermelon partner videos for teachers and parents at home or in classrooms
    • Influencer social partnerships with Produce for Kids/Healthy Family Project, Kim Rose Dietitian, Fannetastic Food, Ana Quincoces and Pam Smith highlighting versatility and health benefits of watermelon year round
    • Shooting new TV commercial content focusing on both wellness and happiness, to be advertised on YouTube and other streaming content channels

    Foodservice
    • Print, digital and social media advertising with predominant foodservice publications to reach foodservice operators traditionally reached at events
    • New yield tool showcasing dice, wedge, juice and other formats yield from different watermelon sizes so chefs can easily switch between mini and seedless watermelon
    • Chef’s Roll partnership to create technique and recipe videos featuring popular watermelon formats including dice, wedge, juice, julienne rind, etc. to be shared through Chef’s Roll and used by the NWPB to educate and inspire operators
    • Virtual Flavor Experience conference to highlight watermelon’s year-round availability and versatility on foodservice menus
    • Partner with StarChefs to host a recipe contest to engage with no less than 200 chefs, build our recipe database and spotlight champions of watermelon
    Retail & International Marketing
    • Year-round retailer activations via domestic and international retail account management team
    • Continued distribution of Retail Kit in print and digital formats
    • Independent grocer outreach via Live. Balanced wellness activation kit planned for early 2021
    • Retail dietitian and retailer education outreach through virtual platforms
    • Presence at virtual conferences, trade shows and networking events“For many years, the NWPB has been tasked with promoting watermelon all twelve months of the year,” said Mark Arney, Executive Director for the NWPB. “Watermelon’s health benefits and versatility lends itself to everything from Halloween carvings to holiday punch to elevated usage ideas.”

      The next NWPB Board meeting, where staff will recommend marketing programs and the Board will vote on a budget for the 2021-2022 year, will take place virtually on Saturday, March 6, 2021. For more information or specifics about individual departments, contact Stephanie Barlow, Senior Director of Communications at sbarlow@watermelon.org. 

  • USDA Study Reveals Airborne Fungus Can Trigger Plant Growth

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) recently announced that a harmless airborne fungus, Cladosporium sphaerospermum strain TC09 (TC09), can dramatically accelerate plant growth if a germinating plant is near the fungus as it emits volatiles or gases.

    Scientists used tobacco and pepper plants as models to study the conditions for accelerated plant growth once exposed to TC09. Following a relatively short duration of exposure at the seedling stage, the plants began to sense the fungi’s volatiles and gases. USDA scientists were then able to stimulate extremely rapid plant growth, earlier flowering and fruit yield increases.

    “This is a game-changer for agriculture and for research that seeks innovative ways to accelerate plant growth,” said USDA Scientist Dr. Chris Dardick. “Its implications are far-reaching and will help ARS’ commitment to deliver cutting-edge scientific advances for American farmers and producers.”

    The effects of TC09 were largely correlated with the duration of exposure. Visual observation indicated that plants with TC09 exposure for 10 days exhibited substantially more vigorous growth, thicker stems, larger leaves, and a more robust root system relative to plants without fungal exposure. Results also showed that treated plants flowered 20 days sooner and pepper plants yielded up to 213 percent more fruit that was ready for harvest three weeks earlier than untreated controls. More recent studies have shown similar research results for numerous other crops such as lettuce, arugula, kale, basil, and other leafy greens.

    This species of fungus is commonly found in indoor environments and is not known to cause disease in plants or any ailments in humans or animals. Also, unlike other microbial species that have been tested, the researchers showed that TC09 does not induce defense or stress responses in exposed plants. Scientists hope to identify the specific volatiles and gases that stimulate plant growth in future research.

    Research on microbial biostimulants that enhance plant growth has recently intensified because they provide an eco-friendly, cost-effective and sustainable strategy to benefit agriculture. USDA scientists will continue to study TC09 and seek practical strategies to apply it during commercial crop production, particularly for urban and indoor agricultural systems. They are awaiting approval of a patent and commercial evaluation license and partnered with NASA to apply this research technology to spaceflight conditions. This research was supported in part by grants from USDA-ARS, ARS’ Appalachian Fruit Research Lab, and the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education.

    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 $20 of economic impact.

  • Evaluating Biological Fungicides Against Fruit Rot in Strawberry

    Several crown, fruit, and foliar diseases cause significant yield losses to strawberry.  Gray mold or Botrytis fruit rot caused by Botrytis cinerea, mucor fruit rot by Mucor spp., and Rhizopus fruit rot by Rhizopus spp. are common fungal diseases in California.  Botrytis cinerea is more prevalent and damaging fungus among these pathogens warranting regular fungicidal applications.  Fungal spores survive in plant debris and soil and infection can occur before flower initiation.  Both flowers and fruits are subjected to infection.  Severely infected flowers fail to develop into fruits.  Infection on developing or ripe fruit occurs as brown lesions, usually under calyxes.  Infected areas rot and become dry and leathery under dry conditions or produce a thick, gray mat of spores under cool, moist conditions.

    Mucor spp. invade the fruit through ruptured skin and cause leaky fruit rot.  Under high humidity, profuse fungal growth of white, tough filaments with black spore-bearing structures is seen covering the fruit.  In the case of Rhizopus fruit rot, discolored, water-soaked spots develop on fruit eventually leading to wilting.  Similar to the Mucor fruit rot, Rhizopus rot also leads to leaky fruits and development of black spore-bearing structures on white mycelia under high humidity.  Both pathogens survive in dead and decaying plant material and can persist in the field.

    In a fall-planted conventional strawberry, growers usually make 12 or more fungicidal applications during a four-month period to control Botrytis and other fruit rots.  Although fungicides with different modes of action are present and growers try to rotate them, fungicide resistance in B. cinerea is common and effective integrated disease strategies are necessary.  Using biostimulants that might improve plant’s ability to withstand diseases and alternating chemicals with biological fungicides could be some options to mitigate chemical fungicide resistance.  Previous studies looked at the response of fruit diseases to various treatments that received biological soil amendments (Dara, 2020a), soil fungicides (Dara, 2020b), or chemical and biological fungicides (Dara, 2019).  This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of some biological fungicides along with a chemical fungicide primarily against Botrytis fruit rot.

    Methodology

    This study was conducted at a research strawberry field at the Shafter Research Station.  Strawberry cultivar San Andreas was planted on 31 October 2019.  Other than regular irrigation and fertigation, plants in this study were not treated with any agricultural inputs for agronomic or pest management purposes.  Treatments included i) untreated control, ii) Elevate 50 WDG (fenhexamid) at 8 oz/ac, iii) Serifel (Bacillus amyloliquefaciens) at 8 oz/ac, iv) ProBlad Verde (Banda de Lupinus albus doce – BLAD, a polypeptide from sweet lupine) at 36 fl oz with Cinnerate (cinnamon oil) at 0.25% followed by ProBlad Verde at 36, 43, and 43 fl oz/ac on subsequent applications, and v) ProBlad Verde at 36 fl oz with Cinnerate at 0.25% followed by three subsequent applications of ProBlad Verde at 32 fl oz/ac.  Each treatment had a 3.2′ wide and 14′ long plot with two rows of plants and replicated four times in a randomized complete block design.  Treatments were applied using a CO2-pressurized backpack sprayer using a 45 gpa spray volume on 26 March, 2, 10, and 20 April 2020.  Flowers and fruits were removed from all the plants before the first application.  Fruit was harvested on 14 and 27 April and 2 and 10 May and stored in vented plastic containers for postharvest quality assessment.  The severity of Botrytis and other fruit rots was recorded 3 and 5 days after harvest on a scale of  0 to 4 where 0=no disease, 1=1-25% fruit with fungal infection, 2=26-50% infection, 3=51-75%, and 4=76-100%.  Compared to Botrytis fruit rot, other rots occurred as mixed infections at different times and it was not possible to accurately measure them separately.  Data presented in this study primarily represent Botrytis fruit rot with other fruit rots included on some data sets.  Data were subjected to analysis of variance using Statistix software to compare disease severity for individual harvest dates and their average.

    Results

    Fruit rots occurred from low to moderate levels during the observation period.  Disease severity followed the usual trend with higher levels 5 days after harvest compared to 3 days after harvest.  Compared to untreated control, disease severity was numerically lower in some treatments especially 3 days after harvest, but differences were not statistically significant (P > 0.05) when individual harvest dates or their average were considered.  The average disease severity from four harvests was 0.25 in Elevate and Serifel, 0.50 in ProBlad Verde low rate with Cinnerate, and 0.81 in ProBlad Verde high rate with Cinnerate treatment and untreated control 3 days after harvest.  The average disease severity was 1.13 for Serifel, 1.19 for Elevate and the low rate of ProBlad Verde with Cinnerate, 1.81 for the high rate of ProBlad Verde with Cinnerate, and 2.0 for untreated control 5 days after harvest.  Although statistically significant differences could not be found among treatments, this study indicates the potential of non-chemical alternatives and warrants additional studies for further investigation. -By Surendra Dara