California Ag Network

Tag: Citrus Research Board

  • Karen Ross To Headline California Citrus Conference

    Visalia, Calif., (October 10, 2017) – The California Citrus Conference, scheduled for October 11, will feature California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Secretary Karen Ross as its keynote speaker.

    All those associated with the California citrus industry are invited to attend the free one-day event of presentations and demonstrations sponsored by the Citrus Research Board (CRB) at the Wyndham Hotel in Visalia, California. The conference will share the “best of the best” in research developments, according to CRB President Gary Schulz, and will emphasize work being done to combat huanglongbing (HLB).

    “HLB, which has decimated the citrus industry in other growing regions throughout the world, has now been found in over 150 residential trees in California,” said Schulz. “Secretary Ross will convey to growers that the CDFA understands the urgency of finding a cure for this devastating disease and stands foursquare behind the CRB’s wide-reaching research efforts.”

    “This disease is fatal to citrus trees,” Ross said. “It has no cure, so the solution must come from research – research that is already well underway, thanks to foresight and funding from growers and our state and federal leaders.”

    Ross has served as CDFA Secretary for nearly seven years. She previously was chief of staff for U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and also had been president of the California Association of Winegrape Growers and vice-president of the Agricultural Council of California. Under her stewardship, the CDFA has worked diligently to track, contain and slow the spread of Asian citrus psyllids (ACP) and HLB by setting traps, treating trees in infested areas and removing HLB-positive trees.

    Other featured topics and speakers at the conference will include:

    • “The Very Latest in ACP and HLB Treatment Strategies and Detection Challenges” presented by Beth Grafton-Cardwell, Ph.D., director of the Lindcove Research and Extension Center and research entomologist, University of California, Riverside, and Carla Thomas, plant pathologist and epidemiologist, University of California, Davis.
    • “Exploration and Exploitation of the Microbial Communities That Associate with Citrus Trees” presented by Johan Leveau, Ph.D., professor of plant pathology, University of California, Davis.
    • “Improving Nitrogen Management of Citrus” presented by Steve Petrie, Ph.D., of Yara North America Inc.
    • “Being Active Is Not Being Bold” presented by Joel Nelsen, president of California Citrus Mutual.
    • “An Update from the Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Committee (CPDPC)” presented by Nick Hill, CPDPC chairman.
    • “Priority Post-Harvest Research to Control Insect Pests of California Citrus” presented by Spencer Walse, Ph.D., research chemist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-Agricultural Research Service, San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center.
    • “Panel Discussion: Biological Control Program for Asian Citrus Psyllid in California and Arizona” presented by Greg Simmons, Ph.D., entomologist with USDA-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, David Morgan, Ph.D., biocontrol specialist with CDFA and Richard Stouthamer, Ph.D., entomologist with the University of California, Riverside.
    • “Citrus Breeding for California: New Tools to Meet the Challenge of HLB” presented by Mikeal Roose, Ph.D., professor of genetics at the University of California, Riverside.
    • “Streamlining the Introduction of Citrus Varieties from HLB-infested Areas into California. A Case Study – Florida” presented by Georgios Vidalakis, Ph.D., professor and UC extension specialist in plant pathology, University of California, Riverside and director of the Citrus Clonal Protection Program.

    The event also will feature scientific poster presentations, networking opportunities and continuing education units, which have been approved by the Department of Pesticide Regulation.

    A complimentary breakfast buffet will be served from 6:30-9:00 a.m. Morning conference sessions are scheduled from 9:00 a.m.-noon, and will be highlighted by the keynote address from Secretary Ross. Following a free luncheon, afternoon sessions will run from 1:15-5:00 p.m.

    To register or request additional details, contact the CRB on line at www.citrusresearch.org  or by phone at 559.738.0246.

    Additionally, a special session, “Train the Trainer: Best Practices for Citrus Field Crews to Prevent the Spread of ACP/HLB” will be conducted in Spanish only from 7:00-9:00 a.m. Pre-registration for this seminar is required through www.citrusinsider.org or by phone at 559-592-3790.

  • Jim Gordon Named Citrus Research Board Chairman

    Visalia, Calif. – February 23, 2017 – Citrus veteran and pest management pioneer Jim Gorden was elected chairman of the Citrus Research Board (CRB) at a meeting of the Board on February 8, 2017.  He will complete the term of Richard Bennett, who stepped down from the helm on January 20. Gorden previously had served as CRB chairman in 2009-11.

    “We are deeply appreciative of Jim Gorden’s leadership, his commitment to the California citrus industry and his dedication to citrus research,” said CRB President Gary Schulz. “Jim’s past experience as CRB chairman, his long-time service on the Board and his keen knowledge of the California citrus industry are all tremendous assets to our organization.”

    Gorden will serve as chairman until the CRB’s annual meeting on September 26, 2017. Currently continuing their service on the Executive Board are Vice-Chair Dan Dreyer and Secretary-Treasurer John Konda.

    “On behalf of the Board, I’d like to thank Richard Bennett for his energy, enthusiasm and passion for citrus research and the California citrus industry,” Gorden said. “I’d also like to express my appreciation to Dan Dreyer for filling in as interim chairman. I’m looking forward to guiding the CRB through this important period as we seek to find solutions to the critical threat of huanglongbing that’s looming over our industry.”

    Gorden’s primary areas of professional involvement have been integrated pest management, horticulture and a broad range of citriculture, and he is a recognized international expert in those fields. For more than 35 years, he was a partner in Pest Management Associates, whic
    h was the first independent citrus pest management consulting company providing service to the San Joaquin Valley.

    “I’ve always been interested in science, research and horticulture,” Gorden said. “and I became more heavily involved in farming after I withdrew from consulting.” As a result, his farming business has grown over the last ten years.

    The Lemon Cove, California, resident holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from California State University, Fresno.  He and his wife, Mary, have supported youth activities such as 4-H and the Boys and Girls Club in Exeter. Gorden also serves or has served with many civic and professional organizations. He has served on the California Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Committee since its inception and continues to remain heavily involved. Additional involvement includes eight years with the California Citrus Nursery Board, as well as working with the ACP/HLB Task Force, Southern Sierra Archeological Society, Central California Tristeza Eradication Board, Chair of the Tulare County Pest Control District, the Association of Applied Insect Ecologists and ten years on the local school district board.

    Jim and Mary have been married for 53 years and have five grandchildren. Their son, Milo, is married to Elia and is a partner in running the farms. Their daughter, Megan, and her husband, Sean, also are partners in the citrus farming operations.

    The CRB administers the California Citrus Research Program, the grower-funded and grower-directed program established in 1968 under the California Marketing Act as the mechanism enabling the State’s citrus producers to sponsor and support needed research. More information about the Citrus Research Board may be found at www.citrusresearch.org.

  • Citrus Research Board Announces Showcase Speakers

    Visalia, Calif., (March 3, 2017) – The Citrus Research Board (CRB) has announced its workshop speakers for the 2017 Citrus Showcase, being held on March 2 at the Visalia Convention Center.  CRB-hosted workshops will be held in the San Joaquin Room of the convention center.

    James Thomson, Ph.D., is a Research Scientist at the USDA-ARS Crop Improvement and Genetics Research Unit in Albany, California. He will lead a one-hour workshop on “Developing Genome Targeting Technology for Precise DNA Modification” beginning at 8:00 a.m. The workshop will focus on ongoing CRB-funded research into the Recombinase Mediated Cassette Exchange (RMCE) technology as a means to add specific traits of interest to popular California citrus scion and rootstock varieties. An explanation of the genetic engineering process to generate transgenic citrus plants with novel, beneficial traits, including incorporation of huanglongbing resistance traits, will be discussed. The concept and commercialization possibilities of marker removal available with this approach will also be presented.

    At 10:00 a.m., the CRB will offer a one-hour workshop on “Protecting the California Citrus Industry from Invasive Pests at the Ports of Entry and Borders.” Speaker Nikki Thomas is the Director of the Agriculture Safeguarding Division within the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations, Agriculture Programs and Trade Liaison. Every year, CBP agriculture specialists intercept tens of thousands of pests that have been identified through scientific risk assessment as dangerous to the health and safety of US agricultural resources. Thomas will discuss what is being done in the western US at ports of entry and borders to protect the California citrus industry from these invasive pests.

    The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR), has approved 1.5-hours of other continuing education units for PCAs, QALs and private applicators. Please arrive by 7:45 a.m. to register for your units.

    The CRB will also have a booth at the showcase, where county farm advisors, CRB researchers and CRB staff will be on hand to answer questions.

    For more information about registering for the 2017 Citrus Showcase, please contact California Citrus Mutual at 559.592.3790. To learn more about CRB-sponsored workshops, phone 559.738.0246 or e-mail events@citrusresearch.org.