California Ag Network

Tag: Raisins

  • At Farm Bureau Convention in California, Secretary Rollins Announces Dairy Margin Coverage Expansion and Section 32 Purchases of Specialty Crops

    This week at the 107th American Farm Bureau Federation Convention in Anaheim, CA, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced expanded enrollment for 2026 Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program and new Section 32 commodity purchases that will result in more healthy, U.S. grown food in the hands of Americans. Following the convention, Secretary Rollins also met with specialty crop producers at a local strawberry farm to discuss workforce needs and the Trump Administration’s recent wins related to significantly cutting the cost of H-2A labor for California farmers.

    Secretary Rollins and former California Ag Secretary A.G. Kawamura at his strawberry farm in Irving, California.

    “President Trump is making historic investments in the farm safety net and today’s announcement is one more action that supports our dairy producers by managing risk and strengthening markets so they can continue to provide wholesome nutrition for Americans,” said Secretary Brooke Rollins. “The Trump Administration will continue to stand with America’s farmers as the farm economy recovers from years of neglect under the last administration. Our mission to Make America Healthy Again continues after the recent release of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025-2030 announcement, with the upcoming purchase of U.S. grown food that will reach those in need, all while benefitting American farmers facing unfair actions from foreign competitors.”

    OBBBA Improves DMC Coverage and Premium Fees

    Secretary Rollins announced the enrollment period for the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program for the 2026 coverage year, an important safety net program that provides producers with price support to help offset milk and feed price differences. Starting January 12, 2026, dairy producers can enroll in DMC. The enrollment period ends February 26, 2026. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed by President Donald J. Trump on July 4, 2025, reauthorized DMC for calendar years 2026 through 2031 and provided substantial program improvements, including establishing new production history and increasing Tier 1 coverage.

    The OBBBA increased DMC’s Tier 1 coverage level increased from five million pounds to six million pounds. All dairy operations that elect to enroll in DMC for 2026 will establish a new production history. Existing dairy operations that started marketing milk on or before January 1, 2023, will use the higher of milk marketings for the years of 2021, 2022, or 2023. New dairy operations starting after January 1, 2023, will use their first year of monthly milk marketings, even for a partial year. Milk marketing statements or production evidence are required to establish a production history.

    Dairy operations also have the option to lock-in coverage levels for six years (2026-2031) with premium fees discounted by 25%.

    DMC offers different levels of coverage, including an option that is free to producers, minus a $100 administrative fee. To determine the appropriate level of DMC coverage for a specific dairy operation, producers can use the online dairy decision tool.

    For more information visit the DMC webpage or contact your local USDA Service Center.

    Agricultural Marketing Service Section 32 Purchases

    Secretary Rollins also announced USDA’s intent to purchase up to $80 million in specialty crops from American farmers and producers to distribute to food banks and nutrition assistance programs across the country. These purchases are being made through USDA’s authority under Section 32 of the Agriculture Act of 1935 and will assist producers and communities in need. With this action, the Trump Administration is bolstering American prosperity by supporting American agriculture, rural communities, and those in need of nutrition assistance.

    The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) continuously purchases a variety of domestically produced and processed agricultural products. These “USDA Foods” are provided to USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) nutrition assistance programs, including food banks that operate The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), and are a vital component of the nation’s food safety net.

    USDA AMS will purchase up to $80 million of the following commodities:

    •Almonds: $20M

    •Grape juice: $20M

    •Pistachios: $20M

    •Raisins: $20M

  • Remembering the Creator of the ‘California Raisins’

    The passing last week of noted claymation artist Will Vinton brought back memories of his highly-celebrated work in agriculture: the California Raisins, featuring animated characters that rocketed to fame in the ’80s.

    Vinton himself found fame long before that – winning an Academy Award for co-directing the 1974 short film Closed Mondays. He was the founder of Will Vinton Productions in Portland, Oregon and also created claymation characters for M&Ms.

    The California Raisins were so popular that they were commissioned to appear on lunchboxes and t-shirts and even in Nintendo video games.

    As for California raisins as a crop, they have a farmgate value amounting to hundreds of million dollars annually, ranking them consistently among the state’s top-20 commodities.

     

  • Short 2017 Crop Forces Allocation of CA Raisins

    What started off as a short raisin crop this year, got even shorter with high heat and two rainstorms during harvest. At the 105 Annual Meeting of Sun-Maid held in early December, Chairman of the Board Jeff Jue shared that the California raisin industry would be allocating raisins in the coming year due to the the supply and low inventory. Watch Jue’s interview and read more in American Vineyard Magazine.

    Sponsored By:

    Calagnet & YARA

  • Jeff Jue Shares Sun Maid’s Stance on the RAC Referendum

    Growers are voting on a referendum regarding some changed to the terms and conditions of the Federal Marketing Order for Raisins. At the 105th annual meeting of Sun-Maid Growers, Chairman Jeff Jue shared Sun-Maid stance on the Marketing Order and encouraged growers to vote. Watch Jue’s interview and read more in American Vineyard Magazine.

    Sponsored By:

    Calagnet & YARA

  • Drying Raisins after the Storm with Kingsburg Raisin Grower Jaswant Bal

    Central Valley raisin growers experienced two brief rainstorms during harvest of an already short crop. Time will tell the true extent of the damage and ultimate size of the crop this year. The rain also put price negotiations at a halt. Watch this brief interview with Kingsburg raisin grower Jaswant Bal as he shares his perspective, as his crop was harvested just days before the most recent rainstorm. Read more about it in American Vineyard Magazine.

    Sponsored By:

    Calagnet & YARA

  • Rainstorm Pushes Back Raisin Price Negotiations

    The eve prior to the last (unpredicted) rainstorm hitting the Central Valley, the Raisin Bargaining Association (RBA) Board of Directors met to agree on offering a price to the packers. Once the storm hit in the middle of the night though with raisins still on the ground, that offer was never officially made. Watch this brief interview with Kalem Barserian, CEO of the RBA, as he explains the current status of the crop and price negotiations. Read more in American Vineyard Magazine.

    Sponsored By:

    Calagnet & YARA

  • California Raisin Crop Forecast Down, Value Increasing

    The California raisin crop is down, and coupled with a greater demand for green grapes at the wineries this year, raisin packers are already making much higher offers to their growers for their crops this season. Watch this video interview with Kalem Barserian, CEO of the Raisin Bargaining Association, as he explains more, and read more in the coming issue of American Vineyard Magazine.

     

  • Supreme Raisins a Hit at the UC Kearney Grape Day 2017

    Kearney, Calif., (August 21, 2017) – Excitement over the new Sunpreme raisins was evident at UC Kearney Grape Day Aug. 8, 2017. As soon as the tram stopped, dozens of farmers and other industry professionals rushed over to the vineyard to take a close look and sample the fruit. Raisins pulled from the vine were meaty with very little residual seed. The flavor was a deep, sweet floral with a muscat note.

    Sunpreme raisins drying on their own in a Kearney vineyard.

    Sunpreme raisins, bred by now-retired USDA breeder David Ramming, promise a nearly labor-free raisin production system. Traditionally, raisins are picked and placed on paper trays on the vineyard floor to dry. The development of dried-on-the-vine varieties opened the door to greater mechanization. Workers would cut the stems above clusters of grapes, which then dry out in the canopy and are harvested mechanically. The new wrinkle with Sunpreme is that grapes ripen and then start to dry on their own – no cane cutting needed.

    UC Cooperative Extension viticulture specialist Matthew Fidelibus and UCCE viticulture advisor George Zhuang are now studying the performance of Sunpreme grapes on different rootstocks and trellis systems at the UC Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center.

    UCCE specialist Matt Fidelibus is conducting rootstock and trellis system experiments on Sunpreme raisins.

    “We didn’t know a lot about this variety,” Fidelibus said. “We’ve found it to be very vigorous.”

    Fidelibus said the raisins take about a month to dry, and one challenge is the tendency for dried raisins to drop off the vine.

    “We want to keep the self drying and stop self dropping,” he said.

    Ramming discovered the Sunpreme variety in a Thompson seedless table grape variety trial in the mid-1990s. He was going down the row, saw clusters of raisins and screeched to a stop. He had discovered Sunpreme. The variety is not yet available for commercial production.

    Fighting nematodes with new solutions

    Also during Grape Day 2017, UC Cooperative Extension nemotology specialist Andreas Westphal outlined research underway to keep nematodes at bay.

    “There’s no methyl bromide in commercial planting,” Westphal said. The very effective fumigant was banned because of it’s tendency to deplete ozone in the atmosphere and the risk to human health because of its toxicity. Many farmers have turned to Telone as an alternative, however it is expensive and its use is limited by a township cap.

    Westphal is comparing alternative treatments for clearing the soil of the tiny worms that feed on vine roots and inhibit vineyard productivity.

    “Some companies are coming up with new chemistry,” Westphal said. “Our challenge in the perennial world is that the roots go so deep.”

    Seven new products and Telon were drenched in different replicated research plots. Some areas were left alone to serve as control. Three times the number of Sauvignon Blanc vines were planted in the plots compared to a typical vineyard so researchers could take out plants twice and examine the roots for evidence of pests.

    “We are excited to see significant growth differences among the treatments,” Westphal said, pointing out a row that was visibly shorter and less vigorous. “It amazed me. Three years after treatment, and it never grew back out of it.”

    Work is still ongoing, but Westphal said he believes some chemical treatment could be available in the future to help reduce nematode pressure.

    To deal with nematode populations, Westphal encouraged growers to sample soil and communicate with the diagnostic laboratory to determine what pest nematodes are in their vineyards, and then use that information for root stock selection.

    “Growers should not forget the value of nematode-resistant rootstocks,” he said. “Plant material needs to be chosen very carefully when different species of nematodes are present.”

    UCCE viticulture advisor emeritus George Levitt, left, chats with retired USDA breeder David Ramming at Grape Day 2017.

  • National Raisin Company Invests in the Future with Renewable Technology

    Farming in California is not easy, but it is the best place in the world to grow raisins. As growers take on increasing input costs due to changing political and environmental conditions, sustainability becomes so important to remaining viable and prosperous in the industry. National Raisin Company has recently invested in some key renewable technologies to improve their efficiency and secure their longterm future in the industry. Watch this brief video interview with LindaKay Abdulian, president of the company, as she shares about these efforts.

  • FAQ Sheet Regarding the Class Action Lawsuit for CA Raisin Growers

    UNITED STATES COURT OF FEDERAL CLAIMS
    No. 15-938
    Bruce Ciapessoni, et al, Plaintiffs, v. The United States, Defendant

     

    What event triggered the filing of this Class Action?

          • On June 22, 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States held that the Marketing Order’s reserve-pool requirement effected “a clear physical taking” in violation of the Fifth Amendment’s Takings Clause for which just compensation was due.

        Horne v. Dep’t of Agriculture, 

            135 S. Ct. 2419, 2428 (2015).Based on

        Horne

          , Plaintiffs, on behalf of the Class brought this class action to recover just compensation for raisins produced by Class Members and subsequently taken by the USDA pursuant to the Marketing Order’s reserve requirement.

     

    Which growers started this Class Action?

      Bruce Ciapessoni, Elisa Ciapessoni, Bob F. Hansen, Hansen Enterprises, R&H Agri-Enterprises, Eldora Rossi, Rossi & Ciapessoni Farms, and Rossi & Rossi initiated this action by filing with the United States Court of Federal Claims, Washington, D.C. on August 26, 2015 (Case No. 15-938).

     

    What crop years and varieties are involved?

      The Court of Claims certified on May 11, 2017 two litigation classes:
      1. All producers who participated in reserve pools of Natural Seedless raisins for crop years 2002-2003, 2003-2004, 2005-2006, 2006-2007, 2007-2008, 2008-2009, and 2009-2010, and
      2. a Subclass of all producers who participated in the reserve pool for Natural Seedless for only the 2009-2010 crop year.

     

    Why is there a Class and a Subclass?

      On November 20, 2016, the Court of Claims ruled, over the objection of the U.S. Government, that the statute of limitations could go back to 2002-2003.
      The U. S. government is reserving its right to appeal this decision and restrict the case to only the last crop year 2009-2010.

     

    What do I need to do?

      If you want to participate, you will need to sign and return an “opt in” form which will be sent out by the Court.

     

    What information is available for me?

      The orders of the Court are public.  The May 11, 2017 Court order by Judge Loren A. Smith determined that:
      1. The growers who started this action have interests which are aligned with all other members of this class.
      2. The proceeding with this action on a class basis is superior to other means of fairly and efficiently adjudicating the case.
      3. The appointment of McDermott Will & Emery LLP as “Lead Counsel” and Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe LLP as “Co-Counsel” is in the best interests of the Class and Subclass.

     

    Will joining the Class cost me any money?

      You will not have to pay any money out of pocket to participate in the Class Action.  If the Class is successful, Class Counsel will ask the Court’s permission to be compensated for litigating this case and representing the Class.  Any sums received by Class Counsel in compensation will be deducted from any recovery, which will proportionately reduce the amount of any award each Class Member receives.  If the case is unsuccessful, you will have no obligation for attorney’s fees or costs.

    What happens once I join the Class?

      If you are eligible to be a Class Member and choose to join the Class, you will receive any monetary or other benefits obtained from the lawsuit.  A judgment in this case will be binding on you, meaning you could not pursue your own separate lawsuit using your own attorney.  Similarly, you may be bound by, and can share in, any settlement reached on behalf of the class.  In the event Class Counsel and the United States reach a settlement, you will receive notice of the settlement and you may object to the settlement and be heard by the Court on your objection.

     

    Does it matter whether I am an RBA, Sun-Maid or independent grower?

      No. Your affiliation makes no difference in your ability to “opt in.”

     

    Can I bring my own lawsuit rather than “opting in” the Class Action?

      Yes. Instead of opting in the class action, you can hire your own lawyers and file your own separate lawsuit for your benefit only. That is what Lion Farms has done.

    7/28/17