Massimo Iorizzo, organizing chair of the 41st International Carrot Conference, views a cultivar trial at the conference. Check out highlights from the conference on pages 4-6. Photo courtesy Romit Seth, North Carolina State University
departMeNts
Carrot Country is interested in newsworthy material related to carrot production and marketing. Contributions from all segments of the industry are welcome. Submit news releases, new product submissions, stories and photos via email to: editor@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com, or call (509) 697-9436.
advertIsING sales
For information on rates, mechanics, deadlines, list rental, direct mail, inserts or other information, call (208) 520-6461 or email: dave@carrotcountry.net
suBsCrIptIoNs
U.S. $20 per year
Canada $30 per year
Foreign $45 per year
subscribe online at: www.CarrotCountry.com/subscribe or call (503) 724-3581
Email address changes/corrections to brian@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com or mail to: Carrot Country PO Box 333 Roberts, ID 83444
Carrot Country magazine (ISSN 1071-6653), is published four times a year and mailed under a standard rate mailing permit at Idaho Falls, Idaho and at additional mailing offices. produced by Columbia Media Group po Box 333, roberts, Id, 83444
Copyright 2024. all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose without the express written permission of Columbia Media Group.
Carrot Industry Convenes in North Carolina
Representing 10 countries, nearly
100 members of the carrot industry converged in Raleigh, North Carolina, this summer for the 41st International Carrot Conference. Held every 18 to 24 months, this conference aims to bring together a worldwide audience of growers, packers, shippers, seed producers, breeders, pathologists, sellers, marketers, researchers, extension specialists, students and others interested in the carrot industry.
With technologies in the agriculture sector continuing to evolve, meetings like this are critical to stay up to date, advance research goals, understand new challenges and facilitate transfer of research outcomes to industry partners, according to conference organizing chair Massimo Iorizzo with North Carolina State University.
The conference included scientific presentations that showcased the most recent findings and technical advances in the carrot community, as well as a tour of two carrot field trials.
A sign welcomes attendees to the 41st International Carrot Conference in Raleigh, N.C. Attendees of the International Carrot Conference gather for a group photo.
Photos courtesy Kevser Ozel, University of Wisconsin
research presentations
A full agenda of presentations covered a wide variety of ongoing carrot research projects. Highlights included new findings about the health effects of carrots and compositional quality. Conference attendees learned about new methods for evaluating carrot traits like texture and anthocyanins, as well as new tools and molecular breeding strategies. A number of presentations highlighted the significant advances made in discovering the genetic mechanisms and genes controlling multiple traits and the effect of the environment or stresses on multiple traits. Presentations on crop management reported better strategies to diagnose and manage diseases, insects, nematodes and weeds.
Field trials
Conference attendees spent the final afternoon of the meeting at the Horticultural Crops Research Station in Clinton, North Carolina, viewing a conventional carrot cultivar demonstration trial and an Alternaria disease trial. The conventional trial included 144 entries representing five carrot market categories: Imperator cello, Imperator cut ‘n peel, novel colored carrots, processing types, and Nantes or Kuroda. Seeds were provided by private and public breeding programs.
Alternaria causes leaf browning in this plot of Nantes-type carrots grown in the Alternaria disease trial.
The Alternaria disease trial included 91 entries provided by private and public breeding programs and the USDA germplasm repository. Pressure for Alternaria leaf blight, caused by Alternaria dauci, is very high in North Carolina. Typical symptoms are dark brown lesions on the individual leaflets and petioles, and these lesions can be surrounded by a yellow halo. Severe infections can reduce root size and yield. The goal of the Alternaria trial was to gather preliminary information about carrot lines showing some level of resistance or tolerance to the disease. Alternaria prevention strategies were applied to the conventional trial, while the Alternaria trial was untreated, allowing natural occurrence of disease infection. Carrot lines showing a medium to high level of resistance to Alternaria leaf blight were noted.
A conference program, including abstracts of the presentations, can be found at www.internationalcarrots.org/ agenda. The 42nd International Carrot Conference will be held in 2026. The location will be announced soon.
Carrot breeder Phil Simon honors the late John Navazio, a vegetable breeder and co-founder of the Organic Seed Alliance, for his contributions to the carrot industry.
Kevin Vander Kooi with the University of Guelph shares new tools for managing carrot weevil.
A plot of Chantenay-type carrots grown in the conventional cultivar trial are on display for viewing.
Jerada RZ Delivers
Jerada RZ is an early Nantes hybrid for fresh cello, processing and bunching. Jerada RZ has an average of 90 growing days to reach full blunt shape and offers great uniformity, foliage health and taste. This early variety is high yielding and has long field standability.
• Early high yielding variety
• High uniformity in roots
• Strong, mid-dark green and upright foliage
• Smooth skin
• Excellent for bunching and fresh markets
www.rijkzwaanusa.com
understanding Irrigation Choices
Dealing with Droughts, Water Rights and Agricultural Investment
By Molly Sears, Assistant Professor, Michigan State University
Drought is a major source of production risk in agriculture across the United States. Dry conditions can decrease planted or harvested acreage, reduce crop yields and livestock productivity, and increase expenses. Even places that usually get enough rain can face regular droughts. According to the USDA’s Economic Research Service, areas at high risk for drought experience one month of severe, extreme or exceptional drought once every two to three growing seasons. In places with less risk, drought occurs every five to six growing seasons.
When drought hits, producers deal with many challenges beyond their control, such as the weather, access to water for irrigation, and how much water the soil can hold. But producers have options: installing or improving irrigation systems, changing how to manage their land to hold more water or switching to droughttolerant crops. While increasing irrigation is the most likely to benefit crops in the short term, producers deciding to irrigate face several challenges, such as figuring
out if it’s profitable, getting access to water rights and dealing with less water during droughts.
While only 20 percent of agricultural land in the United States is irrigated, 54 percent of total U.S. crop sales are from irrigated acres. The use of irrigation has increased rapidly. From 1997 to 2017, irrigated acreage increased by 1.7 million acres, reaching over 58 million acres in total. While this is good news for agricultural producers looking to reduce risk and increase crop yields, it also comes at a cost: 42 percent of U.S. freshwater withdrawals were from irrigated agriculture. As shown in Fig. 1, this change in irrigated area is not the same everywhere. Irrigated agriculture is increasing significantly in areas with plenty of water, especially in the Mississippi Delta, eastern Nebraska and the Great Lakes. While irrigation is still increasing in parts of the western U.S., other areas have seen a decline, including the Texas panhandle and California’s Central Valley.
These changes make sense because irrigation was first adopted in the West where crops needed irrigation water in order to be profitable. As irrigation equipment has gotten less expensive, the places where irrigation investment is profitable has expanded eastward. In the East, investment has rapidly occurred in areas with stable water resources and sandy soil. In the West, where the best land has mostly been irrigated already, growth has slowed down.
Another major factor in how irrigation works is water rights and how they influence a farmer’s ability to get water. In the West, most surface water is governed by prior appropriation doctrine. Prior appropriation is often referred to as “first in time, first in right.” This means that people who applied for water permits the earliest have the first priority for water. In areas where water is scarce, applying for a new water permit might not guarantee access to water. If all other users have their permits filled first, then there may not be enough water left to fill new water users’ needs.
Figure 1. Change in county-level irrigated agricultural acres, 1997-2017
In the eastern U.S., surface water is largely governed by riparian rights doctrine. If land is next to a body of water, that land has full access to that water. This does require coordination across all water users; no water user can use so much water that others may not have “enough” (how much is “enough” varies across states). This means that new surface water users can apply for irrigation relatively easily. However, in times of drought, riparian rights can lead to complicated negotiations that prior appropriation doctrine avoids.
As irrigation equipment becomes more efficient and less expensive, and as droughts happen more often, more farmers will want to use irrigation. From what we see now, it is likely that this growth will be faster in the eastern United States. While there are more water resources available in the East, this could lead to a need for increased coordination across agricultural producers in order to ensure that all water users have sufficient water in times of drought.
Increase ROI with Better Irrigation Water
Purity makes the difference. Better irrigation water yields better returns.
Diamond K’s solution grade gypsum, sulfate of potash and soil surfactants set the industry standards for purity and efficiency. We offer advanced testing to provide you better data from water and soil tests.
Results that help you improve water penetration, nutrient uptake, crop quality and yield.
Ask your agronomist about improving purity and efficiency in crop nutrition and irrigation, with products from Diamond K. diamondkgypsum.com
Very full-sized Nantes with strong dark green tops and cylindrical, smooth blunt roots. A specialized variety with a sweet taste when sown in fall for winter harvest.
Resistance IR: Ar / Cc / Ps, Pv NAPOLI
Similar to Nelson, with more uniform roots and plant vigor. The 5 1/2–6 1/2” roots have mild flavor and crisp, juicy texture with early sugar development. Strong, compact tops for bunching.
A Nantes type that produces very shapely, uniform, hairless roots 7-9 inches long. Crisp and sweet, Naval resists cracking with an added bonus of a long shelf life.
Resistance IR: Ad / Ar / Cc
bejoseeds.com
2024-25 Buyers’ Guide
Thereare a lot of moving parts involved in growing and marketing a carrot crop - from needing the right products to protect your crop from pests and pathogens to having the right equipment to efficiently navigate the season. For most growers, packers and shippers, this translates into a constant to-do list, shopping list and wish list.
Here are some resources to help you enjoy a successful season, from seed to harvest.
CROP INPUTS
Bayer cropscience.bayer.us
Minuet fungicide
diamond K
diamondkgypsum.com
Solution grade gypsum, sulfate of potash and soil surfactants set the industry standards for purity and efficiency. Advanced testing provides better data from water and soil tests.
The purest, most soluble Calcium Sulfate Dihydrate boosts calcium and sulphur while reducing soil salts.
vive
vivecrop.com (888) 760-0187
AZterknot and AZteroid FC fungicides, Viloprid FC insecticide
dewulf dewulfgroup.com
32 51 20 58 71
Dewulf Zkivse
Self-Propelled 4-Row Carrot Harvester
SpudniK spudnik.com (831) 240-9600
ASA-LIFT North American Sales Distributor
As part of the Grimme Group, ASA-LIFT is a leading international company developing, producing and distributing vegetable harvesters. For more than 80 years, ASA-LIFT machines have been sold all over the world.
univerco
univerco.com (450) 245-7152
Mini-Veg, G4-Pro, Mac II (carrot harvesters)
Univerco has been building carrot harvesters since 1978 and is now offering a complete range of harvesters from the smaller 1-row machines that will fit on 60 HP tractors all the way up to multi-row self-propelled and everything in between. A solution for root crops production in any soil type, weather conditions or volume.
vogel engineering
vogel-engineering.com (231) 821-2125
Computer individual row head height system, 2,3,4,6 & 8 rows conventional roller bar or high-speed crowing, precision computer controlled planting population systems
Kerian machineS inc.
kerian.com
1709 Hwy 81 S, PO Box 311
Grafton, ND USA 58237 (701) 352-0480
sales@kerian.com
Kerian Speed Sizer
verBruggen
verbruggen-palletizing.com (509) 531-7350 Specialists in palletizers and palletizing robots
Idaho Falls, ID 3721 W 65th South Idaho Falls, ID 83402 (208) 524-0600
Pasco, WA 5702 Industrial Way Suite 101 Pasco, WA 99301 (509) 547-3437
Fresno, CA 3440 S East Ave. Suite 104 Fresno, CA 93725 (800) 253-4737
Monte Vista, CO 1100 S Country Rd. 3 E Monte Vista, CO 81144 (800) 253-4737
Simon has a full range of bed formers (including the CultiRateau).
Solex corporation solexcorp.com 220 South Jefferson St. Dixon, CA 95620 (707) 678-5533
Stanhay planters 1, 2, 3 or 4 lines per metering unit
PlaNTING Seed Seed
Bejo SeedS bejoseeds.com (805) 473-2199
nunhemS - BaSf nunhems.com
For more than 50 years, BASF’s vegetable seed business has been breeding high-quality carrots that offer increased yield potential, disease resistance, great taste and high nutritional value.
Pacific Northwest Vegetable Association Conference and Trade Show
Three Rivers Convention Center Kennewick, Wash.
Sheri Nolan, (509) 585-5460 or www.pnva.org
Nov. 27
British Growers Association
Onion and Carrot Conference
Leicester Tigers Conference Centre Leicester, England www.onionandcarrotconference.co.uk
dec. 10-12
Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo
DeVos Place Conference Center Grand Rapids, Mich. www.glexpo.com
Editor’s note: To have your event listed, please email Denise Keller at editor@ columbiamediagroup.com. Please send your information 90 days in advance.
vive Crop protection secures series C extension Funding
Vive Crop Protection has successfully closed its Series C extension funding round. The investment underscores the growing demand for sustainable agricultural solutions and positions Vive for continued growth and impact in the industry, according to the company.
Vive’s prior funding round accelerated the development and commercialization of its products, leading to unprecedented growth for the company. With this additional funding secured, Vive’s goal is to launch five products annually.
study shows Health Benefits of Baby Carrots
A recent study found that eating baby carrots three times a week can increase carotenoid levels in the skin of young adults. Carotenoids are key indicators of fruit and vegetable intake and are linked to enhanced antioxidant protection and reduced risk of chronic illnesses such as heart disease and cardiovascular disease.
Conducted by researchers at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, the four-week study involved 60 young adults randomly assigned to different groups. Participants consumed apple slices (control), 100 grams (about half a cup) of baby carrots, a multivitamin supplement containing beta carotene, or a combination of baby carrots and the supplement. Results showed a notable rise in skin carotenoid scores among those consuming baby carrots, with the combination of carrots and the supplement yielding the highest increase.
Purity Makes
Purest, most soluble Calcium Sulfate Dihydrate
• Conditions and improves poor quality irrigation water
• Increases water absorption and penetration
• Provides the most calcium and sulfur pound for pound
• Promotes deep root growth
• Leaches sodium below the rootzone/reclaims sodic soils
