OCTOBER 2020
CALIFORNIA’S CENTRAL COAST
NEWS DIGEST
Driscoll’s, Plenty team up for indoor berry growing
USDA Awards $10M to SNAP U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced Oct. 9 that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will award $10 million in grants to strengthen Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training programs (SNAP E&T), which aims to help participants gain the skills, training, or work experience they need to move toward and into employment. USDA is providing more than $6.7 million in SNAP E&T National Partnership Grants to help four national non-profit organizations expand program capacity to serve SNAP participants and over $3.2 million in SNAP E&T Data and Technical Assistance (DATA) Grants to support improved E&T data collection and reporting across five SNAP state agencies. For information visit bit.ly/2FnFmbZ.
Initiative looks to improve environmental dairy stewardship
Proposals aim to expand California reservoirs Two federal reservoirs in California could be expanded in order to adapt aging water systems and meet “significant and steadily mounting water insecurity issues,” according to the California Farm Bureau Federation. The bureau says that expansion of Lake Shasta and San Luis Reservoir would benefit the environment and economy. On October 13 the White House announced the creation of a Water Subcabinet which aims to streamline federal water management and modernize water supplies and systems. The subcabinet will work with senior officials from the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the Office of Management and Budget, the Office of Science and Technology Policy and other federal agencies. For more information visit cfbf.com.
WAY TO WATER Two men team up on a tractor to lay out irrigation lines on a farm in Watsonville.
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
Apple harvest persists ROUGH SEASON COMES TO CLOSE AT HISTORIC ORCHARD By JOHANNA MILLER
I Reporter
t has not been an easy harvest season for California apple farmers. When temperatures shot up into the 100s in August and September, sparking wildfires across the state and harming numerous agricultural commodities, apples were one of the hardest-hit crops. The fruit is susceptible to high heat, especially when it lasts for more than a couple of days. “It’s basically like putting the apples into a convection oven—they literally bake right off the trees,” said Karell Reader, owner of Luz de Valle Farms in Corralitos. “If they’re not protected by enough leaf cover, they just turn brown and fall onto the ground.” Reader estimates that about one-quarter of their apple crops were lost this season due to the scorching temperatures. “Really, all we could do was stand by and watch,” she said. “It’s kind of a helpless feeling… but that’s farming. There’s always some sort of pestilence or foul thing from Mother Nature that wants to come get you.” Reader’s family has owned Luz de Valle Farm since 1880, when her great-grandfather, who was part of the Silva family, settled in what is now Pleasant Valley. After her uncle used the orchard as a retail outlet, it was eventually leased out—leading to it falling into disrepair. That is until Reader and her husband, Phil Reader took it over in 2012. “When we inherited [the farm], it was kind of a disaster,” she said. “It hadn’t been maintained… the barn roof was collapsing, the shop was falling apart. We started tossing around ideas about how to renovate and bring it back.” Luz de Valle now covers about 17 acres of land off of Hames Road in Corralitos and boasts more than 26 varieties of apples, including many rare heirloom varieties. They grow standards such as Fuji and
Johanna Miller
The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy (ICUSD), a forum that convenes dairy farmers and industry stakeholders across the industry, has launched a new effort called the Net Zero Initiative, aiming to help dairy producers across the state and nation to improve environmental stewardship practices. According to a ICUSD press release, due to new practices in cow health, feed and genetics, and modern management practices, the environmental impact of producing a gallon of milk in 2017 has shrunk significantly from 2007, requiring 30% less water, 21% less land and a 19% smaller carbon footprint. The Net Zero Initiative, a component of the center’s 2050 Environmental Stewardship Goals, hopes to further implement new technologies and practices to achieve carbon neutrality, optimize water usage and improve water quality.
Tarmo Hannula
Driscoll’s and indoor vertical-farming company Plenty Unlimited Inc. have announced a joint development agreement to grow Driscoll’s proprietary strawberries year-round in Plenty’s vertical indoor farms. Plenty will incorporate Driscoll’s proprietary genetics into its advanced, indoor farming technology. Through the controlled environment, Plenty claims it can consistently deliver great flavors from Driscoll’s varieties, while also optimizing for texture and size. The two companies were introduced through John Hartnett of SVG Ventures. Driscoll’s strawberries will initially be grown and developed in Plenty’s Laramie, Wyoming farm, the largest privatelyowned vertical farm research and development center in the world.
SWEET AND CRISP Apples thrive on a tree at Luz De Valle Farm in Corralitos. Gala, as well as Newton Pippins, which they mainly sell to Martinelli’s and Santa Cruz Cider Company. Reader said that they inherited the farm “amongst a multitude of disasters,” from labor shortage issues to high water costs due to the drought. They were also dealing with low soil fertility due to neglect, and switching from conventional to organic farming. “The orchard had been let go for so long that a lot of the bigger trees were tapped out,” she said. “We’ve had to rip some older trees out, go back in and plant.” When ash began to fall over Santa Cruz County in August due to the CZU August Lightning Complex, Reader said she was reminding customers to wash the fruit as much as possible. While ash does not harm the apples, it can affect the taste. Luz de Valle became a temporary evacuation site for friends of the Readers who had evacuated from the fires, setting up an outdoor kitchen and tents on the property.
“They were here for almost a month,” Reader said. “It was a crazy time… but absolutely the right thing to do.” Reader said that the Covid-19 pandemic has compelled the farm to focus on its community U-Pick days, which had families coming to the farm for apple-picking and to learn more about the crop. “People have been looking for positive, constructive things to do,” she said. “We really enjoy meeting and educating people… helping deepen their understanding about their food.” The 2020 apple season will soon be coming to an end. By the end of October, most apples at Luz de Valle will be harvested, and the Readers will take a short break before jumping into plans for next year. “Right before Halloween, we take a deep breath,” she said. “We kind of have to force ourselves to take a day off… the work never really ends on a farm. But we really love what we do.”
MONTEREY COUNTY
Microgrid to deliver energy security to Gonzales AG BUSINESS PARK TO REMAIN POWERED DURING OUTAGES By SEAN RONEY Reporter
Vegetable processors and wine producers in and around the Gonzales Agricultural Industrial Business
Park will have access to a reliable power supply at competitive rates under a partnership announced Oct. 8. The $70 million energy service agreement with Concentric Power Inc. will deploy a community-scale microgrid in the Salinas Valley city. It will initially have 35MW of capacity to provide locally gener-
ated and sustainable power to the industrial park. “The companies who do business here need to know that they will have the power they need, when they need it, from a variety of green and low-carbon sources,” said Gonzales Mayor Maria Orozco. “This is exactly the kind of project that benefits everyone in-
volved: dependable, independent power that helps us reach our sustainability goals. This agreement will help deliver that.” With a groundbreaking planned for mid-2021, the power produced by the microgrid is expected to begin in 2022 and will meet the ➝ See GRID, 5
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