Focus on Ag September 2020

SEPTEMBER 2020

CALIFORNIA’S CENTRAL COAST

NEWS DIGEST UCCE to host Forest Stewardship workshops University of California Cooperative Extension is hosting online weekly workshops on Forest Stewardship Wednesdays 6-7:30pm.

The workshops aim to help landowners develop plans to improve and protect their forest lands in an ecologically and economically sustainable manner. They will address management objectives and planning, forest restoration, fuels reduction, project development, permitting and cost-share opportunities. Participants will connect with other landowners and learn how to collect information to develop their own management plans. Registration is $60. Materials provided. For information visit ucanr.edu.

LGMA takes steps for safer leafy greens

Organization praises new trade remedy

Central Coast Wine Competition announces new dates The Central Coast Wine Competition, hosted annually by the California Mid-State Fair, has confirmed its new dates for 2020. The competition will now be held Oct. 12-14.

Discounted early-bird registration will end on Sept. 20 at $65 per wine (instead of $85). Eligible counties are Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara. For more information visit centralcoastwinecomp.com.

Monterey County creates farmworker hotline Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner Henry Gonzales announced on Sept. 2 the creation of a new 24-hour emergency hotline. The bilingual hotline is dedicated to farmworkers or family of farmworkers to report conceners regarding worker safety. This includes issues such as the Covid-19 pandemic, wildfire smoke, pesticides and more.

Trained staff will be available to take calls seven days a week. The number is (831) 809-2394. For information, visit https://bit.ly/33zm8rE.

IN FORMATION Workers thin rows of lettuce on a farm in Watsonville.

A burning impact SANTA CRUZ COUNTY AG COPES WITH HEAT, FIRES

By JOHANNA MILLER

T Reporter

he worst wildfires in California’s history have burned more than 3 million acres, about 3 percent of the state’s total acreage, and included Santa Cruz County vineyards, orchards and tree farms. The fires scorched fields, destroyed barns, melted irrigation lines and disrupted power, water and supply chains for farms along the coast and in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

The CZU Lightning Complex destroyed 40 acres of Crest Ranch Christmas Tree Farm and a large chunk of Bonny Doon’s McHenry Vineyard. In Davenport, Swanton Ranch, Sun Gap Farm, Pie Ranch and Two Dog Farm lost buildings. Small organic producers have launched GoFundMe pages to recover from the disaster.

“The fires broke out when wineries were just about to start harvesting,” Agricultural Commissioner Juan Hidalgo said, estimating that about 148 acres of vineyards out of the county’s 630 are a loss due to fire, smoke and ash and excessive heat. “We’re looking at more than $1 million in damages, at least.”

Hidalgo said they are still waiting to get an assessment of damage to the timber industry, but that it’s “probably going to be huge.”

The Pajaro Valley was not hit directly by the fires but was blanketed by drifting smoke and falling ash. Though these can affect crops such as berries and leafy green vegetables, two of its main exports, the impact has been minimal.

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California Citrus Mutual (CCM) commended the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) for the actions they recently took to address the injury caused by increased imports of seasonal and perishable products. The California citrus industry has been disrupted by low-cost imports in recent years, increasing by 40% in 2017. The new remedy will monitor and investigate imports and aim to safeguard and support U.S. growers. For more information visit cacitrusmutual.com.

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The California Leafy Green Products Handler Marketing Agreement (LGMA) has announced a campaign aiming to make leafy greens safer. The movement first began following an outbreak of E. coli associated with romaine lettuce last year.

With the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and numerous wildfires raging on the West Coast, LGMA has released a new set of steps to prevent foodborne illnesses.

This includes stringent enforcement of new water standards, enhanced testing on farming inputs, the implementation of a program to improve the supply chain, and a “heavying up” of audits during seasonal transition.

For more information visit lgma.ca.gov.

HAZY DAYS Organic celery is harvested in Watsonville under smoke-filled skies.

“We have been fortunate so far,” Hidalgo said. “The impact has been small, and most growers have been able to keep up with the harvest.”

The biggest issue, Hidalgo said, has been the effect of smoke and ash on people working in the fields.

“Early on, when the fires started… air quality quickly became a huge problem,” Hidalgo said. “Our main concern was finding ways to protect our workers.”

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, N95 masks have been in short supply. The Commissioner’s office collaborated with the State of California to provide more masks to farmworkers who continue working through both crises.

But the intense, dry heat that has recently hit the Central Coast—the root cause of the fires—has had an effect on every aspect of agriculture, from worker safety to the crops themselves.

Hidalgo estimates a 10-20 percent loss,

primarily in berries, due to deformities caused by scorched flowers. Wine grapes were also susceptible to sunburning and smoke taint.

“It might not be noticeable in the grand scheme of things, but small losses add up,” he said. “Growers will not only lose commodities but will also need to bring workers in to clean up. It will create a delay in the entire process.”

Hidalgo said that his office’s main focus right now is collecting disaster losses and getting the information back to the United States Department of Agriculture, who can help support farmers in future clean up and replanting efforts. This is especially important as technically, the fire season in California has just begun.

“October is typically our worst fire month in California,” Hidalgo said. “We’re very concerned about that. We are trying to make sure that if that does happen again, we are ready.”

SALINAS

New research center begins construction

BY SEAN RONEY Reporter

Construction of the new Agricultural Research Technology Center in Salinas kicked off Aug. 26 with a virtual and live groundbreaking ceremony.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) will open the center, which will include laboratories, greenhouses and the capacity for

additional scientists. It will be built on the current ARS Crop Improvement and Protection Research Laboratory in Salinas.

Monterey County Supervisor Chris Lopez said the site would be near the USDA property on East Alisal Street, near the Hartnell Community College ag campus.

“When this new facility is complete, we will be able to vastly advance our research

on the sustainable production of vegetable and fruit crops—research that is crucial to the success of California’s large agricultural sector,” said ARS Administrator Chavonda Jacobs-Young. “We will be able to expand collaborations with our longtime partners at the University of California, Davis, who have been working with us for almost 100 years on a diverse portfolio of projects that has

included both food crops and industrial crops.”

James D. McCreight, research leader of the ARS Crop, Improvement and Protection Research Unit, added, “By significantly expanding our facilities, it will help ensure innovative research on fruits and vegetables to best serve our customers, stakeholders and the scientific community.” ➝ See CENTER, 6

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Gilroy Dispatch | Hollister Free Lance | Salinas Valley Tribune | King City Rustler | Watsonville Pajaronian

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FOCUS ON AGRICULTURE

SEPTEMBER 2020

STATE

UCCE advisor strives to make farming more inclusive, equitable CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE

T

Contributed

he coronavirus pande mic has disrupted life for everyone, with information about Covid-19 changing daily. For Californians who are not fluent in English, obtaining reliable information is particularly difficult. Seeing those challenges Aparna Gazula, a University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) advisor who serves Santa Clara, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties, has been providing Covid19-related information in Chinese and Spanish for immigrant Bay Area farmers.

In March, when businesses were shut down to curb the spread of the virus, many restaurants and wholesale produce markets canceled produce orders placed with farmers. Language, cultural differences, low computer literacy and limited access to computers created barriers for smallscale, immigrant farmers in the Bay Area to quickly find new buyers for their perishable produce. Gazula introduced them to food banks, hoping they would accept their produce donations, but the food banks were not set up to pick up donations from small farmers.

Most small-scale farmers lack the financial capital to absorb the revenue shock.

To help offset losses from unsold specialty crops, the UCCE advisor and Qi Zhou, the small farm program assistant specialist, have been helping Asian and Latino farmers complete English-language disaster aid applications.

“Since March, we have helped farmers apply for Covid-19-related farmer relief funds,” Gazula said.

So far, she said, four of the 17 immigrant farmers who applied to the American Farmland Trust Farmer Relief Fund have received a total of $4,000, and 10 farmers of the 30 who applied to the California Family Farmer Emergency Fund received a total of $42,500.

Recently the U.S. Department of Agriculture expanded the list of specialty crops eligible for its Coronavirus Food Assistance Program to include bok choy, daikon and other vegetables with a deadline of Sept. 11. Communicating by phone and the app We Chat, Gazula and Zhou, who speaks Mandarin, notified local farmers, and advised them how to apply for the disaster funds. Zhou, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service rangeland management specialist Ling He and another NRCS staff member assisted 64 farmers in completing applications over the past week.

Bob Kuang, president of the Bay Area Chinese Growers Association, shares UCCE information with the association’s growers.

“Most of my members don’t understand English so they [UC Cooperative Extension] help, like for policy and safety,” providing information the growers can’t find elsewhere in Chinese, Kuang said.

When she was a girl, Gazula saw how hard farmers work to make a living off the land while spending summers and winter breaks at her grandparents’ farm in India, where they

AHEAD OF THE CURVE Aparna Gazula

of UCCE aims to support immigrant farmers in California.

grew rice, mung beans and chili peppers.

“Farmers are very hardworking people, and small farmers even more so as they manage everything on the farm,” Gazula said.

“Their grit, determination to succeed and hardworking spirit truly inspire me.

“I’d like to help them be successful as much as I can,” she said, “be it researchbased information to farm successfully or bilingual support to help them better navigate regulations or apply for grant funds.”

In addition to helping farmers apply for financial relief, Gazula alerted the farmers to shelter in place rules and is delivering Covid-19 safety information about masks, sanitation and social distancing requirements in Chinese and Spanish to them.

She has also helped farmers implement Covid19-related protocols on their farms. They are currently putting together 200 “Covid-19 kits” that will help farmers comply with worker health and safetyrelated protocols on their farms. The kits contain reusable masks, hand sanitizer, bilingual Cal OSHA guidelines for employers regarding Covid-19, and a resources sheet listing where to buy the enclosed items.

Although the majority of growers she works with regularly have limited English and need assistance filing reports to the government, others consult her for production information they can’t get elsewhere for the specialty crops they grow. Farmers of Korean, Japanese, Indian and Vietnamese ancestry and others attend meetings to learn the latest research on Asian vegetables such as daikon radish, napa cabbage, bok choy, on choy and various Asian leafy mustard crops including gai choy and pea shoots.

Gazula, who joined UCCE in 2016, currently works with about 180 small-scale growers in San Benito and Santa Clara counties and hopes to expand her outreach to farmers in Santa Cruz County.

To help small farmers adapt to climate change, Gazula and Zhou partnered with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources’ Healthy Soils Program staff and Santa Clara County Farm Bureau for technical assistance and held workshops during the winter. Zhou

helped the farmers apply for grants from the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s State Water Efficiency & Enhancement Program and Healthy Soils Program. The 22 farmers who received CDFA grants brought a total of $424,111 into Santa Clara County.

The outreach work UCCE does would not be possible without the help of bilingual staff such as Zhou, the scientist Gazula hired with grant funds in September, and some translation support from partner organizations and growers as well.

“Relying on partners for translation support isn’t practical,” Gazula said.

“Outreach is most effective when it is targeted. It’s not just literally translating words, but translating the information the words convey. Because we provide outreach materials to comply with regulations, the language in these materials is very technical and it’s important that the information is presented accurately.

We also depend on relationships with the farmers to extend the information within their communities.

Long-term, it’s easier to do outreach with support from our own staff.”

Competition is stiff for money to serve non-English-speaking Californians because the state is home to so many immigrants with different needs. The majority of the grants she uses for outreach are for food safety. The local Open Space Authority, which promotes preserving land for open spaces, has also provided funds for small and beginning farmer outreach and education.

Gazula draws on the expertise of fellow UC Cooperative Extension farm advisors across the state. For example, she said, Richard Smith, who specializes in vegetable production, and Michael Cahn, who specializes in irrigation and water resources, are always willing to help, even though they are not assigned to serve Santa Clara County.

“Farmers already have tremendous challenges when it comes to being successful,” Gazula said. “I feel language barriers and lack of access to the same resources as fluent Englishspeaking growers shouldn’t be the reason they can’t farm successfully.”

SEPTEMBER 2020

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FOCUS ON AGRICULTURE

CENTRAL COAST

SERVICE

EXACTLY WHERE

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Tarmo Hannula

MAKING ADJUSTMENTS Dorcich Family Vineyard in Gilroy reported an early grape harvest due to the heat wave.

Hazy harvest begins early WINEMAKERS CONCERNED ABOUT IMPACT OF WILDFIRE SMOKE, HEAT

By LAURA NESS Reporter

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any local wineries were already cleaning their presses, doing last-minute bottling to clear tanks and dragging out their hoses for the long season ahead when the recent heat wave struck the Central Coast. To further complicate matters, a lightning storm of Aug. 16 wreaked havoc across the state, igniting nearly 700 fires.

Dorcich Family Vineyard in Gilroy began picking Sauvignon Blanc on Aug. 19, followed by another pick of Sauvignon Blanc the following week. They expected the next fruit picked to be Pinot Noir and Syrah.

Marisa Dorcic said the harvest was earlier this year by a week.

“These heat waves are becoming the new normal and they are not good for grape vines, especially for white grapes and early red varietals as Pinot Noir,” she said. “Aromas and flavors are getting altered and oxidized. This is something that surely growers need to consider to adjust their growing techniques.”

In light of the dramatic weather events that are shaping everyone’s lives in California, one has to consider adding smoke abatement protocols to the winemaking regimen.

In late August, Gina Guglielmo reported that Guglielmo Winery in Morgan Hill had not yet begun to pick. They planned to start the first week of September. They expected Zinfandel to be first in.

Assistant winemaker Niklas Zorn said that this was about the same time as last year. “ The first week of September has become the new normal,” Zorn said. “We even started 30/31 of August in a few more recent years.”

Asked how the heat wave might affect the grapes, Zorn said, “It will certainly speed up our harvest plans.

During 2017, we had a massive heat wave the first week of August (highs of 114 or so) and we picked the whole property in a week. Hopefully we will have more time this year.

Also, the smoke can have an affect on the grapes’ flavor profile and I hope we do not get any issues this year.”

Avoiding smoke taint is going to be a challenge this year. Winemaker Geoff Mace of Calerrain Wines in Gilroy gets grapes from the Santa Lucia Highlands as well as Paicines. The former has been seriously smoked over due to the River Fire.

“I think Paicines will be OK,” he said. “Generally it takes a pretty direct impact from fresh plumes of smoke to make a difference. I’ll be testing, though. But I wish the testing was more reliable. It is possible to have a negative test but still have smoke taint show up once the fruit is made into wine. Which for a startup like me would be a disaster.

So it’s hard to know what to do, frankly.”

Testing labs are already backlogged.

Tim Slater of Sarah’s Vineyard, who also runs Stomping Ground Custom Crush, said, “The heat was punishing for us people and the vines, and we did see some vines struggling and some slight raisining.

We had been about two to three weeks behind a ‘typical’ schedule, but now we might be more like a week behind. Not really sure. We are taking samples of Pinot today to get an idea of where we are. When it gets really hot, the vines shut down and the grapes don’t ripen, but the sugar level can shoot up due to raisins forming. When we had that really bad heat wave back in 2017, over 110 degrees, the vines got ‘shocked’ by the heat and didn’t ripen properly for the rest of the season—it was real strange.”

S l at e r, t o o , i s m o r e worried by the multiple fires impacting several growing regions from which he sources fruit.

“We plan to send off samples of grapes from the smokiest areas (Santa Cruz Mountains and Santa Lucia Highlands) to verify that there aren’t smoke taint problems, before we

start harvesting from our partner vineyards,” he said.

“The smoke in our area outside of Gilroy never got very bad so we aren’t worried about the home estate.”

Third-generation grape farmer George Besson Jr. grows Pinot Noir at his home vineyard in Gilroy.

Hi s d a u g h t e r, D e n i s e Besson, said they began picking it at the end of the last week of August.

Asked if smoke from the SCU and CZU fires had caused problems for their vineyard holdings, Denise said, “Minimal to no smoke impact on the grapes. We were spared, given the winds and where we are located. For other vineyards, they have been horribly impacted. We were down in Paso Robles on business and driving by the Santa Lucia Highlands was awful.

Couldn’t see vineyards or anything for that matter.”

As Vic Vanni of Solis Winery in Gilroy said, “Nothing seems predictable or normal these days, and I’m so over it. No fruit has been harvested, but it seems a bit earlier than the last couple of years. I imagine we will be harvesting in mid-September unless the weather really cools down.

The heat had stressed the plants and shriveled some fruit, but we have been dumping a lot of water on the plants, so we should be OK.” In Corralitos, El Vaquero Winery’s vineyard came out of the recent heatwave and fires mostly unscathed, with no smoke damage and only minimal bruising to the fruit.

“We are so thankful,” owner Bob Prikazsky said.

“We saw some vineyards where fires had come up right to the edge, and others that were completely lost.”

However, the heatwave did have an effect on the overall season, with grape harvest kicking off about two weeks early and higher quantities of grapes per vine.

“We rarely get fruit before Labor Day,” he said. “We might be finished picking early. But you never know… last year we were still picking into November.”

USDA aids in wildfire recovery Recent extreme weather conditions have impacted farmers and ranchers in San Benito and Santa Clara Counties. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), through the Farm

Service Agency (FSA), has disaster assistance programs available to help agricultural producers recover after natural disasters, including wildfires.

“FSA offers a variety of disaster assistance programs to support farmers

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CALENDAR

Thank you for supporting local farms, local produce, and local packaging

SEPTEMBER 2020

SEPT. 29 Healthy Soils for a Sustainable Future Join webinar at http://www. conservationwebinars.net/ This webinar, presented by the USDA Northeast Climate Hub, is intended for technicians and educators who are looking to assist landowners in navigating options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from soil through soil carbon and nitrogen management.

Other social, environmental, or economic considerations will also be addressed in this presentation. Registration is not required as space is not limited. For information visit usda.gov.

SEPT. 26

Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden Annual Meeting Virtual meeting on Zoom via https://casfs.ucsc.edu/index. html The Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden annual meeting is going virtual this year. The meeting will be held over Zoom on Sept. 26 at 4pm to hear from CASFS Director Stacy Philpott about 2020 Farm & Garden highlights and CASFS’s plans for the upcoming year, and to vote for new Board officers. This year’s meeting will include a virtual apple tasting with delicious fruit grown on the farm to pick up and taste at home. More to be announced soon. For information visit casfs.ucsc. edu.

www.sambrailo.com 800 Walker Street, Watsonville CA 95076 831-724-7581

SEPT. 26-27 You-Pick Sunflower

Fields at Swank Farms 4751 Pacheco Hwy, Hollister Come visit Swank Farms in Hollister, a real working farm made up of 29 acres of wideopen space! Enjoy the farm’s sunflower fields and pick your own! Fields are open 10am-sunset. Prices are per bloom. Guests are required to bring their own scissors to pick sunflowers. Tickets may be used during the 2020 Fall Season or any 2021 event of equal or lesser value.

For more information visit swankfarms.com.

RECURRING

Morning Family Farm Walk Live Earth Farm, 1275 Green Valley Rd., Watsonville Throughout September Farm Discovery at Live Earth Farm will be hosting a number of Family Farm Walks in Watsonville. Come enjoy the healing nature of time outdoors with family.

Take a self-guided tour of our organic fields, Discovery Garden and animal pens.

The $20 admission donation (per family) gives you private access to the upper farm and will help our nonprofit organization weather the challenges of the Covid-19 crisis. For more information visit Farm Discovery’s Facebook page.

FARMERS MARKETS Watsonville Farmers Market 328 Union St., Watsonville This year-round market is held every Friday 2-7pm.

Come and shop for fresh local produce and flowers straight from farmers, as well as prepared food including baked potatoes,

kettle corn, hummus and more. For information follow the market’s official Facebook page.

Gilroy Farmers Market 6000 Miller Ave., Gilroy Held every Saturday 9am-1pm. Come and enjoy local vegetables and fruit, homemade soap, bakery items, hummus, garlic, flowers, and more. For information visit tcfm.farm/

Salinas Farmers Market 12 W. Gabilan St., Salinas Market is held year-round, Saturday from 9am-2pm.

Come for an assortment of fruits, vegetables and street food. For information, visit wcfma.org/salinas

Alisal Farmers Market 632 East Alisal, Salinas The Alisal Market is located in the parking lot of the WIC center and happily accepts EBT/WIC and conducts a Market Match program for EBT customers to increase their spending power. Ask about Market Match at the Information Booth. Held every Tuesday 11am-4pm.

For information visit everyonesharvest.org.

Bolado Park Farmers Market 9000 Airline Highway, Tres Pinos Power Broadcasting and Medina Farms will host a new farmers market beginning Aug. 23 at Bolado Park. The market will run Sundays from 9am-1pm, weather permitting. It will feature farms from throughout the state, as well as food trucks and a flea market. For information, call 831-722-1122.

STATE

Tarmo Hannula

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SHOW OF SUPPORT The California Certified Organic Farmers

Foundation is aiming to help organic farmers affected by the recent wildfires through a new grants program.

CCOF offers grants to farmers affected by fires STAFF REPORT

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The California Certified Organic Farmers Foundation is poised to help organic farmers recover from the unprecedented wildfires burning across the West Coast, including CCOF’s hometown of Santa Cruz.

The Bricmont Hardship Assistance Fund gives grants to organic business owners affected by hardships of all kinds, including wildfires, natural disasters and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Since 2007, the CCOF Foundation has distributed $210,000 to farmers, but this challenging year has already resulted in a four-fold increase in applications for financial assistance. It is yet to be seen how the fires will further increase applications to the fund, but organic supporters can help meet this

increased need by making donations to the Bricmont Hardship Assistance Fund.

All donations to the fund go directly to organic farmers and business owners.

“California’s Central Coast is one of our most robust areas of organic producers, including many of the farmers who founded CCOF. And as the leading state in organic production, we expect to see many organic farmers across California who will need support to rebuild,” said CCOF CEO Kelly Damewood. “We have already received a record number of applications to the Bricmont Hardship Assistance Fund this year as a result of COVID-19, and we expect to be inundated with more requests for help as a result of the fires.”

Earlier this year, CCOF chapters—made up of CCOF-certified organic business owners—contrib-

uted some of their own chapter resources to the Bricmont Hardship Assistance Fund in order to reach even more farmers in this year of great need.

“People often overlook organic farmers during times of crisis, and we don’t have the same resources and support programs as other farmers,” said CCOF Board of Directors Chair and organic farmer and winemaker Phil LaRocca.

Every penny of assistance makes a difference for farmers hit by disaster.

We are already operating on such tight margins to produce healthy food, sometimes we need a little help to make it through the hard times and keep our communities going.”

Donate at ccof.org/ donate. For more information visit ccof. org/bricmont. The next grant application cycle ends No. 20.

SEPTEMBER 2020

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FOCUS ON AGRICULTURE

PAJARO VALLEY

Cannabis Chronicle CANNABIS CULTURE & NEWS FOR THE BAY AREA & CENTRAL COAST • FALL 2020

What Happened to Hemp?

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VITAL RESOURCE The Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency is

A new world of cannabinoids P20

forming a new committee dedicated to groundwater sustainability.

Agency seeks volunteers for groundwater committee

By TONY NUNEZ Reporter

Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency is looking for volunteers to be part of a newly conceived committee focused on groundwater sustainability in the Pajaro Valley.

The 17-member Sustainable Groundwater Committee, which will meet up to 10 times through fall 2021, will focus on updating PV Water’s Basin Management Plan (BMP). It will also help the Pajaro Valley stay compliant with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), a 2014 package of three laws that aims to gain statewide groundwater sustainability by 2042.

SGMA requires that Groundwater Sustainability Agencies such as PV Water prepare an update to their Groundwater Sustainability Plans every five years.

The PVWMA Board of Directors on Aug. 19 voted unanimously to create the committee.

The committee will evaluate information presented by staff and consultants, related to the existing and projected conditions of the groundwater basin. It will also consider sustainable management criteria that would avoid significant and unreasonable impacts to the groundwater basin, and make recommendations to the Board of Directors.

The result of this effort will be documented in a report named Basin Management Plan: Groundwater Sustainability Update 2022.

USDA

➝ From page 3

so once producers are able to evaluate their losses, it is important to contact the local FSA office to report all damages and losses and learn more about how we can assist.”

FSA offers programs to help producers recover from losses, including the Lives tock Indemnity Program (LIP), the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) and the Tree Assistance Program. Producers located in counties receiving a primary or contiguous disaster designation are eligible for low-interest emergency loans to help them recover from production and physical losses.

To participate in LIP, producers must submit a notice of loss to their local FSA office within 30 calen-

Funding for this project comes in large part from a $500,000 Proposition 68 Grant issued by the Department of Water Resources.

“By forming this committee, the PV Water Board reaffirms its commitment to engage stakeholders and community members in the continuing effort toward achieving groundwater sustainability,” said General Manager, Brian Lockwood.

Projects on tap The 2016 update to the BMP laid out seven projects that, if implemented and operated as anticipated, were estimated to solve 90% of the seawater intrusion and 100% of the basin overdraft problems, according to PV Water. Six of those projects were set to be completed by 2025, and the seventh was part of another eight projects that could be implemented after that deadline.

Those seven projects would increase the Pajaro Valley groundwater basin’s water supply by 12,100 acre-feet per year.

Three of the programs and projects—conservation, increased recycled water deliveries and increased recycled water storage at treatment plants—are currently being implemented and take advantage of approximately $8 million in grant and low-interest loan funding.

The two big-money projects, the Watsonville Slough and Recharge Basin Project and the College Lake Integrated Resources

dar days of when the loss of livestock is apparent. In addition, livestock producers should bring supporting evidence, including documentation of the number and kind of livestock that died, photographs or video records to document the loss, purchase records, veterinarian records, production records and other similar documents. Owners who sold injured livestock for a reduced price because the livestock was injured due to an adverse weather event, must provide verifiable evidence of the reduced sale of the livestock.

To participate in ELAP, producers must submit a notice of loss to their local FSA office within 30 calendar days of when the loss is apparent. Producers should also maintain records and receipts documenting that livestock was removed from the grazing pasture due to adverse weather, costs of transporting livestock feed to eligible livestock, re-

Management Project, totaling at least $46.2 million combined, are still in the works. Both propose the use of rainwater harvesting to meet the needs of the Pajaro Valley, one of the agriculture giants on the Central Coast.

PV Water has published the draft environmental impact report for the Watsonville Slough project. That will be open for public comment through Oct. 19.

The latter is moving forward after PV Water entered agreements with two engineering firms to help plan for a project.

Joining the Committee The members will be filled by appointments and by application. The appointed seats will include members from Central Coast counties, farm bureaus, water districts, PV Water Board Members and the City of Watsonville.

Rural residential well owners, mutual water companies, disadvantaged communities, environmental and agricultural interests will be selected by application.

PV Water encourages public involvement. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the meetings will take place via teleconference.

For information, visit www.pvwater.org/sustainable-gw-committee or contact PV Water at 7229292. Applications are due by Sept. 25.

ceipts for equipment rental fees for hay lifts, and feed purchase receipts.

The FSA Emergency Conservation Program provides funding and technical assistance for farmers and ranchers to rehabilitate farmland damaged by natural disasters.

Compensation also is available to producers who purchased coverage through FSA’s Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program, which protects non-insurable crops against natural disasters that result in lower yields, crop losses or prevented planting. Eligible producers must have purchased NAP coverage for 2020 crops and file a notice of loss and application for payment on qualifying crops.

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SEPTEMBER 2020

STATE

Rivas named Assembly Ag Committee Chair STAFF REPORT

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Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) has been named Chair of the Assembly Agriculture Committee by Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood). Raised in farmworker housing, Rivas represents the 30th Assembly District, which includes the agriculture-rich Salinas and Pajaro valleys on the Central Coast.

“My district is known as the ‘salad bowl of the world,’” said Rivas, “because our farms grow so much of the fresh produce that our nation and world rely upon to eat. From big growers to small family farms, the health of California’s agriculture industry is critically important.”

Rivas also announced that he will be launching a statewide agriculture tour in October to meet with agriculture industry members, farmworkers and community leaders.

Findings from the statewide tour will help shape legislative policy recommendations.

“California has the most productive and diverse agriculture industry in the countr y,” Rivas said. “But like our state as a whole, our farms are currently facing unique challenges caused by the pandemic, widespread wildfires, and economic uncertainty. I look forward to lis tening and learning directly from the many people who are working to keep our agri-

NEW POSITION Assemblymember Robert Rivas

recently celebrated the legislative passing of his Farmworker Covid-19 Relief Package. culture industry thriving during this challenging time.”

On Aug. 31 the California Legislature passed Rivas’ first-in-the-nation Farmworker Covid-19 Relief Package. Each of the relief package’s three bills received strong, bipartisan support. With increasing evidence of disproportionate outbreaks of Covid-19 among farmworker communities, the bills now head to the Governor’s desk for consideration.

“Assemblymember Rivas has a track record of fighting for farmworkers and working closely with their employers,” Speaker Rendon said. “From his youth in farmworker housing to the present, he has been prepared to be chair of this committee. I am confident Assemblymember Rivas will meet this moment and

maintain California’s agricultural leadership.”

The Assembly Agriculture Committee has broad jurisdiction over the Department of Food and Agriculture, agricultural commissions, agricultural commodities, food access, food and agricultural commodity labeling, livestock and poultry, milk and milk products, pest management, expositions and fairs, farmers markets, veterinarians, and other agricultural issues.

As Assemblymember in California’s 30th District, Rivas represents all or portions of the cities and towns of Aromas, Big Sur, Chualar, Gilroy, Greenfield, Gonzales, Hollister, King City, Morgan Hill, Salinas, San Martin, San Juan Bautista, Soledad, Spreckels and Watsonville.

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FOR THE FUTURE An artist’s rendering of the new USDA research facility, to be built in Salinas.

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California 20th District Rep. Jimmy Panetta and now retired Rep. Sam Farr, along with 2nd District Rep. Sanford Bishop were credited with leading the charge for new research facilities in an effort that took decades.

After years of advocacy by the representatives, Panetta secured $98 million in the Fiscal Year 2018 spending bill to cover the cost of the three-phased project to upgrade the current ARS facility in Salinas.

The project’s first two phases will cover the design and construction of new research facilities. The modernization of these facilities will allow the Salinas Station to meet the demands of its expanding research program.

ARS is the main in-house scientific research agency within the USDA, which focuses on solutions to agricultural problems from the crops to kitchens. Some of their research includes weed control, fungus control, disease resistance and other genetic testing.

A RS f u nc ti o ns w i th an annual budget of $1.4 billion with an estimated 6,000 employees. One of their latest projects is to seek new fertilizer development that supports higher yield but reduces the negative impact of chemical application.

T he Salinas Station will play a critical role in facilitating sustainable productions of vegetable, fruit and ornamental crops by using both basic and applied research.

Locally, the station’s research teams will work in partnership with local universities and agricultural producers to improve germplasm of lettuce, spinach and melons; determine the basic biolog y of viral, fungal and bacterial diseases affecting these crops; develop alternatives to methyl bromide as a soil fumigant; reduce postharvest losses of lettuce; and develop scientifically based organic crop production practices.

Expanded research in those areas will not only bene fit Central Coas t farmers as they take agriculture into the 21st century, but also support

specialty crop producers nationwide and worldwide as they work to address new climate stressors, new pests and diseases, and labor shortages.

“We are on our way to fulfilling the vision of former Congressman Sam Farr of having a state-ofthe-art research facility that will continue to enhance the sustainability, security and nutritional value of our specialty crops,” Panetta said. “Every dollar invested in agricultural research returns more than $20 to our economy, and the research performed right here in Salinas is needed to arm farmers with innovative tools to address unique challenges in the specialty crop sector.”

Panetta said he was proud of the district’s legacy of Central Coast farmers and farmworkers who keep the nation at the forefront of agricultural research and innovation.

“Finally, the diversity of Central Coast agriculture w i l l h av e … r e s e a r c h facilities and opportunities for academic partnerships to sustain us in a modern world,” Farr added. “The opportunities are endless for new jobs and ideas.”