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Contributing Writers & Industry Support
Franz Niederholzer
UCCE Farm Advisor, Colusa and Sutter/Yuba Counties
Gail Oberst Contributing Writer
Kristin Platts Digital Content Writer
Layne Ellen Harris Ph.D., Foresight Agronomics
Lori Fairchild Contributing Writer
Mike Wade California Farm Water Coalition
Rich Kreps CCA, SSp., Contributing Writer
Roger A. Isom President/CEO Western Agricultural Processors Association
Stetcyn Maldonado Seeds for Bees Manager, Project Apis M.
Vicky Boyd Contributing Writer
UC Cooperative Extension Advisory Board
Surendra K. Dara Entomologist, Oregon State University
Kevin Day County Director/UCCE Pomology Farm Advisor, Tulare/Kings Counties
Elizabeth Fichtner UCCE Farm Advisor, Tulare County
Steven Koike Tri-Cal Diagnostics
Jhalendra Rijal UCCE Integrated Pest Management Advisor, Stanislaus County
Mohammad Yaghmour UCCE Area Orchard Systems Advisor, Kern County
Katherine Jarvis-Shean UCCE Area Orchard Systems Advisor, Yolo and Solano The articles, research,
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DRIVING INNOVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY: A VISION FOR CALIFORNIA’S TREE NUT INDUSTRY IN 2024
By JASON SCOTT, MS | CEO/Publisher, JCS Marketing Inc. and West Coast Nut
As we approach the new year, I want to take a moment to reflect on the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for growers, processors, and the entire ag community. This time of year presents both the culmination of a hard-fought harvest and the beginning of critical preparations for the next growing season.
Navigating Change: A Strategic Imperative
In our ever-evolving agricultural landscape, flexibility and foresight are no longer luxuries; they are necessities. Weather patterns are becoming more unpredictable, market demands are shifting, and regulatory pressures are mounting. Yet, these challenges also present tremendous opportunities for innovation and growth. We must be proactive, not reactive, in managing the complexities that define our industry today.
Post-Harvest Planning: The Foundation for Future Success
As we move into November, growers must turn their attention to the post-harvest tasks that set the foundation for a successful 2024 season. This
includes strategic irrigation management, soil health initiatives, and pest control planning. Ensuring your orchards are primed for winter dormancy will pay dividends next year.
Sustainability: The Cornerstone of Resilience
In the face of growing environmental pressures, sustainability must be at the forefront of every grower’s strategy. Cover crops, water conservation, and precision agriculture technologies are no longer optional but central to maintaining both soil health and profitability. We must embrace practices that will not only sustain but enhance the long-term viability of our farms.
Data-Driven Decisions: The Competitive Edge
As the industry continues to integrate more advanced technologies, data-driven decision-making becomes critical. From precision irrigation to pest monitoring, leveraging real-time data is how successful growers stay ahead of the curve. If you haven’t already adopted these tools, now is the time to explore how technology can transform your operation.
Strengthening Our Community: A Unified Approach
Finally, as we plan for the future, it’s vital that we continue to foster collaboration across the industry. From local ag consultants to global market partners, our strength lies in the relationships we build. West Coast Nut is committed to facilitating these connections, providing a platform for thought leadership, education, and community.
As we look ahead to 2024, I encourage you to stay engaged, stay informed, and embrace the innovations that will carry our industry forward. Together, we can build a more resilient, profitable, and sustainable future for California’s tree nut growers.
Thank you for your continued support and dedication to advancing the industry. Here’s to a successful post-harvest season and an even brighter year ahead!
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Challenges also present unique opportunities for nut growers and allied industry members.
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Demystifying Biologicals: A Short Guide to Selection and Evaluation
By LAYNE ELLEN HARRIS | Ph.D., Foresight Agronomics
The increasing demand for alternatives to synthetic and traditional chemistries has led to a surge in the use of biologicals. Biologicals, derived from natural sources, such as microorganisms, plant and seaweed extracts, and minerals, offer a promising alternative or complement to conventional crop management practices. They encompass a wide range of products, including biostimulants and biocontrols, each with unique mechanisms and potential benefits. Generally, biostimulants can enhance plant growth, nutrient uptake and stress tolerance, while biocontrols offer a biological approach to managing pests and diseases. However, the relative novelty of the biologicals market brings challenges, including a lack of standardization and transparency, making it crucial for growers to carefully evaluate products before incorporating them into their operations. This article provides a short guide to understanding the complexities of biologicals, focusing on the importance of understanding mode of action (MoA) and observing crop responses for effective product selection and utilization.
When evaluating a biological product, ask specific questions to uncover the precise mechanisms behind the product's purported benefits.
Unraveling the Mode of Action: The Foundation of Informed Product Selection
The MoA is the cornerstone of understanding how a biological product interacts with the plant or its surrounding environment to produce the desired effects. A clear understanding of the MoA is essential for making informed decisions about product selection, application timing and expected outcomes. When evaluating a biological product, don't settle for vague claims or marketing jargon. Instead, engage in a detailed discussion with your supplier, asking specific questions to uncover the precise mechanisms behind the product's purported benefits.
What is the specific mode of action of this product?
This is the most critical question. General statements like "improves plant health," "enhances stress resistance," or "boosts nutrient uptake" are inadequate. Demand a detailed explanation of the specific mechanisms involved. For instance, if a product claims to improve nutrient uptake, ask about the specific nutrients affected, how uptake is enhanced,
the duration of the effect and the scientific evidence supporting these claims.
Has this MoA been proven in your specific product?
Don't assume a product will work as claimed simply because it contains an ingredient known to have certain effects. For example, the presence of humic acids in a product doesn't automatically guarantee improved soil structure. Request specific research data, such as field or greenhouse trials, demonstrating the product in its final formulation exhibits the claimed MoA.
Why are application timing, rate and method important?
A well-defined MoA should provide a clear rationale for recommended application practices. If a supplier dismisses the importance of application timing, rate or method (e.g., in-furrow vs foliar), it raises concerns about the validity of the MoA. Just as we demand precision and evidence-based recommendations in critical areas like healthcare and food safety, we should hold biologicals to the same rigorous standards. A credible supplier should be able to explain why specific application practices are necessary to optimize the product's effectiveness.
Has this been proven in your specific crop?
Avoid extrapolating results from one crop to another without scientific backing. Ensure the product has been tested and proven effective in your target crop. Inquire about the presence and functionality of the biological pathways and genetic mechanisms required for the MoA to operate in your specific crop. Differences in crop physiology, genetics and developmental stages can significantly influence a product's efficacy.
Observing Crop Responses: Validating Effectiveness in the Field
While a thorough understanding of the MoA is essential, observing how your crop responds to a biological product provides valuable real-world insights into its effectiveness. The following are general observations that may indicate a positive response to biostimulants, recognizing that responses can vary significantly depending on the crop, product type and environmental conditions:
Improved Stress Resistance, Tolerance, or Recovery
• Stress Resistance: This might manifest as reduced wilting or foliage loss
during periods of drought, excessive heat or flooding compared to untreated plants.
• Stress Tolerance: Look for reduced yield loss despite prolonged exposure to abiotic or biotic stresses. Plants may still exhibit signs of stress, but the overall impact on yield and quality should be minimized.
• Recovery: Observe for faster recovery from stress events, such as drought or heat, compared to untreated plants. This could include a quicker resumption of growth, minimized yield loss after the stress is alleviated, or even enhanced stress resistance in subsequent seasons for perennial crops due to epigenetic priming.
Enhanced Crop Quality
• Color: Improved color development, particularly richer or deeper colors in fruits and vegetables, can indicate increased anthocyanin production. This can enhance the visual appeal and market value of produce.
• Consistency: Observe if a greater proportion of the yield meets higher quality standards for size, shape and uniformity. This can lead to better pricing and reduce the amount of produce falling into lower quality grades.
• Taste/Flavor: Improvements in BRIX levels, which measure sugar content, as well as increased levels of flavanols, condensed tannins and other flavor-related compounds can enhance the taste and flavor profile of the crop. These improvements may translate to premium prices and increased consumer preference.
• Nutritional Profile: Some biostimulants can influence the nutritional composition of crops, leading to increased antioxidant production, improved fatty acid profiles, or a more desirable balance of essential nutrients, which can add value to the crop.
Effects on Harvest Timing and Crop Development
Some biostimulants may promote slightly earlier harvest, depending on the specific crop and the criteria used to determine harvest maturity. This can be advantageous for growers, allowing them to bring their produce to market sooner.
Mild, Transient Stress Response
It's not uncommon to observe a mild stress response within the first 48 hours after applying a biostimulant. This might manifest as slightly slowed growth or a localized hypersensitive response, characterized by minor cell death or damage. This transient response typically indicates the plant's adaptation to the product and should resolve within seven days. If the stress response persists beyond this timeframe, it could suggest that the application rate was too high or the timing was not appropriate for the crop's developmental stage.
Biocontrols: Assessing Effectiveness in Disease Management
When utilizing biocontrols for disease management, look for the following indicators of success:
• Reduced disease incidence: This indicates that the biocontrol agent is effectively preventing or limiting the establishment of the disease in the crop.
• Delayed disease onset: Even if the disease eventually appears, a delay in its onset can give the crop a competitive advantage and potentially reduce overall disease severity.
• Slowed disease progression: This suggests that the biocontrol agent is actively suppressing the development and spread of the disease within the plant.
• Measurable disease remediation: In
some cases, biocontrols can actively reduce the severity of existing disease symptoms, contributing to plant recovery.
• Potential benefits for pesticide resistance management programs: By providing an alternative and often multifaceted and complex MoA, biocontrols can play a valuable role in managing pesticide resistance, prolonging the effectiveness of conventional disease management tools.
Getting the Right Answers
It can be difficult and confusing to get the answers to these questions, both for growers and for the suppliers manufacturing and producing the products.
At Foresight Agronomics, we utilize Transcriptomic analysis, a study of how products affect crop gene expression, to figure out the right questions to ask and get answers to these questions. We specialize in the complexity and nuance of biological product research and development. We utilize cutting edge molecular biology tools like Transcriptomic analysis to demystify biologicals and provide reliability and credibility that helps growers and agriculture suppliers feel good about their biological product recommendations and investments. Biologicals offer a compelling pathway toward more resilient agricultural systems. However, navigating the complexities of this evolving market requires a discerning approach. By prioritizing a thorough understanding of the MoA and carefully observing crop responses, growers can make informed decisions about product selection and application, maximizing the potential benefits of biologicals. Integrating scientific knowledge with practical field observations empowers growers to effectively incorporate these valuable tools into their management strategies.
Layne Ellen Harris, Ph.D, is the principal of Foresight Agronomics, LLC, an agronomic and genomic research consulting company based in She can be reached through her website www. foresightagronomics.com on LinkedIn at Layne-Ellen-Harris-pHd.
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Growers should follow the usual indicators of success for disease management with biocontrol agents (photo by M. Katz.)
Almonds · Walnuts · Pistachios
Nonpareil has delivered the better returns for growers due to larger-size kernels. However, growers with smaller acreages should consider self-fertile varieties due to lower input costs, according to Sierra Valley Almonds’ Jim Cavallero.
SEEKING PERFECTION What Processors Are Looking for In a Nut
By CECILIA PARSONS | Associate Editor
Does the perfect nut exist?
Processors will tell you that depends on the market. Market demand for the almond, pistachio and walnut this harvest season and their value depend on a variety of characteristics.
Processors always want kernels that are free from insect damage, mold and other defects, but a kernel’s ultimate value lies in meeting customer preferences.
Not Just a Pretty Face
“It is more than just appearance of the almonds,” Mel Machado, vice president of member relations for Blue Diamond, said. Size, workability, texture, flavor and appearance are qualities sought for specific purposes in the food business.
“Some say highest quality, but a certain almond variety may be a buyer preference. It all depends on the handler and customer base,” Machado noted.
‘Workability’ in food will require a specific variety. Does that variety blanch? Some will, but not all. Does it roast? Not all almond varieties fit that bill, Machado said. Food manufacturers needing specific characteristics will look for varieties that can meet their needs.
Physical appearance is also necessary in whole almonds. Large, well-shaped kernels with no chips sell well as a snack. Candy manufacturers prefer smaller-size kernels, Machado said.
“It all depends on what market you are supplying.”
Taste differences can also matter. Machado said the Aldrich variety has the most pungent taste of all California almond varieties, due to the flavor molecule “benzaldehyde.”
Machado said when it comes to ‘mixed nut’ products,
there are cost considerations. Nonpareil may be preferred, but costs are higher. Other varieties, such as Butte and Padre, may be too small for the customer’s needs. The Carmel variety works well in an oil roast, Machado explained, but Carmel is not a particularly popular variety with growers due to the prevalence of bud failure.
Jim Sitton, grower relations manager at Sierra Valley Almonds in Madera, said traditionally, the nonpareil variety delivers the highest returns for growers. Nonpareil by definition means having no match or equal. Sierra Valley has a strong reputation in the India inshell market for our top tier consistent quality.
However, he said growers with smaller acreages may want to consider self-fertile varieties, such as Independence or Shasta, for the convenience of a single harvest and reduced input cost.
Sitton said Sierra Valley sources almonds from large and small growers and recommends production practices like winter sanitation and preharvest conditioning. The winter sanitation helps control the navel orangeworm population. The use of a conditioner during the harvesting months provides
Minimal defects from insect damage or mold are important for walnut quality. Light color kernels coupled with quality will bring the highest returns for growers (photo courtesy Crain Walnut.)
Back to Your Roots
higher turnouts at the huller by providing a clean product from field to finish.
Pellicle Color Key in Walnuts
Brian Mori, with Crain Walnut Shelling Inc., said a large in-shell nut has high value, but color of the kernel is critical.
“Color is what makes California walnut production different from other global production areas and why the Chandler variety dominates. They typically produce the best color,” Mori said.
Minimal defects from insect damage or mold are important for walnut quality. Light color kernels coupled with quality will bring the highest returns for growers.
Mori said it is important for hullers and dryers to do their part in maximizing quality in walnuts. Proper handing by the huller and dryer can increase value back to the grower. Those operations that have invested in sorting machinery can deliver more consistency to handlers.
“They have to balance quality with maximum yield,” Mori said.
Gerard Millen, grower relations manager with Omega Walnut Nut Inc. in Orland, said color is important in both in-shell and shelled product. The more lucrative export market wants a ‘pristine’ kernel, meaning
The drying process of pistachios is done deliberately slow to keep temperatures down so the natural flavor profile of pistachios is retained (photo by C. Parsons.)
When it comes to pistachios, it is the kernel color that consumers want to see.”
— Jeff Gibbons, Setton Pistachios
very light in color with no visible defects. The highest-value walnut product is a blend of 80% light halves and 20% light pieces. Asian markets particularly value light kernels. Combination mixes are where the darker color kernels are used.
Texture is the same in all walnut varieties, but Millen said flavor is not. The flavor, he said, in his opinion, has to do with oil content, whether that is a varietal trait or from an environmental cause. Use of walnut varieties by buyers depends on the pricing. Light-colored Chandler kernels command a premium price compared to other varieties. Walnut buyers will take early harvested varieties, he said, until the later harvested Chandlers come on the market.
Quality of this year’s harvest is good, but as expected, yields are much lower due to a light set.
Green Color Wins with Pistachio
“When it comes to pistachios, it is the kernel color that consumers want to see,” said Jeff Gibbons, senior director of grower services and farming at Setton Pistachios. The green kernels produced by the three main California varieties of pistachio (Kerman, Golden Hills and Lost Hills) are similar in taste.
Gibbons said consumers are seeking the creamy, sweet flavor of pistachio kernels. They do not favor heavily roasted pistachios as that process alters the flavor. Some buyers also require unstained shells.
“Setton’s attention to harvest and processing is aimed at preserving quality in both the pistachio kernel and in-shell products,” Gibbons said. Pistachios are transported to their processing facilities quickly after shaking to remove hulls and begin the drying process. Trailer loads with significant amounts of debris can hamper unloading and cause congestion. Samples from each load are evaluated by the
Quality Assurance department and are used to determine the overall quality of the load. The evaluation team looks at insect damage, adhering hulls, dark staining, light staining, undersize pistachios and closed shell blanks.
The drying process of pistachios is done deliberately slow to keep temperatures down so the natural flavor profile of pistachios is retained. Following the drying process, the moisture level of pistachios is stabilized in storage. Gibbons said sorting involves separating the pistachios with unblemished shells from the closed shell and shelling stock that is used for kernels following the shelling process.
In-shell pistachios are roasted in a five-step process that gives a crunchy but not overly caramelized texture, resulting in top-quality pistachios for consumers to enjoy. Pistachio kernels follow a similar roasting process with additional sorting steps to ensure any shells or other defects are removed.
This year, Gibbons said, “Setton witnessed exceptional quality compared to prior crop years, particularly regarding insect damage and staining.”
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Kraemer & Co. Mfg.,
CHESTNUTS:
COULD THIS ANCIENT NUT BE THE WEST’S NEW PIONEER?
By GAIL OBERST | Contributing Writer
On the tree, the ancient chestnut looks like no other nut with a spikey shell and a spider-like pollinator.
The ancient and adaptable chestnut tree is quickly taking root in Western orchards.
Dozens of California, Oregon and Washington growers are now growing the nut, whose forests once provided food and shelter for North American residents. Today, hybrid plants grown in the West are not as susceptible to the blight that destroyed in the early 1900s the native chestnut forests that grew chiefly East of the Mississippi. Although the blight occasionally occurs
in the West, chestnut’s hybrid relatives seem to weather the disease, positioning the West as a welcoming host for chestnut’s revival.
At least that’s what growers here are hoping.
Numbers Add Up to Potential
One need only look at recent (2022) USDA statistics to see the U.S. has potential when it comes to chestnuts.
Although about 1.36 million acres are suitable for chestnut production in the
U.S, just over 10,000 acres are planted on 2,843 farms nationwide. In Western Oregon, Washington and parts of Northern California, less than 2,000 acres are in chestnut production, according to USDA’s 2022 Census of Agriculture.
But Western growers are catching on. That acreage has more than doubled in those states since the 2017 census. Although Michigan and Florida are top U.S. producers, California, with 1,169 acres, up from 370 acres in 2017, and Oregon at 233 acres, up from 202 in 2017, round out the top four producers, according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
The global chestnut market reached $3.7 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach a total market size of $4.9 billion by 2032, according to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization. U.S. production makes up less than 1% of the total market.
Of course, numbers don’t explain what’s happening on the ground or the challenges to grow, harvest and market a nut that was once a staple in American diets but has faded from the national memory. Chestnuts continue to play a central role in Europe as well as Asia, where 80% of the world’s nuts are grown and consumed.
But the potential for growing chestnuts has not escaped experimental Western orchardists.
Most Western chestnut growers market much of their crop online or at farmers’ markets (all photos by G. Oberst.)
Western Orchardists Build from Scratch
In the 1980s, U.S. scientists and growers began looking for ways to revive the chestnut industry.
The late Randy Coleman of McMinnville established RC Farms, one of the first chestnuts orchards, in 1988 in Oregon, planting four acres of hybrid nuts he’d gotten from Bob Bergantz, a chestnut grower in California.
Today, Randy’s daughter Brenda continues to farm and market 14 acres, including the original Bergantz and the Colossal chestnut, now a staple among Western growers.
“At the time I started, total chestnut acreage in the U.S. was 50 acres,” Randy said on RC Farms’ website.
Twin brothers Bob and Bill Knopp had been growers and nurserymen off and on since childhood when their parents bought the 50 acres the family still owns near Canby, Ore. in the Willamette Valley. The brothers expanded the farm to four times the size and operated a successful nursery, selling it when Bill died in 2021. What Bob didn’t part with was the brothers’ 15 acres of chestnuts planted in 2015 as an experiment. Today, Bill’s son Jack helps his uncle manage Willamette Valley Chestnuts. Seven cultivars (mostly Colossal and the Bouche de Betizac) are now various ages, from 20 years old and younger, despite losses from an unusual ice storm that took out trees that had to be replaced.
Family-run operations like the Knopps’ face other challenges, but not much pressure from Cryphonectria parasitica, the blight that devastated historic stands in the Eastern U.S. While research for blight-resistant cultivars and public U.S. demand for the nut have recovered some of the orchards east of the Mississippi, West Coast orchards have proved generally resistant thanks to hybrids and orchards that are still far apart, reducing chances of cross-contamination. Western interest in growing chestnuts prompted the formation of the Western Chestnut Growers, which in 1996 became the national nonprofit Chestnut Growers of America (CGA). More than 100 members share science and other information about the nut, from species and cultivars to planting and care. Its board of directors includes Steve Jones of Colossal Orchards in Selah, Wash.
In 1992, Ben and Sandy Bole began Ladd Hill Orchards, a certified organic chestnut farm near Sherwood, as a retirement project. With few resources available to growers in those days, Ben, a former engineering executive and machinery salesman, modified hazelnut harvesting and processing equipment to sort his chestnuts. Today, the Boles say their orchard is one of the largest chestnut producers in the U.S.
Marketing the Unknown
In addition to unusual weather, deer, blossom-end rot, root rot, hazelnut worms, borers, gall wasps and beetles can still do damage to the crop, according to CGA.
But possibly the biggest challenge to Western growers is marketing a crop in the U.S. to a population that has lost its memory about the nut that was once an American staple, according to Brenda Coleman. “We’ve lost chestnuts as a staple out of our diet,” she said. Like many growers, Coleman sells RC Farms chestnuts online, at the farm or at farmers’
When ripe, the chestnut has an outer and inner cover.
Ben and Sandy Bole own Ladd Hill Orchards, an Organic grower certified by Oregon Tilth.
markets. To entice the public to resume its love for chestnuts, many growers post recipes and preparation instructions. Irene Coleman, Randy’s widow, went a step a step further, compiling a chestnut recipe book that is for sale online.
There are a few chestnut distributors in the West (e.g., Charlie’s Produce and Organically Grown), but most growers find themselves in the role of both marketers and educators. Brenda Coleman said she attends public festivals and educational and agricultural events to get the word out about the nut, but promoting an unfamiliar product is time-consuming for small family farms whose owners, if they aren’t already retired, take time off from other jobs to manage their orchards.
Still, the Boles suggest it has been worth it.
“It’s fun,” Kristen said, recalling the first crop of nuts, one bucket, picked by hand four years after planting. Today, 15 years later with 150 orders waiting to be filled and sent all over the U.S., the crop is measured in bins, not buckets. “We don't want people to think chestnuts are a money-sink; it can be a good business,” she said.
The Boles’ adult children and grandchildren visit the farm during the month-long harvest season to help sort and market the nuts. Ladd Hill Orchard’s nut harvest, as is the case at many orchards in the fall, is an excuse for a working family reunion.
Early Europeans arriving on American Eastern shores found portions of its forests dominated by the America chestnut and quickly used the rot-proof lumber for building and the nut for food. They might have recognized the chestnut from home; as long as 85 million years ago, fossil records of 13 related chestnut species have been found in Europe, Asia and North America, according to the American Chestnut Foundation, a nonprofit working to restore the American chestnut in its native habitat on the East Coast. Today, hybrid European and Asian species are grown for their productivity and their resistance to Cryphonectria parasitica.
Despite their continuous fight with the blight, orchardists in states east of the Rockies are also expanding acreage, according to USDA-NASS’s latest report.
The blight has not found any significant foothold in the West as European-Asian hybrids planted here have co-evolved with the blight for thousands of years. Infected hybrid trees often aren’t fatally wounded, and live for many years, but are still isolated, according to federal pathologists at the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization.
“The difficulties, but also the success, in holding the blight in check are shown by the work on the Pacific Coast of North America,” wrote Flippo Gravatt, a pathologist, in a report to the U.S. Forest Service about controlling the worldwide spread of the disease.
The West has taken measures to ensure its chestnuts remain blight-free. Fresh chestnuts can be shipped out of Oregon, Washington and California, but, with some variations, state agricultural regulations prohibit all chestnut materials (plants and nuts) from being shipped into those states.
This bodes well for the Western market on several fronts: It has little outside competition coming in, and because pests are rare, growers report using fewer chemicals, if any, in their orchards.
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Ben Bole, a retired engineering executive, and his daughter Kristen sort chestnuts using equipment Ben developed when he bought the farm.
EATING CHESTNUTS
The unusual chestnut, which looks like an outer-space alien as it grows, is not like a dried or roasted walnut or hazelnut, which requires only a crack to access the meat. The raw chestnut must be cooked, either roasted or boiled (see sidebar), and then peeled through two layers. Scoring the shell prevents explosions. And roasting on an open fire, as in the song? Not recommended, Bole said, preferring boiling or oven roasting. Uneven heat can create tough or uneven nut meat.
Chestnut Preparations (Ladd Hill Orchards)
Ladd Hill Orchards near Sherwood includes a brief instruction sheet with each sale, and it on its website offers a special bird’s beak paring knife for scoring the outer shell.
Instructions
Slash an X on the flat side of the nut. Follow either of the methods below:
• Roasting: Place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes
• Boiling: Cover with cold water, bring to a boil, cook 5 to 7 minutes.
Remove nuts from pan, wrap in towel to keep warm. Peel off both the hard outer shell and the inner skin with a sharp knife. The nuts are ready to eat!
Serving ideas
Add halved, cooked chestnuts to green beans, Brussel sprouts or sauteed mushrooms.
Include chestnuts in your favorite stuffing recipe, especially those with fruit.
Add to apple pies, crisps and cobblers.
Roasted Chestnuts (RC Farms)
Peeling the chestnuts after they are roasted can be part of the holiday fun, Brenda Coleman said. “Chestnuts are like popcorn. You can dress them up or dress them down and make them savory with seasonings like salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, sage, or make them sweet with cinnamon sugar. I personally love them drizzled with olive oil and rosemary,” she said.
Instructions
500g chestnuts (1.1 lbs.)
1. Rinse the chestnuts thoroughly and soak them in water for 15 minutes.
2. Use scissors to cut each chestnut. This method is quicker and safer than using a knife, reducing the risk of injury.
3. Place the chestnuts in a pan and add just enough water to barely cover them.
4. Add 2 tablespoons butter (or cooking oil), and 2 tablespoons sugar to the pan
5. Cook the chestnuts over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until most of the water has evaporated and the chestnuts are tender.
6. Turn chestnuts regularly to prevent the skins from burning. Once the water has evaporated and the chestnuts are cooked through, remove them from the pan.
7. Optional seasoning: Add 1/2 teaspoon salt for extra flavor, if desired.
8. Serve roasted chestnuts to guests. Easy to peel and delicious, perfectly cooked.
Gail’s Chestnut Teriyaki Noodles
Serves one, or double the noodles for two.
Ingredients
• 1 dozen chestnuts cooked, peeled
• 1 to 2 cups ramen or rice noodles
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Dash ginger (ground fresh or powder)
• Splash of ponzu or lemon juice
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup teriyaki sauce
• Toppings (sesame seeds and crackers, or grated carrots)
Instructions
1. Boil or roast, then peel about a dozen chestnuts as above. Chop in thirds or quarters.
2. In frying pan or wok, heat olive oil to sizzling. Add dash of grated fresh ginger or powder to oil.
3. Add nuts to hot oil, stir
4. Add cooked ramen or rice noodles, sizzle with dash of ponzu sauce or lemon juice.
5. Add teriyaki sauce to taste, stir until coated.
6. Serve with toppings
A SMARTER WAY TO TRACK: Automated Camera Traps Help Boost Navel Orangeworm Monitoring Efficiency in Almond
By VICKY BOYD | Contributing Writer
After a season’s experience with two different automated camera traps that monitor navel orangeworm, Jim F. Cook likens them to the Distant Early Warning Line established during the Cold War.
“You have a trap 50 miles away and you can look at the contents of the trap right on your phone,” said Cook, who heads research for Colusa County Farm Supply. “You can look at the wave of the population, helping pinpoint actual spray timings, rather than looking at individual orchards. That’s the way I see these things going out regionally rather than more specific.”
During the 2024 season, Farm Supply PCA Gabe Grimmer deployed five FMC traps in northern Sacramento Valley almond orchards. The devices, paired with automated cameras, are part of the manufacturer’s Arc farm intelligence mobile platform. Results can be viewed on a smartphone app or a tablet.
Grimmer also had Semios automated insect camera traps, which provide daily trap photos and moth catch information as well as related data. Users can view the information on a smartphone app or a computer.
Cook said both camera traps provided clear images, trap-catch data as numbers and graphs, and degree-day accumulation. Where they differ is in their lures, photograph timing, additional data and size of viewing screen.
“They’re both very good,” he said. “The big question is the ease of use of the app on your phone is a little bit different. Those are design things, so basically, function-wise, they’re pretty much the same, kind of like a Ford versus a Chevy.”
Franz Niederholzer, UCCE orchard advisor in Colusa County, had an FMC trap in an almond orchard in 2023 and 2024. While he viewed the automated device as a helpful tool, allowing users to monitor traps remotely, he said he wouldn’t give up his egg traps.
“I’m so used to egg traps and how the data fits so nicely into the model,” Niederholzer said, referring to biofix. “This adds to the picture, but I’d be very nervous to completely eliminate egg traps in the field.”
not divulge their locations (photo courtesy Colusa County Farm Supply.)
Based on NOW catches and pest thresholds, FMC reports results on a heat map where green is low risk, yellow medium risk and red high risk. On this screen reflecting Colusa County Farm Supply’s five traps, three are green and two are red. The map includes other users’ trap results although in a way that does
Semios Camera Traps
With more than 10,000 automated traps deployed worldwide, Semios, which was recently brought under the Almanac brand, has been in business for 14 years. The bulk of the traps are in the U.S. and target NOW in almonds and pistachios or codling moth in apples and walnuts, said Abi Welch, a Semios entomologist and PCA.
Semios in 2022 converted from a pheromone NOW lure to a nut meal lure, which attracts egg-laying females. The nut meal also can be used in conjunction with mating disruption, which typically shuts down male-only pheromone lures.
Semios uses a roughly 9.6-by-5.5-by-9.5-inch red plastic rectangular trap with a camera housed inside the top portion. A sticky liner is installed at the bottom, with the nut meal lure attached to an interior side.
The Semios traps send their data via radio frequency coupled with a 10-foot repeater antenna placed in the orchard. Users recently gained the option of using cell signals, although they don’t work in all parts of the state.
Each morning about 6 a.m., the camera photographs the sticky liner and sends the image to a central processing computer, Welch said. The early morning timing also coincides with the approximate end of NOW nocturnal flights.
Using artificial intelligence and machine learning, the computer identifies and counts insects in the image with at least 99% accuracy. Machine learning involves computer algorithms that compare images in the trap to known ones in a library for identification. The more images the computer views, the more it “learns.”
Any insects that can’t be identified by machine learning are handled by humans.
Results, including liner images and pest counts, are sent by 4 p.m. the same day. The data also is reported in easy-to-understand graphs so users can view possible trends.
Users can set pest pressure alerts based on blocks or in dividual traps to be sent to their phones. They also can ref erence site-specific pest models as well as pest degree-day models and forecasts to fine-tune sprays. The models are based on UC IPM data and recommendations as well as Blue Diamond bloom information. In addition, users can review past seasons’ trap histories.
“We’re hoping this makes them less reactive and a little more proactive,” Welch said.
Cook said he’d also like the ability to view images of NOW eggs and be able to differentiate the white ones (newly laid) from red ones (ready to hatch). Welch said Semios has explored that and found it wouldn’t be feasi ble with current technology.
Originally, Semios offered the camera traps as a full-service package that included replacing the lures and sticky liners. For the past two years, she said the company has also offered an option where users serviced the lures and sticky liners themselves.
FMC and Its Arc Farm Intelligence App
Resembling a standard delta trap with a small camera mounted on top, FMC’s unit uses components from third-party vendors. Small
Since 2022, FMC has slowly rolled out its camera trap coupled with its Arc farm intelligence mobile platform to
solar panels provide power throughout the season (photo by J. Cook, Colusa County Farm Supply.)
select customers, said Erica Rudolph, FMC precision agriculture market development lead, North America.
Resembling a standard delta trap with a small camera mounted on top, FMC’s unit uses components from third-party vendors. Small solar panels provide power throughout the season.
FMC’s traps are designed for pheromone and PPO lures of the user’s choice, she said. Cook said he tried to install a nut meal lure inside the trap, but it blocked the camera.
Depending on the trap provider, images of the sticky liner may be taken at 11 p.m. or early in the morning. Data is sent from the cameras using cellular IoT, or internet of things, which connects sensors to the internet by piggybacking onto mobile networks.
Computers using artificial intelligence and algorithms read the daily images to identify and count NOW moths. Rudolph said accuracy is about 85%, which is similar to the 80%-to-85% accuracy of PCAs and seasonal trap checkers.
“We’re trying to steadily improve on that 85% accuracy,” she said. “There are always going to be natural conditions that will affect the accuracy.”
Results are reported to users nu-
merically as individual trap catches as well as graphed over the season. Based on NOW catches and pest thresholds, results also are color coded on a heat map as green (low risk), yellow (medium risk) or red (high risk). The map includes other users’ trap results although in a way that does not divulge their locations, Rudolph said.
Cook liked the idea of an area-wide heat map and has thought about displaying it on a big-screen monitor in the dealer’s Williams office. Each morning as PCAs come in, they could get a quick glimpse of potential hot spots or other areas that need attention before they head out for the day.
Currently, FMC only offers the results through its Arc farm intelligence app, which is viewed on a smartphone or tablet. But Rudolph said an online version, which could be viewed using a personal computer or displayed on a big screen, is in the works.
For pistachio growers, the Arc platform also provides pest pressure forecasting based on aggregated degree-days and USDA and UC models. Developing a similar forecast for almond is more complicated because hull split is related to bloom, Rudolph said.
Each day, users receive an image of the insects caught on the sticky liner (photo courtesy Colusa County Farm Supply.)
Semios uses a roughly 9-by-5-inch red plastic rectangular trap with a camera housed inside the top portion. A sticky liner is installed in the bottom, with the nut meal lure attached to an interior side (photo by J. Cook, Colusa County Farm Supply.)
Semios in 2022 converted from a pheromone NOW lure to a nut meal lure, which attracts egg-laying females (photo courtesy Semios.)
Each day, Semios sends an image of the sticky liner from each trap taken about 6 a.m. Users also receive a map showing individual trap catches so they can check for trends (photo courtesy Semios.)
Cook said FMC representatives have been receptive to the dealer’s comments, and he planned to put out 20 of their traps in almond orchards in 2025. While he applauded both companies for the technology, Cook said the cost of using the traps may be a deciding factor for growers.
“We’re on a spray program,” he said. “It’s not if you’re going to spray, it’s when you’re going to spray. Guys will put on three-plus sprays, so that is just more of a timing issue rather than a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ from your traps.”
Welch had similar concerns when walnut and almond prices dropped a few years ago, but she said growers saw the value in the traps, and use has not dropped significantly.
The camera traps may not be the be all and end all of pest monitoring, but Cook viewed them as another tool to make more efficient use of PCAs’ time.
“You can set these traps out on these remote orchards, and you’re not having to drive out there all the time,” Cook said. “It’s counting them for you. It won’t eliminate trips totally, but it will reduce the number of trips.”
Rudolph said she has heard similar comments. “The traps definitely have a potential benefit of saving money in the area of time and labor to check traps. This is especially important for people who are managing a large volume of traps or a large network of traps on a weekly basis. You’re also getting more accurate and consistent data with daily images compared to weekly counts. From a landscape level, you can make more accurate and more timely management decisions.”
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A Northern Perspective: Winter Considerations
By FRANZ NIEDERHOLZER | UCCE Farm Advisor, Colusa and Sutter/Yuba Counties
After a scorching summer and warm fall, winter looks to be finally arriving. As I write this, chilling units are starting to accumulate, and rain is in the short-term forecast. The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Lab is forecasting “equal chances” for normal rainfall. Current reservoir levels are at or above historic averages up and down the state. Here’s hoping our rainfall is at least average and reservoirs are heading toward full bloom next February.
SYSTEMS
Hulling
Shelling
Sorting
Packaging
Most of what follows are practices to consider this December in almond. However, many of the topics (weeds, irrigation, sanitation, scale, gophers, sprayer calibration) can be useful in walnut and pistachio. Links to further information on many topics are at the end of the article.
Irrigation
Will winter irrigation be needed this year? Water stress delays almond flower development and bloom timing. Wilbur Reil, retired UCCE orchard advisor in Solano/Yolo Counties, recommended 2 inches of water, either rain or irrigation, per month from November through January. In most soils, that water rate should allow the root zone soil to reach field capacity (excess moisture drained away) by bloom. Soil moisture sensors (Watermarks, etc.) are great tools to evaluate root zone “water bank” status.
Plan to get a “checkup” for irrigation systems ahead of next season. That could be this winter using well water or early next irrigation season with surface water. There are mobile irrigation labs (links at the end of the article) that provide these services.
Sanitation
There is no higher-priority activity than orchard (almond, walnut or pistachio) sanitation between harvest and bloom. Orchard sanitation was a big part of the almond nut quality improvement from 2023 to 2024. Don’t let up.
For almond, between now and early March is the chance to get navel orangeworm (NOW) out of an orchard until hull split. How? Get mummy nuts on the ground (mummy shake, polling) by bud swell and mowed up and destroyed by March 1. This will also help control Carpophilus beetles. Count mummies before and after knocking out of the trees to check the quality of sanitation. Check 20 trees per acre with the goal of two mummies or less per tree by February 1. Fewer than that target is better, but at least get to 2 or less per tree. Make sure mummies on the ground are destroyed by March 1. I know at least one grower who mowed mummies three times this spring to get all mummies destroyed. Specialty sanitizing
Potassium fertilizer in an almond orchard. Many growers have shifted to in-season applications (banding of dry sulfate of potash or injection with irrigation water) (all photos by F. Niederholzer.)
flail mowers are commercially available and may be worth considering if there are concerns about how well mummies are mowed using standard flail mower(s). Infested grounder mummies host NOW that will emerge and infest any mummies remaining in the trees next spring. Don’t “leave the door open” to let NOW into your orchard next spring. Sanitize walnut orchards as well as almond and pistachio.
Scale
Do a spur sample/check for scale (and mite eggs) to see if a dormant spray for scale is needed. This is a good practice every year but is especially important after a year when pyrethroids use for NOW and/or bug control was widespread. Those insecticides harm mite predators but can also hit scale biocontrol insects and allow scale populations to grow. Mild winter temperatures also reduce scale mortality. If spur monitoring shows scale populations exceeding UC thresholds, talk with your PCA about materials and rates. Uncontrolled scale populations kill spurs and branches, reducing yield.
Stink Bugs
Brown spot kernel damage is reported to be higher this year than last. This damage is caused by summer (June/ July) stink bug and/or leaffooted bug feeding. If brown spot damage in your orchard is unacceptable, talk with your PCA about a control program in 2025. UC guidelines suggest one dormant (green stinkbug only) or in-season spray every
three years should be enough to prevent economic damage. Effective insecticides for bug control (pyrethroids like Brigade or Warrior) are toxic to predator insects that provide biological (free) mite and scale control. In-season bug control should be approached carefully.
If multiple sprays were needed to control mites this past summer, poor calibration and coverage might be part of the problem. Put a note on the calendar to check calibration and coverage once the canopy fills in next spring.
Weeds
Scout orchards for winter weeds in late fall, recording species and location (see link to the UC IPM winter weed survey form at the end of the article). Match winter weeds to effective herbicides when planning herbicide spraying. Preemergent herbicides need a little (quarter to half an inch) rain to incorporate and hold in the soil. Heavy rain (inches) can move certain herbicides lower in the soil than the depth of many seeds, reducing control. Watch the weather forecasts when planning preemergent applications and blow leaves away from the tree row ahead of herbicide application to ensure best weed control results.
Gophers
Now is a good time to control gophers. Trapping and baiting are proven practices. Check with your Ag Commissioner regarding bait and fumigation regulations. Consider installing owl boxes (one per 5 to 10 acres) to help keep gophers and
POWER BUD -BREAKING
other rodent numbers down. Owls will not eliminate rodents but do help keep numbers down.
Calibration
Winter is the time to give sprayers a careful checkup and calibration. If used on many acres per season, consider replacing all nozzle tips and swirl plates. Even ceramic tips wear after several years.
Tree Care
Full dormant season (now) is the best time for pruning and harvest trunk damage cleanup. Insects that spread bark disease like Ceratocystis are not active, and pruning wounds are least vulnerable to infection at this time. It’s the relatively cool temperatures that make now such a good time for this work, not rain that often falls in December. Watch the weather forecast and, as much as possible, avoid opening wounds ahead of rain. Topsin-M (thiophanate methyl) provides the most consistent control of pruning wound cankers. Treat cuts within 24 hours of pruning and ahead of forecast rain.
To protect shaker damage from fungal infection, clean up the loose bark back to tight bark with a sharp knife or draw knife on younger trees and a hammer and chisel on older trees with thicker bark. Painting the cleaned-up bark with mixtures of oil and/or latex paint and certain pesticides reduced Certatocystis infection in almond in UC research done in the 1980s and 90s. Check with your PCA regarding label status of fungicides used in that research. The best way to limit Ceratocystis infection is to avoid/limit bark damage at harvest through careful shaker operator training and monitoring.
Nutrition
Deciduous trees don’t absorb nutrients from the soil between leaf drop and leaf out. Because of this, soil application of key nutrients, such as nitrogen and boron, which can be leached out of the root zone with winter rains, is ineffective. However, because potassium can be loosely held on the surface of clay and organic matter particles and available for plant
use in the spring, fall/winter-applied K fertilizer is an option. Fall banding of dry K fertilizers (muriate of potash and sulfate of potash) is a common practice. Many growers have shifted to in-season applications (banding of dry sulfate of potash or injection with irrigation water). Since K demand is linked to crop load and the bloom weather and crop set next season is unknown in December, a full fall application to match expected crop demand may be more than what is needed. Also, banded fertilizer in a dry winter can result in poor incorporation (little rainfall to dissolve the fertilizer) and fertilizer loss when berms are blown ahead of preemergent herbicide application or to windrow sanitized nuts.
Banding dry K is one way to practice low-tech precision ag and save money by just applying to varieties in the orchard with low K levels in summer leaf samples. Aldrich, in my experience, often shows lower summer leaf levels than NP in the same orchard. Banding dry potassium near drip lines or targeted broadcasting under microsprinklers are best management practices.
Bees
Now is a good time to set up pollination contracts with beekeepers for 2025. Contracts should include language stating hive strength of the bees to be delivered and how that strength is checked. Weak hives will not deliver a crop. Strong hives outperform moderately strong hives. Some growers have reduced pollination cost per acre by renting fewer hives of higher quality (frames of bees) compared to more hives with fewer frames of bees per hive. At the end of the day, don’t rent boxes, rent bees.
Don’t pass on renting bees for Independence trees. In recent UC research, Independence yields were reduced in orchards with no rented hives compared to those with one or more hives per acre set out in the orchard. The recommendation is 0.5 to 1 hives per acre in the orchards. Bees from outside the study orchard did visit flowers in the study orchard, but not at the same rate as when bees were rented and stocked in the orchard. The study didn’t examine bee activity in other self-fertile varieties, such as Shasta and Yorizane. If I were a grower, I would follow the
Independence stocking rate recommendation in those varieties.
Best wishes for a Happy Holidays with family and friends.
Resources
Weather/water:
National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Lab: https://www.cpc.ncep. noaa.gov/
California major supply reservoir status: https://cdec.water.ca.gov/resapp/ RescondMain
Mobile irrigation labs:
North Sacramento Valley: tehamacountyrcd.org/mobile-irrigation-lab South Sacramento Valley: https://sutterrcd.specialdistrict.org/mobile-irrigation-lab
Comments about this article? We want to hear from you. Feel free to email us at article@jcsmarketinginc.com
C ONT R O LLE D P OLLI N A T
Ceratocystis canker in almond. The gum balls on the edges of the canker are diagnostic for Ceratocystis. he best way to limit Ceratocystis infection is to avoid/limit bark damage at harvest through careful shaker operator training and monitoring.
NORTH VALLEY Nut Conference
January 15, 2025
Silver Dollar Fairgrounds 2357 Fair St, Chico, CA 95928
- 0.5 OTHER - 0.5 LAWS AND REGS - 0.5 SOIL AND WATER - 1.5 PROF. DEV. - 1.0 PEST MGMT.
Registration and Trade Show
Butte County Ag Commissioner Update
Katharine Quist, Butte County Ag Commissioner's Office
Nut Production and SGMA: A Panel Discussion
Moderator: Curt Pierce, UCCE Glenn County
Nut Tree Buying Decisions with IPM in Mind
Luke Milliron, UCCE Butte County
Trade Show Break
When Money Doesn't Grow on Trees: Practical Tips from Bankers
Moderator: Domena Agyeman, UCCE Butte County
Panelists: David Magaña, Rabo Bank, Rory Crowley, First Northern Bank, Justin Nunes, Golden State Farm Credit, and Matt Woolf, Terrain
Almond and Walnut Board Flash Updates
Josette Lewis, Almond Board of California
Robert Verloop, California Walnut Board and Commission
Industry Lunch
South Valley Conference Hits All the Marks for Tree Nut Growers in Tulare
By CECILIA PARSONS | Associate Editor
Pest, disease and weed management options for tree nut growers as well as some helpful irrigation advice were shared with growers, consultants and industry professionals at the South Valley Conference hosted by JCS Marketing Inc.
Methods for control and preventing spread of the invasive weed silverleaf nightshade were presented by UCCE Restoration Ecology and Weed Science Advisor Mandeep Riar.
Silverleaf nightshade’s competitiveness and adaptability to different soils makes it difficult to control in young orchards. It’s reproduction by root fragments makes it difficult to control with tillage, which can spread the
fragments throughout the orchard. Riar said trials have shown combinations of systemic and contact herbicides are needed to control the weed. Materials that showed the greatest efficacy in control were a combination of Venus and Rely and Crop Oil Concentrate applied when weeds were less than 6 inches tall, achieving 90%+ control at 28 days after application. Rely 280 application at 1 foot and greater had near 90% control at 28 days after application.
Red Leaf Blotch
The emerging fungal disease red leaf blotch (RLB) poses serious concerns for almond growers. Florent Trouillas, UCCE plant pathologist,
said this disease, found for the first time in California almond orchards earlier this year, affects the leaves and can cause severe defoliation. All the most planted almond cultivars are susceptible to RLB, Trouillas said. Yellow spots on the leaves are early symptoms of an infections. Those spots enlarge and darken in May and June. Infected trees can defoliate as early as August.
RLB, which is widespread in Spain, is believed to have been introduced here by infected plant material. Reduction in the number of fungicide sprays in orchards may have led to spread of RLB in northern San Joaquin Valley counties and lower Sacramento Valley counties.
Chemical control with fungicides can be effective, but timing is important. Fungicides applied during bloom and after symptoms are visible are not effective. Chemicals in the FRAC groups 7 and 11 are recommended at petal fall, and at two and five weeks after.
The inoculum remains in the orchard on the fallen leaves. Eliminating the infected leaves can help mitigate the disease. Trouillas also recommended cleaning harvest and spray equipment between orchards.
Carpophilus Beetle
The new insect pest Carpophilus beetle also appears to be invading tree nut orchards. C. truncatus is the only species of this sap beetle that causes direct damage to healthy nuts. Jhalendra Rijal, UCCE IPM advisor, said both adults and larvae can do high levels of damage. They attack nuts directly when on the tree, particularly after hull split. Carpoph-
Andreas Westphal (left) and Raymond Mireles (right) presenting their respective sessions at the South Valley Conference in Tulare on nematode management in almond and irrigation efficiency in young almond orchards.
ilus beetle damage was first seen in almond and pistachio and has been confirmed in walnut.
Rijal stressed that ground mummy sanitation is critical for managing this invasive pest. All mummy nuts need to be removed from berms, blown to the middles and shredded mechanically. Rijal said chemical control seems to be limited due to challenges with spray coverage and timing. Efficacy of commonly used insecticides in almond at hull split is not clear, he added.
Gill’s Mealybug
Gill’s mealybug is not a new pest, but there are new concerns that traditional insecticide products are no longer achieving season-long control with one application in May. Causes suggested by UCCE IPM advisor Idong Mokwunye include developing resistance and environmental changes causing this pest to be less synchronized than in the past.
Key considerations with Gill’s mealybug in pistachio production are exponential growth rates in the summer that result in high numbers of mealybugs per cluster at harvest. Monitoring for this pest from late summer through harvest can be done by looking for wet, shiny or black areas in the tree canopy. When honeydew or sooty mold is visible, clusters should be examined for mealybugs. In the fall and early winter, look for white aggregations of mealybugs on the undersides of the main scaffolds or on the trunk. Mokwunye said growers or managers should monitor populations to determine treatment timing at peak crawler emergence. Insecticides are generally most effective on the crawlers. Natural enemies can help with control.
Research focus is on application timing and single or combo treatment for control.
Nematode Management
UC Riverside Nematologist Andreas Westphal provided information on nematode management in almond as available tools are changing.
Nematode-resistant or -tolerant almond rootstocks are being developed and selected in trials to manage nematodes. New restrictions on chemical controls will require management decisions. Westphal said new application guidelines for Telone II are likely to impact efficacy. Field studies with pre-plant options show water delivery of Dominus results in high efficacy against root lesion nematode. Salibro, while not registered for use, has some nematode-suppressing capacity. Anerobic soil disinfestation can be an effective choice, and application simplification may be possible, Westphal said. High cost for materials is a downside.
Young Orchard Irrigation
Raymond Mireles, UCCE fruit and nut advisor in Fresno and Tulare counties, presented six steps to achieve optimum irrigation efficacy in young almond orchards.
“It is important to know where the roots are in young orchards,” he said.
1. Know the water application rate of the irrigation system.
2. Figure out how much water the orchard soil can store.
3. Note how much water the orchard is using.
4. Calculate the maximum allowable time between irrigations.
5. Estimate how long the system will take to refill tree water use.
6. Confirm irrigation schedule is on track with soil moisture or crop water stress measurements.
Other considerations to ensuring new trees get off to a good start is to recognize the difference between potted versus bare root trees, which can affect capillary action and gravitational pull. Locations of sprinklers or drip emitters and short irrigation sets with monitoring is advised.
With the limited root zone of young trees, Mireles also suggested digging into the soil to determine water access.
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Tree nut growers, consultants and industry professionals networked with a number of companies on the tradeshow floor.
UCCE Farm Advisor Emeritus Roger Duncan accepted the West Coast Nut Industry Titan Award at the South Valley Conference from JCS Marketing Publisher and CEO Jason Scott.
RESPONSIVE FALL
X2 DECISION SAVES 100,000 ACRE-FEET OF WATER FOR FARMS AND COMMUNITIES
By MIKE WADE | California Farm Water Coalition
In a significant development for California's water management, state and federal agencies have announced a modification to the Fall X2 action for 2024. This decision comes after months of debate and appeals from various stakeholders, including water contractors, environmental groups and fishing organizations.
The Fall X2 action, part of the Summer Fall Habitat Action, is designed to benefit the endangered Delta smelt by increasing outflow from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta during September and October in wetter years. However, recent scientific studies have cast doubt on its effectiveness, leading to calls for its suspension.
In response to these concerns and after assessing the latest scientific data, California Department of Water Resources and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, in coordination with state and federal fisheries agencies, have decided to implement a modified version of the Fall X2 action for 2024.
The decision represents a compromise between competing interests. Water agencies and agricultural stakeholders had requested a full suspension of the Fall X2 action for 2024, citing recent studies showing little to no benefit for Delta smelt populations.
Four quantitative models were used to evaluate alternative management actions, one from the Coalition for a Sustainable Delta and two models contributed by USFWS, none of which demonstrated material benefits to delta smelt from the Fall X2 action, said the Coalition’s William Phillimore in their Oct. 25, 2024 newsletter. “That sequence of activities led to the suspension of the management action for October 2024, after it had been in effect for just one month. The water savings to the (State and federal CVP) Projects are likely to be well in excess of 100,000 acre-feet.”
In a joint letter to Governor Gavin Newsom and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland by the Water Blueprint for the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California Water Coalition, Blueprint chairman Eddie Ocampo said, “Recent evaluations have shown the Fall X2 Action, aimed at increasing Delta outflow in the fall, has not only failed to benefit the delta smelt but has also imposed unnecessary hardships on the agricultural industry,
local communities and southern California businesses and residents by significantly reducing water availability. The action, which cost the Projects an estimated 734,000 acre-feet of water in 2023, valued at $557 million on the open market, underscores the need for a reevaluation of its efficacy and impact.
Charley Wilson, executive director of Southern California Water Coalition and co-signer of the letter, commented on the broader implications of the decision. “The ongoing implementation of the Fall X2 Action based on outdated scientific data simply does not make sense, particularly given its detrimental impacts to the economic and environmental wellbeing of the people of the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California. It is critical that water project operations are governed by an adaptive management approach that reflects current scientific understanding and minimizes unnecessary impacts to our communities.”
The controversy surrounding the Fall X2 action underscores the complex challenges facing California's water management. As the state grapples with ongoing drought conditions, climate change and the needs of a growing population, finding a balance between environmental protection and water supply reliability remains a critical challenge. However, when science shows regulatory actions are ineffective, State and federal agencies must incorporate adaptive management to prevent wasting limited water resources on efforts that are shown to provide no environmental benefits.
Environmental groups have expressed concern about the potential impact on Delta smelt populations. Gary Bobker, senior policy director at Friends of the River, warned, "At this time next year, we may be looking at the extinction of a fish species that was once incredibly abundant when the Bay-Delta Estuary was healthy."
Yet under the 2008 Delta smelt biological opinion that was based on restricting water supplies to farms and urban communities in favor of higher flows through the Delta, smelt numbers continued to decline to even lower levels, an indication that blindly following outdated policies wastes public resources without a commensurate benefit for the intended species, a failure on both accounts.
The modification of the Fall X2 action for 2024 marks the second consecutive year in which wet-year concessions for fish have been waived or altered. This has raised concerns among environmental advocates about the long-term implications for Delta ecosystems and endangered species.
However, water agencies view the decision as a step toward more adaptive management. Jennifer Pierre, general manager of State Water Contractors, praised the decision, saying, "This adjustment ensures the same protections for fish and water quality as those contemplated in the Incidental Take Permit (ITP) and 2019 Biological Opinion while smartly protecting water supplies."
The decision to modify the Fall X2 action comes at a time when California is facing significant water management challenges. During the first three months of 2024, an astonishing 10.3 million acre-feet of water flowed through the Delta and out to the ocean. This highlights the need for
improved infrastructure to capture and store excess water during wet years for use during dry periods.
The modification of the Fall X2 action represents a significant shift in California's water management strategy. While it has been met with mixed reactions, it underscores the ongoing need for adaptive management based on the latest scientific data.
“California can ill-afford the ongoing mismanagement of the Delta resulting in ongoing deleterious repercussions for the California economy while at the same time failing to improve the numbers of at-risk fish species,” Phillimore said.
“Until recently, we have seen the courts defer to the regulatory agencies; we hope that is now changing. But we still need to make certain the best available science is being utilized, which involves both time and a great deal of hard work.”
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A juvenile delta smelt inside a rearing tank at the UC Davis Fish Conservation and Culture Lab - John E. Skinner Delta Fish Protective Facility near Byron, Calif.
Tiny adult endangered delta smelt are researched at the UC Davis Fish Conservation and Culture Lab - John E. Skinner Delta Fish Protective Facility near Byron, Calif.
Under the Soil Surface:
Cover Crops, Microbes, and Soil Health
By STETCYN MALDONADO | Seeds for Bees Manager, Project Apis m.
Diverse cover crop mixtures are highly beneficial for soil microbial communities as different plant species attract different microbial partners (photo courtesy Project Apis m.)
Agricultural practices that enhance and protect soil health have gained considerable attention. Among these, cover cropping stands out for its ability to sustain and boost soil health, which plays a critical role in agricultural productivity. Cover crops, like those available through the Seeds for Bees® program, are not only a means of protecting soil from erosion but also a fundamental element in nurturing a vibrant ecosystem of soil biota.
Soil health is measured by the amount of life and functional capacity within the soil. It is the biological, physical and chemical components of soil working together to sustain productivity, diversity and crop quality. Living soil is rich in organic matter, teeming with a diverse community of microbes, fungi, invertebrates and other organisms. These communities contribute to vital ecosystem functions, such as nutrient cycling, disease suppression and soil structure, which are essential for productive plant growth and resilience.
Conventional farming practices have often disrupted the soil, especially in systems like orchards where soils must be made bare in preparation for harvest. Such practices can starve soil organisms, particularly during long periods when plants are absent. Without plants, the soil biota lack necessary resources, resulting in a decrease in microbial diversity and beneficial fungi. This depletion of soil organisms has cascading effects, weakening soil structure, reducing nutrient availability and increasing susceptibility to diseases and pests. Over time, this diminished biological activity makes soil less productive and less resistant to environmental stressors.
Cover crops are plants grown primarily to benefit soil rather than to be harvested. These crops are typically planted between harvest cycles and are left to cover the soil throughout the winter. Cover crops directly support soil health by keeping the soil protected, reducing erosion and breaking up soil compaction. Beyond these surface-level benefits, cover crops also play a crucial role below ground.
One of the ways cover crops contribute to soil health is through the release of root exudates. Root exudates are organic compounds that plants secrete through their roots. These exudates include a variety of chemicals, such as sugars, amino acids and hormones that attract and feed microbes in the soil. This rich blend of nutrients stimulates microbial growth and manipulates microbial behavior.
Each plant species produces a unique set of exudates, meaning a mixed cover crop can foster a more diverse microbial community. This diversity can enhance soil resilience by creating a more complex soil food web. In turn, this diversity helps suppress harmful organisms, promotes nutrient cycling and improves soil structure. As cover crops grow, their root systems create pathways for air and water, further enriching the soil ecosystem.
The Mycorrhizal Glue
Some microorganisms, like arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), form symbiotic relationships with plant roots, providing nutrients in exchange for carbohydrates.
AMF are particularly beneficial to plant health as they extend the plant’s root system and increase access to water and nutrients, particularly phosphorus. By colonizing the root system, AMF also improve plant resistance to drought and other stresses.
However, AMF depend on living plant roots for survival, making them vulnerable during long periods of bare soil. In orchard systems, where soil may remain bare throughout the winter, AMF populations can decline significantly. Planting winter cover crops helps maintain AMF populations by providing a host plant during crop dormant periods. It is worth noting while most plants support AMF, certain cover crops, such as brassicas (e.g., mustard or radishes), do not form symbiotic relationships with these fungi. Therefore, to support AMF, it is beneficial to include non-brassica species, such as grasses or legumes, in the cover crop mix.
One of the remarkable contributions of AMF to soil health is the production of glomalin, a sticky protein that acts as a “soil glue,” binding soil particles into stable aggregates. Soil aggregates improve soil structure, promoting water retention, aeration and root penetration. Glomalin is an essential component of soil organic matter and is considered critical for stabilizing soils. By supporting AMF populations through cover cropping, growers can increase glomalin production, enhancing soil structure and resilience.
MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI
(AMF), FORM SYMBIOTIC
RELATIONSHIPS WITH PLANT ROOTS, PROVIDING NUTRIENTS IN EXCHANGE FOR CARBOHYDRATES’
Soil organic matter (SOM) is the lifeblood of soil health, made up of decomposed plant and animal materials and other carbon-rich compounds. High levels of SOM improve soil fertility, water-holding capacity and microbial diversity. For every 1% of organic matter, the soil can hold an additional 20,000 gallons of water per acre. Despite being mostly decomposed, microbes will continue to break down soil organic matter at a much slower rate, releasing approximately 20 lbs of available N per acre per 1% of organic matter. Cover crops contribute to SOM through root biomass, which is decomposed by soil organisms. The decomposition of cover crop residues adds carbon to the soil, providing a food source for microbes and supporting a healthy soil ecosystem. Typical farmland SOM ranges from 2% to 3%, with 5% being considered on the upper end.
Diverse cover crop mixtures are highly beneficial for soil microbial communities as different plant species attract different microbial partners. For example, leguminous cover crops, like Seeds for Bees® Annual Clover mix, host nitrogen-fixing bacteria in their root nodules. These bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen into forms that plants can use. Grasses, on the other hand, contribute significant amounts of root biomass to the soil, which decomposes and builds SOM.
Dynamic Interactions
The interactions between plants and soil microbes are dynamic, and different plant species have different colonization strategies. By using a diverse mix of cover crops, growers can promote a broad range of beneficial microbial interactions, which results in a more resilient and biologically active soil ecosystem. A well-balanced cover crop mixture can include nitrogen fixers, deep-rooted plants that break up compacted soil and species that resist pests, creating a balanced system that fosters healthy soil.
Cover crops play an essential role in promoting soil health by sustaining a dynamic, interconnected ecosystem beneath the soil surface. Through the production of root exudates, cover crops support microbial diversity, improve soil structure and facilitate nutrient cycling. By maintaining soil biota, cover crops reduce reliance on synthetic inputs and increase the resilience of soil systems. The presence of diverse cover crops ensures a healthy soil food web, allowing for a balanced ecosystem that can better withstand environmental stresses and support long-term agricultural productivity.
Integrating cover crops into farming practices is not just about covering bare soil; it’s about fostering life below the surface and creating a sustainable foundation for agriculture. As more growers adopt cover cropping, soil health will continue to improve.
Those interested in receiving free cover crop seed and are located in California can apply to the Seeds for Bees® program. The application is open from April 1 to August 31 and can be accessed at projectapism.org. Outside of the application window, applicants can fill out a contact form to receive an email reminder with a link to the application when it opens. References available upon request.
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DETERRENT FOR SMALL MAMMALS
• Protects elds and orchards from damage by small mammals
• Suitable control of gophers, ground squirrels, voles, moles and similar pests
• Eliminates fencing requirement
• Safeguards irrigation equipment from damage
• Encourages small mammal pests to vacate the premises
• Promotes small mammal population control
• Helps limit the (potential) spread of wildlife-borne disease
• Shown to be e ective even after precipitation
• Odorless and non-toxic to humans and animals
SMALL MAMMAL DETERRENT
Each year small ground mammals cause extensive damage to farm elds, crops and equipment. Besides foraging on eld crops, many are burrowing animals, whose mounds and holes create hazards for livestock, obstacles for farm equipment and inhibit crops from growing on disturbed land. In other instances, these small mammals can get into stored grain or damage agricultural infrastructure (i.e. causing damage to drip irrigation lines).
Penergetic b ZV’s purpose is to act as a deterrent by discouraging these pests from inhabiting treated areas. Since the target species often live under ground and have developed elaborate networks of tunnels, with multiple entrances, when using penergetic b ZV it is important to carry out a fairly land-expansive spraying program to ensure adequate coverage of the area they occupy.
ADDRESSING REJECT RATES AND QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN ALMOND
By KRISTIN PLATTS | Digital Content Writer
Almond growers in California are facing significant challenges from persistent pest pressures, leading to increased reject rates and financial losses as nuts are delivered to handlers and processors statewide. Key pests like navel orangeworm (NOW), plant bugs and the emerging Carpophilus beetle are contributing to these issues. Industry experts stress that effective orchard sanitation and collaborative efforts among neighboring orchards are crucial strategies for managing these persistent challenges.
Mel Machado, vice president of member relations for Blue Diamond Growers, addressed a room of growers during an almond day hosted by UCCE in Merced in October, painting a picture of this season’s escalating reject rates.
This year’s infestations have led to some of the highest reject levels seen in decades, Machado said, with 2024 standing out as one of the worst years he recalls. While this season has been dominated by NOW and plant bugs, he expressed less concern about Carpophilus beetle, noting minimal significant damage by the beetle halfway through the receiving season. However, Machado noted that this is a “year of learning” regarding Carpophilus as growers in Australia have noted significant challenges in managing the beetle.
Highlighting the variability between northern regions like the Sacramento Valley and the southern San Joaquin Valley, Machado noted that in 2022, the Sacramento Valley experienced lower yields due to a freeze, which intensified pest pressures as fewer nuts meant a higher percentage of damaged nuts.
Gross revenue is another key factor, he explained. While price per pound often dominates conversations, it’s the combination of price and yield that ultimately impacts a grower’s bottom line. Costs per acre vary significantly, especially when considering factors like water prices, which fluctuate widely across regions. In some areas, variable costs might reach $3,000 to $4,000 per acre, putting addi-
tional pressure on growers in lower-yield areas, such as parts of the Sacramento Valley, to balance lower revenues against high production costs.
Sanitation and the Neighbor Effect
Humorously asking attendees at the almond day if they had a “crappy” neighbor or might be one themselves, Machado emphasized the influence that poor management practices are having on rising pest pressures.
“Without a doubt, the crappy neighbor has been an influence this year,” he said, noting low-input and non-input orchards as well as the forced deprivation of trees are all root causes of the NOW explosion.
Analyzing the population dynamics of NOW to reveal how easily infestations can spread throughout an almond orchard, Machado explained in a typical 2,500-pound crop with a 30-nut-perounce average, an acre can contain around 1.2 million almonds across 110 trees, spaced at an 18-by-22-foot planting pattern. Two mummies left on each tree amounts to approximately 220 mummies per acre, with each capable of sheltering overwintering NOW. If half of those mummies yield surviving female moths, the potential egg count can range from 60 to 200 eggs per female. He added during the first flight emerging from these mummies, infestation rates start around 0.1%. However, by the second flight, which targets highly susceptible varieties like Nonpareil and Independence, infestation levels can reach nearly 3%, underscoring the rapid escalation in pest pressure and the importance of effective NOW management practices.
But it was the third flight that did the most damage this year, Machado said.
“That third flight in the latter half of August hammered a lot of people,” he noted. “The math says you have a potential infestation of about 72%. Naturally, grower’s efforts keep the damage down much lower than that, but we still had growers who did all they could and still
Early instar navel orangeworm and Carpophilus beetle larvae burrow inside an almond kernel. California almond growers are facing persistent pest pressures as these pests continue to threaten crop quality and yield (photo by
suffered reject levels in excess of 20%, all because of neighbor issues.”
If growers feel limited by their neighbors’ management practices, Machado encourages them to be extra mindful of their own sanitation efforts in the coming months. While he acknowledges the challenge of entering an orchard when soil is wet and the ground might be slippery, he emphasizes it’s not a step to skip this year.
“Sanitation will be the foundation of navel orangeworm control without a doubt,” he said. “When you've got that many eggs laid in a mummy, you know you're going to have a problem.”
Jake Wenger, general manager of Salida Hulling, another Modesto-based handler, said while he actually feels reject rates have improved compared to last year, they still reflect ongoing pest pressures and indicate how financial constraints have led some growers to cut back on pest management efforts, impacting reject rates.
He also agrees with the “neighbor effect” and said that even with diligent pest control, nearby neglected orchards can increase overall pest pressures.
“Because of the pricing, you have some people that have made economic decisions for their farm, and they’ve had to cut some sprays out,” Wenger said. “But that doesn’t just affect them because bugs don’t know property lines.”
Operating since 1970, Salida Hulling is a mid-size co-op expected to process about 19 million pounds this season. Wenger noted an often-overlooked factor in pest management is how custom harvesting can influence pest pressures, sometimes leading to missed mummies that disrupt pest cycles. He explained
M. Machado.)
optimizing shake timing can help reduce mummies left in the orchard, noting if nuts aren’t coming off easily, they may not be ready yet. Proper timing, he stressed, is essential for limiting overwintering pests.
“Are the shaker guys shaking the trees correctly and getting all the nuts off? Because if they’re not coming off, is the grower shaking at the appropriate time?” he said.
In addition to sanitation, Machado stressed mating disruption is one of the most effective tactics for controlling NOW. When combined with thorough sanitation practices, mating disruption can substantially reduce pest populations. However, he cautioned relying on any single method without prioritizing sanitation is like “fighting a no-go battle.” Instead, he urged growers to adopt a comprehensive approach, integrating multiple techniques to manage pest pressures effectively while ultimately supporting both yield and quality.
While damage from NOW remains a significant concern, Machado noted a significant increase in crop damage this year due to brown spot (deep blemishes on the kernel caused by the feeding of stink bugs or leaf-footed plant bugs).
“I saw more brown spot on Nonpareil this year than I've ever seen before,” he said. “As a percentage of the damage, it’s really elevated."
Brown spot has particularly affected varieties like Independence, Price and Sonora, Machado said. Brown spot damage has been increasing over the past few years, adding to the financial losses growers have been enduring.
Blue Diamond Growers' data highlights the alarming increase in reject rates from 2016 to 2024, with 2024 marking the highest rate on record (courtesy
In addressing pest and disease control for the future, Machado emphasized the importance of industry collaboration by leveraging resources from The Almond Board of California and other industry experts. Integrated pest management strategies emphasizing a thorough understanding of the life cycle and development of each pest species will continue to be essential in sustaining California’s almond production amid ongoing challenges.
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Blue Diamond Growers.)
Hey CARB, When is Enough Finally Enough?
By ROGER A. ISOM | President/CEO Western Agricultural Processors Association
Electric trucks, electric forklifts, upgrading tractors and pump engines to Tier 4, implementing conservation management practices on the farm, low VOC pesticides, vapor recovery on our farm gasoline tanks; at what point does it end? Especially when no one else in the country is doing it. In fact, no competitor in this country, or the world for that matter, must implement the stringent air quality measures that California growers have to. And it isn’t even close! But isn’t that enough?
Not according to the California Air Resources Board (CARB), which recently held a workshop on Tier 5 engine technology for offroad engines. Yes, that’s right, Tier 5.
CARB staff is starting work on potential amendments to the off-road diesel engine standards in what they are calling the Tier 5 rulemaking. The Tier 5 rulemaking aims to reduce oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions from new, off road
It’s difficult to reconcile all the new diesel engine requirements when CARB at the same time is pushing fleets to go electric
compression-ignition engines compared to what is allowed by today’s Tier 4 final emission standards. It will likely include more stringent exhaust standards for all power categories, including those that do not currently utilize exhaust aftertreatment like diesel particulate filters and selective catalytic reduction. At the workshop, staff indicated they are considering possible elements to achieve NOx standards up to 90% more stringent and PM standards up to 75% more stringent than today’s Tier 4 standards. First-time CO2 emission standards for off-road engines may also be proposed. Other possible
begin in 2029. That is less than five years away, and there isn’t even an engine on the drawing board!
So how does CARB intend we get there? According to information published by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, CARB intends to take several steps to ensure that aftertreatment systems perform as intended in the field. It breaks down as follows:
Aftertreatment aging. CARB has developed what it refers to as the DAAAC, or Diesel Aftertreatment Accelerated Aging Cycle. It’s a new protocol designed to better estimate the aging of aftertreat-
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tampering, culminating with idle or engine shutdown if the fault mode isn’t corrected within a certain timeframe.
Low load cycle. This proposed standard impacts engines in the 56- to 560-kW range. A new test cycle has been developed to include an extended idle period. This is to account for the impact idle time has on emissions because CARB says its data suggests off-road engines idle anywhere from 30% to 50% of the time.
Idle NOx requirement. This proposed standard impacts all power categories. Engines in the 56- to 560-kW range will satisfy this requirement by satisfying the low load cycle requirement mentioned above. All other power categories have their own idle requirements. To comply with the NOx idle test, engines need to reach a pre-determined temperature at 3.5% rated power for 30 minutes. If the engine can’t meet the idle NOx requirement specified for that power category, an engine shutdown system will be required.
But it doesn’t stop there. A new CARB provision will require all Tier 5 engines that have an electronic control unit to meet certain diagnostic requirements. Engines that incorporate an SCR must have an onboard monitoring and diagnostics system, while engines without an SCR can utilize an onboard diagnostic system.
But one must ask why? Isn’t CARB pushing everything to go electric? It triggers many questions. Why would manufacturers bother to spend the significant resources to tool up and make compliant engines for only a
short period of time? Furthermore, why would manufacturers spend the resources to make engines only for California? If they do end upmaking a Tier 5 engine, what will it cost? These are exactly the questions we are asking CARB. California agriculture has been devastated by the cost impacts of California-only air quality regulations
‘[CARB] is considering possible elements to achieve [oxides of nitrogen] standards up to 90% more stringent and PM standards up to 75% more stringent than today’s Tier 4 standards.’
that make it difficult, if not impossible, to compete in a world marketplace as agriculture does. The time has come. CARB, enough is enough.
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Implementation of Tier 5 diesel engine standards could begin in 2029 (photo by C. Parsons.)
HEDGEROWS CAN ENHANCE ORCHARD, POLLINATOR VIABILITY
By CECILIA PARSONS | Associate Editor
Hedgerow plantings of native flowering plants adjacent to tree nut orchards is not a common practice in California, but studies have shown these habitat plantings can have positive impacts on orchard diversity, especially for bee pollinators.
Hedgerows are not just densely planted trees; native perennial grasses, shrubs and even small forb plants like milkweed can serve as hedgerows, allowing for adaptability in different farming situations. Hedgerow habitat plantings on field edges have been known to provide habitat for pollinators and other beneficial insects, and due to recent studies, they are now being recognized as a valuable component in a weed control program.
Rachael Long, UCCE farm advisor emeritus in Yolo County, along with Dr. Justin Valliere from the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences, have published new information on hedgerow plantings that focuses on their role in weed control.
Regardless of the reason for hedgerow plantings, site selection and preparation, choosing appropriate plants and spacing and providing irrigation to get the plants established are the first steps in a field edge habitat planting program.
Pollinator Value
Recognizing hedgerow value in the almond industry for attracting bee pollinators, the Almond Alliance has stepped up to provide grants for hedgerow establishment along almond orchards in partnership with the Great
Valley Seed Company of Los Banos. Nicole Gault of Almond Alliance said since November 2023, 17,840 linear feet of hedgerows have been planted. This fall, another 11,400 feet of hedgerows will be planted.
Long said the easiest hedgerow planting to manage is a single row of flowering shrubs and perennial forbs like yarrow along an orchard edge, keeping in mind placement for access to the orchard.
Hedgerow plantings can be easier to establish and maintain in parts of California that receive more rainfall, but with careful planning, native plants can survive and thrive in more arid areas. Mandeep Riar, UCCE restoration ecologist and weed science area advisor in Kern, Tulare and Kings counties, said hedgerows can be valuable additions to orchards once they are established. Innovative growers in her part of the San Joaquin Valley are seeing success with hedgerow plantings, she said. Appropriate plants for hedgerows need to be selected and the site will need to be irrigated for about the first three years after planting, but she notes the return on investment can be significant in terms of increased bees and natural enemies on farms for pollination and pest control services and weed suppression.
“Once their root systems are established, they don’t need intensive management,” Riar said.
Growers are realizing the benefits of hedgerows in their orchard systems and are planting them, she confirmed. Most are mixtures of native flowering plants,
such as coyote brush. Milkweed is also popular for providing nutrition for Monarch butterflies and other insects species that feed on nectar.
Nectar Supply
Frank Olagaray, who farms almond, walnuts, olives and winegrapes in the Thornton area, said he planted his first hedgerow along his orchards in 2019 with the idea of providing a food supply for native pollinators. His five miles of hedgerows are native shrubs in the 2- to 6-foot height range, though he said they would get taller if he did not cut them back. Weed control was not a driving force in the decision to plant hedgerows, he said. His plants were chosen to supply wild pollinators with blooms and nectar year-round. The benefit provided for him, he said, is the abundance of predator insects the hedgerows attract, which disperse into adjacent crops, keeping down mite populations in his nut orchards.
The Xerces Society for invertebrate conservation can help growers with plant selection. Their website lists specific plants for California’s Central Valley, noting which attract beneficial insects and their bloom times, and the preferred soils. These native species include yarrow, milkweed, coyotebrush, California lilac, Western redbud, toyon and coffeeberry. Xerces Society recommends selecting at least three different plant species from early, mid and late blooming periods.
Species vary in their water needs, but Olagaray said he prefers to con-
Information is available for selection of suitable hedgerow plants.
tinue irrigating when plants are mature so they will produce more nectar for beneficial insects.
The cooler weather in the Delta area likely contributes to the good growth of the hedgerow plants, Olagary said, but he still has to contend with voles and gophers chewing on irrigation lines.
Due to hedgerow plant ability to store carbon in their woody plant tissue and in their soil root zone, planting hedgerows is an eligible practice for CDFA’s Healthy Soils program that pays per linear foot for hedgerow plantings.
Olagaray said the first step in hedgerow establishment was to pull up berms for the hedgerow plantings along the orchard edges. The berms are 1 foot high and 3 feet wide. He then lays a drip hose with emitters installed every 3 feet. Over the drip line, he places a layer of mulch. When he is ready to plant, he turns on the water to see where the emitters are, pulls mulch aside and plants the plugs (a
smaller, more economically sized plant) in the wetted areas.
Weed Reduction
In Long and Valliere’s study on 20 field sites, hedgerows of native California plants established on orchard borders helped suppress weed abundance and diversity on field edges by shading out and competing with weeds for moisture and sunlight. This weed reduction included troublesome and difficult-to-control weeds in both orchards and field crops.
In addition, the study found the weed suppression resulted in reduced weed drift distant into adjacent orchards compared with open field edges where more weeds tend to persist. Overall, Long said hedgerow plantings showed reduced herbicide use and costs of managing weeds compared with clean field borders. Establishment costs vary on location. The costs, besides plants or seed mixes, include labor for site analysis, design and field preparation. Long
noted maintenance costs will decline as the native perennial grasses or shrubs mature and outcompete weeds. Gault said almond growers or growers of other commodities who want to learn more about hedgerow planting and funding can go to pollinatoralliance.farm. After uploading information about their planned site or sites, a restoration biologist will determine the best-suited plants for their location. Growers can also choose appropriate plants. Growers can receive $5.43 per linear foot of hedgerow planted. Establishment of a hedgerow planting earns the grower a “Bee Friendly” certification. The grant funding comes with a three-year commitment to maintain the hedgerows and send photo proof of hedgerow plantings every three months to Almond Alliance.
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Take Steps to Improve the Soil Microbiome, Particularly in Dry Conditions
By RICH KREPS | CCA, SSp., Contributing Writer
ell, to quote an old Barry Manilow song, “It looks like we made it.” However, we didn’t lose each other on the way. We’re in this together. As the chairman of American Pistachio Growers, a CCA, a SSp., a grower, a hopeful amateur political contributor and an all-in supporter of all things ag, I can honestly say the road looks better than it did a month ago. Prices seem to be ticking up for most of our specialty crops and federal support for California water is at a more positive level than it’s been for decades. Let’s keep this train on the tracks and plan for 2025.
A weak La Niña seems to be set up in the Pacific. Typically, we can expect a colder winter with less atmospheric moisture. At Ultra Gro, we had a meeting recently with Plant Pathologist, Owner of Denele Analytical Labs and amateur meteorologist Joe Mullinax, Ph.D. He reminded us some of our wettest win-
Increasing the soil organic matter by just 1% can increase the soil water holding capacity by 20,000 gallons (photo by T. Chalstrom.)
ters were weak La Niña events. Like a typical weather analysis, we don’t really know what to expect. We did receive some moisture in November, but the future remains anyone’s guess. If it is dry, we need to prepare to keep our soil active.
William Albrecht had some divine intervention moments in his illustrious career as a scientist. Moisture levels at 25%, air at 25%, minerals at 45%, humus at 5% and 68 degrees F for optimal soil performance is still recognized as the norm some 80 years later. Keeping soil moisture levels at 25% can be difficult during the winter. Significant rain, or lack thereof, can throw that way out of whack. Getting our SW soils to even 1% organic matter can have its own challenges. No matter how many minerals you have, 45% or not, if they don’t solubilize, they aren’t as effective. We need to make it all work well together.
Soil microbiology does just that. Prebiotics, probiotics, carbon sources, plant extractions, mixed species, etc. can all contribute to making all that work. At Ultra Gro, we have brewed our own microbiology that has gone out with our fertility and carbon sources for 40 years. I mention this because for much of that time, those types of formulations were considered the proverbial “snake oil” when they first came out. Now, almost every fertility company has some form of biological inoculation or byproduct to make macronutrition and micronutrition more effective. That microbiology can aggregate soil and increase pore space. That gets the air component of soil closer to that 25%.
Increasing the soil organic matter by just 1% can increase the soil water holding capacity by 20,000 gallons. If soil weighs about 2,000,000 pounds per acre for every 6 inches, that sounds like 20,000 pounds to me. I have several growers that apply 3 to 6 tons of compost per year to their soil. 6000 to 12,000 pounds of compost can add to the soil carbon significantly year over year. When we plant cover crops and see that lush green growth in the spring, a good stand can add 14 tons of green manure to the soil. Again, building soil carbon. Throw some in-season humic substances and carbohydrate sources with our fertility every year and we feed the soil biology as well. That will stabilize the soil carbon. As we apply fertility, root exudates and the roots themselves add more carbon to the soil. Carbon chains are amazing chelators, keeping
Keep soil moisture adequate even through the winter.
more nutrition in the root zone for later use and assimilation.
In-season fertility applied in soluble and plant-ready sources can dramatically increase our uptake of key nutrients. Having a thriving soil microbiome can take that to the next level. Taking soil samples next spring, we can formulate a plan to make our soil more beneficial to our crops with proper supplementation. The acetate extraction numbers on our tests were designed to give us an educated guess as to what should solubilize in-season from our soil. That’s not the total load of the soil and what it contains. Even at 1000 ppm Calcium, 2000 calculated pounds of calcium in the first 6 inches of the soil would make one assume we will never be short of calcium or need to apply any. Yet we do. But it also tells me that it will always be difficult to get proper phosphorus into our trees. Soil microbiology can help hedge that bet that a plant can use the forms transformed by their digestion. Soil biology will also help acidify the rhizosphere and enhance that soil-root interface and nutrient exchange.
Hedge your bet. Do everything in your power to grow that soil microbiome. Add active biology. Add prebiotics that will help exacerbate that process. Add more carbon sources in multiple forms. Use soluble, plantready nutrients to get more of what you put on your crops into your crops. When winter starts slow and you can add water, keep the soil moisture content adequate. Allow that active soil to aggregate itself and allow for more infiltration and sodium leaching. It was another long season, but keep at it through the winter to make next spring’s bloom that much more effective. As soils warm up, with more plant-ready nutrition now available and stable, we’ll allow those trees to reach optimal performance no matter what Mother Nature throws at us.
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Answering the “How-To” Questions About Groundwater Recharge
By CECILIA PARSONS | Associate Editor
TNova Ranch General Manager Don Cameron knew groundwater availability was going to be a problem more than 20 years ago.
When the opportunity arose, the self-described ‘lone wolf’ of groundwater recharge began this practice in 2011, flooding his Fresno County vineyards with excess floodwater with the aim of recharging groundwater aquifers.
“We knew the groundwater table was dropping and we would need bigger motors in the years to come to pull water up,” Cameron said in October at the American Pistachio Growers ‘Recharge Day,’ where researchers and growers shared experiences and findings about groundwater recharge strategies.
erra
Terra Nova Ranch General Manager Don Cameron noted groundwater levels where he farms have rebounded 15 to 20 feet (photo courtesy Sustainable Conservation.)
Nanobubble machine in an orchard. Device adds tiny air bubbles to the irrigation water to improve water infiltration (photo by T. Oker.)
Groundwater recharge using flood water wasn’t a simple action. There were legality issues, infrastructure needs and little understanding of the effects of flooding vineyards and orchards. Water measurement was a challenge as was the sediment that came with the floodwater. Operational issues included infiltration rates, levee breaks, wind erosion and water levels in basins.
While many of the challenges with groundwater recharge have been overcome, information and ‘how-to” questions remain.
Know the Soil
When planning to take excess surface water from rain or flood events for recharge in permanent crops, Cameron advised knowing the soils in the orchards or fields, being vigilant about plant health and having a plan to receive and move water where needed when the opportunity arises.
Cameron said he was able to find solutions to many of the groundwater recharge challenges that came his way since 2011 and noted groundwater levels where he farms have rebounded 15 to 20 feet.
There were costs associated with the effort to recharge groundwater. Extra labor and equipment, including much larger pumps, were needed to direct and contain floodwaters on his fields, vineyards and orchards.
The positives from Cameron’s lengthy record of groundwater recharge included 18,821 acre-feet recharged and flood relief for the communities of Mendota and Firebaugh. The recharge waters also provided ample habitat for migrating geese and other birds.
According to UC Davis researchers Thomas Harter and Helen Dahlke, on-farm recharge is a resource management strategy that can replenish depleted aquifers by directing excess surface water to suitable farm ground during times of water availability. Implementing on-farm recharge is a strategy to maintain long-term viability of agricultural land by preserving water resources into the future. A survey by Public Policy Institute of California found that from 2017 to 2023 there was a 90 percent increase in acre feet of captured floodwater use for groundwa-
ter recharge from 260,000 acre feet to 493,000 acre feet.
There are additional sustainable practices and other considerations that come into play when considering recharge strategies.
Cover cropping can enhance the benefits of groundwater recharge. Planned soil amendment applications can overcome some water infiltration challenges. Soil salinity can be managed with recharge water.
UCCE Farm Advisor Mae Culumber said to get more water into the ground and increase penetration, physical and chemical issues with the soil should be addressed. Effective recharge, she said, depends on soil pore size and volume, aggregation, plant roots, soil cultivation practices and soil and water salinity levels.
Soil amendments, Culumber said, can improve soil permeability. Physical barriers to permeability can include hardpan layers. Deep ripping can be a
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Recharge strategies include optimizing timing during wet seasons, monitoring water to avoid in troducing salts and combining recharge with in-season leaching for sustainable soil management, according to
consideration, Culumber said (possibly just ripping every other row in an orchard). This practice may stimulate
Chemical barriers to water infiltration require a calcium amendment that will displace the sodium and remove it from the root zone. It will also neutralize soil lime, reduce pH and improve plant nutrition. It is important, Culumber noted, that soil analyses be used to determine the correct type and rate of
should also be determined. Culumber recommended sampling at 0 to 3 inches then in 1-foot increments to determine
soil tests reveal sodium loads are high throughout the root zone, soil amend-
Helping Farmers Grow NATURALLY Since 1974
UCCE Specialist Louise Ferguson (photo courtesy Sustainable Conservation.)
vent soil surface crusting after a rain event. These tools can also enhance microbial activity that aggregates soil and improves the effectiveness of other amendments. Culumber stressed post-amendment leaching is critical to complete soil salinity reclamation.
Managing Variability
Precision application of water and nutrients can address yield variability in pistachio production. Patrick Brown, plant scientist at UC Davis, said yields matter as over-fertilization in low-yield years is a cause of nitrogen pollution in groundwater. Variability in yield correlates negatively with soil carbon, soil pH and soil structural problems, suggesting targeted gypsum and lime applications are warranted.
“To manage variability, you have to measure, monitor and manage,” Brown said. “Variability really matters.”
UCCE Specialist Louise Ferguson explained how use of AG-MAR can assist with salinity management in salt-affected ground. Agricultural Managed Aquifer Recharge is a decision support tool to capture winter runoff not currently allocated to water users and in excess of instream flow requirements.
Agricultural managed aquifer recharge may include winter irrigations in various forms, recharge through unlined canals and set-aside land (recharge basins), in lieu of recharge, and other forms. Assessment and modeling tools are in development to help landowners and irrigation districts to evaluate recharge opportunities.
Ferguson said recharge strategies include optimizing timing during wet seasons, monitoring water to avoid introducing salts and combining recharge with in-season leaching for sustainable soil management. Leaching strategies include double-line drip systems in-season and winter leaching to flush salts and reduce boron uptake. Irrigation method, volume and frequency must be adjusted for soil type. Proper drainage systems are needed to prevent saturation and salt buildup.
“Salinity is not going away, but it can be managed,” Ferguson said.
Charlie Chen, UC Davis Hydrologic Science Graduate Group, introduced recent research on the impact of cover cropping on water budgets in pistachio production. This research evaluated cover crop influence on evapotranspiration, soil water storage and deep percolation.
Chen said although cover crops did reduce soil moisture at the surface, a planted cover crop increased moisture storage below six feet. Other findings include higher ET in cover crop orchards compared to a no-cover-crop orchard. Soil water was higher and more deep percolation occurred.
The potential crop health benefits of recharge enhancement with the use of nanobubble water injection was explained by UCCE Farm Advisor Tobias Oker from Kern County. Nanobubbles are tiny gaseous bubbles entrained in a solution that can alter the normal characteristics of the liquid. These bubbles can improve water infiltration in the soil by reducing
surface tension and contact angle on hydrophobic soil surface.
“It is basically injecting air into water,” Oker said. The nanobubbles could be a solution to improving water infiltration.
This project is evaluating soil water infiltration rates under nanobubble supplemented irrigation compared to normal irrigation conditions. It will also assess changes in concentrations of total dissolved salts under similar conditions. Finally, Oker said pistachio yields and leaf tissue nutrient concentrations under nanobubble-supplemented irrigation will be compared with yields and nutrient concentrations under normal irrigation conditions.
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MIST NOW
From the Orchard
MACHADO FAMILY FARMS
Reaches Out to the Community as Part of Its Business Approach
By LORI FAIRCHILD | Contributing Writer
Family farms are evolving to stay afloat, and nowhere is that more evident than at Machado Family Farms where Drew and Melissa Machado Cheney are investing in sustainable agricultural practices and new revenue streams, including a gym on the farm that includes a focus on “farm fitness” to create a legacy to pass on to the next generation.
Even as they look to educate their community through school visits to the farm and farm-to-table events, Melissa and Drew never thought they would end up back on Melissa’s family farm. They both had successful jobs, Melissa in healthcare and Drew working as an ombudsman for the state, but when no one else wanted to take over the 80-year-old farming operation, Melissa and Drew stepped up.
“For me, at first, it was pretty much a hard no because I knew what that farming life was like, and we were happy in Sacramento,” Melissa says. “I was working for a large healthcare corporation, but at the same time, we both grew up in the country and wanted to eventually live and raise our children in a rural setting. His dad oversaw a rice-drying and storage operation, so we knew we wanted to be back in that lifestyle someday.”
After much discussion, they decided to move back to the farm, and since then they have been focused on integrating sustainable farming practices like cover cropping and using sheep in the orchards as well as sharing their
love of fitness with the community. They built a gym on the farm where both Drew and Melissa teach classes as part of their commitment to helping others live a healthy lifestyle.
We asked them to share with West Coast Nut readers how they approach family farming and their views on the state of the tree nut industry.
Q. What is the history of your farming operation?
Melissa: Our farm originated in the early 1900s. My great-grandfather actual-
ly immigrated over here from the Azores, and he started with sheep and dairy cows on our home ranch. Then, years later, he moved into row crops and eventually orchards once my dad and my uncle came back from college. We are actually the fourth generation taking over the farm.
We have our home ranch. We actually still have the original house. Now, we have a little over 1,000 acres that we've accumulated. We do rent some, but we farm over 1,000 acres.
Drew: I think a really important point to make is the accumulation of
Melissa and
grew up in agriculture but never had any intention of being farmers, but when Melissa's dad asked them if they wanted to take over the family's orchards, they decided to say yes. Now, they are moving the family business in a new direction, adding a gym to the property and introducing more sustainable farming practices (photo
The opportunity to raise their children on the farm was a big reason why Melissa and Drew Cheney chose to take over the family. (photo by Emily Shores.)
Drew Cheney
by Emily Shores.)
the farm was cyclical. Melissa's grandfather’s dream was to get the original home ranch back together because different family members had sold off parcels. It was literally a dying dream of his to make sure that the home ranch was brought back together in one piece, and so that happened within the last 20 years, and he was finally able to get everything back together under their family.
Q. How did you enter the family business?
Melissa: Originally, my great-grandfather immigrated over here and started with that very small plot of land. Then my grandfather and one of his sons and a great-uncle of mine formed the ranch. As my dad and uncle got older, they helped on the ranch, both going to college and then coming back to work on the farm.
There are eight grandchildren within our Machado family. I'm one of three; I have two brothers. My late brother passed away on the farm 26 years ago, and my other brother is in Canada, while the rest of our cousins are dispersed literally across the world. About 11 years ago, we were living in Sacramento, and it was kind of a transitional spot for our family and the farm. Everyone went to college, got married, started settling down and having families. My grandfather's health took a nosedive, so he really wasn't active on the farm anymore. It was just my dad and my uncle, but their capacity was becoming limited. We do have a team of five employees to help. My late brother was very instrumental in helping, and obviously, we no longer had his help.
So the big question was, “What's going to happen to the farm? Who's going to take it on?” That question was put out basically to the entire family, asking if anyone was interested in coming back to take it on or if we were going to lease out all the land we owned. We are one of three of the cousins who live in California. So my dad posed the question to us: Would we be willing to move back?
Drew: And I think part of it, too, is two of her cousins had come back to work on the farm, but sometimes things just aren’t a fit, and it wasn’t
a fit for them. It’s not a reflection on their abilities or intentions; it just wasn’t right for them. But it really was a bit of quiet desperation on Melissa’s father's part.
For me and Melissa, she was doing very well in the corporate world, and I really enjoyed my role with the state. So, to ask us to come back and basically leave everything we had worked for, it was one of those conversations where we sat down, opened a bottle of wine and weighed the pros and cons, discussing if we’d feel comfortable or not.
Melissa: In my gut and heart, I felt the legacy of our farm, decades of blood, sweat and tears that went into it. I had put in work on the farm as a young girl and experienced so much about that life. There were so many positive things about it, and the thought of leasing the land out was not OK. There was no way, after where we came from and the sacrifices made to grow the farm, purchase land and get to where we were. My dad was instrumental in
changing how we farm, bringing in orchards, and moving away from row crops. I couldn’t let it go; that would have killed me.
I had always said I’d never marry a farmer, but thinking about the bigger picture, the legacy for our future generations, our children and the dying art of small family farms, I couldn’t just let the farm lease out to other growers. Family farmers need to stick together. That was what drove my decision, and I was ready to say OK as long as Drew supported it. But I was wary because working with family is always hard.
I knew it would be very challenging for Drew to work day in and day out with my family and still go to family dinners and events while keeping a positive relationship with my grandfather, uncle and dad. The family dynamics can be complex, especially in a Portuguese family.
Drew: Melissa had trepidation, feeling the pull of not wanting the family farm to disintegrate but also not
wanting negative dynamics to come into the family. We’ve all seen families torn apart because of lack of communication or inability to work together. That was her side of it.
For me, my dad was part of the rice industry. Between my grandfather and my parents, we had around 15 acres of walnut trees. But it was a lot of work. When I was a kid, it would take more time to fix and repair equipment than to actually harvest, so we eventually picked the walnuts by hand. Farming never really interested me; I loved being outdoors, but it just didn’t feel like a fit. My major was in communications, and I worked as an ombudsman with the state, which I enjoyed because I was helping people.
Melissa: We met at UC Davis, where we were both communications majors. My focus was health communications. For me, the idea of coming from an agriculture background but never choosing to pursue it was significant. Farming just didn’t seem to fit my interests, but when we sat down and talked about it, I started thinking about the legacy aspect. Here was something my family had built from the ground up through hard work and sacrifice. It was a living thing, a dream that started with my great-grandfather’s immigrant journey. I couldn’t stand the thought of it disappearing after 80 years of dedication. So, I said, “OK, I’ll do it. Let’s give it a try.”
Drew: A good point to add here is that when it came to our children, we always talked about the legacy of Melissa’s family. Growing up, farm life and home life were so intertwined that you didn’t really think about where one stopped
and the other began. For me, working for the state, even though our son was very young, he knew I helped people but didn’t quite grasp what that meant. It was abstract, with nothing concrete. But once I started farming, he could see directly what was happening; plants growing, trees bearing fruit and the food that people could eat. From a developmental standpoint, it was fascinating to see that process understood even at a young age.
Melissa: Farming isn’t a job; it’s a way of life. It’s 365 days a year, and it’s not something you can just clock out of. We live on the farm, and it’s our entire life. I wanted that life for our children, just as I had it growing up. So, we moved back, went full circle and jumped right into it. Drew was a good sport, learning the ropes and working with my family. Within a few years of us moving back, my grandfather passed away. Drew took over as our operations manager on the farm.
There was a lot to overcome, and there’s a lot he’s still learning, even over 10 years later. When we first moved back, we decided to see how things went for about five years. Once we felt more settled, we decided to put down roots. We built our house on the farm, about 900 feet away from my parents’ home where I was raised, so our kids can walk or ride bikes between our houses. Both of our kids are in 4-H with their sheep-breeding project, just like my brothers and I did growing up.
We’re fully immersed in the farm lifestyle now. We also have a gym on the farm, which is something we built to serve our community as well as our farm family.
Q. How have farming practices evolved since you were a child, especially regarding nuts?
Melissa: When I was a child, we mainly grew row crops until we put in our first orchard, actually right where our house is now.
Drew: That was in 1981, when her father and grandfather decided to move away from row crops, which were becoming less financially viable. It’s a huge amount of work to prepare the ground for row crops, maintain the cycle and manage the harvest, especially on a smaller farm.
Melissa: Exactly. My dad saw how demanding row crops were on our family’s time and finances. So, he started diversifying by gradually taking out tomatoes, beans and sugar beets and putting in orchards. My grandfather didn’t love the idea; he was very old-school and attached to row crops, but my dad could see permanent crops were the way to go.
By the time I graduated from college, we had transitioned almost completely to orchards, primarily walnuts. I think we had around 300 acres of walnuts then, with plans to process them ourselves to be more financially sustainable in the long run.
Drew: Her father had a small walnut huller and dryer, and that’s when the focus really shifted to producing walnuts efficiently. Instead of paying someone else for processing, they controlled it on-site, and it made a huge difference financially.
Melissa: The farm continued to evolve, and now, besides walnuts, we also have almonds, cherries, alfalfa and olives. Over the past few years, we’ve focused on diversifying our
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Q. What kind of focus do you put on sustainability?
Drew: We’ve had to get creative with our farming practices to ensure sustainability. Five years ago, we started
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cover cropping, and now we cover crop all 1,000 acres. We also began grazing sheep in our orchards. It has been a process of learning to find a balance, but we’re seeing results in soil health, water retention and even fewer pests. It’s a more holistic approach to farming.
Melissa: Yes, and we’re seeing healthier ecosystems in our orchards.
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We’re seeing more pollinators, beneficial insects and birds. It’s a return to the way my great-grandfather farmed, with a focus on working with nature rather than against it.
Drew: Exactly. So, it’s not just about maximizing yield but about creating a sustainable, healthy environment. One of the most significant changes has been a focus on soil health. Without good soil, it doesn’t matter if you’re organic or conventional; everything you do just becomes a cycle of trying to replace what you’re taking out. Cover cropping and sheep grazing have made a huge impact, enriching the soil naturally and reducing the need for synthetic inputs.
Can you talk about some new ways you’re working to make the family farm profitable?
Melissa: It’s also about finding ways to diversify revenue streams on the farm. We’re looking at each acre and asking how we can make it more profitable without solely relying on harvests. It’s not just about the crops anymore; we’re considering everything from farm tours to farm-to-table events as new ways to sustain the farm financially.
Drew: That’s something we’re both passionate about: Making the farm sustainable not only economically but also environmentally. It’s become a way of life, where we think about how every action on the farm impacts the land, our community and the people who work with us.
Melissa: And we’re always asking, “How can we take care of the farm so it’s there for the next generation?” It’s about more than just today’s harvest.
Melissa and Drew Cheney have introduced regenerative agriculture practices to their orchards, including cover cropping and sheep grazing (photo courtesy M. and D. Cheney.)
Q. How do you feel about the current state of the nut industry? What changes do you think are needed for growers?
Drew: I think there needs to be a consolidated effort from all growers and handlers to work together rather than as separate, competing entities. We need collaboration to market and innovate the walnut industry, similar to what we see in almonds. If handlers could come together, it would help create more stable pricing and open up more product possibilities for walnuts.
Melissa: Exactly. Look at almonds; you see almond-based products everywhere, in every store. Walnuts, on the other hand, are usually just found in the baking aisle. We need to create more demand by developing new walnut products and working together as an industry. It’s something that should benefit all of us, and the potential is there.
Drew: There’s a lot that can be done with walnuts, but the industry needs to take the initiative. Instead of just waiting for consumers to dic-
tate the market, the industry should invest in R&D to create new uses and products for walnuts similar to what’s been done with other nut industries.
Melissa: Yes, and it’s about creating a market for these products and supporting the growers. As walnut growers, we’re paying into this system, and we want to see that investment coming back to benefit us with new products and a stronger market presence.
Drew: There’s been a lot of discussion about using those funds to support direct benefits for growers and ensuring the industry is evolving to meet modern demands. We’re hoping to see that continue because it’s essential for the long-term viability of family farms.
Q. How do you give back to your community and balance that with everything else?
Melissa: This year, we started doing farm and harvest tours. Next week, we’re hosting our first school tour, which will include a pre-harvest visit and a follow-up during the actual
harvest so kids can experience agriculture firsthand and see where their food comes from. It’s a way to connect with our community and educate our youth.
We’re also very active in 4-H. I’m the 4-H sheep leader, and our kids are involved as officers. We sponsor events, host fundraisers and even make cherry pizzas at our town’s annual Linden Cherry Festival event using cherries from our farm to benefit the local 4-H club. This year, we also started a “U-pick” cherry experience on our farm, which was very well-received by the community.
Drew: It’s all about education. We want people to understand where their food comes from and appreciate the work that goes into it. We also partnered with a local organization called Harvester Farms that gleans fruit to donate to food banks. It’s our way of making sure no food goes to waste and helping those in need.
Melissa: Giving back has become part of our family’s values. It’s been very fulfilling to engage with the
community and share what we do on the farm, whether it’s through our 4-H activities, farm tours or simply opening up our farm for people to experience the land and connect with agriculture.
Q. You’ve talked a lot about sustainability, education and community. What role does fitness play in your lives and on the farm?
Melissa: Fitness is a huge part of our lives and... our farm's identity. When we moved back here, I was coaching CrossFit out of our single-car garage. When we built our house, we decided to build a gym on the property too called One Body Whole Health. Now we have a full-scale gym offering CrossFit, FIT, yoga, pilates, water fitness and tumbling classes. It’s a big part of our life and community, and it aligns with the farm’s mission of wellness and sustainability.
Drew: Our gym has become a gathering place, and it’s fulfilling to offer this resource to our employees and neighbors. Farming can be very physically demanding, and health is often neglected, especially during long workdays. So, I call it “CropFIT” instead of CrossFit, focusing on exercises that build strength and endurance specifically for farming life.
Melissa: We even offer free gym memberships to our employees to encourage them to stay fit and healthy. It’s all about balance and making sure they’re in good health, both physically and mentally, to manage the demands of
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farm life. And for us, it’s another way to give back and strengthen the bond within our farm family.
Drew: Yes, and it’s not just about lifting weights; it’s about building resilience. Farming takes a toll on you, physically and mentally, so having that fitness base helps us and our team get through those long, hard days. It’s become part of our farm culture, promoting health, balance and wellness in every aspect of our lives.
Melissa: That’s why we’re marrying the concepts of fitness and farming, and hosting wellness workshops and retreats. In 2025, we’re planning to host farm-to-table dinners, integrating the farm’s commodities into the meals and using the gym as a space to promote overall wellness. It’s all part of our vision to bring fitness, farming, and food together as a lifestyle.
Q. Do you have any other secrets or surprises about your operation?
Melissa: One thing that surprises people is how much we integrate fitness and farming. When we have pictures taken for interviews, people are often surprised to see me in workout clothes and boots! It’s just the reality of balancing the gym and the farm. And our gym is literally in the middle of the farm, so it’s all very interconnected.
Drew: People often assume that farming is all we do, but it’s much more. People have layers, they have interests and skills that may not be obvious. For example, I used to teach martial arts, and that experience plays a big role in the work I do now with fitness on the farm. Being able to help others get healthy and strong in a practical, sustainable way is really rewarding.
Melissa: Growing up, my parents instilled in me that if you see something that needs change, you have to be the one to initiate it. "Be the change.” That’s become our motto; we want to model a sustainable and healthy way of farming that benefits the environment, our community and future generations. Our goal is to inspire others to think about sustainability, not just as a trend but as a necessary shift in mindset.
Drew: It’s really about changing the perspective. Farming has historically been about competition, keeping secrets, guarding techniques, not wanting others to know what’s working. But our philosophy is a rising tide raises all ships. If we can work together and learn from each other, the whole community benefits.
Melissa: Exactly. We need to collaborate, not only within our family but with other farmers. If all handlers and growers worked together, we could stabilize pricing and create more innovative products, benefiting everyone. That’s why we’re open about our practices and what’s working for us. We hope that our approach can inspire others to embrace a more collaborative, sustainable future.
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