JUNE 2023 ISSUE
SPOTLIGHT: WHOLE ORCHARD RECYCLING MOVES TO MAINSTREAM PRACTICE IN ALMONDS
SEE PAGE 58
IN THIS ISSUE:
GROWERS ADAPT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AFTER WINTER FLOODING SEE PAGE 4
REMOTE SENSING: EVIDENCE FOR OPTIMAL INPUTS
SEE PAGE 24
PRODUCE SAFETY RULE INSPECTIONS ARE BACK ON THE TABLE
SEE PAGE 48
BY REAL CALIFORNIANSExclusive Articles Twice a Month
Following a much wetter winter than normal, soil moisture in many tree nut growing regions of the state is adequate for seasonal tree growth. If you are thinking it is time to initiate irrigation, Tom Devol, Almond Board of California’s senior manager of eld outreach and education, said to rst check your soil moisture.
Deep holes from stuck tractors, ruts from ground rigs and rivers of water cutting channels down the middles of tree rows all left their marks on many orchard oors in the past few months. Returning oors to their former smooth state may be a challenge this spring for growers.
Preventative measures to protect trees from fungal and bacterial diseases, in many cases, were not able to be done due to continued wet weather at bloom and beyond. There is no question that for most Central Valley almond growing regions, speci c conditions for infection were present. Susceptible tissue, moisture and conducive temperatures pretty much describe the 2023 bloom and weeks thereafter.
Publisher: Jason Scott
Email: jason@jcsmarketinginc.com
Editor: Marni Katz
Email: marni@jcsmarketinginc.com
Associate Editor: Cecilia Parsons
Email: cecilia@jcsmarketinginc.com
Production: design@jcsmarketinginc.com
Tel: 559.352.4456
Fax: 559.472.3113
Web: www.wcngg.com
Almond Board of California
Contributing Writer
Vicky Boyd
Contributing Writer
Mae Culumber
Ph.D., UCCE Farm Advisor, Fresno County
Lori Fairchild
Contributing Writer
Elizabeth J. Fichtner
Ph.D., UCCE Farm Advisor, Tulare and Kings Counties
Theresa Kiehn President/CEO, AgSafe
Rich Kreps CCA, SSp., Contributing Writer
Mitch Lies
Contributing Writer
Catherine Merlo Contributing Writer
Franz Niederholzer UCCE Farm Advisor, Colusa and Sutter/Yuba Counties
Steve Pastis Contributing Writer
Mike Wade California Farm Water Coalition
Steven Koike Tri-Cal Diagnostics
Jhalendra Rijal UCCE Integrated Pest Management Advisor, Stanislaus County
Mohammad Yaghmour UCCE Area Orchard Systems Advisor, Kern County
View our ePublication on the web at www.wcngg.com
and advertisements in this publication are the professional opinions of writers and advertisers. West Coast Nut does not assume any responsibility for the opinions given in the publication.
Fifteen years after orchard burning restrictions were initiated, whole orchard recycling (WOR), has become standard practice in many almond orchards. But new findings continue to refine the practice.
See page 58
By CECILIA PARSONS | Associate Editor
Mother nature may have just given you extra time to start your fertigation plan without a direct yield consequence this season because tree phenology was also delayed the first month after bloom.”
Sebastian Saa, Almond Board of California’s associate director of agricultural research, summed up the first few months of 2023.
Adjustments in many management programs may be in store for many tree nut growers this year. Fertigation is one place that could see some management changes as the growing season progresses.
“Look at your trees first.” Saa said. Before spending money on soil samples, he said insightful observation of trees (new
how rain events and, in some cases, flooding, may have affected orchards and their nutritional status. In-season tree response to nutrition applications should be obvious with vigorous vegetative growth, but, if the crop is light, the amount of nitrogen can be reduced. Yield estimates made more often and earlier with precision can allow for changes in fertigation.
Saa said a close look at the developing crop can allow for adjustments including reduction of nitrogen.
Early yield estimates will be key in avoiding a ‘free lunch’ to trees, giving them nutrients they do not need to sustain a light crop.
Early season N demand and timing should be based on yield and three phenology factors. The first application should start just after 70% leaf-out. Fertigate only when the orchard has recovered from flooding. Saa advised running the system for the shortest amount of time possible to avoid
’
If the soil type allows for rapid enough infiltration past the effective root depth of the trees, the main concerns become more about loss of inputs such as nutrients to the deeper soil profiles.
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saturating the soil. The set should only run for a few hours at a time depending on soil. He suggested running the system now for a few hours first and another few hours in a week. If soils are saturated or if the system can’t be operated for a short period of time, he said a foliar application could be done.
Lower-than-expected yields may mean that trees will use their stored nutrients for a longer period, Saa said.
Cover crops and/or soil amendments for next season should be considered to reduce impacts of flooding as well as facilitate re-entry into the orchards. Those inputs may also reduce the likelihood of diseases such as Phytophthora. Excess water in orchards is expected to cause disease problems. As weather warms, Phytophthora symptoms are expected to build. In March, some trees were already experiencing signs of infection. Saa said where trees were in saturated ground, symptoms can appear early or into next year.
Curt Pierce, area irrigation and water resources advisor in Tehama County, said flooded orchard soils can lead to root death depending on tree species, soil type and length of submergence. Recovery times can be extensive. Increased disease/fungal/pest pressure can also be expected in such situations.
If the soil type allows for rapid enough infiltration past the effective root depth of the trees, the main concerns become more about loss of inputs such as nutrients to the deeper soil profiles. Of course, he said, this can be a benefit if salts are a problem, and many producers will sometimes use irrigation waters for this leaching effect.
Pierce said another issue with the winter flooding was salts being pushed back up into the effective root depth of orchards by rising water tables, causing injury to new tree growth.
“That’s something I think some folks may not have been expecting after so many years of drought conditions,” he said.
UCCE farm advisors are reporting numerous calls about diseases that are showing up in orchards that had standing water. Elizabeth Fichtner, Tulare County farm advisor, noted waterborne plant pathogens were affecting orchards impacted by standing water (see related article in this issue of West Coast Nut.) She said over time, the oxygen in saturated soils will be depleted and anoxic conditions can lead to root mortality.
It may take some time before the full extent of the damage is seen, but general canopy decline and anchorage issues may be the first signs of damage.
Even tree nut crops grown on disease-resistant rootstocks may be affected. Phytophthora spp., a group of soilborne pathogens that create motile spores that swim at the water surface, is suspected to be widespread throughout most growing regions. The pathogens can cause canker diseases particularly when water moves above the graft union. Fichtner said the full impact may not be realized until later in the year when higher temperatures add more stress to trees.
She emphasized that growers and farm managers should work with their crop consultants, pest control advisors and UCCE farm advisors to observe and document orchard changes over the growing season.
“
Mother nature may have just given you extra time to start your fertigation plan without a direct yield consequence this season because tree phenology was also delayed the first month after bloom.
– Sebastian Saa, Almond Board of California
Janine Hasey, UCCE farm advisor emerita, conducted research follow ing the flooding of numerous walnut orchards in northern California in 2017. She said in many orchards, the extent of flood damage was not evident until 2018. Trees often died or declined in a
productive. Phosphite treatments were found to suppress canker expansion caused by Phytophthora Trees killed which offers resistance to the pathogen. ted RX1 trees and field bud or graft as -
Glenn County walnut grower Leslie Nerli noted while her orchards flooded oxygen for the trees. The moving water ing it in the orchard. Removing wood to hear from you. Feel free to email us at
Abacterial disease particularly harmful to young hazelnut trees has become nearly ubiquitous in Oregon’s hazelnut acreage, according to an Oregon State University (OSU) plant pathologist, to the point where ignoring it can lead to significant tree loss.
“We are seeing hazelnut bacterial blight fairly steadily out there,” said Jay Pscheidt, a professor in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology at OSU. “If you are planting new acreage, it is something to be aware of and put in preventative control tactics.”
Caused by the bacterium Xanthomonas arboricola pv. corylina , the disease’s rise in importance has essentially paralleled the rapid increase in hazelnut acreage over the past twenty years, Pscheidt said.
“That is why we are seeing so much of it,” Pscheidt said, noting that acreage planted to hazelnuts in the Willamette Valley has grown from around 25,000 acres in the early 2000s to about 95,000 today.
“It is increasing in incidence with the rising acreage and just the predominance of young trees out there,” added Nik Wiman, OSU Extension orchard crops specialist.
The disease can lead to branch and twig dieback and yield reduction on trees of any age, Pscheidt said, but its biggest impact is in newly planted orchards where it can kill trees. Also, Wiman said, if the disease gets a foothold in a young tree, it can become a chronic problem.
“You can get these cankers in the trunk that just slowly over time get worse and worse until eventually they interfere so much with the vascular tissue that the tree can no longer regulate water very well,” Wiman said. “Some of these things just take a while to really run the course, so growers might not notice symptoms until it becomes obvious that the tree is having a hard time getting water
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up into the branches.”
Bacterial blight appears as small, angular or round yellowish green water-soaked spots on leaves that later turn reddish brown. Infected buds may turn brown and fail to leaf out, and in some cases, leaves may emerge from infected buds but then wither and turn brown. Infections on current-season stems will appear as dark green water-soaked areas on bark, which turn reddish brown.
The bacterial blight pathogen enters plant tissue through open stomata on leaves and wounds, and it can survive from one season to another in cankers and infected buds.
Rain splash or movement of infected nursery stock can spread the bacterium, and moisture must be present on the plant tissue for infection to occur, according to literature. Disease incidence is also favored by freezing weather.
Two keys to avoiding issues with the disease, according to Pscheidt, are to avoid drought stress early in the life of a tree, particularly during the first summer after planting, and to apply a preventative treatment in the fall the first few years after planting.
“Preventing drought stress that first summer, and in fact for the first several years of an orchard, is very helpful,” Pscheidt said. “We know that drought-stressed trees are more susceptible to this bacterial disease than trees that have been irrigated. So, we want to make sure that in the summer after we plant that we’re irrigating.”
Also important, according to Wiman, is to plant orchards as early as possible in the dormant season, given that late-planted trees can be more susceptible to drought stress. And coming in with a copper treatment, particularly that first fall after planting, is critical, Pscheidt said.
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“Those new little trees are very susceptible to hazelnut bacterial blight,” Pscheidt said. “And if we skip that copper application, we might see more problems later in the life of the orchard.” The copper should be applied just ahead of the first fall rains, he said.
Copper applications have no curative effect, Wiman noted, but can help reduce the spread of bacterial blight by preventing bacteria from colonizing plant tissue.
Pscheidt added that a spring application of copper does not appear to enhance disease prevention if a fall application was previously used.
“The data suggest that if we have a copper application on in the fall, we don’t really need any spring application,” Pscheidt said. Minus a fall application, a spring treatment appeared to provide control only two out of five times, he added.
Once a tree is more established and more resistant to drought stress, it is less susceptible to bacterial blight.
“At that point, there is definitely a lot less threat from the Xanthomonas bacteria,” Wiman said. “There can still be low levels of infection around the periphery of the canopy. We see that sometimes even in mature trees. But we don’t really know the impact that has on the overall productivity of the
“If you are planting new acreage, it is something to be aware of and put in preventative control tactics.” – Jay Pscheidt, Oregon State UniversityIndependent Consultants Serving Growers Since 1975
orchard. That has never been studied. But we suspect that there’s a low level of bacterial blight even in mature trees that is maybe having some effect.”
“We have seen problems in older trees where sometimes you lose a branch or a part of a tree and we can get some twig dieback in the top of the canopy,” Pscheidt said. “But it is nothing like having mortality early in the life of the orchard. We definitely want to avoid that.”
Other control strategies mentioned in literature include planting pathogen-free nursery stock in early winter; pruning out infected twigs and branches; controlling sunburn during summer using shields or white paint on trunks; mulching around the base of newly planted trees with woodchips or compost to reduce moisture stress; and applying nitrogen fertilizer in the spring based on leaf-tissue analysis from the prior August.
When pruning out infected twigs and branches, the literature advises to make cuts two to three feet below the affected branches and to soak pruning tools between cuts with a shellac thinner of 70% ethyl alcohol and 10% Clorox. Disinfectants work better on clean equipment with long contact times, the literature states. Further, it advises growers to use the two-pruner method, having one soaking in the solution while using the other, and to change solution every two to three hours.
Wiman noted that biological products are being used by growers to fight bacterial diseases in tree fruits and hazelnuts, but, he said, there is not enough information from hazelnuts to support recommendations.
“There are all kinds of options that claim control of bacteria,” Pscheidt added. “But we have not tested a lot of those right at the moment. We are planning to do that, but right now, the research is focused on how we test those materials.”
Pscheidt said he is preparing trials to screen alternative compounds and hopes to know more on this topic after this spring. “Right now, we are just trying to figure out a good way to do it,” he said.
With hazelnut acreage continuing to increase in Oregon, Pscheidt said it is unlikely that the amount of the hazelnut bacterial blight pathogen will decrease in the Willamette Valley
any time soon. But if growers stay on top of the disease, they may be able to significantly minimize its effect on hazelnut production.
Comments about this article? We want to hear from you. Feel free to email us at article@jcsmarketinginc.com
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Julia Violich, the “Jill of All Trades” for Capay Farms, started her career in business with director positions at IBM and Prudential, but after attending graduate school and spending two years in the global healthcare finance field, she turned her attention to agribusiness.
She is now instrumental throughout the operations of Capay Farms, the orchard management company for Violich Farms Inc., a family-owned almond and walnut operation in Northern California.
Violich has a strong interest in sustainability and water management and helps to oversee the sustainable growing methods and water management practices at Violich Farms. She also serves as part of the Grower’s Circle for the Sustainable Food Initiative at the University of California’s Haas School of Business.
In addition to her role at Capay Farms, Violich co-founded the TWENTY24 professional women’s cycling team and the Bear National Team and serves as its finance director. These two cycling teams have helped train multiple Olympic athletes and world champions.
In an interview with West Coast Nut magazine, we asked Violich to share some of her thoughts about her experiences in the tree nut industry as well as her views on the past and the future of growing tree nuts.
We grow many varieties of almonds and Chandler and Howard walnuts. In the past, we have grown olives, grapes and prunes as well.
Our farm property is in Glenn, Butte and Tehama counties in Northern California.
Tell me a little bit about the history of your farming operation.
We are a first-generation family farming operation. We purchased our first orchard in the mid-1980s, but we really started to grow significantly starting in 2000.
Violich Farms was founded in 1987 and owns the Capay Ranch, one of the largest plots of continuous farmland in the region with more than 3,800 connected acres. Capay Farms now manages close to 13,000 acres of farmland in Northern California.
How have your farming practices evolved in recent years? What new production practices have you embraced and why?
Capay Farms has been proactive in pursuing sustainable production practices since the beginning. We were one of the first farms to create an aggressive water-monitoring program. We have been utilizing water-monitoring sensors throughout our orchards for over a decade. This system helps us use irrigation water more efficiently and lowers our operating costs while improving the quality and yield of our crops.
In addition, with newly developed orchards, we use soil-mapping technology to design all our irrigation systems to map soil types instead of the traditional block. This enables us to maximize like irrigation schedules and irrigate more efficiently.
We are also committed to using
sustainable forms of energy whenever possible. Nearly 88% of our irrigation pumps are powered by solar energy or natural gas.
Being good stewards of our soil is important. We implemented a comprehensive soil-testing program that lets us replace vital nutrients at the right time with a customized fertilization program designed using the latest research on soil nutrients.
Capay Farms is committed to lowering our waste outputs as well. We turn our nut shells into livestock bedding, and the hulls become nutritious feed for dairy cows.
We also use goats on some of our
ContinuedfromPage12
non-agricultural land to control weeds and vegetation.
What are the three things that keep you up at night related to growing?
Politics, Mother Nature and market prices are the things that keep me up at night. None of these are in our control
and therefore hard to mitigate if they go south.
What are you most hopeful for in the future when it comes to farming almonds, walnuts, pistachios, etc.?
I think the future of nut farming is going to be found in widespread adoption of energy- and water-efficient farming practices as well as a greater
commitment to sustainability.
What in your opinion needs to happen to set the industry in the best possible direction for the future?
For our industry to succeed in the future, we need better control of supply and growth demand. Our future also relies on gaining greater representation at the state and federal legislative levels to avoid future “tariffs” and shipping issues.
What do you think the biggest assets are of the nut industry in California?
Our biggest asset is our industry’s ability to cooperate. We are an industry made up of cooperative competitors. Most farmers work together in a collaborative manner, which makes our whole greater than the sum of the parts.
What is your proudest achievement as it relates to your professional development?
My proudest achievement is the commitment we’ve made to innovation and sustainability in everything our company does. I am also very proud of the Capay Farms team and the synergies we are able to achieve working together toward our goals.
How do you give back to the community both in agriculture and in the community where your operation is based?
We believe giving back to the community and encouraging the next
A commitment to water management and sustainable farming practices keeps Capay Farms’ orchards healthy and productive while also taking care of the land that sustains them.generation of farmers is important.
Locally, we support more than a handful of organizations, including the Navy Seal Foundation, Boys and Girls Clubs, the Enloe Foundation, Butte County Young Farmers and Ranchers, the Honeybee Discovery Center and many other organizations.
In addition, we participate in career fairs and educational events. We are also very active with local agencies, especially those that focus on water issues.
What advice do you have for a young person getting into farming nuts today?
I want young people to know farming is still a viable career choice. Your fellow farmers are engaged and collaborative. Also, working in an industry where a hands-on approach is needed is very satisfying.
Who was the biggest influence or mentor for you in your nut farming career?
One of the biggest influences on my career was the late Jim Paiva of Riverwest and Paiva Farms. I’m also lucky to have a great manage ment team who helps me grow.
What do you think the biggest advancement has been in the field of nut growing during your career?
Because water is essential to what we do, I think water efficiency technologies such as soil mapping and soil moisture probes are some of the biggest advancements in the industry.
What advancements do you foresee having a big impact in the future?
Again, it goes back to water. I think farmers gaining a better understanding of water man agement, including recharge and catchment systems, will make a big difference in how we farm in the future.
Comments about this article? We want to hear from you. Feel free to email us at article@ jcsmarketinginc.com
The crop and season are coming into focus. The main upside is water; a 100% surface water allocation following a wet, soil-cleansing winter. However, that wet winter rolled right through into spring, reducing the crop up and down the state. Mid-season, the yield per acre for the state looks to be off 15% to 30% from the 2017-21 crops. Many growers, especially in the north, are dealing with a spotty 2023 crop and low to very low budgets following the freeze year of 2022 and must be especially careful feeding and protecting this crop while maintaining bloom potential for next year. The following are some points for consideration as summer settles in.
2023 is a later-than-normal crop development year. With variable nut set in different orchards and varieties due to bloom conditions, income potential may be very different between orchards under the same management compared to earlier years. More resources could go to the orchards with more value potential (e.g., an orchard with good set and inshell potential) compared with an orchard with light Nonpareil set and heavy pollinizer set. Most growers and PCAs are probably already considering this overall approach.
Good, clean surface water is available this year. That’s a huge boost over last year. Delivering adequate but not excessive irrigation water is as important as ever. The pressure chamber is the gold standard for tracking orchard water status. Soil moisture sensor data are also effective in scheduling irrigation as is crop water use estimation, or evapotranspiration (ET). The key is to have a plan, monitor carefully and spot check with other tools to stay on track. In almond growing, there is no more important practice/activity than careful irrigation.
Due to concerns regarding possible hull rot and navel orangeworm damage, 2023 could be a good year to use strategic deficit irrigation (SDI) during hull split. This is best done using the pressure chamber to achieve -14 to -18 bars (average -15 bars is the target level) by 1% hull split, holding that stress for two weeks with careful irrigation and monitoring, and then returning the orchard to full ET until harvest cutoff. Valuable where needed, SDI is not beneficial for all orchards. For example, in a water-stressed orchard, even just slightly stressed so symptoms are invisible, cutting back irrigation can reduce yield. On the other hand, moderate, targeted water stress through SDI can help manage harvest and hull rot where needed such as vigorous, well fed and watered varieties on hybrid rootstock. See the very informative articles by David Doll (thealmonddoctor.com) on summer irrigation and regulated deficit irrigation in the links at the end of the article.
Delivering a quality crop with the best possible net return is challenging in a year with low prices and variable production (like this year.) Here are some thoughts as summer officially approaches.
Ant damage is an invisible income reducer. Ants mine the kernel meat as the nuts are drying on the orchard floor, making the kernels so light they are blown out at pickup. Monitor and treat for protein-feeding ants (fire ants and pavement ants) where found. Ant baiting is a very cost-effective practice. For best results with ant baits, only use fresh bait, spread on dry soil, don’t irrigate for 24 hours after spreading and manage spurge plants whose seeds appear like ant bait grains. Application timings for ant bait vary from eight weeks prior to harvest based on active ingredients. Check with your PCA about materials and timings. Note:
Timely harvest nuts that need more drying time on the orchard floor are more vulnerable to ant damage. Good ant management is needed under those conditions so that reduced NOW dam age (timely harvest) is not replaced by ant damage (more time on the orchard floor).
Certain types of ant damage never show up on reject sheets. Here, nothing is left but the papery coat of the meat that is easily blown away in processing (all photos courtesy F. Niederholzer.)
Capturing Maximum Genetic Potential
ContinuedfromPage16
Monitoring for spider mites and beneficial mites/insects is key to avoiding mite flareups and defoliation at harvest. Integrated mite management is a bright spot in almond pest management as softer insecticides for worm control allow beneficial mites/insects to help control spider mites. If mite populations exceed economic thresholds, it is recommended to use materials that preserve, as much as possible, beneficial insects. Beneficial insects can be a backstop for mite control if selective miticides are used that don’t harm the beneficials. See the links for monitoring guidelines and beneficial insect vulnerabilities to pesticides.
Late-season (June to July) bug damage due to stink bug feeding is increasingly a concern in the industry. The damaged nuts don’t drop, but sunken brown spots on the nut surface result in off grade. Most of this damage is believed to be caused by green stink bugs and/or brown marmorated stink bugs (BMSB). Monitoring tools are limited, so regular observations in the orchard are important to limit damage when the pest is present. Stink bug feeding is localized in the tree as the insects are not highly mobile. Stink bug feeding appears as multiple, gumming “stings” per nut compared to one to two stings common with LFB feeding (leaf footed bug activity is more common in March to May.) Cut gumming nuts to see if a single pinhole feeding point is the gumming source, suggesting stink bug feeding. Check with your PCA regarding effective pesticides, rates and
timings. See updated, detailed information on BMSB and how to differentiate between bugs in the links at the end of the article.
With costs up and returns down, this is a particular year to focus on “free” practices such as timely harvesting to help manage NOW (nuts on the orchard floor are much less likely to be located by female NOW looking to lay eggs.) Growers must balance inshell market potential, NOW pressure and risk of ant damage when timing harvest.
When using insecticides for NOW control, here are a few important points. Spray early rather than late for best control with the first spray, especially with the longer residual materials such as Intrepid® or Altacor®. Edge sprays (spraying into the orchard with just one side of the sprayer “on”) can help reduce early infestation and save money as the end/edge trees often split a week or so ahead of the rest of the orchard. If the later pollinizers have a heavy set in a certain orchard, a pollinizer spray right after Nonpareil pickup may help reduce NOW damage in the pollinizers and overall returns in the orchard. PHIs are important to consider in making this decision (harvest is when the nuts are shaken, not pickup.) Finally, a careful spray with good coverage throughout the orchard will deliver the best results possible. In multiple studies, more water (200 gallons/acre vs 100 gallons/acre) delivers better spray coverage and NOW control when the sprayer travels slowly (2 to 2.25 MPH). If the sprayer travels too fast for the size of the trees, the spray volume doesn’t matter; the pesticide won’t reach all the canopy.
Summer diseases such as rust, scab, Alternaria and hull rot can be significant problems depending on the summer weather. Alternaria is usually only a problem in certain microclimates with high relative humidity and temperatures from dusk through early morning. With the increase in rice acreage in the Sacramento Valley, humidity levels may be up this summer, and with them Alternaria pressure. Carmel, Sonora, Monterey, Winters, Butte and, in my experience, Independence, are varieties most susceptible to
In orchards with a history of Rhizopus hull rot, a fungicide spray containing a FRAC 3, 7, 11 and/or 19 fungicide reduces hull rot strikes compared to unsprayed trees. An equally effective hull rot control practice results from spraying alkaline foliar fertilizers such as di-potassium phosphate. There is no additional benefit in hull rot control from tank mixing these fertilizers with registered fungicides. Consult with your PCA regarding the best approach for your orchard/s. Hull rot fungicides are also generally very effective on summer diseases (rust, scab, alternaria).
Mature orchard nitrogen and potassium needs are largely driven by crop demand. By early to mid-June, even in a late year such as this, N demand should be fading. The orchard requires 30% of the total crop N budget between the end of kernel fill (roughly the last week of May this year?) and the end of kernel weight gain. Working with their CCA, growers will need to decide how much N is needed to finish the preharvest applications without blowing up hull rot. An early June leaf sample may help with the decision. See details on N management in almonds in the Almond Board of California publication referenced at the end of this article.
K use by an orchard is also driven by nut demand. Unlike N, K use continues at a steady rate through July in a normal year and maybe into early August this year. Potassium fertilizer is expensive, but K deficiency (July leaf K < 1%) this year can mean increased spur death this fall/winter, reduced flowers next spring, and reduced yield at harvest in 2024. It is too late to increase spur health once July leaf sample results are in, but early June leaf samples can show if K fertilization is needed to avoid less-than-adequate or deficient orchard K levels later in the summer. A low June leaf K sample result could signal the need for a small rate of K fertilizer (e.g., 50 lbs K 2O/acre) to keep the orchard above the adequate threshold for July leaf sampling while limiting fertilizer K costs this year.
Make plans for leaf sampling in July and hull sampling for boron at har-
vest. Include sodium and chloride in the analysis request to help track these damaging salts.
The 2022 Almond Acreage Report from the National Ag Statistical Service was released in late April. It provides an interesting view of the recent planting trends in an industry with 1.37 million acres of bearing trees. In the last three years, almost 80% of all non-bearing trees, based on self-reported data, are planted to four varieties: Nonpareil (29%), Independence (23%), Monterey (16%) and Shasta (10%). Nonpareil, Independence and Monterey have been the “Big 3” since 2015, while Shasta is a newcomer to this list. Butte (5%), Padre (4%) and Aldrich (4%) make up another 12% to 13% of the non-bearing acres. All other varieties including such longtime standards as Fritz and Carmel are each planted at ≤ 2% of the total.
Finally, looking to harvest, fuel loads are up in the forests and woodlands following the wet winter/spring. Smoke from early wildfires could delay nut drying and pickup, leaving more time for NOW and ants to damage the crop and delay harvest of later varieties, which could produce more orchard stress in certain blocks. Growers and PCAs might consider planning for practices to accelerate nut drying and pickup (e.g., windrow conditioning) and carefully control NOW and ants as needed.
Best wishes for a good summer with warm (but not too hot) temperatures and no wildfires.
Resources
Irrigation
UC ANR Pressure chamber use in almonds, walnuts, and prunes (27 pages) anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/Details.aspx?itemNo=8503
The Almond Doctor on summer irrigation (blog post)
thealmonddoctor.com/irrigating-almonds-through-the-summer/
The Almond Doctor on Strategic Deficit Irrigation (SDI)
thealmonddoctor.com/regulated-deficit-irrigation-application/ Pests
UC IPM Ant management/monitoring ipm.ucanr.edu/agriculture/almond/ ants/
UC IPM Spider mite management/ monitoring ipm.ucanr.edu/agriculture/almond/ webspinning-spider-mites/
UC IPM Relative Toxicity of pesticides used in almonds to natural enemies and honey bees
ipm.ucanr.edu/agriculture/almond/relative-toxicities-of-pesticides-used-in-almonds-to-natural-enemies-and-honey-bees/
UC IPM stink bug management/monitoring ipm.ucanr.edu/agriculture/almond/ stink-bugs/
UC IPM Brown marmorated stink bug management, including damage differences between bugs ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/r3303211.html
UC IPM Fungicide Efficacy and Timing publication
ipm.ucanr.edu/legacy_assets/pdf/pmg/ fungicideefficacytiming.pdf
When do you shake almonds? UCCE Sac Valley Orchard blog sacvalleyorchards.com/blog/almonds-blog/when-do-you-shake/
UC IPM Navel orangeworm management ipm.ucanr.edu/agriculture/almond/navel-orangeworm/
Nutrients
Almond Board of California’s Nitrogen Best Management Practices almonds.com/sites/default/ files/2020-12/ABC_Nitrogen_8.5x11_ vmags.pdf
Varieties/Planting Trends
National Ag Statistical Service’s 2022 Almond Acreage Planting Report nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/ California/Publications/Specialty_and_Other_Releases/Almond/Acreage/202304almac.pdf
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Several companies have begun offering remote sensing paired with artificial intelligence analysis to improve the accuracy and efficiency of crop insurance underwriting and disaster assessment.
Aerobotics has begun selling precision multiple peril crop insurance through its agency, Aerobotics Crop Insurance Services, while Ceres Imaging has begun licensing data to insurers and lenders to use for underwriting and estimating disaster damage.
Founded in 2014, Aerobotics uses artificial intelligence to analyze drone imagery, automatically identifying the number of trees per farm and providing performance metrics for each tree.
“Really, what we’re trying to do is find problem areas within the orchard by assessing each individual tree and direct the grower to those areas to rectify the problem,” said Andrew
Burdock, chief insurance officer at Aerobotics.
The company has established a network of partner drone pilots throughout the nation that image fields and orchards. While the pilots may use various drone makes and models, they all use a standardized digital imaging camera fitted with multispectral and thermal imaging filters. The filters block specific light wavelengths, allowing the camera to capture other reflected light wavelengths that may be indicative of plant health, for example.
About four to five years ago, Burdock said he was contacted by a Florida insurance company about using their technology to help with in-field crop inspections by adjusters. The request seemed like a natural fit as Aerobotics was already helping citrus growers assess tree health and tree losses caused by the bacterial disease citrus greening, also known as huanglongbing or HLB.
Aerobotics spent more than three
years inspecting farms for insurance companies before setting up its own precision crop insurance agency. Aerobotics Crop Insurance Services uses its data to prepare the policies for its growers’ sign-off before submitting them to authorized crop insurance companies that underwrite them.
“We can identify the trees per acre, tree age and the spacing to make sure what’s on the insurance policy matches exactly what’s on the ground,” he said. “That replaces a lot of the manual inspection work and made the crop insurance adjusters much more efficient.”
Included with each crop insurance policy is a full-farm drone flight and analysis of the data. Not only can the technology provide accurate overall acreage figures, but it also can calculate producing acres, which considers miss-
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ing or non-bearing trees, he said.
“It’s super important for a grower to get a policy correct with the production per acre, tree counts and missing trees,” Burdock said. “If you have 100 acres, once you start taking out missing trees or smaller trees, it can take you down to 90 or 80 [producing] acres quite quickly. If there’s a claim, you can run into some trouble if your numbers declared on the policy were incorrect.”
With traditional crop insurance, non-producing acres are often included in the coverage, and growers are
imagery and a fleet of manned aircraft with high-resolution sensors, the Oakland-based company can provide customers critical information on crop conditions throughout the growing season, said Corey Feduck, director of business development.
The planes can cover up to 10,000 acres a day and be directed to specific areas as needed. Typically, the company can process imagery and crop analytics within 24 to 48 hours and can turn around an accurate damage assessment in about 72 hours.
Ceres uses algorithms that separate soil and other vegetation from the primary crop to identify crop health components, including tree or plant vigor, chlorosis and water stress, he said. The Ceres multispectral sensor array includes a thermal sensor to identify areas of the orchard or field showing early signs of poor crop health, water stress
or irrigation system issues.
“It’s very important to deliver insights and data, not just imagery,” Feduck said.
In addition, the company’s high-resolution sensor array allows it to conduct a complete census of every tree or vine instead of using a sampling method or estimate.
“We can report that, for example, 58%, or 987 almond trees, have decreased in crop health following a severe weather event, 24% experienced moderate damage and 18% are unaffected,” he said.
This information can help growers complete their annual crop insurance forms with their agents, saving time and possible misreporting. Some growers have also started using the data to estimate crop damage to support insurance claims.
“This year, Ceres Imaging flew some
of the flooded areas in California to support the grower with data on how many trees are within a flooded area,” Feduck said.
In addition, the reports can help growers decide whether to report a claim, and they can be provided to crop insurance adjusters for a quick, accurate appraisal, he said.
Feduck said the company does not plan to offer insurance products but instead is working to help customers streamline their interactions with agents and loss adjusters.
Feduck said Ceres has taken steps to ensure that data is collected and stored securely.
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Data overload? Or a deep sense that your knowledge about the conditions of your orchard is confirmed by remote sensing technology?
Remote sensing in agriculture is the process of acquiring information about agronomic factors at a specific point, or an area, from a distance. This is typically achieved via an array of different types of in-field sensors but can also be sensed via technologies located outside of the crop itself such as satellites, or sensors that are monitoring infrastructure such as a pump for an irrigation system. The data collected by these remote sensors are generally transferred to a centralized database through either wireless communication with a cloud database or direct collection where you would download the information from a data logger attached to the sensor itself. Once the data has been physically retrieved or pulled from a cloud database, it can be arranged in ways that provide informative representations of, and insights on, the agronomic factors you were sensing. This information and insights can then be used to support in making more data-informed management decisions.
Remote sensing can offer many potential benefits for growers or advisors. When leveraged appropriately, remote sensing can provide more economical ways to regularly sample many key agronomic factors. Think of the capability of being able to access pest counts via a camera-enabled wireless trap on your phone or being able to immediately check in on the current water status of a block while trying to plan an irrigation schedule.
Along with efficient and consistent access to information, data accumulates and becomes a repository of situations, decisions and outcomes which can be incorporated in conversations between farm managers and crop advisors.
Josh Barton of Barton Orchards in Stanislaus County is a believer in the advantages of remote sensing to manage irrigation in his orchards. Simply put, he said remote sensing “provides evidence for optimal inputs.”
Most farmers know their ground, the way water works, the good places and the bad places, Barton said, but they have no specific data that correlates directly to the ground.
The UC Davis Conservation Irrigation Lab reports the future of soil and water management is real-time, fine-scale monitoring using a combination of ground-based sensors, meteorological networks and remote sensing. The lab works in high-resolution sensing of crop water use, soil properties and abiotic stress partnering with growers, agencies and stakeholders with an eye on precise, integrated decision support for agricultural soil and water management. By complementing ground-based sensors and satellites with high-resolution remote and proximal sensing, ‘hot spots’ can be identified within a field and assessed for crop suitability under precision management.
Barton said improved accuracy with remote sensing makes it a valuable tool. 12 years ago, technology was not there for distinguishing different soils, he said. Now, he said it can be relied upon instead of soil probes. Barton said he started using remote sensing with soil moisture monitoring and has progressed to other uses.
One of the advantages of remote sensing is it provides a data resource. “You can go back and generate benchmarks,” he said, noting water use efficiency can be improved because with the data provided you can see when you get it right.
Jordan Hazell, research manager at the agriculture platform Semios, believes remote sensing can serve growers on several fronts. There are notable economic benefits in obtaining information via remote sensing as opposed to requiring dedicated and cadenced trips to perform manual activities to update an understanding of a set of field conditions such as soil moisture status or pest pressure. When data isn’t readily accessible, decision-making may be delayed to update the understandings of field conditions, or stale information could be leveraged as it is the best context available at the time. Both avenues can come at a potential economic cost to the grower.
As remotely sensed data is compiled, it is stored in a manner that can be historically accessible. This can be very
important when past decisions and outcomes are being discussed. When crop inputs are being discussed, Hazell said individuals within a management team do not always have the same memory of certain conditions in past growing seasons.
“After a season, it can be very difficult to recall exactly what happened and why, what caused problems during
the growing season or the specifics related to why a specific decision was the best one at a given point in time,” Hazell said. With the historical information provided by remote sensing data, they can know exactly what happened out in the field.
In agreeance with Barton, Hazell also believes remotely sensed data can also be collated in a manner to provide
Information on water use and fertilization gleaned from remote sensing can be packaged for the grower or advisor to support more effective and efficient reporting to regulating agencies.
a stable ‘measuring stick.’ The compilation of past events and outcomes can support the development of procedures or threshold for action that are agreed upon by growers and their advisors based on their unique goals and priorities.
“It can consolidate their understand-
“YOU CAN GO BACK AND GENERATE BENCHMARKS.”
– JOSH BARTON, BARTON ORCHARDS
ing of a certain condition and align on an appropriate action to address those conditions in the future.”
Hazell also points out that one more
often underrated value provided by building datasets of remotely sensed conditions is that it safeguards organizations from developing reliance on ‘tribal knowledge’ about orchard and environmental conditions that occurred in the past. A grower who is handing down their farm after 30
years of farming can find it difficult to impart 30 years of experience and knowledge to those inheriting the responsibility. The same goes with experiential learnings of advisors. When your trusted advisor retires, how can you help enable the next advisor to familiarize themselves with your farm prior to being in the moment? Historical data generated by remote sensing makes historical knowledge and experiential learning more indexable and accessible for those that require it to ensure the most successful crop.
Hazell said there are a lot of different motivations for adoption of remote sensing technology beyond the drive to be sounder in decision-making. One of the drivers, he said, is with more regulations aimed at water and nutrient use on farms, there is a higher level of oversight and reporting overhead. Information on water use and fertilization gleaned from remote sensing can be packaged for the grower or advisor to support more effective and efficient reporting to these regulating agencies with the data they require.
If leveraging remote sensing resonates with your management team, but the managing and maintain of the hardware concerns you, Semios offers Precision Agriculture As A Service (PAAS)TM which allows you to focus on the incorporation of the data into your decision-making by removing the servicing requirements related to the available sensors you want to implement.
Even with PAAS TM, it is important to familiarize yourself with the data and understand there are nuances to interpreting and leveraging remotely sensed data. There are many situations in which sensed information can help detect and inform priority around the need for more manual and technical field pursuits, and therefore should be seen as a key tool in the decision-making process, not a silver bullet.
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Annually, the California Department of Pesticide Regulations (DPR) releases its top 10 pesticide violations from the previous year. This information is incredibly valuable in determining the agency’s priorities and where agricultural operations should direct their efforts. It is no surprise the 2021 list has not fluctuated by much as the industry continues to struggle with the same issues. However, use this information to assess if your business is meeting the regulatory standards and,
if not, take the time to fix the issues before an inspector comes knocking at your door.
Common violations under FAC §12973 include:
• Not following the application requirements listed on the pesticide product label.
• Applying a pesticide to a site or crop not listed on the pesticide product label.
The use of a pesticide shall not conflict with the registered labeling delivered with the pesticide, or any conditions of a restricted material permit issued by the commissioner. All pesticides registered with U.S. EPA have the phrase, “It is a violation of Federal law to use this product in a manner inconsistent with its labeling.” In other words, the Label is the Law!
Common violations under 3 CCR §6738 include:
• Not using PPE correctly and for its intended purpose.
• Using damaged or contami nated PPE.
• The employer did not provide PPE.
The employer is required to provide all PPE that is required on the pesticide labeling, regulation and restricted material permit condition. The employer must provide for its daily inspection and cleaning, and repair or replace any worn, damaged or heavily contaminated PPE. Additionally, ensure that all PPE not in use is kept separate from personal clothing and in a clean, pesticide-free designated area.
FAC
Common violation under FAC §11732 include:
• Performing pest control activities in a county before registering with the County Agricultural Commissioner.
• Anyone who intends to advertise, solicit or operate as a pest control
in each county they provide business services.
a pesticide illness to a medical care facility immediately.
• Emergency medical care information is not posted at the work site or work vehicle, or is missing information.
If the employer suspects that an employee could have a pesticide-related illness or exposure, the employee must be taken to medical care immediately. Be prepared to provide medical professionals with the following: The SDS(s); Product name(s); U.S. EPA registration number(s), and active ingredient(s); and Circumstances of application or use that may have resulted in exposure.
Common violations under 3 CCR
The information is critical in determining the proper treatment for your employees. Ensure this information is readily available to be provided in an
4. 3 CCR §6726 | Emergency Medical Care
Common violations under 3 CCR §6678 include:
• Not including the signal word on the service container label.
• Not including the name of the company or person responsible for the container on the label.
All service containers are required to contain a label with the following: Name and address of the person or company responsible for the container; The identity of the pesticide in the container; The signal word “Danger,” “Warning” or “Caution” that corresponds with the precautionary statement on the original container.
Farmers on their own property are exempt from this requirement unless they travel on public rights-of-way.
Common violations under CCR §6766 include:
• Not displaying the ApplicationSpecific Information before any fieldworkers are allowed to enter the treated field.
• Not displaying the date and time the application started and ended on the Application-Specific Information.
Common violations under CCR §6724 (b-e) include:
• Employer not having records of training that occurred within the last two years.
• Training did not include any new pesticides that were being handled.
Common violations under 3 CCR §6761 include:
• Not updating medical information within 24 hours of the change.
• Grower not informing employees of the location of the pesticide use records before they enter the treated fields.
• Not maintaining pesticide use records and not having SDSs for pesticides accessible to employees.
Common violations under 3 CCR §6434 include:
• Failure to submit a notice of intent prior to application and/or not submitting a notice of intent at least 24 hours before application.
Common violations under FAC §117014 include:
• Providing pest control services without a valid pest control business.
If you should have specific questions regarding your pesticide compliance program, policies or best practices, please contact the AgSafe team at 209526-4400 or email safeinfo@agsafe.org.
The information in the top 10 pesticide violations was provided by the California Department of Pesticide Regulations. To view the presentation in its entirety, please visit cdpr.ca.gov/ docs/license/pdf/pesticide_use_violation_2021.pdf.
AgSafe is a 501c3 nonprofit providing training, education, outreach and tools in the areas of safety, labor relations, food safety and human resources for the agricultural community. Since 1991, AgSafe has educated over 100,000 employers, supervisors and workers about these critical issues.
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Growers know when you plant a new orchard, you’re making a 25-year bet. There are several risks involved, and the payout is not guaranteed. One way to hedge your bet and make the most of your investment is by choosing the right rootstock. But what is the right rootstock? This question was discussed back in December by a panel of experts during the 50th Annual Almond Conference.
“We are often asked as farm advisors, ‘What’s the best rootstock?’”
said Katherine Jarvis-Shean, UCCE orchard systems advisor. “You can’t find all the desired characteristics in one rootstock, so you must know the limitations of your site. In a lean price year like this one, we want to think about how to use rootstock to avoid additional inputs and labor in the future.”
To help individual growers identify the best rootstock for their site conditions, UCCE, with support from the Almond Board of California, recently published a guide titled, Almond Rootstock Comparison
Guide. The resource compiles the latest research on existing rootstock varieties to help almond growers compare each variety based on several characteristics including tree vigor, branching, anchorage, nutrient uptake and disease and nematode resistance. The guide can be found online at the Fruit and Nut Research and Information Center’s website. There, growers can find a download to the resource, virtual library of rootstock characteristics
and a virtual tool that compares rootstocks similar to when a consumer is comparing electronics before purchase.
During her presentation, Jarvis-Shean advised growers to first identify the shortcomings of their site and then choose a rootstock that can minimize the greatest limitations.
Soil analysis prior to planting can help growers understand the nutrient needs of their orchard and select a rootstock that can help alleviate the effects of surplus or deficient nutrients.
For example, in a site where there is excessive boron, sodium or chloride, the right rootstock could act as a gatekeeper and limit the amount of that nutrient that is taken up by the tree. Jarvis-Shean used an example of a high-sodium site. In the field trials, peach-almond hybrids such as Hansen and Paramount were consistently better at excluding sodium than complex, plum or peach rootstocks. In this case, choosing the right rootstock would mean healthier trees, higher yields, and potentially less effort trying to reduce sodium uptake in the future.
The right rootstock can also maximize the intake of desired nutrients, such as nitrogen and potassium, reducing fertilizer inputs. Jarvis-Shean noted in field trials, peach-al-
mond hybrids generally had higher levels of nitrogen and potassium than peach, but there were some exceptions.
“This research is a first pass at understanding how we could use rootstocks to decrease fertilizer inputs,” Jarvis-Shean explained. “We are still figuring out why certain rootstocks are more efficient than others at making nutrients available. We do know some rootstocks consistently take up higher nutrient values.”
In addition to nutrient management at the site, climatic conditions such as wind may play a significant role in rootstock selection. Rootstocks vary in their ability to anchor trees successfully and show different tolerances in both normal wind and extremely gusty conditions. Within each rootstock category with similar parentage, the performance of the different rootstocks varied dramatically. However, in Stanislaus County field trials, there are two rootstocks that led the pack: Krymsk 86 and Viking. Both rootstocks had the strongest anchorage with fewer trees leaning more than 15%. The importance of growing straight trees goes beyond ensuring trees stay upright. Orchards planted with trees that tolerate wind tend to maintain higher tree densities while experiencing reduced mechanical damage and increased efficiencies during harvest. “Altogether this has the potential to translate into longer orchard lifespan,” said Sebastian Saa, associate director of Agriculture Research at ABC.
Rootstock selection can be a valuable tool in managing soilborne diseases such as Phytophthora, Armillaria (Oak Root Fungus) and Prunus Replant Disease. These diseases can have varying effects on orchards, and none of the outcomes are good. Phytophthora and Armillaria attack the tree’s vascular tissue, reducing vigor and in some cases killing the entire tree. Prunus Replant Disease suppresses the growth of trees so dramatically that it often necessitates tree removal.
Field trials conducted by researchers at the University of California and USDA-ARS have examined the genetic resistance of rootstock varieties, both experimental and commercial, to soilborne diseases. Here is a summary of their findings:
Available and experimental rootstocks vary widely in susceptibility to Phytophthora.
Peach-almond hybrid rootstocks, such as Empyrean and Titan, are more susceptible to Phytophthora.
Marianna 2624 rootstock offers field-tested tolerance to Armillaria but is not compatible with Nonpareil varieties.
Peach-almond hybrids generally offer greater Prunus Replant Disease tolerance than peach rootstocks and may reduce the need for fumigation in some soils.
Another key component to establishing an orchard is proper planting and management practices that can make your rootstock less susceptible to soilborne diseases.
“Even a disease-resistant rootstock, or a semi-resistant rootstock, can become susceptible to disease based on poor management practices,” said Jamie Ott, UCCE orchard crops advisor. “You really want to give your rootstock a chance to do its job for you.”
In the case of Phytophthora, where pathogens move easily in water and the disease infects through the roots and crown, growers can greatly reduce the likelihood of infection by reducing water saturation at the crown. This can be achieved by placing the graft union above the soil line when planting and moving the irrigation sources (drip or microsprinklers) away from the trunk of the tree once established.
If your site has no clear limitations, Roger Duncan, UCCE pomology advisor, urges growers to go with the rootstock that has the highest vigor.
“The most important reason to choose a rootstock is because of the potential problem that you have in your orchard,” Duncan advised. “If you have a salt problem or if you have a nematode problem, the first thing you want to do is choose a rootstock that works well in those conditions. However, if you don’t have any problems, choose a high-vigor rootstock.”
High vigor rootstocks may help growers increase profitability. In UCCE trials, the most vigorous rootstocks are consistently the highest yielding, usually the most yield efficient and produce larger kernels. In a 2022 field trial, the difference between the highest performing rootstock and the lowest performing rootstock was a yield of 1,318 pounds per acre.
“The top producing rootstocks would have brought an extra $10,000 to $11,000 back to the grower per acre compared to the standard Nemaguard over the span of the six harvests we trialed, and more than $15,000 more than the bottom performing rootstock, Lovell” Duncan explained. “You can make a lot of money from planting the right rootstock at the very beginning.”
The research is clear: peach-almond hybrid rootstocks tend to be the most vigorous, peach rootstocks are in the middle and plum or plum hybrids are the least vigorous. The most vigorous rootstocks can offer higher profits with little to no added expense as long as conditions allow, Duncan noted.
“These benefits are free. This is not from applying different water. It’s not from different amounts of nitrogen or potassium. It’s just putting the right tree in the ground.”
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Excellent soils and a Mediterranean climate make California one of the most productive agricultural centers in the world, allowing the state to produce two-thirds of the nation’s fruits and nuts, and one-third of its vegetables. Reducing our production capability means in the future, we will be more dependent on global markets to supply the food products we currently grow here at home.
In 2018, the California Legislature passed Senate Bill 100, the “100% Clean Energy Act.” It sets a 2045 target date for supplying all retail electricity sold in California as well as state agency electricity needs with renewable and zero-carbon energy resources. This new electricity will come primarily from solar, which are expected to account for 81.1% of the total. But wind and a small amount from geothermal sources are also part of California’s carbon-free energy plan.
California will need to add about 70,000 megawatts of new commercial solar generation by 2045 to meet the legislative target. The California Energy Commission (CEC) says it requires between seven and 10 acres of solar to generate 1 megawatt of electricity, meaning the state will need 490,000 to 700,000 acres of land to achieve the
goal.
An October staff report to the state energy commission identified areas where solar cannot be built, including population centers, military installations, tribal lands and property set aside for environmental protection, mining or other uses. Much of the remaining allowable land for solar production remains in agricultural areas, including much of the Central Valley and the Salinas, Imperial and Palo Verde valleys.
That leaves many farmers and supporters of domestic food production wondering what the ultimate impact of this transition will be on California’s agriculture industry.
USDA says California lost 1 million acres of irrigated farmland between 1997 and 2017. After years of failures to build new state water storage infrastructure, another 1.2 million acres were fallowed in 2021 and 2022 due to drought and water shortages, according to UC Merced.
For generations, much of lost farmland has been attributed to urban or suburban development, a reality that will continue as the state’s population keeps growing. And now there is a significant new threat to farmlands: California’s desire to build a massive
amount of new solar facilities.
There is significant interest in farmland that could be fallowed due to California’s 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. In a recent report, the Public Policy Institute of California said, “In the San Joaquin Valley, this will likely mean taking more than 500,000 acres of agricultural land out of intensive irrigated production.” That is in addition to land already fallowed.
However, it is important to remember that much of the farmland expected to go out of production was at one time sustainably farmed using groundwater resources because adequate surface wa-
California will need to add about 70,000 megawatts of new commercial solar generation by 2045 to meet the legislative target of 100% clean energy.ter supplies helped replenish the aquifer. As a result of periodic droughts, inadequate infrastructure and water policies limiting surface water deliveries, the last 30 years have contributed directly to current levels of overdraft.
California’s intent should be to build solar facilities on previously retired land and, if additional property is required, only use land that will be fallowed due to the state’s groundwater law. Otherwise, unless California finds a way to use solar development in some way to support its remaining agricultural land, who will grow the food that
feeds much of America and the world?
California Energy Commission staff say they will make every effort to site new solar facilities on the least productive land possible. But solar facilities depend on transmission capabilities to move electricity from where it is generated to where it will be used. Existing transmission lines aren’t currently in all areas the CEC identified for potential solar development. That means there is a potential loss of higher-value farmland.
The CEC can work to minimize this by talking to local planners and
agricultural advisors such as county agricultural commissioners and Cooperative Extension specialists. Those experts can provide valuable advice when decisions are being made on where to site new solar facilities.
California’s agricultural viability has been taken for granted far too long. In the future, we may wish we had taken better care of our farmland and the farmers who grow our food. We shouldn’t waste precious, dwindling agricultural acreage when there are few areas around the world that produce the quantity and variety of food products grown here in California.
Throughout California’s history, development has shaped the kind of state in which we live. Developing new sources of renewable energy is a good thing and deserves support. However, we shouldn’t try to fix our energy problem by creating an even bigger food problem.
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The unusually wet 2023 winter and spring has had unprecedented impacts on our local orchard systems. However, the cumulative impacts of a barrage of atmospheric rivers and persistent standing water in some flooded areas may not be realized for another year. Cold and rainy conditions during bloom limited pollinator activity and impeded orchard access for spray operations, creating the ideal conditions for the onset of plant pests and disease issues. The timing of bud and shoot development has likely also been impacted as the buds for next year’s crop are formed during the current year; therefore, the wet and cold spring may also influence the development of the 2024 crop.
The bloom period for many Prunus species (almond, peach, cherry, plum, prune, etc.) was unusually protracted due to the high frequency of rain and cool temperatures. Saturated soil conditions limited orchard access, resulting
in delayed shaking of mummy nuts in almond, an essential sanitation practice for management of navel orangeworm, a key insect pest With few bee flying hours available for pollination, and wet, cold conditions conducive to disease development (the crop outlook for 2023 remains uncertain.
Pistachio, walnut and pecan, all wind-pollinated crops, have experienced delayed bud break and shoot development. The progression of bud break appears to be at least 10 days behind the norm, and the timing and synchrony of male and female flower maturity is yet unknown.
Orchards that have sustained flooding may be physiologically impacted by roots’ persistence in anoxic conditions and may also be exposed to waterborne plant pathogens. Over time, saturated
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Rains impeded orchard access, delaying the shaking of mummy nuts in almond orchards into early February 2023 (photo courtesy E. Fichtner.)
Use Agro-K’s “Science Driven Nutrition” approach to maximize nut set and nut size.
Maximizing yields year in and year out starts with maximizing nut set. Achieving consistency in set and minimizing alternate bearing years is key to consistent yields and higher profits in pistachios. The secret is ensuring the tree has the right nutrients at the right time in the right forms and right mix. Using a combination of Agro-K phosphite and Dextrose/Lactose (DL) based foliar nutrients, including Vigor SeaCal, Sysstem LeafMax, Top Set DL, and Micro SeaMix, designed to help growers meet peak nutrient timings at critical points of the crop cycle.
Nut set can be influenced by boron which enhances pollination. Boron synergizes calcium and enhances its affect. Molybdenum plays a direct role in nut set and retention and nitrogen utilization.
Top Set DL is a unique boron-moly blend designed for synergistic application with Vigor SeaCal to address early season nutrient needs and maximize nut set – especially in cool wet springs.
Sysstem LeafMax is a low pH, phosphite based fertilizer that delivers a highly systemic (phloem and xylem mobile) nutrient
mix with rapid and complete uptake and fast support to early leaf and root development. Zinc is essential for maximum leaf size, vascular function and root growth. Magnesium, iron, manganese and copper are all are critical for complete chlorophyll development and part of Sysstem LeafMax and Micro SeaMix. Large leaves and chlorophyll production is key to maximizing photosynthesis that generates the carbohydrate production in the tree not only for the current year’s productivity but also as storage for the following year. Low carbohydrate production can be tied directly to increased alternate bearing issues and higher incidence of blanks. Implementing an Agro-K nutrient program will reduce blanks and improve off year yields.
Yield results from three consecutive years of replicated data, on the same trees, are shown in the chart above. Fully replicated plots, conducted on the same trees over three years, demonstrate Agro-K’s “Science Driven™” nutrition programs can consistently improve yield, quality and profitability. Speak to an authorized Agro-K distributor today to learn more about increasing your yields with a science driven nutrient program.
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soil will become depleted of oxygen by the roots and microbial communities, resulting in anoxic conditions that can lead to root mortality. The extent of damage to the roots may not be realized until the season progresses, and root damage may manifest with general canopy decline and anchorage issues. Many of the tree crops grown in California are grafted onto disease-resistant rootstocks. If flood water rises above the graft union, the benefit of these rootstocks is largely negated.
Many rootstocks have been selected over time for resistance to Phytophthora spp., a group of soilborne pathogens that create motile spores that swim at the water surface. These pathogens are common in surface water and incite canker diseases, particularly when the water level persists above the graft union. Symptoms of infection include general canopy decline and cankers, many of which ooze or ‘bleed’. The full suite of symptoms may not manifest until further into the growing season when the heat imposes stress on the trees.
The rainfall and flooding have addi-
tionally influenced the nutritional status of orchard soils. Cool, wet soil conditions slow the chemical and biological reactions that control the availability of nutrients for tree uptake. Micronutrients, present in only trace concentrations in soil, become particularly limited as the wet and cold create reductive conditions that promote lime-induced iron chlorosis, a common nutritional deficiency in prunes, almonds and citrus. In sites that have undergone whole orchard recycling with incorporation of woody biomass into the soil, saturated, anaerobic conditions may moderate the
microbial activity needed to stimulate wood chip decomposition and further restrict nutrient availability until the soil warms.
As rivers breach their banks, rushing floodwater may transport the less-soluble nutrients, such as sulphate of potash (SOP) that is often applied in the autumn, away from the tree rootzone. As water moves through the soil profile, other nutrients such as nitrogen may be lost from the rootzone by leaching. The leaching will, however, ameliorate salt accumulation after years of drought, particularly in sites that have relied on saline groundwater for irrigation. Additionally, orchards adjacent to rivers and creeks are at risk of tree loss from erosion.
As the season progresses, growers should work closely with their PCAs, crop consultants and UCCE farm advisors to observe and document orchard changes in the 2023 season. Photographs should be taken of anomalies, such as delayed bud break, so comparisons may be made to past and future years. Additionally, photos of putative disease and insect issues may easily be shared with representatives from private industry as well as researchers in the UC system for both diagnosis and discussion of best management strategies. A suite of photos and management options
for the most common pests and diseases of agricultural crops can be found at the UC IPM website (www.ipm.ucdavis.edu).
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This annual award recognizes a researcher, farm advisor, grower or industry lead er who has made significant contributions to the production of almonds, walnuts, pistachios and pecans in the Western United States.
Nominees for this award, presented annually by West Coast Nut magazine, are as sessed based on the following criteria:
• How the honorees’ research, innovation and field work have advanced nut production in the Western U.S.
• How the honoree has transferred new information to nut growers through field days, magazine articles, presentations and other vehicles of communication or through other significant industry leadership.
• How the honoree’s work has helped develop practical, long-term solutions to ongoing industry problems.
• How the honoree has helped advance sustainable nut production by reducing inputs, costs or increasing yields.
Nominees are accepted from a broad swath of industry members and winners are selected based on the matrix by West Coast Nut Editorial Staff and the Editorial Board.
To nominate an industry titan email Editor Marni Katz at marni@jcsmarketinginc.com.
Please share the nominee’s name, company affiliation, contact information and basis for nomination.
By MITCH LIES | Contributing Writer
Handlers, processors and importers of organic tree nuts face additional auditing requirements under the USDA’s Strengthening Organic Enforcement standards now in effect. But for organic farmers, the new rule may not have much effect.
New traceability requirements in particular place additional burdens on handlers, processors and importers to ensure tree nuts meet organic standards as they make their way through the supply chain from farm to consumer.
The new rule, said to be the biggest change in organic standards in 20 years, was brought forward by the National Organic Program to eliminate fraudulent organic sales and bolster consumer confidence in the USDA organic seal. The rule was finalized in March, and changes must be implemented by March 2024.
“This has the impact where the impact is most needed in terms of risk, and those are those longer supply chains,” said Jennifer Tucker, deputy administrator for the USDA’s National Organic Program, in an interview with West Coast Nut
The new Strengthening Organic Enforcement rule has its origin in the 2018 Farm Bill, which called on the USDA to tighten organic rules. Tucker noted the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, which administers the National Organic Program, already was working behind the scenes on addressing the issue.
“We had already started writing a rule to strengthen the regulations and the Farm Bill gave us a lot of additional authority and tools to do that, which was great,” Tucker said.
“That allowed us to fold in recommendations from our Advisory Board, requirements from Congress and experiences that we had gained in actual investigations over time.”
Tucker added news stories of organic fraud, particularly related to imports, further spurred officials to work on strengthening the rule.
“That has been a big focus for us in the last five to six years,” she said. “In addition to the rule itself, we’ve also built very strong relationships with Customs and Border Protection.”
Among several changes to existing standards, the new rules require more links in the supply chain to be certified organic and requires operations conduct traceability audits, requirements put in place to address loopholes in increasingly complex supply chains.
“When the organic regulations were originally written, they didn’t anticipate necessarily all of that complexity,” Tucker said. “So, really, this is a rule that is focused on continuous improvement to make sure the rules are protecting the organic market as it grows.
“As an industry grows and there are financial opportunities, there are also opportunities for bad actors to come in and try and make money while not following the rules,” Tucker said. “And there have been stories of fraud and incidences of fraud in the organic market. So, we have learned over the last several years the types of protections that are needed to deter that fraud. And this is very much a risk-based, risk-aware rule and it places most of the new burdens on the parts of the supply chain that have the higher risk.”
Organic tree nut growers said they welcome the changes.
“I’ve heard stories of people who abuse the system, so this will help those who follow the organic regulations,” said James Nichols of Nichols Farms in Hanford, Calif., which grows organic pistachios.
Glenn Anderson of Anderson Almonds, one of the first farms to produce organic almonds in California, said he agreed that new rules are needed to crack down on imposters in the organic marketplace. “We were
there at the table when the first organic standards were being drafted,” Anderson said. “Tightening things up I think is totally in order, because there are going to be people trying to leapfrog the requirements and get themselves to where there’s some profit in this depressed almond market right now.”
Connie Karr, certification director for Oregon Tilth, which certifies organ-
ic operations across the U.S., said she believes the new rules add safeguards against fraud in the organic marketplace by closing loopholes that have been exploited in the past.
“This is requiring a lot more people to become certified,” Karr said. “It is closing some of those loopholes in the exemptions on who has to be certified in the organic supply chain.”
“I think the rule does the right things in the right places to protect the farmers that are playing by the rules and discouraging imposters,” Tucker said. “Requiring things like mass-balance exercise and supply-chain traceability will be an important deterrent against fraud in the domestic market as well as in the international market.”
Organic farmers won’t be particularly affected by the new traceability requirements, Tucker said, in large part because of their position in the supply chain.
“The earlier you are in the supply chain, the less worried you need to be about traceability,” Tucker said. “It’s really about traceability from the market back to farm. So, if you’re at the farm, you’re the one who’s producing
the product, you need to make sure that any suppliers you are working with are organic and following the rules. But, at the beginning of the supply chain, you don’t have as much responsibility looking backwards because there is not much in back of you.”
Among changes highlighted by the National Organic Program, the rule requires on-farm audits once every cal
endar year, a change in language from the past rule, which required annual audits. Growers and certifiers said they don’t expect that to have much effect on their operations.
The new rule also increases training requirements for certifiers, requiring on-farm auditors have 2,000 hours of relevant experience before being eligible for the training, a requirement that
• Walnut sorting at the huller, and in-shell
• Green and black re-sorting at the huller
• Several width options — 32, 48, 64 or 80in
• Capacity from 5-30 tons/hour
All moisture meters are available for use individually or in conjunction with the WalnutTek sorter.
• Hand-held moisture meter
• Automated moisture meter
• Automated moisture meter with door control
• Automated moisture meter with door control
• and bin fill
AgTrack
• Traceability from the farm-to-processor
I THINK THE RULE DOES THE RIGHT THINGS IN THE RIGHT PLACES TO PROTECT THE FARMERS THAT ARE PLAYING BY THE RULES AND DISCOURAGING IMPOSTERS. – JENNIFER TUCKER, NATIONAL ORGANIC PROGRAM, USDA
could make it difficult for certifiers to find qualified auditors.
“This is a very significant change for certifiers, absolutely,” Karr said.
The new traceability requirements also will require certifiers to spend more time auditing operation, Karr said, which could lead to increased costs for the certifications, costs which may get passed to farmers.
“I think overall, we will see costs of certification potentially going up. Definitely the time and cost of the inspection will increase,” Karr said.
It is the middle of the supply chain, however, the brokers and handlers, that will bear the biggest burdens in implementing the changes, Tucker said. “Most of the costs of the rule are going to be for new certifications in the middle of the supply chain, so these handlers and brokers that are moving
product from point A to point L, and on the import certificates, the cost of generating the import certificates and the oversight that that requires. Because it’s not just clicking a button to
generate your certificate. It’s making sure that due diligence has happened.”
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Walnut and pistachio growers along with huller operators should be aware that routine Produce Safety Rule (PSR) inspections, with prior notice, will take place and be carried out by California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Produce Safety Program inspection teams, under authority of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, to make sure the Produce
Safety Rule is being followed on farms.
Farm and huller inspections should not be a dreaded event and no punitive action should be anticipated, Roger Isom, Western Agricultural Processors Association president, said. “It’s more like an open book test. They want you to be aware of any potential issues with food safety.”
Supervisor Sarah Standiford added that only if egregious food safety conditions are observed will enforcement actions be taken. “This is relatively very rare, but the regulatory process allows for this to protect public health.”
In preparation for inspections, WAPA and CDFA coordinated regional on-farm readiness reviews in April and May to ensure tree nut growers
CDFA Produce Safety Program
and hullers are prepared for the Food Safety Modernization Act’s Produce Safety Rule. CDFA’s PSR inspections have been occurring since 2018 and inspection elements that went into effect in January of this year for large farms with annual produce sales greater than $500,000 (averaged over the previous three years and adjusted for inflation) are harvest and postharvest water requirements. The same harvest and postharvest water requirements will go into effect for small farms with annual produce sales of $250,000 to $500,000 (averaged over the previous three years and adjusted for inflation) in January 2024 and for very small farms with annual produce sales of $25,000 to $249,000 (averaged over the previous three years and adjusted for inflation) in January 2025.
The Produce Safety Rule establishes
mandatory, science-based, minimum standards for the safe growing, harvesting, packing and holding of walnuts and pistachios along with fruits and vegetables grown for human consumption. The rule covers worker health, hy-
giene and training; agricultural water quality in pre-harvest and postharvest; biological soil amendments of animal origin; domesticated and wild animals;
equipment; tools; buildings; and sanitation. The point of the PSR is to prevent adulteration of food on farms and during processing.
At the first scheduled on-farm readiness review, CDFA inspectors conducted a mock inspection at Summerfield Farms in Hanford to demonstrate to growers and huller operators present what an official farm inspection will entail and what documentation they will be required show inspectors.
The CDFA inspection team of Carolyn Chandler, Estrella Perez and supervisor Sarah Standiford emphasized that along with inspecting for compliance, outreach, education and technical assistance are part of the program. Inspectors are required to review documentation of cleaning, sanitation and training. The inspections are not a “gotcha” approach, Standiford said, but a way to inform growers when corrective action is needed. Many parts of the rule are common sense, Chandler said.
“We want to see if you have a plan to fix a minor issue.”
Chandler said there is a variety of options for compliance in all parts of the PSR and suggested growers select which option works best for their operation.
David Stanfield of Summerfield Farms took part in the mock inspection at the walnut huller and drying facility, going over each part of the rule that applied and how the rule is followed. Standiford said there must be awareness at the facility of any possibility of contamination.
Starting with human health and hygiene, Stanfield said the policy is observation of workers and visitors for signs of illness, open sores or wounds. Workers are expected to wear closed-toe shoes and not wear loose clothing. Employee training is a significant part of PSR compliance. Stanfield said the full-time crew has annual training and seasonal workers have their training when they start at harvest. Training includes interpretation for non-English speaking employees, video and a handbook that covers all potential food contamination issues. Stanfield said they are asked to read the book and sign that they have read and understand the rules. Handwashing demonstrations are included, and at pre-harvest their employees do field checks to check for any potential safety hazards. There is a permanent schedule for restroom cleaning at the huller and the third-party certification for clean portable restrooms.
Summerfield Farms does apply biological soil amendments of animal origin in its walnut orchards, Stanfield said, and complies with the 120-day application prior to harvest timing requirement. The compost, he said, is produced in a validated process and comes with a certificate of compliance. He also documents how the compost is spread in the orchards and how it is stored prior to application to prevent runoff. Standiford said inspectors typically look for documentation related to details of compost production and logs or records of application.
Reduce sunburn, scald, and heat stress
Improve crop quality
No visual residue
Prevention of food product contamination from wild or domestic animals is another PSR requirement that inspectors will ask about. Stanfield said in the field, machine operators who observe any animal intrusion are required to dump product. In the huller, Stanfield said monitoring and prevention is key. They monitor for bird nests and rodents. An example of a tricky situation in PSR compliance is intrusion by a federally protected species. In that case, consultation with local wildlife authorities may be needed to determine measures that can be taken and documented to ensure produce safety, Chandler said.
Stanfield continued that machinery that has come into contact with an animal carcass is cleaned and sanitized before going back into the field for use in harvesting. At the huller, Stanfield said there is a pre-season sanitation routine that includes belt cleaning and sanitation. Trash in the orchards is another issue that must be addressed. Stanfield told inspectors there is a checklist that is followed before harvest begins.
www.sym-agro.com
The FDA is proposing to revise certain pre-harvest agricultural water requirements. If finalized, the proposal would require a systems-based pre-harvest water assessment, and
the grower would be required to evaluate the factors that could be likely to cause microbial contamination of produce. The factors include but are not limited to the water system location and water source, type of irrigation and environmental conditions. Farms growing produce covered in the PSR would have to do an annual assessment of water quality, keep written records and maintain documentation.
Float tanks in walnut and pistachio hullers are part of an inspection. Chandler said during an inspection, they will ask the operator what they are doing to maintain clean water and sanitation of any food contact surfaces. If antimicrobials are used, documentation should include what kinds and how often they are used.
Standiford said it is rare for on-farm inspectors to witness major food safety threats. If they do, agencies with appropriate enforcement authorities such as the California Department of Public Health and/or FDA would get involved.
Routine Produce Safety Rule inspections are usually pre-announced and occur within five days. A person at the farm who oversees produce safety accompanies the inspectors. The designated person should be able to answer questions about growing, harvesting and packing procedures. Inspectors will explain what is being looked at and why, and if
there are any regulatory concerns, the inspector will discuss and explain reasons. Inspectors will also provide inspection documentation.
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By CATHERINE MERLO | Contributing Writer
When Famoso Nut Company CEO Chad DeRose answered the phone before dawn on March 11, he didn’t expect it to be good news. It wasn’t.
The call informed DeRose that the surging waters of Poso Creek had broken around a weir located next to Famoso Nut’s main processing site. The plant sits about 20 miles north of Bakersfield.
Like many of California’s normally dry rivers and streams, Poso Creek was awash with water after winter storms brought record rain and snow to the state. Now, a sudden snowmelt was sending torrents of water cascading down mountain ravines and into creeks and rivers, bringing debris and mud flows with them.
By the time DeRose arrived at Famoso Nut, Poso Creek was flooding through 15 acres of the almond handler’s 120-acre property on Famoso-Woody Road.
It was a new experience for DeRose, who’s been CEO at Famoso Nut since 2018. The company, which handles up to 50 million pounds of almonds a year, also operates a second facility on Kite Road, about five miles away. Fortunately, that site wasn’t flooded.
In mid-April, DeRose spoke to West Coast Nut about the impact of the flooding on Famoso Nut’s main plant and how 2023 is shaping up for the company and California’s almond industry.
Q. Explain how Famoso Nut came to be flooded.
Poso Creek drains from the southern Sierras and runs south of our property. It hadn’t run in probably eight years. Next to Famoso Nut is Cawelo Water Dis-
Chad DeRose describes what happened when raging Poso Creek overflowed onto the almond handler’s property.
trict, which had built a weir to divert water into its settling ponds. The atmospheric river that came through on March 10 dropped so much rain on top of the low snow that the creek was slammed. Debris came washing down from the mountains and plugged the weir. There was at least a 100yard backlog of trees and branches. It was incredible how much came down. There was no way Cawelo could have been ready for that amount of debris. They weren’t able to clear the weir, and it forced the water into the settling pounds. Then it flowed into our property just across the fence line.
Q. Was your whole property flooded?
The plant and office are physically located up higher, so they were fine. Where we’ve got our auger line and hull piles, it’s a lower area. It was this lower area that took the brunt. The water rose to almost six feet high around the hull piles. It was a river running through. It made a big mess. It flooded our sump and brought a lot of silt onto our property.
Q. What was your biggest concern at that point?
The big danger with water and hulls is the possibility the piles will combust and catch on fire. That’s not completely uncommon in the industry. We had to break down all the hull piles, move them to higher, drier ground, and salvage as much of the good product as we possibly could.
Q. How did you get the water out of there?
We had to wait for the water level to drop. It was probably two days that the water was flowing through our property. We had to attack the hulls from the high side because there was so much silt and mud left over. We worked from east to west and got to the dry layer, then we started digging. Fortunately, our neighbor down the road, Sun-Gro Commodities, had two large bucket-holders we were able to bring onsite. We had four loaders running 10 to 12 hours a day moving the hulls to dry land.
Q. What did you do with the hulls that had been under water?
We’re in the process of finding open ground to put them on. Then they’ll disk them in and use that as compost.
Q. What’s the extent of the damage to Famoso Nut?
It’s probably around $2 million. We’re still working through the numbers. We’ve been able to salvage a lot of the value. Hull prices had hit record pricing, so the value of those hulls was pretty high. Fortunately, we have insurance coverage on the hulls, and there should be some emergency disaster funding that will be available as well.
Q. Where did all the water go after flooding your property?
It went through our property, into a vineyard across the street and back into Poso Creek at a lower point. It just took a little detour.
Q. Apart from the flood, what kind of year is 2023 shaping up to be for Famoso Nut?
Every year has its own challenges. The timing of the cold weather and rains coincided with almond bloom. That will likely have a big impact on the production we’ll be seeing this year. The one positive with the lower crop is that it will give us the opportunity, I hope, to clear the large carryout from last year and see prices rise.
Q. What other challenges are you facing?
Some of the biggest are trade and regulatory issues. Being an exporter, you’re exposed to geo-political tensions and regulatory changes. Western Europe, for example, is very focused on climate aspects and is constantly changing regulations regarding pesticide residues. One of the difficulties in dealing with an export commodity is that every country has different regulations. You’re trying to comply with them, and it’s always a moving target.
The other challenge is the well-documented tariffs. California is the biggest almond supplier in the world. But you have other almond-producing regions like Australia, which has been able to work out trade pacts with places like India and China. We used to have a much heavier influence in China than we do now. The duty for U.S. almonds into China is 25%. Australia is 0%. So, Australia raises its prices 24%, and they get the business. It puts California at a competitive disadvantage. China is a market the California almond industry developed over time, so it doesn’t feel good to be priced out.
It’s a very difficult time for growers. The 2022 crop year was very difficult with all of the inflationary pressures put on growers. They’re being forced to cut their costs, be it missing sprays or reducing winter sanitation work. That’s going to be reflected in the quality. It puts more cost on the processing side from a quality aspect.
We want to make sure we’ve got a really good read on what we’re going to be handling from a crop standpoint. We’re talking to growers and getting good estimates so we can form a good marketing plan. At the end of the day, we’re trying to get the growers as much money back in their pockets as possible. So, for us, a lot of it is finding ways to cut costs while at the same time improving our quality. I don’t know if our priorities are dramatically different this year from other years. We’ve got a good system going, so it’s making sure we constantly have our eyes on the ball so we’re not getting overly distracted, because it’s been easy to get distracted over the last two years.
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As the season rolls along and we start seeing trends, it’s time to adjust. It drives me nuts (pun intended from a pistachio farmer) when I get called to a block to help a fellow farmer out with nutrition and get answers to questions such as, “Well, that’s the way we have always done it,” or, “I know these trees need more of this nutrient?” “My PCA tells me I need this at this time.” I say, “Show me.” Taking soil and tissue samples will guide your decision-making process, and
if it doesn’t outright save you money per acre, it will guide your decision making in the right direction to address deficiencies or excessive rates.
I spoke of this in years past. In winters with turbulent and frequent storms, we tend to see very high nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium levels early in the season. We forget the atmosphere is 78% N. Storm mixing and solubilization brings a lot more N down with rainfall than we think. This year on most of my blocks, I have seen the same trends. The lower pH with volume tends to solubilize more P and K as well. This has limited my early N applications and saved quite a bit of money.
The only exceptions seem to be the farmers that just didn’t have the budgets last year on almonds or walnuts to supply a postharvest shot of nutrition. When this happens, we tend to get ourselves in to the death spiral of trying to cut costs, but subsequently also losing yields the next year when we need more crop to offset the price. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that we will make less and less. I’m sure most of you have your almond tissues already and can see where you are lacking. Make sure you have them for pistachios and walnuts as well. Be sure you consider those nutrients that are excessive as well. Just because it’s high doesn’t mean we are all good. High N levels are typically out of balance with the other major nutrients. It will take more of the other nutrients to get back “IN” balance.
I recently ran into other consultants recommending nutrients typically applied this time of year. Without consulting an early tissue, how do you know if the trend continues? In foliar sprays, we tend to address the minor nutrients. However, the major nutrients, those absorbed in the highest quantities, N, Ca, K, S, Mg and P are often left out of foliars. Why? Shouldn’t those be the first focus? P is the main component of creating energy. Don’t let that get low.
Make sure the pH is correct in the spray when applying foliar nutrients.
Ca is needed all year long, not just in spring after a heavy fall application of gypsum. Low magnesium early in the season makes it tough on trees to do their thing. Remember, Mg is the main element of chlorophyll. Our trees need that for creating carbohydrates. Before you address Zn, Cu, Fe or Mn, make sure your major nutrients are sufficient and in balance. At least be addressing them at the same time and not ignoring the big guys.
Keep in mind that you can hit your trees from two angles as well to keep things apart that don’t play well together. Put Ca in the ground while you apply P to a foliar spray. Spray Mg upstairs while you apply K to the roots. And for God’s sake (!?) make sure your pH is correct in the spray. I hate seeing foliars go out with pH above 7 and allow tie-up on top of the leaf before it even has a chance to get in. Make sure your tank is right. I love 6 for better absorption. On a side note, read your labels. Many herbicides like to be applied at a 3.5 pH. They tend to be much more effective there than the standard level a buffer gives you, or that shot of ammonium nitrate in the mix. Make those dollars go farther and be more effective. When time is of the essence, nutrients can be flown on often cheaper than the cost of running a rig through the trees. Factor in labor and diesel and you will surprise yourself. Not to mention, more acres, more quickly.
Farming is always evolving. Living through the wettest year on record and seeing the changes it brought to our
crops and soils is exciting for a chemistry nerd like me. When your consultant comes to you with a recommendation, please ask why and make sure you are addressing all the angles in a systematic fashion. If they haven’t pulled tissues or soils and are just guessing, let them know you can’t afford to guess anymore. Be specific, be targeted and be proactive. In some instances, cutting
a farmer’s N budget in half because the soils or rain gave it up this year is becoming the norm. It will also make it easier to balance all nutrients when one isn’t way out of whack. You may just find less is more, and your trees will thank you for it.
Fifteen years after orchard burning restrictions were initiated and demand for cogeneration materials slowed, a solution, whole orchard recycling (WOR), has become standard practice for many orchard removals.
Along the way, the WOR process has been refined, re-evaluated and incentivized. UCCE Farm Advisor Brent Holtz, the lead researcher in WOR, said the practice continues to be refined and benefits confirmed in trials of second-generation trees. According to the California Air Resources Board, more than 100,000 acres of almond trees and 10,000 acres of walnut trees have been pulled, chipped and returned to the soil. Holtz noted WOR is a more expensive option for orchard removal, but the long-term benefits to orchard and soil health are becoming evident.
Over the years, trials in almonds have proven that WOR increases soil organic matter, increases soil carbon, increases soil nutrients and soil microbial diversity. Water holding capacity is increased with WOR as is orchard productivity.
Whole orchard recycling involves
uprooting the trees, grinding them into wood chips and spreading the chips over the former orchard floor. After incorporating the chips into the soil, the process of preparing the site for a new orchard begins.
Josette Lewis, chief scientific officerfor Almond Board of California, said there is no other orchard management practice that puts that much organic matter into the soil at any one time and has a dramatic impact on soil quality.
One of the more significant and recent findings with WOR research is a reduction in nitrate leaching. A report published in the Journal of
ContinuedonPage60
Environmental Quality in 2022 showed the effects of WOR on nitrate leaching potential. Unhealthy nitrate levels in groundwater in the San Joaquin Valley have been blamed on inefficient nitrogen fertilization and irrigation. A research team found in the short term, biomass recycling led to N immobilization within the orchard biomass incorporation depth zone of 0 to 15 cm without impacts on N leaching
potential. The team concluded the practice of WOR reduced nitrate leaching potential by 52% 10 years after biomass incorporation without an increase in N mobilization. Results of this trial, the team concluded, highlight the potential of WOR to mitigate nitrate discharges into groundwater while conserving soil resources.
The immobilization of N, an effect of adding the carbon, was realized early on in WOR trials, and it was initially recommended to growers who were replanting trees to increase nitrogen fertilization from three ounces per tree to five ounces the first year after planting. Due to returning 40 to 50 tons of carbon per acre to the soil, the C to N ratio is thrown out of whack. The soil microbes respond to the abundance of carbon and deplete the N, leaving new tree deficient. New findings by Holtz and UCCE advisor Mae Culumber showed the deficit is short term. Early fertilization and better root zone placement may mitigate the need for additional nitrogen. By the second year after planting, enough soil microbes are cycling to release sufficient N back to the soil.
Early on in WOR trials, there were concerns with perpetuation of diseases and lack of equipment to meet demand. There was experimentation with different types of tree grinders, debates on whether to just spread the chips on top of the ground or incorporate them into the soil. There were questions about the depth chips should be incorporated and the rate per acre.
Holtz said the disease issue has been a problem for second-generation WOR orchards. Many diseases are spread by roots, and although trees are removed by uprooting, some root material will remain in the ground. Holtz explained the wood chips incorporated into the soil are decomposed by the microflora in the soil along with most pathogens. If wood debris in contact with soil stays moist, it is rapidly colonized by fungal mycelium that incorporates woody material into soil aggregates.
In addition, he said there is evidence that some soilborne pathogens, like Phytophthora, have cellulose in their cell walls, and like the cellulose in the wood chips, it is broken down by the soil microflora. Holtz said he suspects it could
also be the case with other diseases. A nematode species of the family Tylenchidae feeds on algae and fungi and is not parasitic to trees. Holtz said during trials, significantly greater Tylenchidae were observed in the grind plots, especially next to woody pieces.
Whole orchard recycling does not prevent replant disease, but Holtz said the additional soil nutrients, increased water holding capacity and biodiversity present will help new trees to withstand disease pressure.
Due to availability of financial incentives, Zack Fowler of Fowler Bros. Farming in Waterford, Calif. said most almond growers who are considering orchard removal have chosen to go the WOR route. Pulling and chipping trees and spreading the chips is the basic procedure and runs about $1,000 to $1,500 per acre. Complete removal, chipping, spreading and groundwork including fumigation plus an irrigation system comes at a higher cost in the $7,000- to $10,000-per-acre range. Fowler said most orchard sites can be turned around in three to four months.
The WOR process has remained pretty much the same over the years, Fowler said. The horizontal tree grinders produce 3- to 4-inch chips. Vertical beater spreaders are an improvement in spreading chips as they can do a more even job across the orchard site. This is a huge consideration, Fowler said, as uneven spreading means where the chip layer is thicker, the chip decomposition process is considerably slower. And if the wood chips are not spread properly, tree stunting can occur in the replanted orchard.
After chips are spread, Fowler said the site is ripped in two directions and then disced, incorporating the chips into the soil. Fumigation can be done then if needed and tree berms formed.
Holtz reports that due to incentives, the number of WOR providers has increased in recent years partially due to high er demand.
WOR is eligible for co-funding through CDFA’s Healthy Soil Incentives program and the USDA-NRCS Conserva tion Stewardship Program. San Joaquin Valley growers
can receive cost share funding through the Alternative to Agricultural Open Burning Incentive Program. Growers participating in this program are eligible to receive $300 to $600 per acre, with a maximum of $60,000 per grower. Incentive recipients are typically paid four to six weeks after their completion of WOR, and after an invoice has been sent to the district.
In addition to the application forms, the district requires an itemized quote from the service provider, detailing the work planned and a confirmation of the crop and acreage. There is a pre-inspection of the orchard or vineyard site.
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Crime is a major expense for tree nut growers, whether it is the theft of a load of nuts, equipment theft, embezzlement or the latest scam. The perpetrator can be an employee or a contractor, or a complete stranger who visits the orchard in the middle of the night.
Fortunately, there are a few things a grower can do to prevent or reduce crime.
Growers should conduct background checks on all employees, according to Rocky Pipkin, president and managing general partner of Pipkin Detective Agency in Visalia, Calif.
“That’s where you start,” said Pipkin. “As an employer, you have to weed out repeat offenders.”
Information used to conduct a background check includes a prospective employee’s name, Social Security number, birthdate and residence. For about $40, a grower can use this information to search online records.
The first thing Efrain Quiros, Jr., risk management services consultant with Nationwide Agribusiness, advises growers to consider is fencing and a good security system.
“I highly recommend a local alarm system,” he said, explaining a central station monitoring system that notifies local law enforcement is not as effective out on an orchard, miles away from that law enforcement.
“A local alarm that goes off and wakes everyone within five miles will usually scare thieves away,” Quiros said.
He also suggests growers use video cameras; however, he added cameras
“don’t necessarily capture the necessary data.” A driver wearing a hoodie can be virtually impossible to identify on poor-quality videotape.
Quiros said growers should doublecheck their video security and outdoor lighting, and also make sure that the information is stored long enough. Video from some systems only lasts for 24 or 48 hours, while other systems provide information for 30 days, or “go on the web and stay forever.”
“In farming, you also deal with employee dishonesty,” said Quiros. “If your employees deal with money, they could be stealing that money.”
Some longtime tree nut growers have seen the value of their harvests increase dramatically in recent years as markets for nuts opened in other counties. As a result, older growers are vulnerable to having employees skim profits, for example, by showing that profits have doubled when they have actually tripled.
To prevent theft by employees, Quiros tells growers to do “simple
things,” such as look at the books and the inventory on a day-to-day basis and “not rely so much on that son-in-law or nephew you’ve been depending on.”
He also advises growers to know the people who come onto their premises to do any work and always have written contracts.
“A lot of the issues we’ve been seeing for growers during harvest is the huge discrepancy between the number of employees and those reported,” said Pipkin, adding that local district attorneys “will go after contractors for overreporting the number of workers in the field.
“You’ve got to keep your eyes on everything,” he said. “In today’s world of online banking, you need to keep your eye on your bank account every day.”
According to Pipkin, red flags to watch for include money going “to companies you’ve never done business with before,” and an increase in credit card debt “above and beyond what is typical for your business.”
A common crime is when someone steals your checks and either alters them or uses the information to get into your bank account.
“You need to open up your mail every day,” he said. “You should even get a post office box.”
He explained that it is 90% more secure to get mail delivered to a post office box than it is to have it delivered to the mailbox at your business. Also, federal authorities get involved when mail is taken from a post office box.
Pipkin recommends growers follow all the workplace rules of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the part of the U.S. Department of Labor that makes sure an orchard has a safe working environment.
He suggests a private company be hired to conduct workplace safety inspections. This can prevent an employee from “blatantly providing false information that the employer did not have proper safety measures in place,” he said. “An inspection by private compliance inspectors can cut down on insurance fraud.”
Insurance companies will also send inspectors to determine how well a farm is protected from crime along with how safe the workplace is. If changes need to be made, the
inspector will issue what are called ‘recommendations.’
“The insurance company calls them recommendations, but they’re mandatory,” explained Jason Mackey, agent/VP at Mackey and Mackey Insurance Agency in Hanford, Calif. “If my client doesn’t comply, it may impact their rating negatively. They may even get dropped.”
Many companies manufacture products that prevent or reduce ag crime. A few of them showcased their newest products at the recent California Rural Crime Prevention Task Force (CRCPTF) conference.
Cambridge Forensics, a division of Cambridge Federal, based in Punta Gorda, Fla., exhibited SmartTrace (formerly SmartWater), an odorless, colorless liquid that appears to be water and leaves no visible residue.
SmartTrace is invisible to the human eye, said Mike Ross, founder of Cambridge Forensics, the sole distributor of SmartTrace in the U.S.
“It’s up to the individual how they deploy the product,” he said. “It has a code that is exclusive to that customer.”
Pipkin tells tree nut growers to spray it on trucks that haul nuts to packers.
“We’ve had instances where people had access to trucks on the weekend and scammed 20% of the harvest,” he said, advising growers to spray it on “anything someone can take and use for themselves.”
Cambridge Forensics offers a security system that can spray SmartTrace on anyone opening a secured cabinet, locked storage room or safe. It can also be used to spray anyone who tries to steal a vehicle without first disarming the system.
“It stays on the body for eight weeks and on clothing forever,” said Ross.
The product has not been approved for human consumption by the FDA, so it should not be sprayed on nuts or husks. Current research may change that, however, and eventually allow SmartTrace to be used on nuts to identify where they were grown.
At the conference, Pipkin also noticed the electric fencing by Amarok, LLC. The Columbia, South Carolina-based company manufactures fences that do not have a sufficient shock to put anyone’s life at risk, “but you’re not going to feel good” after touching it. The warning sign on the electric fence around a tree nut orchard is often enough to deter theft.
“Criminals look at how can I get in, get what I want, and get out,” he said.
“The Electric Guard Dog Fence has been popular with the California Rural Crime Task Force because it’s a proven property crime deterrent,” said Keaton McPherson, regional account executive with Amarok. “Our 7,000-volt electric fence serves as a physical and shocking deterrent for anyone looking to gain access to nut property.”
Real-time alerts notify law enforcement when and where the attempted breach is happening, he added.
“From catalytic converter, fuel and diesel, and equipment theft to vandalism and arson, there are several property
crime challenges threatening nut production today,” said McPherson.
“Take the rise in copper theft, for example, driving criminals to target agricultural irrigation systems. The average incident could cost producers between $7,000 to $50,000 in repairs depending on the extent of the damage. This doesn’t account for the crops potentially lost to drought in the meantime.”
“A loaded trailer is a mistake to leave out overnight,” said Quiros. “An individual comes with a semi, hitches to it and drives off. We had a lot of thefts a while back doing exactly that.
“Don’t leave vehicles out at night,” he said, but then added if you do, “at least don’t leave the keys.”
To increase the chances stolen vehicles will be returned, Quiros suggests all vehicles have some sort of marking to identify them, such as a steel plate welded to the vehicle. A GPS device can help you to locate a stolen vehicle. Both suggestions, however, are much more helpful in recovering a vehicle than in preventing its theft.
Calling a detective can help a tree nut grower solve certain crimes. When necessary, they can even assemble a team of investigators who can focus on a grower’s specific concern. However, according to Pipkin, most of the time a grower is better off reaching out to local law enforcement instead.
“When someone contacts us, our first question is, ‘Have you contacted the ag unit of local law enforcement?’” said Pipkin. “Most stuff they can do.”
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The 2023 Annual Meeting and Trade Show of the Western Agricultural Processors Association will again take place in Monterey, Calif., June 14-16.
In partnership with West Coast Nut, the 2023 WAPA Annual Conference is shaping to be a fun and informative meeting with more exhibitors than before. The keynote speaker for the event will be Patrick Moore, who has been a leader of the international environmental movement for more than 50 years.
Today, Moore reveals the myths and misinformation that distort current environmental debates. He calls for issues to be discussed on the basis of accurate scientific data, a search for consensus and the creation of sustainable solutions. Moore was a founding member, former President and International Director of Greenpeace.
In 2021, he authored an Amazon top selling book, Fake Invisible Catastrophes and Threats of Doom, his effort ‘to expose the misinformation and outright lies used to scare us and our children about the future of the Earth.’ The informative book, Confessions of a Greenpeace Dropout: the Making of a Sensible Environmentalist is Dr. Patrick Moore’s engaging firsthand account of his many years spent as the ultimate Greenpeace insider. Confessions details Moore’s vision for a more sustainable world. From energy independence to climate change, genetic engineering to aquaculture, Moore sheds new light on some of the most controversial subjects in the news today and is sure to kick off the meeting with a bang.
Next, attendees will learn the latest in agricultural labor law requirements from experts Alden Parker and Rebecca Hause-Schultz, partners in the Sacramento Law Firm of Fisher-Phillips. Then, one of the most interesting presentations of the day will come from two Assembly members who are part of the Problem Solvers Caucus. Republican Assemblyman Heath Flora (9th District) and Democrat Assemblyman Carlos Villapudua (13th District) are co-chairs of the Problem Solvers Caucus formed to educate elected officials, legislative staff, and members of the public on policy issues and to encourage political leadership that puts the public good above partisan political ideology.
The business meeting will conclude with a regulatory and legislative update from WAPA’s President/CEO Roger A. Isom, Assistant Vice President Priscilla Rodriguez and Di-
Christopher
McGlothlin.The team will update and educate attendees on the latest from Sacramento covering everything from the electric truck and forklift rules from the California Air Resources Board, the proposed Indoor Heat Illness regulation from Cal/OSHA, to the crazy implementation of SB 1383 for food waste and the fight against higher electric rates and preserving Net Energy Metering for solar projects. Other topics include the Association research on walnut dust combustibility and its Yard Truck Safety Training Grant. The staff will also cover its efforts to secure funding for agricultural tractor and harvester replacement and water infrastructure projects to help combat the effects of the implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). It will also cover the legislation it is working on this year on behalf of the tree nut industry.
The overall event begins Wednesday Night at 5:30 pm with the Associate Member Appreciation Reception kicking off at the Monterey Conference Center. Thursday morning the Annual WAPA Golf Tournament will be held 9:00 am at the Bayonet Golf Course in Seaside. That afternoon, the exhibitor Trade Show will kick off in the Monterey Conference Center. Later, a reception will be held at 5:00 pm amongst all the exhibitors and then the evening WAPA Annual Meeting Dinner will begin at 6:30 pm. The night will include the passing of the gavel to the new Chair for WAPA and recognition of outgoing Chair Kim Keyawa-Musselman. The night will conclude with the Association remarks and a message from President and CEO Roger A. Isom.
